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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

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

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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

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

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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.

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Lower Half Pitching Mechanics: The Drift – Simplified (Part 1 of 4)

lower half pitching

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 this 4 part series on lower half pitching mechanics, we’ll take a closer look and break down what I consider to be the 4 big plyers we need on the road to an efficient lower half:

Let’s kick off Part 1 of this series with component #1 – Drift. Continue reading “Lower Half Pitching Mechanics: The Drift — Simplified (Part 1 of 4)”

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Podcast #41: Key Insights into Developing D1 Pitchers with Florida Gators’ David Kopp

My guest today is David Kopp, pitching coach with powerhouse University of Florida Gators, who play in the SEC and are a consistent top 10, if not top 5 national program.  Join us as we discuss:

    • Ways to shrink the learning curve
    • When and how to make adjustments
    • How to work with different learners and athlete frustrations
    • Components of baseline testing on Day 1
    • Much More…

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Remote Athlete Highlight: A Deep Dive into Pitt Commit Antonio Doganiero

Lefty pitcher Antonio Doganiero (Class 2024), came to us for remote training through the Baseball U Anthracite travel program in Pennsylvania, this past October after a recent commitment to the University of Pittsburgh baseball program.  He was looking to improve his overall performance on the mound.  When Antonio started his remote program (6′ – 167 lbs.) he was sitting 83-84 mph.  This past weekend, Antonio was sitting 86-88, and he touched 89.3 mph.  There is obviously much more to come here.  But, how did we do this on a remote basis in 4-5 months?

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