Posted on

3 Questions When Analyzing Kinematic Sequence with K-Vest Baseball

k-vest baseball

HITTING IS HARD! Fortunately, technologies such as K-Vest Baseball, Blast and Rapsodo allow us to measure many metrics and movements, thus, giving the hitter a better chance to succeed. Unless you can understand and incorporate data into your training the value of data would be meaningless.  I should also add that it is easy for hitters to get lost in the numbers unless the collective data is properly incorporated into their training.

As an athlete, you are not able to move efficiently if your body isn’t in a position to do so. In terms of timing, if your lower half isn’t in a strong stable position to efficiently transfer energy and allow the upper half to move, then you will have a tough time hitting at any level.

It is important to understand how the lower body is behaving and how it should behave when a player is “on time”.  Here are 3 questions to ask when analyzing timing through the Pelvis of a Kinematic Sequence as measured by the K-Vest Baseball: Continue reading “3 Questions When Analyzing Kinematic Sequence with K-Vest Baseball”

Posted on

What to Ask When Selecting a Pitching Program

A few years ago, all you could expect from your pitching program was to help you with your mechanics. That’s just about what most people expected and looked for in a pitching program. Fortunately, times have changed. Today, pitching mechanics are only a piece of the overall puzzle.  There is much more to training pitchers than simply teaching them proper mechanics.  Whether you’re looking for an off-season pitching or throwing program, here are six questions you can ask pitching coaches and some guidance on what to look for… Continue reading “What to Ask When Selecting a Pitching Program”

Posted on

What to Do With All the Data Coming Out of Showcases?

During the past year several showcases announced partnerships with technology companies, whereby participants skills are measured during their events.  We’re not talking about the usual 60-yard dash.  We’re talking about esoteric topics like vertical bat angles of a swing and spin efficiency levels on a pitch.  On the one hand this is great news for the game. Technology is changing baseball for the better and the data can be invaluable for both training and evaluation. On the other hand, although I am a big believer in tech and the value it brings, there is an issue. Continue reading “What to Do With All the Data Coming Out of Showcases?”

Posted on

Educating Your Staff… The Palooza Experience

For the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of presenting with some of the brightest and innovative minds in baseball. Always being a big believer in educating my coaches and athletes, last year, I brought two of my coaches from RPP along with me to listen and learn when I spoke at Pitch-A-Palooza.  If you’ve never heard of it (hard to believe), Palooza is Lantz Wheeler’s 3-day extravaganza that brings together 500+ (it grows every year that I’ve presented there), forward-thinking coaches, trainers, PT’s and data/tech analysts.

The “take-home” for my guys was so beneficial that it prompted me to bring 5 of them this year. My strength coach, 2 pitching coaches, my hitting coach and a data intern all accompanied me to grab some knowledge and just as important bond as a unit. Palooza is somewhat of a “meeting of the minds” looking to both listen to and share with each other different mind sets on making players and coaches healthier and more efficient at what they do. It’s a welcome break from the world of social media we live in where many times, people troll each other’s posts simply to stick out their chest and criticize each other.

At the end of the event, I asked my guys for their impressions and their favorite presentations.  Here is their feedback.  Enjoy… Continue reading “Educating Your Staff… The Palooza Experience”

Posted on

The Best of 2019 – Strength Training Articles

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CSCS, CPT, NASM, FMS)

As we get closer to a new year I would like to look back and get a bit reflective. A few years ago, I started a series in which I posted the most popular blogs of the year. These are the articles that received the most traffic, according to our hosting statistics. It seems to be a favorite of everyone, so here we go again with the most popular of our strength training articles for 2019. Continue reading “The Best of 2019 – Strength Training Articles”

Posted on

Creating Stability and Better Energy Transfer in the Swing

I was sitting with our Director of Hitting Evan Klugerman yesterday and he brought up a great point regarding efficient sequencing and mechanics when looking at K-Vest data. While collecting data for our high school guys, he was surprised at how many inconsistencies there were in sequencing from swing to swing within the same player profile, as compared to the MiLB guys he had been testing last year with the Orioles. I thought it would be a great quick blog. Continue reading “Creating Stability and Better Energy Transfer in the Swing”

Posted on

Top 10 Things to Do to Get Recruited for College Baseball

college recruiting tips

There’s no doubt the baseball college recruiting process is a maze. Parents and players often don’t know where to begin. There is really no road map and no guidelines.  Hopefully, this article will help put some parameters around what needs to get done before and during the summer months.

Here’s my list of Top 10 things to do during the summer to get recruited for college baseball.  I have attempted to list these in series.  Much of this might seem basic, but you’d be surprised how many parents ask us “where should we begin?”

Continue reading “Top 10 Things to Do to Get Recruited for College Baseball”

Posted on

Case Study (Sean Hard): How to Throw a Changeup

sean hard

Rapsodo pitching cameras measure critical data points for instantaneous feedback. At RPP, we utilize this technology to further the development of the pitchers that train at our facility. Out of the numerous metrics Rapsodo measures, we specifically focus on three topics:

    • Spin Axis
    • Horizontal Movement
    • Vertical Movement

These metrics allow us to get a feel for how well a pitcher is able to manipulate the baseball and create movement among the different pitches in his arsenal. Continue reading “Case Study (Sean Hard): How to Throw a Changeup”

Posted on

How to Train for Athleticism in Pitchers

Training Athleticism in Pitchers - Part 1 Top

In order to effectively train for athleticism in pitchers we first need to:

    1. Understand Key Points in the Delivery – Understand the key points in the delivery and how to develop effective power by training it in the weight room
    2. Addressing Energy Leaks – Identify and fix energy leaks (mechanics / disconnects)
    3. Customizing Throwing and Strength Training Programs – Be able to assess what “type” of pitcher we are dealing with in order to effectively train them to produce optimum power to throw a baseball

Let’s get started… Continue reading “How to Train for Athleticism in Pitchers”