While getting strong is a given in any sport, how quickly we can apply that strength (power) is what separates good from great. In a nutshell, the quicker you can produce force the harder you’ll throw. Continue reading “Improving Lead Leg Strength — Force Development”
This may sound like a warped title out of one of Aesop’s fables but it’s not. It’s actually a pattern we see all the time in many high school pitchers. When reviewing the pitching mechanics of many of these young athletes, more than half of them are not putting adequate force into the ground with the rear leg while moving forward. Continue reading “Pitchers Trunk Tilt and the One-Legged Throw”
Unfortunately, 90% of the pitcher population cannot handle the amount of lumbar extension Tim Lincecum put his body through. It’s no mystery that low back pain can severely compromise velocity, as well as command, in pitchers. In Part 3 of this series on Pain Site vs. Pain Source, we’ll look at low back pain and some possible “sites” distally that could be causing it. We’ll also look at some things we can do from both the strength and mobility (mechanics) side that may help to relieve unwanted stress in the area. Lower back pain after pitching can be caused by many things, but for the scope of this article, we’re going to concentrate on… Continue reading “3 Reasons for Lower Back Pain after Pitching”
Weighted baseball training is just one of the tools used in our baseball throwing programs to help athletes achieve a higher velocity ceiling. As with any protocol, the “dosage” (volume and intensity) in weighted baseball training is paramount in order to maximize their effectiveness safely. Below are the top 10 questions we get asked often regarding weighted baseballs, including how they work, and how we integrate them into a total throwing program used to increase size, strength and velocity on the mound. Continue reading “Top 10 Questions on Weighted Baseball Training”
Often times when someone describes a pitcher that throws hard, you’ll hear things like “he’s got a quick arm action” instead of “he must have a strong lower half”. Since the ball is released by the hand which is linked more closely to the upper body than the lower body, the former of the two gets all the props while the latter becomes the unsung hero. Continue reading “Building a Bigger Engine in Pitchers… The Lower Half”
Over the last few years, I’ve done manual therapy on hundreds of pitchers. One day, my business partner walked up, saw what I was doing and said to me “Nunz, isn’t there a blog in here somewhere? There’s seems to always be a waiting line at the treatment table for this.”
So, this seemed as good a time as any to write about the importance of getting back the Internal rotation (IR) in order to keep shoulder range of motion in “top-notch” shape all year. Continue reading “5 Minutes of Manual Therapy for Pitchers… Priceless”
In Part 2 of this series on pain site vs. pain source (click here for Part 1), we’ll look several ways the lower half pitching mechanics can lead to pitching elbow pain and how it’s not always originating at the arm (or from the upper half for that matter). Continue reading “3 Ways the Lower Half Can Cause Pitching Elbow Pain”
RPP and Rozema Baseball recently had the pleasure of hosting the Cleveland Indians as they conducted an invite-only workout for some of their top northeast prospects in anticipation of the upcoming 2017 MLB Draft. On behalf of everyone at RPP and Rozema Baseball, we would like to thank the Cleveland Indians again for allowing us to host their event. The representatives from the Indians were extremely professional, respectful, informative and truly a class act. The following individuals from the Cleveland Indians attended the session for the evaluation:
Continue reading “Inside Look at Cleveland Indians Northeast Private Workout at RPP”
Prior to the start of the off-season we always assess every pitcher’s mechanics and pitching velocity. We feel that this can give the athlete a good idea of the progress that was made during the off-season. In regards to velocity, many often see the same velocity at the end of the program as in the beginning, causing slight looks of panic among the mortals. Continue reading “5 Reasons Pitching Velocity Increases during the Season”
At this time of the year, after a full off-season of strength training, and with upcoming tryouts and practices, erratic throwing schedules are a few of the variables that can wreak havoc on an athlete’s body and more importantly his arm. The fact is, if you don’t participate in some sort of in-season baseball lifts and quality weight room work trails off, so will power on the mound and/or on the field. It will likely leave an athlete vulnerable to a cavalcade of maladies including a gradual drop in velocity, mobility, and possibly injury as the season moves along.
Continue reading “In-Season Baseball Lifts, Managing a Controlled Fall”
