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Athlete Highlight: Seton Hall Commit Reno Spagnoli Velo is up 10 mph, T92

Reno Spagnoli

Seton Hall Baseball commit Reno Spagnoli, rising senior at Columbia High School in New Jersey, had quite a spring. Reno started training at RPP Baseball, in October 2021. At the time, he was just coming off a PBR event where he sat 81-82, touching 83 mph. Fast forward to this summer, Reno was recently sitting 90-91, touching 92 at an event in Boston. His velo has increased approximately 10 mph. Additionally, he had a stellar spring both pitching and at the plate, with a 1.50 ERA and a 0.414 batting average.

How did he do it?

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How to Improve Pitchers Shoulder Mobility

pitchers shoulder

Today, we’re going to review some of the topics we look at during an assessment in regard to pitchers shoulder mobility as well the major players that can affect it. The four big guys are as follows:

    1. Shoulder
    2. Scapula
    3. T-Spine (Extension)
    4. Lumbo-Pelvic Control

Let’s review and discuss each and go over a handful of shoulder exercises that may be helpful for each segment.

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How to Increase Hitting Power in Baseball

How to Increase Hitting Power in Baseball

The underlying factor in all things powerful and explosive when it comes to performance is “STRENGTH”. It’s the foundation that athleticism is built on and there can be no better example of this than hitting a baseball and I don’t mean just making contact, I mean hitting the ball with power and… HARD! So, how to increase hitting power in baseball? Let’s read on…

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Podcast #57: Training Division 1 Athletes in the Weight Room with Will Franco

My guest today is Will Franco, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Boston College, where he has been overseeing the baseball program for the past 2 years. I’ve known Will since his tenure with Maryland as well as the Orioles affiliate the Aberdeen Iron Birds. Today we will shed some light on:

    • What’s Expected of College Freshman in Strength and Mobility
    • In-Season / Off-Season Periodization
    • The Importance of Training Speed

Continue reading “Podcast #57: Training Division 1 Athletes in the Weight Room with Will Franco”

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What is Late Arm Action? Why and How You Should Address it?

Pitching is a sequence of events that occur in a very short span. Breaking the movement down into its components can help isolate issues as the kinetic chain ultimately delivers the pitch at the point of release. An important topic that pitchers should be aware of is “Arm Action” or more notably a “Late Arm Action”, which can create many issues down the chain.  So, let’s discuss it…

    • What is it?
    • Why is it important?
    • What are the contributing factors?
    • How can you address it?

Continue reading “What is Late Arm Action? Why and How You Should Address it?”

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Podcast #56: Conquering the Challenges of a New Environment with USF Assistant Coach Eric Supplee

This week’s sit down is with long time comrade Eric Supplee, recently appointed Assistant Coach at the University of San Francisco. Today we’ll be discussing:

    • The challenges of playing and coaching in a new environment
    • Building trust with a new group of athletes
    • Characteristics of a great competitor

Continue reading “Podcast #56: Conquering the Challenges of a New Environment with USF Assistant Coach Eric Supplee”

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Why You Should Join the Mind Gym this Off-season?

“Too often, sport psychologists are asked to ‘fix’ struggling athletes with mental problems as they approach major competitions or rebound from poor performances. Although MST (mental skills training) programs may prove beneficial in the short run to develop skills and deal with specific problems, such approaches fail to address athletes’ long-term development goals” (Holliday et al., 2008, p. 205).

I love this quote because it encapsulates my work as a mental performance coach. Continue reading “Why You Should Join the Mind Gym this Off-season?”

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Athlete Highlight – Pace University Commit Catcher Chris Orrego Batting .435 (vs .226 LY)

Pace University Baseball commit catcher Chris (CJ) Orrego recently finished his final spring season at Wayne Hills High School in NJ. After 62 ABs, he batted .435 (vs .226 LY) and had a .774 slugging average (vs .339 LY). He finished the year with 3x as many hits for extra bases vs. the prior year.

How did he do it?

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Podcast #55: Ins and Outs of Playing and Coaching D1 with Villanova Pitching Coach Jabin Weaver

We’re sitting down today to discuss the ins and outs of playing Division 1 baseball with Villanova Pitching Coach Jabin Weaver. Topics Include:

    • Fastball usage in the game today
    • Year 1 struggles for some incoming freshman
    • Some common adjustments lifestyle-wise that can help acclimate

Continue reading “Podcast #55: Ins and Outs of Playing and Coaching D1 with Villanova Pitching Coach Jabin Weaver”

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Developing Elite Hitters from a Young Age (10-13 year olds)

Developing elite hitters from a young age is about developing not only intent, but sound hitting mechanics from early on. Let me start by saying this. Due to the fact that young athletes are not proficient enough in body awareness and movement at this age, it’s important to begin with a basic / reduced set of disconnects before expanding it to more complicated movement patterns later on.  Below are the disconnects / topics you should make sure you get right from a young age. Let’s get into it…

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