Strengthening the Lead Leg to Help Improve Pitching Velocity

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

Lead Leg Velo 1 If your goal is speed and velocity, whether you’re running around the diamond or throwing a fastball, then you need to put more force into the ground period. A recent study at Ohio State titled Stride Leg Ground Reaction Forces Predict Throwing Velocity in Adult Recreational Baseball Pitchers (by McNally MP, Borstad JD, Oñate JA, Chaudhari AM, published October 29, 2015, click here for details) concluded that there was a high correlation between pitchers with higher velocity and the amount of force being applied into the ground with the front leg. Continue reading “Strengthening the Lead Leg to Help Improve Pitching Velocity”

December 7, 2015January 25, 2021

Aerobic Training for Baseball Players

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

Aerobic Training for Baseball.. Top Joint Image

The best baseball players are generally the ones who produce massive amounts of force very rapidly. In most cases, this must be done repeatedly with little deterioration throughout an entire game. The best starting pitchers for example are those who can throw as hard and maintain command in the later innings as well as they can in the first or ball players who can run just as hard in the ninth as they can in the first. Today, we’re going to talk about a training technique you can do at home on your days off from the gym that makes this all possible. Continue reading “Aerobic Training for Baseball Players”

November 29, 2015February 4, 2021

Addressing Pitching Mechanics Issues in the Weight Room

pitching mechanics

For those athletes that can do certain basic things properly the sky is the limit. However, the reality is that the underlying foundation that enables pitchers to have good pitching mechanics and do basic things well is great strength and mobility (in other words a good movement strategy). Let me first start by saying this, there is no pitching coach on the planet that can get a pitcher into a desired position if the athlete does not physically have the strength or mobility to get into that position. Period. Continue reading “Addressing Pitching Mechanics Issues in the Weight Room”

November 6, 2015October 11, 2019

Working on Pronation with “Half Kneeling Club Decells”

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

Right around mid-December prior to starting bullpens, I like adding this “weighted hold drill” to our strength training programs. Continue reading “Working on Pronation with “Half Kneeling Club Decells””

October 15, 2015September 9, 2020

Pitching Lab… Day 1, Building a Pitcher’s Off-Season Roadmap

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, CSCS, NASM, PES, FMS)

Microsoft PowerPoint - Presentation1

The old saying “if you’re going to do something, do it right” couldn’t ring true anymore than when it comes to training a pitcher. Pitching is a volatile movement involving the shoulder, the most unstable joint in the body. This leaves no room for error when it comes to training. Today, I am going to give you a glimpse into the first day of the Pitching Lab Protocol (click here for more info) and how we build a roadmap for training pitchers during the off-season. This is a first session like no other, but it’s really how an off-season program should begin for pitchers. So come inside and see how each athlete’s individual off-season program is created and the blueprint for their success is drawn up. Continue reading “Pitching Lab… Day 1, Building a Pitcher’s Off-Season Roadmap”

September 30, 2015March 24, 2017

Pitchers – Loose or Tight… Which One Are You?

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CSCS, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

Every time you throw, depending on genetics, you’ll either get tighter or looser in the shoulder. We really need to pump this into, not only our player’s minds, but our parents and coaches as well. Bottom line is that every arm is different when it comes to what to do, training and post throwing-wise, to a pitcher’s arm. Continue reading “Pitchers — Loose or Tight… Which One Are You?”

July 20, 2015May 11, 2017

Strength and Stability with Tall Kneeling Wall Dribbles

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

Strengthening the posterior cuff and teaching the muscles (see above) to “fire quickly” during the deceleration phase of the throw are two key factors in maintaining a healthy arm over the course of a long season. Continue reading “Strength and Stability with Tall Kneeling Wall Dribbles”

June 1, 2015October 11, 2019

My Favorite Upper Body Strength Exercise… Push-up Progressions

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

People often ask me what my favorite exercise is for building upper body strength. Well, I love push-ups. They are good for everyone, adults and athletes of all kinds including baseball, softball, lacrosse and hockey players among others. Continue reading “My Favorite Upper Body Strength Exercise… Push-up Progressions”

May 27, 2015June 7, 2015

North Rockland’s Dan Wirchansky – Hard Work Paying Off

By Nunzio Signore (BA, CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

Here at RPP, we have some great athletes who stand out as fantastic role models for aspiring young players with their efforts both on the field and in the gym. Today I’d like to talk about one of them, North Rockland’s Dan Wirchansky. Continue reading “North Rockland’s Dan Wirchansky — Hard Work Paying Off”

December 26, 2014October 11, 2019

RPP – “The Best of 2014”

By Nunzio Signore (B.A., CPT, NASM, PES, FMS)

I’m currently gearing up for the “feast of the fish” that many of us Italians submit ourselves to so, I’ll be spending a lot of time sitting in my mother’s den listening to screaming and smelling like fish for 3 days. With some well needed “time to myself”, I researched which blogs people found the most interesting this year. So today, I wanted to post up the top 5 articles of 2014 in terms of receiving the most views. Continue reading “RPP — “The Best of 2014””