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”
Strength Training and Throwing Programs
The increases in pitching velocity and the distance guys are covering when they go yard tells one thing for sure… Guys are getting in the gym and getting bigger, faster and stronger. Period.
That’s great. As a matter of fact, nothing could make me happier as a strength and conditioning coach. But let it be said, with training comes a responsibility on educating athletes as to how and when is the best way and time to incorporate it. This gets especially tricky when it needs to be integrated with a throwing program. What I’m really saying is that a great program should incorporate throwing and strength training as ONE program and not viewed as two separate entities. This is the premise of the closed loop training which we provide at the Pitching Lab here at RPP. Let me try and briefly explain why one hand washes the other. Continue reading “Strength Training and Throwing Programs”
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”
Building a Bigger Engine in Pitchers… The Lower Half
Often times when someone describes a pitcher that throws hard, you’ll hear things like “he’s got a quick arm action” instead of “he must have a strong lower half”. Since the ball is released by the hand which is linked more closely to the upper body than the lower body, the former of the two gets all the props while the latter becomes the unsung hero. Continue reading “Building a Bigger Engine in Pitchers… The Lower Half”
In-Season Baseball Lifts, Managing a Controlled Fall
At this time of the year, after a full off-season of strength training, and with upcoming tryouts and practices, erratic throwing schedules are a few of the variables that can wreak havoc on an athlete’s body and more importantly his arm. The fact is, if you don’t participate in some sort of in-season baseball lifts and quality weight room work trails off, so will power on the mound and/or on the field. It will likely leave an athlete vulnerable to a cavalcade of maladies including a gradual drop in velocity, mobility, and possibly injury as the season moves along.
Continue reading “In-Season Baseball Lifts, Managing a Controlled Fall”
Half-Kneeling Overhead Med Ball Throw
One of the biggest mechanical disconnects I see when analyzing video from many of our pitchers is the ability to increase leverage on the front leg, from the time of first foot-strike to ball-release. Everyone has different opinions of what is an adequate amount of extension. For me, after analyzing hundreds of high school, college and pro pitchers, I’ve come up with what I consider to be an appropriate range of 20-30 degrees of additional knee extension between first foot-strike and ball-release. Continue reading “Half-Kneeling Overhead Med Ball Throw”
How to Determine Your Weights
How Much Weight Should I Use in My Program?
Please note: If you don’t have at least 6 months of prior lifting experience you shouldn’t be signing up for remote on-line training. You should be training with an experienced coach to make sure that form is taken care of first and foremost.
With that said, we recommend two different methods to help you calculate how much weight to put on the bar: Continue reading “How to Determine Your Weights”
What Separates Good from Great?
Today I sat here reflecting on what a great year it has been and how thankful I am for everything that has come my way. Continue reading “What Separates Good from Great?”
Strength Training / Physical Therapy… Making Our Athletes and Each Other Better
I heard P.T. Mike Reinhold once say that he was a “much better physical therapist because of his knowledge in the strength and conditioning field”. I feel the same way in regards to the education I’ve received from the physical therapy / rehab community. I can’t overstate how much better of a strength and conditioning coach it has made me. The bottom line is together we make each other better. Continue reading “Strength Training / Physical Therapy… Making Our Athletes and Each Other Better”
Deceleration with Split Squat Depth Drop Holds
Today I want to talk about a method of plyometric training that helps us get a great training effect from a number of angles. Continue reading “Deceleration with Split Squat Depth Drop Holds”