Posted on

Weighted Baseball Training, 7 Crucial Considerations

weighted baseball training

Note: This article was published in the November/December 2018 issue of Inside Pitch Magazine (Official Magazine of ABCA).

There is tremendous mis-information in the market place about weighted baseball training and I certainly don’t want to create a frenzy so let me start by saying this.  This article isn’t about the pros and cons of weighted baseball training programs. It’s about the importance and reasons why you should consider (a) including and implementing a thorough assessment, (b) monitoring the dosage and (c) participating in an individualized strength and conditioning program alongside the weighted baseball program. Continue reading “Weighted Baseball Training, 7 Crucial Considerations”

Posted on

4 Ways to Improve Pitching Command and Control in the Weight Room

Generally, when players start to struggle with throwing strikes, they’ve been conditioned to modify their mechanics.  Many times, this is completely unnecessary. Anatomy often tells us that in order to fix a pitching command and control issue, strength and stability may need to be addressed before looking any deeper. Continue reading “4 Ways to Improve Pitching Command and Control in the Weight Room”

Posted on

Improving Speed and Power from the Stretch

The back leg is the initial power source in pitching and when pitching from the stretch, the ability to load and the unload the back leg gives a pitcher the greater advantage with runners on.

Faster more elastic athletes can stretch their tendons quickly and better harness energy while loading without requiring high levels of strength. But for more “strength-based” athletes who like to load slower in order to maximize power mostly from their muscles contracting, the stretch can be a nemesis, especially you have runners on base. So, training to get more elastic can go a long way in putting another essential tool such as getting quicker in the stretch into their toolbox, which brings us to the concept of Reactive Strength and how you test it. Continue reading “Improving Speed and Power from the Stretch”

Posted on

How to Increase Pitching Velocity in the Weight Room

In the pitching world the word velocity has become how most pitchers are initially judged. Unfortunately, there is no single thing I could tell you to do to increase velocity as every pitcher is different. What may work for one pitcher may not work for another. Every pitcher is built differently and trying to get there from a different starting point. This leaves no single way to map out a game plan to increase your. However, in this blog I would like to touch briefly on 10 different topics on how to increase pitching velocity in the weight room.

Continue reading “How to Increase Pitching Velocity in the Weight Room”

Posted on

Baseball Strength Training at RPP, Why and How it Works

baseball strength training

Every off-season I see dedicated athletes spinning their wheels and settling for ineffective baseball strength training programs, simply because the location is convenient, or they’re feeling pressure from the travel coach.  The reality is that often they’re experiencing mediocre gains or no gains at all when they should be improving dramatically. Bottom line is if your performance has remained the same year-over-year your training probably SUCKS!  A customized baseball strength training program goes a long way towards improving your level of performance. Continue reading “Baseball Strength Training at RPP, Why and How it Works”

Posted on

Training Force- vs. Velocity-Deficient Athletes… Giving Them What They Need

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”

Posted on

Baseball Strength Training Periodization and Continuum

Baseball training periodization

Setting athletes up for success in their respective sports requires not only great programming, but great timing in regard to where a player is in their training year. Let’s face it, everyone wants strength and speed and a well-designed program should deliver on both but at the right times.  Baseball training periodization is not dis-similar from other sports, and a strength-speed continuum is the best way to get from there to there. Continue reading “Baseball Strength Training Periodization and Continuum”

Posted on

TJ, Taking a Negative Situation and Running with IT

The first trip to the disabled list can leave a young athlete searching for answers. Any athlete worth his weight loves to compete, so when that part of your life gets affected in a negative way, it’s important to get your head together and keep marching. Unfortunately, the “you should just stay out of the weight room for a while” slogan that some (not all!) doctors deliver doesn’t give the athlete much incentive to keep the rest of his body in shape while the injury is healing. After all, we can still make significant improvements in strength without moving the injured limb. Continue reading “TJ, Taking a Negative Situation and Running with IT”