As we look forward to hopefully another great year here at RPP, it’s a good time to review where we have come from and how we got here. RPP’s youth clientele has increased nearly 6-fold since 2012. By any measure, that’s great and we are very proud of what we have accomplished. But explosive growth doesn’t happen for NO apparent reason; it certainly doesn’t happen overnight, and it definitely doesn’t happen without sleepless nights.
First and foremost, we owe this to all the wonderful and talented young athletes that put their trust in us every single day. But there are many reasons why and how this came to be and when you cut through it all, there are 8 topics that I believe have enabled us to achieve this growth.
1. Dedicated Athletes – Let me say it again, as hard as we have worked to make RPP a one-of-a-kind facility, we owe it all to the wonderful young and dedicated athletes that put in the hard work every day. So, before I begin, THANK YOU.
2. World Class Strength Training – We offer cutting edge, world class strength training. Anyone who is current on strength training, and takes the time to review what we offer on a daily basis, would quickly conclude that we offer the cutting edge. Our programs are highly customized to the individual and they are constantly updated and upgraded with new and better methods. We don’t SIT on our successes. We constantly strive to improve what we do. The programming for our athletes isn’t screamed out by someone walking the floor that says “you do this 5 times” and “you do that 10 times”. They are well thought-out, individualized and prepared in advance and then updated on a regular basis. Everyone has a written program. They are based on an in-depth knowledge of anatomy and most definitely the individual athlete.
3. Our Coaches and Partners – We are fortunate to have an extremely talented group of trainers, coaches and partners. Our business is all about people. Whether it’s our group of in-house strength coaches that work with our athletes (all of whom have degrees in Exercise Science), or our group of pitching / hitting coaches, we work with an outstanding and professional group of individuals that deliver 100% every single day. They are simply and collectively BAR NONE.
4. Investment – We continually invest in new equipment and add to our knowledge-base.
Equipment – We procure any equipment that we believe will provide our athletes with the best tools to succeed. Whether it’s an expensive 4-camera video system, post-throwing recovery devices, indoor dirt-mounds, or a vertical jump measurement device, we believe that we owe it to our athletes to provide them with whatever they need to achieve their objectives.
Knowledge – On the other hand, whether, it’s a trip to visit with Eric Cressey, a sit-down with Lantz Wheeler at a Seminar, or a visit with Ron Wolforth at the Texas Baseball Ranch, we try to continually educate ourselves and learn from others. The body is a complicated machine and the moment you think you have it all figured out is the moment you begin failing. We read and read and read and then read some more. The way we see it, our athletes put in all the hard work, the least we can do is make sure we match their efforts in every other way that we can. We will never stop investing in them.
Space – We currently have 13,000 sq. ft of space. We have expanded 3 times in the past 3 years to provide additional and ample room for our athletes to train. Each expansion has allowed us, to not only provide additional services but also, to make sure that we provide a spacious environment for our athletes to continue with their training.
5. Free Resource – The articles and blogs that we provide through our various social media feeds, as a free resource, are a tremendous knowledge-base for all involved, from parents to players. They are extremely educational, well written and on-point and they serve as an excellent reminder that we are thinking of our athletes even when they aren’t with us. Please click here for more info.
6. We Care – We are “dogged” about our athlete’s health and overall performance. We truly care about what we are doing and we take it personally. If something doesn’t feel right to one of our athletes, we go back to our programming to see where and what we could do differently to address it. So, Yes we CARE tremendously about the well-being of our athletes and our results speak for themselves.
Whether it’s Sam Uline (Volleyballer – NY State Champ), Danny Wirchansky (Pitcher – Player of the Year), Zack Dreznin (Pitcher – NJ State Champ), or many more of our other accomplished athletes, they are walking testimonials to our training programs. We are 100% committed to them and we will match their hard work inch-for-inch in every way we can.
7. Customer Service – This may seem like a small and minor detail, but we try to respond to every inquiry and/or request with an “ASAP” mentality. We owe it to our athletes to provide them with timely and appropriate responses. Whether it’s a parent or player we treat them with the respect and professionalism they deserve.
8. Culture – Last, but certainly not least our culture emanates performance. The athletes know it and feel it every day they walk into our facility. We know what they want, and they know we are here to provide it.
Before I wrap up this article, I would like you to revisit all 8 topics. The bottom line is:
“Growth doesn’t happen without… a complete dedication to your athletes.”
By Bahram Shirazi (BSEE, MBA, Dad and Co-owner at RPP)