As we get closer to the end of another year here at RPP, it seems like a good time to reflect back on 2017, and provide you with a glimpse of where we might be headed in 2018. Continue reading “Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Headed”
Parents… Stop Wasting Your Money – Part 3 (Catchers and Position Players)
Here we go with Part 3 of this series on “Stop Wasting Your Money”. This one is for catchers and position players (please click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2, related to pitchers).
Continue reading “Parents… Stop Wasting Your Money – Part 3 (Catchers and Position Players)”
Baseball Training Facility, Top 10 Things to Look For
We work with athletes and train guys who are really serious about getting bigger, stronger and faster. That’s what we are most passionate about. Granted, there are five million strength coaches who flip tires, train with CrossFit and run boot camps with ladder drills and cone drills and call it training. Well, I’m here to tell you that it needs to be better than that if athletes are to get to the next level. Today, we are listing some “must have’s” for a baseball training facility to be deemed adequate before placing yourself or your child into a so called “program”. Continue reading “Baseball Training Facility, Top 10 Things to Look For”
The Top Secret Part I Left out from the Secret Sauce
My prior article on our Secret Sauce at RPP (click here) ended with this “Oh, and making our pitchers as strong and explosive as we can, in all the right places”. In this article, I would like to go a little further and review why and how we have been successful in training high performance athletes. The truth is, it’s all about mass customization. Strength training is science but it’s also art. I have heard my partner, Nunzio Signore, say to clients a million times “the body is connected in all parts and ways, a potential issue in one location may very well be due to an issue somewhere else”. The reality is that every athlete that walks into our facility needs a different road-map to be the best they can be. So here we go with the Top Secret stuff… Continue reading “The Top Secret Part I Left out from the Secret Sauce”
What is Velocity-Based Training? What Are the Benefits?
Athletes who are able to recruit higher ratios of Type II “fast twitch” muscle fibers have shown to be able to produce more power. For ballplayers, this means that they are more likely to throw harder off the mound or have a higher exit velo at the plate. Genetics do come into play, but many times they only give us a better “starting point”. By no means should they dictate a definitive “end-point”. After reading a copy of Dr. Bryan Mann’s book on velocity-based training (VBT) a light went off in my head as to how elements of VBT could be implemented here at RPP. Continue reading “What is Velocity-Based Training? What Are the Benefits?”
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 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”
Baseball Launch Angle and Exit Velo, The Good, Bad and Ugly!
It’s no secret that there is an enormous amount of player data coming out of MLB these days. The Statcast system was installed in all 30 Major League ballparks beginning with the 2015 season and the data coming out of this system is already changing how coaches are preparing and working with players. It measures and records pretty much every single play from pitch velo, to exit speed, to hit distance and more. It even calculates the probability that an outfielder will make a specific play at a given distance to the ball. It’s great stuff. But, what does it all mean for baseball players? Continue reading “Baseball Launch Angle and Exit Velo, The Good, Bad and Ugly!”
Improving Lead Leg Strength – Force Development
While getting strong is a given in any sport, how quickly we can apply that strength (power) is what separates good from great. In a nutshell, the quicker you can produce force the harder you’ll throw. Continue reading “Improving Lead Leg Strength — Force Development”
Inside Look at Cleveland Indians Northeast Private Workout at RPP
RPP and Rozema Baseball recently had the pleasure of hosting the Cleveland Indians as they conducted an invite-only workout for some of their top northeast prospects in anticipation of the upcoming 2017 MLB Draft. On behalf of everyone at RPP and Rozema Baseball, we would like to thank the Cleveland Indians again for allowing us to host their event. The representatives from the Indians were extremely professional, respectful, informative and truly a class act. The following individuals from the Cleveland Indians attended the session for the evaluation:
- Brad Tyler – Regional Supervisor
- Mike Kanen – Northeast Area Supervisor
- Clint Longenecker – Coordinator, Amateur Scouting
- Scott Barnsby – Assistant Director of Amateur Scouting
- Bobby Malkmus – New Jersey Scout
Continue reading “Inside Look at Cleveland Indians Northeast Private Workout at RPP”