Baseball Warm-up Routine for Position Players

baseball warm-up

Too many players at all levels either (a) treat their warm-up like a hassle or (b) simply don’t do it properly.  The baseball warm-up routine for position players below is meant to provide you with a comprehensive and easy protocol similar to that being done by top professional baseball players (pitchers click here). A proper baseball warm-up program before a game should take 15-20 minutes before you pick up a ball.  It’s in four parts as follows: Continue reading “Baseball Warm-up Routine for Position Players”

An Analytical Look at the Baseball Swing Plane

baseball swing plane

According to HitTrax, well-hit balls are generally hit within 24″.  On the other hand, a 93 mph fastball takes 1.585 milliseconds to travel those same 24” once it reaches homeplate.  We’re not dealing with a lot of time and every millisecond counts.  So, let’s review exactly what can happen during those 1.585 ms! First, let’s define the baseball swing plane and what it means to “be on-plane” so we’re all on the same page… Continue reading “An Analytical Look at the Baseball Swing Plane”

Baseball Attack Angles and Pitch Descent Angles… Any Relation? YES!

baseball Attack Angle

The Blast Motion sensor provides for two different types of angles at contact. One is the attack angle (AA, side view) and the other is the vertical bat angle (VBA, front view). Both are extremely relevant to the swing as it moves through space, but with different attributes, characteristics and implications. This article is about the attack angle, a topic with a dearth of information out there. Continue reading “Baseball Attack Angles and Pitch Descent Angles… Any Relation? YES!”

A Review of Blast Motion Baseball and Its Swing Metrics

blast motion baseball

If you don’t own a Blast Motion baseball sensor, you should.  We’ve been using Blast sensors for quite some time now and we are very impressed.  Frankly they are very easy to use and they don’t require calibration prior to hitting.  The only shortfall we discovered early on was how all the metrics related to each other, which actually prompted this internal write-up.  Blast reports 3 swing quality scores, Plane, Connection and Rotation, which they also refer to as PCR.  Their scores (20-80) are based on relative measurements of similar age groups and skill levels.  The sensor provides 10 pre-contact metrics categorized as follows:

Continue reading “A Review of Blast Motion Baseball and Its Swing Metrics”

Baseball Spin Axis, Spin Rate, Spin Efficiency Explained

baseball spin axis

We’ve all heard it, “pitching wins games”.  Well, some pitchers are about to win a lot more games. For eons, pitching coaches have talked about mechanics, command and control.  Then came velocity and threw out all the old adages and wrecked the house.  Today, it seems like everyone wants velo first, and then everything else as well.  I am here to say that things are about to change again!  The advent of equipment like the Rapsodo Pitching camera and all the talk about baseball spin axis and spin rate is changing the game and doing it fast. Continue reading “Baseball Spin Axis, Spin Rate, Spin Efficiency Explained”

How to Throw Harder

How to Throw a Baseball Harder

How to throw harder… It’s the one thing that seems to be the most sought after, yet few know how to deliver it effectively. There are many different threads that need to be weaved into a safe and effective program to help you throw a baseball harder.

Today, we’re going to review several requirements on how to throw harder.  They fall into several buckets, including a comprehensive upfront assessment (from physical to mechanical), a well-designed strength training program, a proper ramp-up, a well designed throwing program (in sync with strength program), and proper warm-up routines and recovery protocols. Continue reading “How to Throw Harder”

Inconsistent Velocity and the Killer Trifecta

Inconsistent Velo 1

If you haven’t noticed by now, we spend a lot of time getting our athletes to be more powerful. When it comes to pitchers this brings up the obvious topic of velocity.  While we don’t hang our hats on the “V” word exclusively, we do realize whether we like it or not, throwing gas is what gets the attention of most high school players searching for a great learning institution (education), fame and/or fortune.

Continue reading “Inconsistent Velocity and the Killer Trifecta”