Archive for April, 2010
Adjusting Stance on the Rubber Based on Batter’s Handedness
For those aware of what PITCHf/x is in the MLB, take a look at this post:
http://www.athleticsnation.com/2010/2/9/1302082/a-pitchfx-look-at-ben-sheets
Ben Sheets stands on the left side (his right side) of the rubber against LHB and the right side (his left side) against RHB. Take a look:
Ben Sheets vs. LHB
Ben Sheets vs. RHB
Very cool stuff!
EDIT: Had the LHB/RHB switched. My mistake!
News: Strength and Conditioning Coming to NSBA Facility!
Great news: Driveline Baseball will be moving all of its strength and conditioning equipment into the NSBA facility at 8512 20th Ave NE in Seattle! There is ample room in the facility to set up our full suite of equipment, and we’re extremely excited to announce the start of what will be an excellent partnership between Driveline Baseball and North Seattle Baseball Association.
What you can expect from this partnership:
- The lowest rates for batting cage time in the Seattle area – as low as $20/hr without bulk purchasing plans required!
- Use of a fully-equipped strength and conditioning facility.
- Free classes being offered to Seattle-area coaches and instructors on how to set up proper resistance training programs for youth athletes.
- On-site computers that track your workout progress and allow you to review your standard and high-speed video files.
- Low-cost weight training sessions and workout programming assistance.
We’ll also be permanently setting up our kinematic analysis equipment at the NSBA facility to improve turnaround times when developing high-speed video and finishing your kinematic reports.
Here’s a comprehensive list of the strength and training equipment you will soon find at the NSBA / Driveline Baseball facility:
- Full power cage with straight chin-up / pull-up bar (appropriately knurled)
- Deadlift / Olympic lifting platform (rubberized surface)
- High-quality barbells and dumbbells
- Kettlebells in varying weights
- 1000+ pounds of iron plates
- Bumper plates in varying weights for Olympic and “quick” lifts
- Medicine balls in various sizes and weights
- Weight sleds, sledgehammers, tires, push-up bars, and other general physical preparedness (GPP) equipment
- SPRI resistance bands in all tensile strengths (including O-bands for specific scapular work)
- Jumpstretch bands for X-band walks, assisted chin-ups/pull-ups, Pallof presses, other core work
- Inflatable swiss exercise balls for core and mobility work
- Foam rollers for self-myofascial release
- Massage table for initial assessment use and stretching demonstrations
We’ll be sure to keep you updated with progress (and pictures!) of the facility as it’s coming along. If there’s strength and conditioning equipment that you want but don’t see, please leave us a comment and we’ll definitely take a look into it!
It’s an exciting time to be working with or training at Driveline Baseball. Off-season and in-season training programs are available, though room is running out as we partner with the NSBA and sign up their athletes! Contact us today to get started immediately.
Humor: Post-Workout Nutrition
Now THIS is post-workout nutrition, boys!
More Pictures of Our S&C Facility
The weather’s beautiful here and I’ve been doing some spring cleaning, so I figured I’d take a few pictures of the old S&C facility before it gets moved (news forthcoming on this, I promise).
Power Cage in our Strength and Conditioning Facility
Here’s most of our equipment that our baseball players use frequently:
Baseball-Specific Equipment
Equipment List
- Medicine Balls: 10 lb (link), 4 kg (SPARQ Football Standard – link), 3 kg (SPARQ Baseball Standard - link), 4 lb (link), 3 lb pliable ball (link)
- Two 45 lb. plates
- Dumbbells: 5 lb pair, 20 lb pair
- Wrist Weights: 10 lb pair (link), 5 lb pair (link)
- Weighted Baseballs (link)
- Foam Roller (link)
- SPRI Resistance Bands (link)
- Jumpstretch Band (link)
Sample Offseason Workout - High School Baseball
Small Whiteboard at our S&C Facility (red: 1RM, black: working sets)
Pitching Decelerator Exercises
A lot of pitchers prioritize rotator cuff strength to help prevent injury and improve performance on the mound. Probably the most common program for this goal is ASMI’s Thrower’s Ten. Thrower’s Ten involves a lot of basic resistance band work and light dumbbell work in order to strengthen the muscles that make up the rotator cuff – supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. I have no problem with these types of programs, but so-called “band work” isn’t all that effective when you think about what happens in the typical pitching delivery. I talked a lot about this in my article “Is Resistance Band Work Overrated?” In that article, I said:
But is resistance band work overrated? That’s a really scary question to ask, and many people (perhaps including you) will have the same kneejerk response: Heck no! I want to make it clear that I believe that resistance band work makes up a lot of what we do at Driveline Baseball – especially with regards to scapular stabilization and mobilization work
Later in the article, I talked about maximum strength training being important for baseball pitchers to help decelerate the arm safely. However, since many athletes are either starting their seasons or are right in the middle of them, it’s tough to train for maximum strength in your in-season training program. Some great postural and mobility exercises that can help develop your pitching decelerators while your in the middle of your season or even in the off-season are:
- Chin-Ups
- Pull-Ups
- Rear Delt Flys
- Chest-Supported Rows
- Suitcase Deadlifts
Pulling and rowing variants are king here, since you’re very focused on developing upper back musculature and endurance. If you have a TRX setup, you can do lateral sagittal pulls and unilateral work to develop the trunk musculature that controls trunk lean – barbell work like suitcase deadlifts are great for this as well.
Here’s a few videos of the Rear Delt Fly and the Suitcase Deadlift – two lifts that aren’t very popular but do the job quite well!
Try throwing these in your training program and I’ll bet you see pretty good improvement in stability and you might find yourself going deeper into games as a result.
Optimal Shoulder Performance
Two days ago, I ordered my copy of Optimal Shoulder Performance by Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold. I’m very excited to review the product and implement the training protocols with my clients.
Optimal Shoulder Performance
I have Eric’s Magnificent Mobility and it has been instrumental in improving functional mobility in my baseball and football clients, helping to prevent and rehab injury as well as gain performance in some critical lifts (improving ankle mobility for better squats, for example).
Sorry for the lack of updates, but it’s been pretty busy in the cages and the gym with the in-season training protocols starting. There’s a lot of great news coming that I can’t reveal, and a few more projects by yours truly that I’m excited to launch over the next few months.
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