I have been getting numerous calls the last week or two about pitchers’ velocities dropping as much as 10 mph (one athlete was down from 90 mph to 79-80mph). Continue reading “Why Certain Pitchers Can “Deal” all Season Long”
Training Explosiveness through Strength Training
For parents of some young athletes (for the scope of this article I’m talking about athletes ages 13-16), lifting heavy weights seems to get a bad rap. Years ago players were told not to lift weights because it would make them too “big”. You could even hear words like “stiff” or “tight” getting thrown around at the drop of a hat.
While I whole heartedly believe in the phrase that “age is wisdom”, this would be one of those times that I beg to differ. Being strong is a good thing. And if you want to be explosive you have to be strong first. Performance, speed (have I got your attention now?) and injury prevention all are built on a foundation of strength. But exactly what type of strength training and at what age seems to be where parents (and strength and conditioning coaches for that matter) get tripped up.
Most of you who read my blogs know that I spend a great deal of time emphasizing training according to where the athlete is during the season. Let’s take a look… Continue reading “Training Explosiveness through Strength Training”
Top 9 Reasons for Pitching Injuries
It’s no secret that the numbers of youth injuries in baseball are staggering. Even with the implementation of pitch counts, youth pitching injuries not only continue to rise but account for many of the injuries ball players eventually suffer later in their careers. Here we go, with my top 9 reasons for pitching injuries… Continue reading “Top 9 Reasons for Pitching Injuries”
Spring 2017 Sports Recognition Awards
Pitcher of the Year
- Chris Gerard – NorthJersey.com / The Record
- Cooper Meldrim – Lohud.com / Journal News
Player of the Year
- Nick Cimillo – Lohud.com / Journal News Top 5 Finalist for Player of the Year w/ final announcement coming on July 2nd
- Aljo Sujak – NorthJersey.com / The Record
News 12 Varsity (MSG)
Is Your Exit Velo Too Low?
With all the data continuously coming out of the MLB Statcast system, there are a lot of discussions about what’s useful and what’s not. But no matter how you look at it, Exit Velo is king. Don’t misunderstand me Launch Angle (and other metrics) are extremely relevant metrics. However, Exit Velo reigns supreme. Let me explain… Continue reading “Is Your Exit Velo Too Low?”
Interview with Dominic Cancellieri Pitcher / Player at Bergen Catholic High School
We are here with Dominic Cancellieri, who just finished his sophomore year at Bergen Catholic. Dom is an awesome athlete playing both basketball and baseball at Bergen. He is also an excellent student. But I have to say that if anyone understands that strength training is integral part of an athlete’s success it’s Dom. Continue reading “Interview with Dominic Cancellieri Pitcher / Player at Bergen Catholic High School”
Interview with Andrew Olsen Catcher at Don Bosco Prep High School
We are here with Andrew Olsen, junior catcher at Don Bosco Prep. Andrew is the ultimate student-athlete, top of his class academically and playing baseball at such a high level. And frankly having improved his Exit Velo from 73 to 88 mph (this spring) there aren’t many that work as hard as he does in the gym. Continue reading “Interview with Andrew Olsen Catcher at Don Bosco Prep High School”
What May Have Caused the Noah Syndergaard Injury?
On April 30th in the bottom of the 2nd inning, just 38 pitches into his fifth start of the year, Noah Syndergaard threw a 2-1 pitch to the National’s Bryce Harper then proceeded to clutch under his arm. Something was obviously not right. The latissimus dorsi (lat) is one of the major players for stability and throwing gas, and Syndergaard just tore his. I would like to go over what may have caused the Noah Syndergaard injury.
(Noah Syndergaard Injury)
Continue reading “What May Have Caused the Noah Syndergaard Injury?”
Three Big Things That Can Help You Throw a Baseball Harder
Every year we have the privilege of working with a large number of pitchers between October and March. While these athletes come in many different shapes and sizes, all requiring their own individual strength and mobility programming, this wasn’t the case when it came to analyzing mechanics on the mound. Let me explain. Continue reading “Three Big Things That Can Help You Throw a Baseball Harder”
Why is my Pitching Velocity Down?
A while back, I wrote an article titled “5 Reasons Velocity Increases during the Season” (click here). Today, I’d like to counter that with “Why Has My Pitching Velocity Decreased during the Season?” and a few things pitchers can do to keep their bodies and arms in tip top shape during the season. Here are several reasons why your velo could be down: