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Assessing Pitchers in the Age of New Tech (Inside Pitch Magazine)

inside pitch magazine

Interested in a hard copy of the article please click here.

Baseball, like every other industry, is under siege from new technology and it’s making sure the game evolves in many ways.  Some love it, some hate it, and everything in between.  Whether you’re a fan of technology or not, it’s difficult to ignore. It’s here in full force and it’s changing baseball with it.  Those that are too close-minded to take the time to expand their knowledge of the new performance metrics run the risk of being left behind, both in terms of overall knowledge about the game and improving an athlete’s efficiency in performance. Continue reading “Assessing Pitchers in the Age of New Tech (Inside Pitch Magazine)”

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What are the Most Common Pitch Movement Issues… And the Fixes

pitch movement

Having observed hundreds of pitchers on our Rapsodo Pitching camera during the past several years, it’s fair to say that there are a few tendencies that most high school and collegiate pitchers exhibit. While every pitcher is different with their skillset, we generally tend to observe similar opportunities for improvement in pitch movement.

In this first of three articles… Continue reading “What are the Most Common Pitch Movement Issues… And the Fixes”

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How to Increase Athleticism… Develop Efficient Movement

On any given day you can log into your daily feed on Twitter and scroll through a plethora of verbal grudge matches between strength coaches, pitching/hitting coaches and movement gurus arguing.  Yes, arguing and criticizing each other’s ideology about athletic performance and how to improve it. These verbal assaults are usually fueled by the fact that one individual’s concept, theory, protocol or whatever you choose to call it may not line up with another’s. In other words, “it’s different”.  For those of you that have the insight to be able to “discuss” and not argue, this blog is not targeting you, however you may want to come along for the ride. Continue reading “How to Increase Athleticism… Develop Efficient Movement”

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Pitching Biomechanics: 3 Factors in Kinematic Sequence

Pitching biomechanics

In conducting a pitching biomechanics evaluation and assessing a motion capture session, one of the most important things to examine is the kinematic sequence. This consists of the angular velocities and corresponding timing of the pelvis, torso, shoulder, and hand. These angular velocities can reach speeds upwards of 5000 º/s, and as such cannot be measured through standard 2-D video analysis thus requiring a 3-D motion capture system. This simple graph below off our Qualisys Motion Capture system is key to determining how efficiently an athlete is transferring energy from the ground up, through their body, and into the ball.

Continue reading “Pitching Biomechanics: 3 Factors in Kinematic Sequence”

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What to Ask When Selecting a Pitching Program

A few years ago, all you could expect from your pitching program was to help you with your mechanics. That’s just about what most people expected and looked for in a pitching program. Fortunately, times have changed. Today, pitching mechanics are only a piece of the overall puzzle.  There is much more to training pitchers than simply teaching them proper mechanics.  Whether you’re looking for an off-season pitching or throwing program, here are six questions you can ask pitching coaches and some guidance on what to look for… Continue reading “What to Ask When Selecting a Pitching Program”

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Case Study (Sean Hard): How to Throw a Changeup

sean hard

Rapsodo pitching cameras measure critical data points for instantaneous feedback. At RPP, we utilize this technology to further the development of the pitchers that train at our facility. Out of the numerous metrics Rapsodo measures, we specifically focus on three topics:

    • Spin Axis
    • Horizontal Movement
    • Vertical Movement

These metrics allow us to get a feel for how well a pitcher is able to manipulate the baseball and create movement among the different pitches in his arsenal. Continue reading “Case Study (Sean Hard): How to Throw a Changeup”

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New Jersey’s Most Comprehensive Baseball Training Facility

baseball training facility

RPP Baseball is a high performance baseball training facility located in Paramus (Bergen county), New Jersey. From the weight room to our pitching and hitting programs, we utilize the latest in technology, in a holistic and data-driven approach which allows us to assess, train and re-assess players on an ongoing basis. Our athletes are walking testimonials as to the power of our highly customized programming. Below is a summary of our extensive services for pitchers and baseball players: Continue reading “New Jersey’s Most Comprehensive Baseball Training Facility”

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Patrick Jones Podcast – Building Baseball Players

I wanted to bring to your attention a recent Podcast that I participated in with Patrick Jones Baseball. Patrick is one of the premier hitting coaches in the US and he has been running a podcast for quite some time. We covered a wide variety of topics but here are a few that stand out:

    • Using strength / mobility to help adjust mechanics
    • Velocity-Based Training (VBT)
    • Reading kinematic sequence charts and related information
    • Mechanical differences between loose and tight movers

Building Baseball Players with Nunzio Signore

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Baseball Spin Axis, Spin Rate, Spin Efficiency Explained

baseball spin axis

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”