CSCS Certified coach based in Chicago, training baseball, golf and javelin athletes. I’m also the author of SWING FAST 📖 and THROW FAST 📖 in the link below
Develop what’s “under the hood” ⚡️🧠
Every year, all over the country.
There will be big, strong, top ranked HS hitters who won’t pan out in college.
There will be super athletic, powerful college players who won’t hit .200 in the minor leagues.
Just as such, there are
Parents: “$150/month for 15 training sessions? I think that’s a bit much.
Same Parents: “Yes, I’ll pay $50+ for one pitching lesson per week.”
Same parents: “My kid’s having a lot of arm pain after their 90 pitch bullpen yesterday. You know any exercises that might help?”
Me:
Will an exercise like this instantly turn you into Barry Sanders or Justin Verlander? Probably not. But think if you did this jumping exercise at high intensity 2-3x per week for 2-3 years, I’d be willing to bet your lower half is going to function a lot better than it does today
Bench press and reverse lunge are the most talked about for baseball power. Through all the testing we’ve done over the years, powerful lats seem to be the most slept on.
Learn more here:
Paying $50 for a hitting lesson with someone who has no long term plan for your kid is like paying top dollar for a plumber to unscrew all your pipes and throw them out onto the lawn
Athletes, remember your end-goal when weight training:
❌Hit a new 1 rep max
✅Move faster on the field than before
❌Get hyuuge
✅Be able to handle the forces of moving fast in your sport
❌Be the biggest, strongest in the gym
✅Be the best player on the field
Parents: $60 pitching lesson one hour per week? Sign my kid up!
Same parents: $200/month for 3 strength training sessions per week? Nah, no thanks that’s too much. But his arm’s been bugging lately, so maybe could you give us some of your arm care stuff for free? Thanks!
Me:
I HATE eyewash core exercises. They’re everywhere, in seemingly every high school and college program. I think it’s all a huge waste of time and energy.
Alone, a UCL tears at 34 Nm of valgus torque.
A 60 mph fastball yields roughly 40 Nm…so how does the UCL stay in tact when throwing? Strength from the surrounding structures!
In-season, make sure to maintain:
-Grip strength
-Bicep/Tricep tendon strength
-Rear shoulder strength
“Lactic acid flush runs” are not real. They are a myth on SO many levels. There are ways to expedite recovery between bouts of throwing, but running long distance is not one of them.
There will be about 1,500 different MLB players this year, each with their own unique story. Some were prodigies by age 8, some were late bloomers. Some had 4 yr offers at 15, others went juco or came from a smaller school. Some were top prospects, others weren’t. Find YOUR path!
When a basketball player throws down a massive dunk, I bet they weren’t thinking about their jump technique.
When a QB throws a 30 yd missile on the run, they weren’t thinking about their arm action.
Don’t think so much about mechanics on the baseball field.
Just be athletic.
Lately I’ve been doing a ton of research lately into javelin throwers’ training methods and the Pullover is an exercise that keeps popping up. Adding pins at the bottom and bands to the bar are two great ways to progress this exercise to train the throwing accelerators
Is exit velocity a main KPI for you this off-season? Take a look below: MLB/MiLB pearls have some serious juice. Plastic/beat up/old BP balls do not. This is based off the numbers we have tested in-house 👇
I work with dozens of teenagers on a weekly basis.
2 most common trends I hear-
15 yr old: “I have Fall Ball practice and homework and band camp, I’ll start weight training next year”
18 yr old: “I throw 75 but I want to pitch in college. Can I start lifting with you guys now?”
There was a cool study done that measured repeated sprinting vs endurance running to see what adaptations happen in repeated sprinting vs endurance running.
Sprinting had very similar effects on cardiovascular activity, but was superior for both speed and conditioning.
You don’t need weighted balls to improve velocity if you haven’t first mastered the following:
-Warmup & Recovery routines
-Overall strength
-Mobility
-Nutrition
-Sleep
-Rotational power movements
-Explosive strength
-Dedication to a process- not random, chaotic throwing whenever
Baseball players, with everything going you might be stuck inside for a couple weeks. If you have some space and the following equipment, these exercises all will work great!
The rotator cuff should be trained to be very reactive and strong to provide stability. It doesn’t need to be trained for minutes on end or 100+ slow reps with a light weight.
Learn more here ➡️
Had a great conversation with an athlete yesterday. It started with something like this:
“Let’s fast-forward to this time next year. You’re player of the year in your conference. What had to happen to get there?”
🔥DROPPING MY FIRST BOOK TOMORROW🔥
This was a lot of work. Over 100 pages, diving really deeply into rotational power development. Want to improve exit velocity and driving distance? Be on the lookout tomorrow morning!
One of the biggest misconceptions out there is that you have to spend hours a day grinding in the gym to see results. Nope. The best athletes I’ve found who make the most progress put in a lot of high effort, high focus work with full recovery, are done in 45 minutes and go rest.
If you can’t track med ball throw velo, try tracking throw distances! Here’s one to ensure that your lats are being trained for high-velocity force production.
This kid with a torn up knee wanted to train bat path
Credit to
@JasonOchart
for the drill idea- eliminating the chop down swing and getting on plane early
There are a lot of benchmarks in training:
-Bench 250 lbs
-Deadlift 500 lbs
-Vertical jump 30 in
But not much on med ball throw velocities! I’ve been tracking them consistently for about 5 years, here’s what I’ve found in the Shotput Throw (shown in video)
This exercise is a great training tool, but also a great testing tool. By and large, the best throwers in our gym will throw the light med balls fastest.
Baseball coaches often preach mechanics, mechanics, mechanics but lack the understanding that overall athleticism allows for high-level swinging and throwing patterns. You can’t make chicken salad out of an under-developed body that’s been playing video games the past 6 months.
I found out from a showcase company here in Illinois that the average fastball velocity for them was right about 78 mph. That means that a majority of kids who go there won’t even touch 80…spending hundred of dollars just to get crossed off lists.
Develop first, then showcase.
Dozens and dozens of wrist curls weren’t doing it for me anymore, so I ditched them years ago.
I throw a ton of pitches in live AB’s every week- these are exercises I stand by that help keep my elbow healthy.
If you are an 18 yr old athlete and not substantially stronger than you were when you were 16, you have effectively wasted the highest levels of testosterone your body will naturally ever have.
These are some of the more common exercises I program for developing swing power. Each has a specific reason, helping increase strength or speed to the areas highly active in the kinetic sequence.
You wouldn’t assess a cross-country runner’s athletic ability with t-spine mobility drills and medicine ball throws for power.
Why would you have all your baseball players do a two mile run as a test?
To help make ends meet, I’m coaching a 15 yr old team this summer.
No take signs. No bunt signs. Only sign is steal, which you’re free to do anyways, unless we’re up 10. Catchers call your own game. You’ll figure it out.
I failed if I don’t make you laugh during mound visits.
“My son doesn’t have natural ability to hit. I’m gonna convert him to a P.O.”
In the next year have him do:
•150+ hitting sessions with challenging live AB’s/Machine
•1,000 high effort, timed sprints
•500 sets of push-ups and rows
See how much his “natural ability” improves.
If you deadlift 550 lbs and you top 82 on the mound, you don’t need more on your deadlift
If you long toss 320 feet and top 82 on the mound, you don’t need more long toss
If you MB Shotput a 3 lb med ball 40 mph and top 82 on the mound, you don’t need more on your MB Shotput
Have a youngster who throws hard? That’s both great and super scary 😬
Why? You need adequate tissue strength to handle the stress of throwing fast.
Rather than just increasing their run & gun, increase these:
•Rowing strength
•Grip strength
•Lower body strength
•Muscle mass
FAQ
#17
: “What to do if I don’t have room for sprints?”
I recommend:
-Split jump variations
-Pogo hops
-Repeating tuck jumps or single leg tuck jumps
-Rapid catch forward lunges
-Max effort jumps (try them band assisted too!)
We don’t do a lot of traditional drill-work. But we compete a lot in challenging environments and we’ve seen great results! Help athletes get better and stay hungry to keep getting better!
I am sick of seeing kids do band work rushed like on the right.
-Keep you head/neck neutral
-Breathe between each rep
-Focus on controlled scapular ranges of motion
-Use a 2 count
-Get your mind & body 100% prepared for training
In my opinion, the mark of a great coach is not just that you work with elite athletes (that’s cool)
…It’s that you can help an average, ordinary bench-role kid turn their career into something special (that’s really cool)
Athlete A throws medicine balls with the intent to PR and beat their competition on each rep.
Athlete B throws without anyone around, not measured, just gets through their reps into the wall.
Only one of these athletes is becoming more powerful.
Interesting observation I’ve had over the years…
A majority of the most powerful athletes I’ve seen are super explosive even if it’s against a heavier load. That initial “burst” is super prevalent in the way they do pretty much anything/everything.
This is a pretty straightforward workout. No extra stuff. It could yield great results or no results- that’s all dependent on the effort and measurement with each rep.
You can get something out of med ball catch and throw exercises. The problem is that a bad throw or a fumbled catch means a crummy rep.
There are other ways to get the same training effect!
QB has 20 yds open downfield, they dash for the first down, people love it
NBA star has an open lane, throws down a windmill dunk, people love it
Baseball/Softball player gets a perfect 3-0 pitch and puts their best swing on it, baseball community loses their minds 🤷♂️
I had over a dozen kids hit huge velo PR’s yesterday. Many of those PR’s came about in “velo duels” or competitions between 2 kids right in the same velo range, battling it out. Kids love to compete, and it makes every rep matter. I highly recommend an atmosphere like this!
What would happen if your baseball conditioning consisted of high effort sprints with appropriate rest between each one?
Answer: No-Brainer. They would get faster and be in good condition to play a baseball game.
What would happen if you conditioned them in the opposite way?
Mobility gains for throwers aren’t just about “look at this deep position I can get into”. It’s more about “I can be strong and explosive out of a deeper range of motion than before”
“Like Nordics for your shoulders”
Baseball players, band eccentric overload exercises can be a great way to keep those shoulders healthy as practices begin ramping up intensity. Try these two variations out!
Three types of athlete’s training that won’t work long term (IMO):
1. The one who only lifts and never trains at high speeds
2. The one who only does high speed work and nothing else
3. The one who just nibbles at everything, never attacking one area enough to achieve adaptations
Someday, you’ll see a D-1 weight room with kids crowded around a squat rack with a bar speed sensor and kids going nuts when someone moves 315 lbs at 1.5 peak m/s
Or crowded around a kid chucking a med ball Shotput throw and losing it when they hit 40 mph
Kids wanna compete.
When we alter technique, we often shift motor unit recruitment away from the muscles we intend to target. In this example, the crappy technique with the 1 arm row on the left shifts motor unit recruitment away from Lat and upper back. Technique matters for strength development!
Training *too much* in-season is a potential problem I think happens rarely, yet many baseball coaches/parents fear it like the plague.
Not training enough (or at all) in-season is a much more common problem that parents/coaches seem to ignore.
🤷♂️
If hitting gurus were honest:
✅Insert jargon to show that the hitter does what I say
✅This hitter figured out a way to move really well
✅Without any of the training methods I use
✅I’m cryptic enough to get people to create interest and arguments
✅It’s my way or it’s wrong
NFL COMBINE BENCH PRESS MADE SIMPLE
Take average bar speed of 3-5 reps
Linemen Bench Press 300 lbs
LB/RB Bench Press 250 lbs
WR/DB Bench Press 200 lbs
Seeing how many reps someone can do at 225 lbs is a dinosaur in the country’s biggest sport.
GymAware at the NHL combine!
The NHL take a different approach to their combine testing by introducing technology.
Athletes bench press 50% of their body mass for 3 reps. Their best rep is then divided by their body weight to rank athletes accordingly. 🔥
It may seem obvious, but this doesn’t get talked about much. There should be a fairly specific order of training:
-Warmup
-Do your high speed work
-Do high force/power work
-Then do any highly fatiguing lifting
I cringe hard when I see people doing sprints AFTER they’ve lifted.
“Should I do more heavy Bench Press or more MB throws?”
Here’s a simple test we do to gauge an athlete’s Force-Velocity profile in a Kneeling Chest Pass
NFL runningback squats 500 lbs, weighs 225 lbs and runs a 4.5 sec 40 yd dash
Ripped dude at the gym squats 500 lbs, weighs 215, but runs a 5.2 sec 40 yd dash
Why does this happen?
One of them sprints/jumps/etc. a lot, the other does not.
Get crazy fast ⚡️ and super strong 💪
Summer trainees:
-You have permission to play your music in the weight room if you can deadlift 4 plates.
-If you play country music in the weight room you are banned from music privileges.
Med Ball Slams explosively train the primary accelerators for driving the arm through when throwing. If you want to throw rockets, I recommend training the CNS to improve early phase neural drive and motor unit firing rate through a pairing of exercises like this. Try it out!
High school baseball parents spending their money this summer:
“$300 for an outdoor showcase in crummy weather with 80+ other participants so my son can showcase his 78 mph arm? Sign us up!”
“$300 for a month of metric-based training to improve power and velocity? Pshh no thx.”
You can’t squeeze 3 months of training into 3 weeks.
If you’re a coach who’s approaching this time with high volumes of lifting, conditioning, baseball practices, live at bats, etc. (especially without monitoring fatigue) I think you’re going to fry them before the season starts.
*kid doesn’t hit a ball well*
Coach: “Gotta shorten up/head down/don’t pull your front shoulder off/blah blah blah”
*kid takes basically the same swing, catches a barrel*
Coach: “SEE! YOU DID WHAT I SAID!”
It’s that time of year where coaches will give their team a “Hell Week” under the false pretense that it will help them win games next season. It does not matter how much conditioning you do 6 months before you play games in the Spring.
S&C coaches will often take a Force-Deficient rotational athlete and *only* have them lift heavy, missing out on other ways to maximize force production. Here are two ways to rotate more forcefully 👇
Imagine how good of a hitter you’d be if you could download 1,000 pro at bats into your brain…I think you’d be way better than if you spent that time crushing front toss at the second baseman 🤷♂️
Kyle Hendricks’ pitches have elite levels of horizontal and vertical break. His stuff would not get rocked at the collegiate level or in your local men’s league.
So please please PLEASE stop with the “I throw just as hard him, I could totally do what he does” nonsense.