> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.uplift.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Drifting Forward Magnitude

> Distance drifted forward during the swing - see Drifting Forward movement flag. This quantifies the amount of excessive forward movement of the pelvis.

## Technical Details

* **Variable Type:** Discrete Metric
* **Data Type:** Float
* **Units:** raw: m, display: in
* **Column Name:** `drifting_forward_magnitude`
* **Aggregation:** mean
* **Precision:** 1
* **Measurement:** Forward distance from launch to ball contact
* **Related Flag:** [Drifting Forward movement flag](/biomechanics/activities/softball/hitting/metrics/drifting-forward)
* **Typical Range:** 0.0 – 1.5 in (0.001 – 0.038 m)
* **Optimal Direction:** Middle — moderate forward movement is biomechanically normal; too little or too much is suboptimal

## Description

Drifting forward magnitude quantifies the actual distance the pelvis moves forward during the swing, providing a continuous measure of the excessive forward movement identified by the Drifting Forward flag.

## Normative Ranges

Percentile distributions by competition level from the 2026 Q1 dataset; the optimal range spans the 25th–75th percentiles.

| Population         | Optimal Range (25th–75th) | 10th | 25th | 50th | 75th | 90th |
| ------------------ | ------------------------- | :--: | :--: | :--: | :--: | :--: |
| Youth              | 0.1 – 1.5 in              | -0.6 |  0.1 |  0.7 |  1.5 |  2.9 |
| High School        | 0.1 – 1.5 in              | -0.6 |  0.1 |  0.7 |  1.5 |  2.9 |
| College            | 0.0 – 1.5 in              | -0.6 |  0.0 |  0.7 |  1.5 |  2.2 |
| Professional       | 0.0 – 1.5 in              | -0.6 |  0.0 |  0.7 |  1.5 |  2.2 |
| Broad (All Levels) | 0.0 – 1.5 in              | -0.5 |  0.0 |  0.7 |  1.5 |  2.8 |

## Use Cases

* Forward movement quantification
* Balance analysis
* Movement efficiency assessment
* Technique correction