On the general side Justin has a ton of opportunity for improvement as well on both force output and bodyweight-which he’s been doing a great job with. As these elements increase we should see even more improvements! Pumped to watch Justin continue to develop!.

The next area of opportunity has been the timing of torso and the relationship with his glove arm winding and unwinding tension.

We’ve been utilizing split stance throw variations to allow him to feel the pull of the pec from a deep position and maintain a stacked torso. We added figure 8 arm swing variations as the execution has improved.

During Justin’s assessment we noted that his arm swing was very stiff, didn’t allow him to flip up in a relaxed manner and his torso leaked forward/did not remain stacked which had a negative impact on his ability to transfer that linear energy built up by the lower body.

‘27 Justin Fedash hit a big PR this morning, touching 83.8 mph and averaging 82.5 mph (up from 72.4 mph 15 months ago). Coming off the forced mini deload of a broken finger seems to have paid off!

Interested in learning more about how to train to be more elastic and reflexive? Reach out and let’s discuss remote and in-person training options. 🎥: @mlb.

The reflexive return that can be achieved when elastic energy is optimally stored and released happens at higher velocities than what can be achieved through volitional, “muscle-driven” movement.

So, what role does connective tissue play in throwing velocity and pitching performance? Well, connective tissue such as fascia and tendons are the links between the body segments that allow the “kinetic chain” to produce such high output movements.

This is one of the reasons that maintaining a loose grip on the baseball and a relaxed arm for as long as possible is a must. If the distal muscles fire too early, energy will not be effectively transferred and amplified.

The same can be seen in the arm during throwing. The pec and the lat aggressively accelerate the arm and the more distal segments of the arm transfer/amplify that energy to the baseball.

This can be easily seen in movements like sprinting and throwing. In sprinting, the hips are producing a ton of force and the elastic tissues of the ankle are amplifying and transferring that energy with every step.

Then, if the movement is properly sequenced, the smaller muscles, with lower force producing capabilities, but faster RFD, that are located more distally (farther from the center of the body) transfer/amplify energy.

All athletic movements that effectively use the kinetic chain, use a proximal to distal sequence of activation. This means muscles located proximally (closer to the center of the body) produce a large amount of force relatively slowly (slower rate of force development or “RFD”).

This is important, but tends to overlook certain important components relevant to elite sport performance. Connective tissue plays a critical role in the kinetic chain and maximizing output in terms of throwing velocity and should receive more training consideration than it does.

The classical strength and conditioning approach that is used by many strength coaches and other professionals in the sports performance realm tends to be very muscle focused.

On the general side Cole has a solid base of strength but needed to improve his elasticity and force production at higher velocity so the beginning stages of training involved extensive plyometrics and oscillatory movements. Pumped to watch his progress continue!.

Allowing him to freestyle during his throwing a few times per week has also allowed him to explore more movement possibilities and resist overthinking.

Ten toe variations, overload implements, isometrics, and other feel drills have helped set up these arm action changes. Cole is a good athlete and a solid mover already so some of these changes have helped pretty quickly, along with controlling fatigue and throwing load.

The big rocks for Cole have been allowing him to feel his shoulder complex moving separately from his torso, rather than as one piece, and delaying torso rotation.

Cole is smooth and makes the velocity look easy because of his improvements in sequencing.