Warm-up Routine for 10-12 Year Old Baseball Players

Building good habits from a young age will pay big dividends over time as young athletes get older.  This is especially true when it comes to taking care of their bodies.  The following warm-up routine is appropriate for pitchers and position players, between the ages of 10 and 12 years old and it includes:

    1. Arm Care / Band Work (5 min)
    2. Multi-Planar Movement Prep (5-10 min)
    3. Long Toss (10 min)

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Lower Half Pitching Mechanics: Drive / Rotate – Simplified (Part 3 of 4)

Use your legs. Use your lower half. Sounds great but, “what the heck does it mean”? Coaches often cue this as if it’s one single thing. In reality, a proper use of the lower half has 4 different but connected and sequential components. In Part 3 of this 4 part series on lower half pitching mechanics, we’ll take a closer look and break down what I refer to as the Drive / Rotate phase.

    • Part 1 – Drift
    • Part 2 – Load
    • Part 3 – Drive / Rotate
    • Part 4 – Block

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Remote Athlete Highlight: Evan Festa Batting .459 (Class 2024 from Nevada)

Evan Festa , 2-way player from Las Vegas, Nevada (Class of 2024), came to us last September looking to elevate his game and performance on the field. At 5’11″, Evan started his remote training at RPP weighing in at 155 lbs. and expressing a desire to increase his lean body mass, strength and power, and eliminate his pre-existing lower back discomfort. Six months later, Evan is off to a great start this spring with a .459 batting average and no lower back discomfort. Let’s review how we got here.

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Athlete Highlight – Jack Brodsky from Sitting 91-93 to Sitting 93-94, T95

Jack Brodsky, 5th year grad student and closer for University of Tampa Baseball, is having a banner year. With 11 appearances and 15.2 inning pitched, he has a 0.57 ERA and a 0.57 WHIP, with a pitching velo up to 95 mph.  Jack joined us last summer as a part of the summer throwing program after graduating from Emory University. He also returned during his winter break before the start of the spring season.  When he started in June 2022, his objectives were to improve his velocity and command and control. He was sitting 91-93 and had just graduated from Emory with a 1.59 WHIP and a 5.42 cumulative ERA.  How did we do it?

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Podcast #44: Setting up a Successful Team Culture with University of SF Head Coach Rob DiToma

Today we’re sitting down with University of San Francisco Head Coach Rob DiToma, whom I’ve known since his days at Farleigh Dickinson University (FDU). On the menu today:

    • Recent changes in the incoming ball player
    • Creating a team culture on day 1
    • Early specialization and injury

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Podcast #43: Training a Moving Target with SF Giants S&C Coach Andy Lyon

Today’s podcast is with Andy Lyon, Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach with the San Francisco Giants. Join us as discuss a variety of topics including maneuvering programming to optimize the ever changing needs of professional baseball players throughout the year. Topics include:

    • Off-season / in-season training needs
    • Differences between training pitchers and position players
    • When and how to apply baseball-specific conditioning throughout the year

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Podcast #42: Recruiting and Showcase Prep Nuggets from PBR New Jersey’s TJ Hunt

I would like to welcome our guest today, TJ Hunt with Prep Baseball. I have known TJ for many years, going back to our days in Sloatsburg, NY and it’s a great pleasure to have him in the show. If you’re planning on attending a @prepbaseball event, this is a must listen. Join us as we discuss how to prepare, and the do’s and don’ts when you show up.

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Lower Half Pitching Mechanics: The Load – Simplified (Part 2 of 4)

Use your legs. Use your lower half. Sounds great but, “what the heck does it mean”? Coaches often cue this as if it’s one single thing. In reality, a proper use of the lower half has 4 different but connected and sequential components. In Part 2 of this 4 part series on lower half pitching mechanics, we’ll take a closer look and break down what I refer to as the Load phase.