As many of you know, we recently made additional investments in our hitting business by adding a Rapsodo camera system and a Diamond Kinetics SwingTracker. The combination of these pieces of equipment will allow us to substantially improve how we evaluate baseball hitting mechanics and train our players by: Continue reading “Assessing Baseball Hitting Mechanics with New Tech”
Knowing the adaptation that needs to occur and knowing what adaptation will occur are powerful decision-making tools when designing a program for an athlete. You need to first decide what effect you want the body to produce and then match it with an appropriate stimulus. This is referred to as the “SAID” principle. It stands for “Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands” and is the blueprint that we build off of when programming for our athletes here at RPP.
The first question that needs to be answered is “what does the athlete need?”. Continue reading “Training Force- vs. Velocity-Deficient Athletes… Giving Them What They Need”
They say hindsight is 20-20. Well, it’s true. There are always things we could have done better. I wish I knew back then what I know now. When I look back at some of the mistakes I made raising my son in the world of youth baseball, frankly it bums me out. Don’t misunderstand me, he did very well and played ball at a relatively high level. But, looking back there are definitely a few things I would have done differently. Here we go… Continue reading “5 Things I Would Have Done Differently Raising My Young Ball Player”
With a Rapsodo Hitting camera finally here at RPP, it’s time to start talking physics of baseball on the hitting side. We’re going to start this series of articles by going over the point of contact, where the bat meets the ball. We all know that a baseball hit hard at the right place can do a lot of damage. But the art and skill of doing so can be a difficult process. So, let’s review what happens at the point of collision, where 90 mph pitches meet 90 mph bat speeds. Continue reading “Physics of Baseball… Ball-Bat Collision”
As far as athletic performance goes, it’s getting clearer and clearer that strength, speed and power are king (click here for Part 1). That’s why maximizing training protocols for a sport with movements as quick and explosive as baseball is paramount. Increasing strength and power involves:
Continue reading “Training the Force-Velocity Curve with VBT… How it Works — Part 2”
I have seen the future and sorry guys and college baseball recruiting is about to get harder. Continue reading “Do You Want to See the Future in College Baseball Recruiting?”
Getting strong in the off-season to prepare for great performance on the field is paramount, but let’s not forget that it’s the athlete that finishes the season as strong as he started that usually reaps the most reward. Drops in velo, both on the mound and off the bat, as well as injuries, can all be a result of not training during the season. Pros do it, collegiate players do it. You should as well. So, you basically are the creator of your own destiny. Continue reading “In-Season Training… Starting Strong, Finishing Stronger”
As a parent who has gone through the college recruiting process, I believe showcases are probably the single best dollar investment for those aspiring to play college baseball. But how to stand out at a baseball showcase is an often ignored topic and too many young athletes are attending showcases just to attend.
Continue reading “How to Stand Out at a Baseball Showcase”
Let’s face it, baseball is all about being explosive. To excel in this sport, remain healthy and stay at the top of your game, you must be able to move explosively through space. To do that requires an optimal level of power (a solid amount of muscle) and a minimal level of dead weight (fat). This muscle to fat ratio is known as Lean Body Mass (LBM) and it is today’s topic. Continue reading “Single Most “Over-Looked” Factor to Increase Performance”
Here in Part 3 of this 2017 “Best of” series, are this year’s most popular articles on strength and conditioning… Continue reading “The Best of 2017 – Strength and Conditioning Articles”
