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Pitching Lab… How We Merge Pitching and Strength Training

The Pitching Lab is a unique training program specifically designed to produce the “complete pitcher”. It’s truly a merger of strength training (in the weight room) and pitching (inside the nets).  Most players that haven’t trained with us probably don’t appreciate how intertwined our strength training is with our pitching program.  So, let’s get into it and provide some details on the strength training side and a timeline for the pitching program… Continue reading “Pitching Lab… How We Merge Pitching and Strength Training”

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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”

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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”

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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!”

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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”

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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”

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Summer Throwing Program; A Look at Pitch Design

Our Summer Throwing Program has many components, including pitch design.  For pitchers looking for more than just velo, we incorporate a Pitch Design component in the program to help improve their overall movement pattern.  The program not only teaches you the science and data analytics that go into pitch design but also how to implement it on the mound. Continue reading “Summer Throwing Program; A Look at Pitch Design”