Those blue lines are straight, trust me, and this article is going to piss some people off.
I can’t tell you how many times, young pitchers (and/or their parents) come to us and say they’re stuck and they have been throwing 79-81 mph for the past couple years. NOW, in their junior year of high school, they’re asking us “what can you do?”
Continue reading “Letting Go of the Obligations… This is Going to Piss Some People Off”
The Pitching Lab is a unique training program specifically designed to produce the “complete pitcher”. It’s truly a merger of strength training (in the weight room) and pitching (inside the nets). Most players that haven’t trained with us probably don’t appreciate how intertwined our strength training is with our pitching program. So, let’s get into it and provide some details on the strength training side and a timeline for the pitching program… Continue reading “Pitching Lab… How We Merge Pitching and Strength Training”
We’ve all heard it, “pitching wins games”. Well, some pitchers are about to win a lot more games. For eons, pitching coaches have talked about mechanics, command and control. Then came velocity and threw out all the old adages and wrecked the house. Today, it seems like everyone wants velo first, and then everything else as well. I am here to say that things are about to change again! The advent of equipment like the Rapsodo Pitching camera and all the talk about baseball spin axis and spin rate is changing the game and doing it fast. Continue reading “Baseball Spin Axis, Spin Rate, Spin Efficiency Explained”
Our Summer Throwing Program has many components, including pitch design. For pitchers looking for more than just velo, we incorporate a Pitch Design component in the program to help improve their overall movement pattern. The program not only teaches you the science and data analytics that go into pitch design but also how to implement it on the mound. Continue reading “Summer Throwing Program; A Look at Pitch Design”
How to throw harder… It’s the one thing that seems to be the most sought after, yet few know how to deliver it effectively. There are many different threads that need to be weaved into a safe and effective program to help you throw a baseball harder.
Today, we’re going to review several requirements on how to throw harder. They fall into several buckets, including a comprehensive upfront assessment (from physical to mechanical), a well-designed strength training program, a proper ramp-up, a well designed throwing program (in sync with strength program), and proper warm-up routines and recovery protocols. Continue reading “How to Throw Harder”
If you haven’t noticed by now, we spend a lot of time getting our athletes to be more powerful. When it comes to pitchers this brings up the obvious topic of velocity. While we don’t hang our hats on the “V” word exclusively, we do realize whether we like it or not, throwing gas is what gets the attention of most high school players searching for a great learning institution (education), fame and/or fortune.
Continue reading “Inconsistent Velocity and the Killer Trifecta”
Not all throwing and hitting motions are created equal. Some guys rely more on strength, some guys elasticity (facial tissue) and some are simply genetic “outliers” (there’s that fascia again). But close analysis, in not only numerous studies but also from my own experience at the facility, reveals that there is one common denominator why hard throwers create effortless velocity and command, as well as power hitters creating high exit velos behind the plate.
The reality is that during the season many pitchers may have difficulty getting to the gym more than 1-2 x’s per week. So here at RPP, we recommend supplementing your in-season training with some strength / mobility work that can be done at home or at the field. These exercises are designed to maintain your strength and mobility without creating any residual soreness that could effect on-field performance. It’s not as efficient as coming into the gym and getting your reps done but it’s better than not doing anything at all… much better. Continue reading “4 Simple Ways to Maintain Lower Half Power In-Season”
A while back we wrote about a topic titled “What is Relative Pitch Movement? And Why is it Important?” (click here). This article looks to further refine that concept, and it’s a topic that all high-level pitchers should consider at all levels of the game. Working with Rapsodo, pitch design should be an integral part of every pitchers development, but there is more to it…
Continue reading “The Pursuit of Abnormal Pitch Movement with Rapsodo”
At this time of the year, after a full off-season of strength training, upcoming tryouts and practices, sitting on the bench in a kyphotic posture and waiting to get your reps on the mound are a few of the variables that can wreak havoc on an athlete’s body and more importantly his arm/shoulder. There are several considerations when you’re looking to maintain your strength and mobility with in-season baseball workouts.
Continue reading “What to Consider with In-Season Baseball Workouts”
