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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:

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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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How to Throw Harder

How to Throw a Baseball Harder

How to throw harder… It’s the one thing that seems to be the most sought after, yet few know how to deliver it effectively. There are many different threads that need to be weaved into a safe and effective program to help you throw a baseball harder.

Today, we’re going to review several requirements on how to throw harder.  They fall into several buckets, including a comprehensive upfront assessment (from physical to mechanical), a well-designed strength training program, a proper ramp-up, a well designed throwing program (in sync with strength program), and proper warm-up routines and recovery protocols. Continue reading “How to Throw Harder”

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Inconsistent Velocity and the Killer Trifecta

Inconsistent Velo 1

If you haven’t noticed by now, we spend a lot of time getting our athletes to be more powerful. When it comes to pitchers this brings up the obvious topic of velocity.  While we don’t hang our hats on the “V” word exclusively, we do realize whether we like it or not, throwing gas is what gets the attention of most high school players searching for a great learning institution (education), fame and/or fortune.

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Understanding the Kinematic Sequence

kinematic sequence

Not all throwing and hitting motions are created equal. Some guys rely more on strength, some guys elasticity (facial tissue) and some are simply genetic “outliers” (there’s that fascia again). But close analysis, in not only numerous studies but also from my own experience at the facility, reveals that there is one common denominator why hard throwers create effortless velocity and command, as well as power hitters creating high exit velos behind the plate.

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In-season Baseball Workouts with Velocity-Based Training

in-season baseball workouts

With baseball season quickly approaching, we are beginning to see everyone’s idea of what a great in-season baseball workout is being posted all over the internet. While some of these are quite good, unfortunately others are either too heavy on volume and intensity or are so light the athlete is better off taking the day off. I always tell my athletes that once the season begins, what we are really doing is managing a controlled fall. In other words, playing sports technically makes athletes better at playing their sport, but it does not make them stronger or even able to maintain specific training adaptations as the season progresses.

In my opinion, baseball players can and should be training hard in season, as long as throwing and exercise selection are taken into consideration and they’re training in the correct strength-zones.  Enter velocity-based training (VBT) for in-season baseball workouts. Continue reading “In-season Baseball Workouts with Velocity-Based Training”

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4 Simple Ways to Maintain Lower Half Power In-Season

Lower Top 1

The reality is that during the season many pitchers may have difficulty getting to the gym more than 1-2 x’s per week. So here at RPP, we recommend supplementing your in-season training with some strength / mobility work that can be done at home or at the field. These exercises are designed to maintain your strength and mobility without creating any residual soreness that could effect on-field performance. It’s not as efficient as coming into the gym and getting your reps done but it’s better than not doing anything at all… much better. Continue reading “4 Simple Ways to Maintain Lower Half Power In-Season”

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The Pursuit of Abnormal Pitch Movement with Rapsodo

pitch movement

A while back we wrote about a topic titled “What is Relative Pitch Movement? And Why is it Important?” (click here). This article looks to further refine that concept, and it’s a topic that all high-level pitchers should consider at all levels of the game.   Working with Rapsodo, pitch design should be an integral part of every pitchers development, but there is more to it…

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What to Consider with In-Season Baseball Workouts

At this time of the year, after a full off-season of strength training, upcoming tryouts and practices, sitting on the bench in a kyphotic posture and waiting to get your reps on the mound are a few of the variables that can wreak havoc on an athlete’s body and more importantly his arm/shoulder. There are several considerations when you’re looking to maintain your strength and mobility with in-season baseball workouts.
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