Posted on

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”

Posted on

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?”

Posted on

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”

Posted on

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?”

Posted on

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?

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

Posted on

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”

Posted on

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…

Continue reading “Developing Elite Hitters from a Young Age (10-13 year olds)”

Posted on

Athlete Highlight: 6’3″ RHP Connor Darling Velo is Up 9 mph

Connor Darling

Right-Handed Pitcher Connor Darling (Class 2024) recently completed an outstanding spring season at Northern Highlands High School in New Jersey. Connor has been training at RPP since November 2019. At the time of his assessment last summer, he was 6’3” and 185 lbs., topping out at 82 mph. Fast forward to this spring, Connor is now over 200 lbs., and has improved his peak velo by nearly 9 mph, touching 91 mph. This past spring he finished with a 2.07 ERA, 1.7 K / IP and 40.2 IP under his belt.

How did he do it?

Continue reading “Athlete Highlight: 6’3″ RHP Connor Darling Velo is Up 9 mph”

Posted on

Podcast #54: Understanding and Utilizing Mocap Data to Optimize Performance with Jim Buffi

Today we’re sitting down with Jimmy Buffi, CEO of Reboot Motion. During the episode, Jimmy helps break down motion capture to players and coaches in more understandable terms and talks about how he gathers information to help create a blueprint for success. Topics include:

    • Identifying possible mechanical disconnects or “leaks”
    • Predicting injury risk
    • Organizing work load management

Continue reading “Podcast #54: Understanding and Utilizing Mocap Data to Optimize Performance with Jim Buffi”

Posted on

Helping Young Pitchers (ages 10-13) Develop into Elite Throwers

Helping young pitchers develop into the best versions of themselves requires an understanding of their physiological development and capabilities at any given age. Asking a 13-year old pitcher to post-up may be a complete waste of time, if he doesn’t have enough lead leg strength to create a good block. With our more developed and older athletes, we may review as many as 50-60 potential disconnects.  But when it comes to the younger guys, you have to be aware of what they may or may not be capable of performing.  Consequently, we generally begin with a reduced set before expanding what we look for in their youth pitching mechanics.  We have listed them here on a priority basis.

Continue reading “Helping Young Pitchers (ages 10-13) Develop into Elite Throwers”