Essentials of Baseball Development

Ideal lead arm movement patterning has been a major topic of discussion in the baseball community, but should it be?

I didn’t start pitching until my senior year of high school, imagine that, a converted catcher with no clue what I was doing whatsoever, but got up there and threw as hard as possible.

With that being said, I’ve heard countless interpretations of lead arm action in my playing and coaching career, from the popular “glove to chest or armpit” to “pulling the glove toward the hip”.

Too often movement patterns are overloaded with cueing one way or another, resulting in breakdown in movement efficiency and loss of “unique” biomechanical sequencing.

Let’s get into the concept of positive disconnection and how it is influential in lead arm sequencing, common glove arm patterning methodologies, and how to instill efficient movement patterning of lead arm.

Connected or Disconnected?

Take a look at the video above…99.0 mph Fastball from the “Cuban Missile” Aroldis Chapman sawing off Ryan Flaherty of the Baltimore Orioles.

First thought for most of you watching this video or the freeze frame of the same video below is somewhere along the lines of: “He’s pulling his glove arm”.

Positive Disconnection can be described best as:

Utilizing the glove arm to retract the lead scap in uni-son with the scap retraction occurring on the throwing-arm side, creating thoracic spine extension and a “big chest.”

Hacking the Kinetic Chain – Driveline Baseball (Pg. 29)

It has become apparent in high velocity “throwers” on and off the mound, exhibit extensive horizontal abduction of the throwing shoulder, in turn, display similar ROM in the lead arm as seen in the above image.

Things to highlight in this still of Aroldis Chapman:

• Elite Level Degree of Throwing Shoulder Horizontal Abduction
• Front Shoulder remains “Closed” and Directional toward Home Plate
• Elite Level Degree of Glove Arm Shoulder Horizontal Abduction
• Displays “Big Chest” prior to transition into Max External Rotation
• Head in Neutral Position prior to Rotation of the Upper Half

Glove arm goes through full range of motion before max external rotation of the throwing shoulder has been reached before the “Driveline Phase” or in simple terms, the transition from external rotation to internal rotation into ball release.

Think of positive disconnection as creating an efficient pathway for the torso and throwing shoulder to rotate in toward the desired target.

This is an extremely intricate collection of movement patterns with the goal of producing a high velocity and efficient throwing sequence. Execution requires an enhanced level of proprioception, or in simple terms, controlling individual extremities in a codependent and independent manner.

“Old School”

How many times have you heard a coach say, “Bring your Glove to your Chest” or “Glove to the Armpit” when referring to lead arm sequencing?

This is a prime example of a result based approach to patterning the glove arm, regardless of position.

Now Rob, why is this cueing inefficient and potentially detrimental to lead arm action?

First and foremost, will full range of motion of the lead arm ever truly run its course? Unfortunately, forcing a movement pattern in this manner restricts how efficient the torso and throwing shoulder rotate in a directional manner.

Typically the lead arm finishes range of motion in a position somewhere underneath the armpit with varying degrees of height, flexion, or extension of the arm.

Look at this screenshot of a Tom House pitching video, a popular instructional video, forcing lead arm movement patterning to “stay out front” and “remain out front” utilizing a towel drill. Range of motion is abruptly stopped with result oriented cueing.

Don’t get me started on towel drills and how they don’t match kinetic checkpoints in a throwing motion, proven by biomechanical analysis by Driveline Baseball, but I’ll save that for another day.

Try this perspective on for size.

Think of lead arm sequencing as a direction of force. For an athlete’s torso and throwing shoulder to apply force directionally, and maximize range of motion in an efficient manner, should your glove and lead arm stay in that pathway?

(Lead Arm + Glove) + Placed in Direction of Force = Premature Deceleration

Takeaways

Overload of information dissecting lead arm movement patterns in a short blog post, now what?

Let’s recap what we know about efficient lead arm sequencing:

• Front Shoulder and Lead Arm Work Independently
• Horizontal Shoulder Abduction of Lead Arm is Essential for Positive Disconnection to Occur
• Front Shoulder Remains on Target for as Long as Possible
• Lead Arm and Glove Clear to Allow Efficient Rotation of the Torso and Throwing Shoulder in Direction of Target
• Full Range of Motion of Lead Arm concludes before Driveline Phase

Positive Disconnection is a highly advanced movement requiring high levels of proprioception to execute correctly. Do I suggest coaches attempt to cue positive disconnection in their amateur athletes with no prior experience? Absolutely not.

Without a process of trial and error and video analysis, having a clue what you’re looking at in each individual athlete, more harm than good can come of the process and ultimately hinder athlete performance.

Want to talk shop about cueing movement patterns in athletes? Please shoot me and email below, we all are constantly learning, knowledge is endless.

As athletes we are in constant pursuit of better performance, what if there was a wearable that gave us a quantitative look into human performance?

Enter 24/7 performance wearable Whoop Band 3.0

I have been a Whoop user for over a year now, and even though I have hung up the cleats, my love for training and coaching, both on and off the field, has not subsided and has become my passion.

With the baseball development world becoming more and more data driven as time goes on, athletic performance tracking is a neccessity with various streams of workload constantly in flux.

From on field practice and games, increased throwing workload on and off the field, and weight room training protocols on a daily basis; wouldn’t more physiological data only help us gauge athlete workload and recovery?

Let’s get into all of the data that the Whoop Band provides, how it’s broken down, and how it is applicable in the baseball development world.

Strain

Whoop Strain is a comprehensive measurement of the cardiovascular load your body takes on over the course of the day or specific activity. Strain Score is a quantitative representation of total daily excursion based on cardiovascular load from 0-21 accordingly.

Think of Strain as direct objective feedback on your daily life, from physical workouts to a typical workday, the impact life has on physiological well being.

Through the Strain panel on the Whoop App (IOS/Android), data from Max Heart Rate, Average Heart Rate, and an estimate of Total Calories Burned are displayed. Weekly breakdown of strain averages are also found, dating back to the last 30 days.

• 0-9.9 Light
• 10-13.9 Moderate
• 14-17.9 Strenuous
• 18-21 All Out

During my use of the Whoop Band for about a year now, 17.3 was the highest Strain Score I ever received. Burning almost 6,000 potential calories with an average heart rate of 84 and peaking at 177 BPM.

Recovery

Whoop uses three distinct data values, or physiological markers to determine Recovery Scores: Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Resting Heart Rate (RHR), and Sleep.

The analyzation of the three data measurements is represented by a Recovery Score, measured as a percentage 0-100%.

• Red: 0-33%
• Yellow: 34-66%
• Green: 67-100%

Think of the split between Red, Yellow, and Green as a stoplight of your physiological condition.

With a Red Recovery Score, prioritizing recovery is essential and injury risk is increased. Yellow Recovery Score, gauging overall workload accordingly; Green Recovery Score, primed for peak physical performance.

The Recovery module is the bread and butter of the Whoop Band, an inside look into your physiological condition, giving the athlete the ability to gauge training intensity and duration for any given day, therefore, reducing injury risk and overtraining; taking all the guesswork out of training.

Sleep

The final module in the Whoop Band data onslaught is Sleep. It’s not a secret that sleep is vital to athletic performance and recovery, I mean 1/3 of our life is devoted to hitting the zzzz’s.

Whoop analyzes and breaks down your sleep pattern into the smallest details, from time spent in each sleep stage (Light, REM, SWS (Deep)), to number of disturbances and heart rate data from the entire sleep cycle.

The Whoop Sleep Coach recommends time in bed and sleep need based on desired performance the following day; whether that be peak, perform, or get by.

Being a 24/7 performance wearable, Whoop is able to determine exact sleep duration and performance in every cycle based on heart rate metrics.

My Experience with Whoop

Approaching one year into Whoop use on a 24/7 basis, let’s just say I will be a user for a long time coming.

In my own training, both throwing and strength work, Whoop has given me the ability to gauge RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) of my programming on a daily basis.

One of the most prominent trends I began to see was how hydration impacted recovery scores. Obviously, determining hydration levels are strictly subjective with the judgement of what color your piss is….yet, time and time again, the less hydrated I was to end the day, the recovery score tanked.

Obviously, I decided to do some research, and I found case study after case study that show a direct correlation between dehydration and reduced HRV and increased RHR. Here’s an example in the link below –>

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25726222

As far as overall “feel”, more often than not, the recovery score reflected exactly how I felt. Hit a Red Recovery Score of 9%, felt like I got hit by a bus and dragged ass all day long, relying on energy drinks and excess hydration to get me back on the horse.

94% Green Recovery this morning for example, no aches and pains from 22 games in 6+ days, took it easy yesterday in the low 30’s%, saw the benefit of recovery today.

Whoop gave me a new appreciation for prioritizing recovery. With my lifestyle, coaching and training athletes, travel, fighting dehydration, getting my training in, it became clear to me that recovery would often take a back seat; and I wondered by my scores were so low.

Should I be surprised that on May 30th, with a recovery score in the low 20’s, I injured my lower abdominals and lower back during training?

I am by no means a cardiovascular dominant athlete, prioritizing rest periods directly influencing force production is the basis of conjugate based programming both dynamic and maximal effort strength protocols.

Metabolic conditioning in forms of sled work and plyometric movements on boxes are the extent of cardiovascular work that I engage in.

Since I became a Whoop Band user last June, I have seen my HRV peak at 114, typically sitting in the range of low 50s to mid 60s, and tanking in the 30s in full recovery mode.

Also, I have seen my RHR (Resting Heart Rate) get as low as 53-54 BPM, typically sitting 59-63 BPM on an average day and peaking in the upper 60’s when I’m in the tank.

Whoop gives you a subjective look at how sleep impacts your physiological well being, and how essential it is to your athletic performance. More often than not, sleep is low on the priority list of athletes, especially at the college level.

Being primed for peak performance isn’t as simple as preparation for the skill itself, it’s the management of workload and recovery to be at your best on any given day.

Whoop and Baseball Development

Now the real question…how is this technology applicable in the world of baseball development?

From a coach/trainer perspective, with the spectrum of data that the Whoop Band provides, it takes all the guesswork out of managing athlete workload. It gives us the ability as trainers to gauge RPE and total volume based on quantitative data directly from athlete physiological markers.

Prioritizing recovery and off days based on Recovery Score trends, having a better understanding of the Strain each and every athlete accumulates on a daily basis and how they bounce back from the load.

As an athlete, Whoop data points give a greater understanding of how we respond to training stimulus, and what routines hinder and/or improve performance.

The offseason training applications are endless for the Whoop Band, on a one v one basis to an entire training program of athletes. The in season application has more barriers, athletes would need Whoop Arm Sleeves to house the unit, there would be risk of damaging the unit but data collection would be consistent.

Physiological data in both an offseason and in season environment gives coaches and trainers, on and off the field, the ability to reduce injury risk and prime athletes for improved performance, prioritizing recovery and rest periods on an individual and/or team basis.

With baseball development riding the technology and data wave, movement metrics are at a peak, 24/7 physiological data monitoring is the missing key to taking athlete development in our sport to the next level; Whoop is the answer.

“When it comes to recovery, we feel like we have a pretty good advantage in how we treat our players, we leave no stone unturned.”

– Brandon McDaniel, Director of Athletic Development + Performance, LA Dodgers

(LA Dodgers use Whoop Data with athletes all over the system to monitor athlete workload and recovery)

Source Influences:

https://www.whoop.com/experience/

The transition from offseason training to beginning of a competitive season has its obstacles, some easier than others for both the athlete and trainer.

Programming high school athletes in the offseason both with strength and throwing protocols is a cake walk compared to managing workload during the high school season.

There are so many variables that come into play during the season:

• Practice + Games
• Athlete Workload
• Arm Care + Recovery

Unfortunately for us as baseball development specialists, we don’t have access to players on a consistent basis as soon as the high school season begins.

Personal accountability of the athlete becomes a huge factor; As trainers, we give them the tools to continue to develop during the season, but it becomes all on the athlete themselves whether they make it a priority or not.

Practice + Games

Enter High School Baseball.

Practice every single day, from right after school at 2:30-3:00 until 5:00-6:00 pm or later. On top of that, high school practices are unpredictable as far as structure, and more often than not warm-up and recovery time isn’t a priority team wide.

Games multiple days per week; bus rides to and from games, 3-4 hour time slot of warmup and gameplay, getting back to school in the early evening before heading home.

The hardest thing for us as trainers, the fact that we are not nearly as involved in the daily development of our athletes, high school coaches are.

Now there are plenty of great high school coaches out there, those who are open to talking to athletes + trainers and getting on the same page in terms of their baseball development.

On the other hand, often times, high school coaches take full control and restrict athletes on what they can and cannot do.

Impose skill specific coaching methods and force movement adaptations through negative reinforcement whether they are right or wrong for the athlete, at times, unraveling offseason improvements.

This can be detrimental to the on-field success of the athlete, and return from the high school season a whole different player both physically and mentally.

Athlete Workload

Loss of body weight + strength, and managing total workload is a constant battle for athletes during a competitive season.

During my professional career, my weight would fluctuate between 5-10+ lbs during the season. Keeping in mind, the combination of hindered nutrition and non-stop travel were influential factors in weight loss.

With the increase of skill specific work and the addition of competitive games, overall workload for an athlete ultimately needs to be assessed and altered.

As far as in-season strength and mobility work is concerned, it becomes absolutely essential for athlete performance, for a few of the following reasons:

• Maintaining Functional Strength
• Solidifying Offseason Strength and Weight Gain
• Reduced Injury Risk
• Maintaining Sport Specific Mobility

The best way to understand workload in season is the simple concept of Athlete Training Economy in the form of a dollar. This ideology was described best in a baseball setting by High Performance Coach at Driveline Baseball, Sam Briend:

“He goes through a moderately intense practice; practice costs him 50 cents. He runs sprints after practice for conditioning; sprints cost him 15 cents. He gets his moderate-intensity lift in post practice; that costs him 35 cents. That’s his whole dollar right there, but that’s fine because he had a dollar to spend.

INTEGRATION OF THROWING AND STRENGTH; Blog Post, Driveline Baseball; Written by Sam Briend, High Performance Coach

This is a challenge that we as baseball performance trainers face with our athletes, truly knowing the strain on their body on a daily basis during competition and practice settings.

Now it would be great if we could supply our athletes with one of these to monitor the stress of daily training, recovery scores based on heart rate variability, and daily sleep patterns.

Unfortunately, not the most realistic approach, but it sure would take the guesswork out of the process.

Arm Care + Recovery

If you trained 3+ times per week for 11 weeks, building a tolerance for volume and intensity, as well as consistent recovery protocols to improve tolerance to said workload…would you discontinue training as soon as competition began?

This is a concept that continues to amaze me regarding todays youth and high school athletes. Time and time again, improvements during the winter months become “enough”, that they are somehow permanent and no longer need to be sustained.

In Season throwing protocols exist for a reason, to maintain physical strength, handle the stresses of competitive throwing, and further improve performance during the season.

The combination of Warmup and Recovery In-Season protocols make up 70% or more of a given athlete’s program; Ballistic throwing volume is reduced with the introduction of competitive play accordingly.

Below is an example of a template In-Season program from Driveline Baseball:

As you can see, throwing workload between outings is limited to: Long Toss, Hybrid B, Side Sessions (Flat-ground + Bullpens), and Recovery. Keep in mind this is a general structure, adjustments are made accordingly based on feel.

Every athlete bounces back differently after an outing, the same way each guy is comfortable with specific workloads between outings.

For example, throughout my career both in college pre injury and in professional baseball, I was quick to bounce back with limited post outing soreness if any at all. This is not the same with every pitcher, there are guys I have played with and coached that are down for multiple days after any outing, regardless of volume.

Recovery protocols from plyoball rebounders and shoulder tube perturbations, to SMR and resistance band work, recovery work is crucial for athlete durability In-Season with increased throwing workloads.

Takeaways

I mean let’s be honest, high school athletes for the most part have an extremely difficult time managing their own schedules; Better yet prioritizing each and every responsibility in their lives, even today I have a tough time here and there.

Yes, there are variables that impact how an athlete spends their time. Whether that be family commitments, to practice schedule, it often feels like there are only so many hours in the day.

We control what we can directly control, external variables aren’t always foreseeable, focus on the moment.

Prioritizing proper warmup and recovery should be a primary focus considering it has a direct impact on our performance on the field.

Make time to strength train In-Season; We can’t afford as baseball players, who are reliant on force production, to lose body weight and strength during any given competitive season.

Put the Fortnite down, and take care of your sh*t. If you want to be the best in your sport, sacrifices need to be made,

It’s crazy to think how much the structure of baseball development has changed over the last two decades, especially off the field. Strength in the weight room was never a priority early in my career; it’s funny to look back and think that I didn’t start getting after it in the weight room until I was in college…

I developed as an athlete in a world dominated by the idea that “Baseball Players Don’t Lift”, just think about that for a second.

Skill Specific development came first and foremost in every training environment I was ever involved with prior to college, and it’s crazy to think that more often than not the same is true today.

Putting that in perspective, going into my freshman year of college I was consistently upper 80’s on the mound. A few months later, I was 90-93 touching 94+ in game pitching for Franklin Pierce University. Now how did this increase of velocity happen?

• Zero Weighted Balls
• Frequent Long Toss
• Resistance Band Exercises
• Team Conditioning
• Strength Development
• 15.0 +/- LB Body Weight Increase

Strength Matters. The number one focus of athlete development in all sports should be strength, especially in baseball.

Just when your body has all the answers, you have to change the questions.

-Louie Simmons, Founder Westside Barbell

The System

The Conjugate System is based on three distinct methods of training, working collectively to improve athletic performance:

• Maximum Effort
• Dynamic Effort
• Repeated Effort

Training frequency is traditionally a four day minimum, adaptations of frequency can be made accordingly. The four training sessions are split into a focus of upper and lower body, utilizing both maximum and dynamic effort lifts.

Implementing this system into my own personal training and my clients programs has been absolutely revolutionary; the conjugate system has made me question everything I know about strength & conditioning, the results speak for themselves and are impossible to ignore.

Want to take your strength to a whole other level? Let’s get into it.

Maximum Effort

When it comes to sports performance, force production is and always will be king. The bigger, stronger, faster the athlete more potential for success on the playing field.

Maximum Effort strength protocols improve sports performance in a multitude of ways:

• Enhanced Muscle Neuron Recruitment
• Intermuscular Coordination
• Intramuscular Coordination
• Proprioception
• Physiological Adaptations based on External Load

Athletes Are In A Constant War Against Gravity…

The Max Effort Method Then, Is Our Greatest Weapon In That War..

-JJ Morris, StrongEight

Maximum Effort training is a structure of single attempts post warmup until reaching a new max or personal record, volume is a collective of progressive increase in weight not repetitions.

This concept is something I struggled with in college, receptions with always progressive, based on traditional strength training periodization. Hence why my max deadlift was 495.0 for years, until I adopted conjugate based programming and just a few weeks later I was pulling 545.0+ at a 2+ inch deficit…

Typical Maximum Effort Exercises include some of the following:

• Box Squat (Low, High, Sumo, Zercher)
• Deadlift (Sumo, Conventional, Rack Pull, Deficit)
• Good Mornings (Arched Back, Seated, Conventional.) *Never Less Than 3 Repetitions*
• Floor Press (Close/Medium/Wide, Dumbbell)

The primary focus when determining maximum effort exercise selection should be what the athlete is weak in, building a complete athlete as a whole trumps huge numbers in one exercise and subpar in multiple. Also, variation of exercise is important due to the law of accommodation, but we will get into that later on.

Dynamic Effort

Dynamic Effort or in simple terms, Speed Work, is a powerful tool when emphasizing rate of force production in athletes.

The concept of Dynamic Effort is training with sub-maximal loads at maximal velocity. Think of it this way:

(Sub Maximal Load + Maximal Velocity) = Increased Rate of Force Production

One of the major components of the Dynamic Effort Method is the implementation of Accommodating Resistance.

Accommodating resistance enhances the “Stretch Reflex”, the concept that our skeletal muscle creates elastic energy just like a rubber band through the distribution of tension and elongation of the muscle.

Moving sub maximal weight with accommodating resistance enables increased motor neuron recruitment to eliminate and work against bar deceleration typically around 25% at max tension of band at the height of a deadlift/squat/bench press.

This brings us to the concept of Reversal Strength, the utilization of overspeed eccentrics using accommodating resistance to create increase in kinetic energy. Simply put, accommodating resistance forces the external load down faster than the weight + gravity alone, forcing physiological adaptation to given stimulus.

I could go into the force velocity curve and how the conjugate system uses a physics based approach to baseball development, but I’m going to stick to the basics in this post and save it for another day and not overload you with information.

“The Big Leaguers of the early 2000’s weren’t juicing for better mechanics…

-JJ Morris, StrongEight

Repeated Effort

Training volume management is a simple in conjugate based training programs, with a majority of the total volume coming from Repeated Effort.

“Size, strength endurance and restoration can all be achieved through implementation of the repetition method. It is a simple, yet highly effective way to raise work capacity and volume to increase a lift total.”

– Westside Barbell

From a programming standpoint, if a strength focus is emphasized, moderate to heavy load exercises with focus on the posterior chain and abdominals will be the primary prescription.

If an explosive component is of focus, loaded and unloaded jumps, bounds, and depth jumps will be a primary component of an athletes programming on a maximal or dynamic effort day.

Typical Repeated Effort exercises include some of the following:

• Sled Pulls (Forward, Backward, Lateral)
• Resistance Band Tricep Extension (100+ Reps)
• Dumbbell Press
• Weighted Box Jumps
• Bent-Over Rows

Program Structure

The Conjugate System, from a programming standpoint, is simple yet extremely effective with any athlete population, especially baseball players.

A typical training week for an athlete, or in this case baseball player, is broken up into a four day training split.

• Day One: Lower Body (Maximal)
• Day Two: Upper Body (Maximal)
• Day Three: Lower Body (Dynamic)
• Day Four: Lower Body (Dynamic)

As mentioned earlier, for Maximal Effort lifts, up to 4-5 or more exercises are rotated weekly to prevent physiological accommodation, or in simple terms, creating variable stimulus on a daily training basis.

Maximal Effort Movement are progressive to a 1 rep max; Post warmup, working up to a PR (Personal Record) lift in sets of one, increasing weight with each set. *Good Morning variations never should be done less than 3-5 repetitions*

Dynamic Effort Movement programming is set up differently than Maximal in numerous ways, here’s an example of a Lower Body Dynamic prescription from Westside Barbell:

• Choosing Any Form of Box Squat
• Adding Load of 50% of 1RM in Week 1, 55, and 60% in Weeks 2 and 3
• Adding 25% of Accommodating Resistance in Bands or Chains *70%,75%,80% of 1RM if no accommodating resistance is available*
• Perform 10 Sets of 2 Reps at Maximal Speed, with 45 sec rest periods
• Following Box Squat protocols, working right into Speed Deadlifts
• Performing 6-8 sets of 2 Reps with 50% of 1RM with additional 25% of Accommodating Resistance *65-70% of 1RM if no accommodating resistance available*

For Upper Dynamic Effort, the same template applies but a few slight adjustments:

• Choosing Any Form of Bench Press
• Adding Load of 50% of 1RM in Week 1, 55, and 60% in Weeks 2 and 3
• Adding 25% of Accommodating Resistance in Bands or Chains *70%,75%,80% of 1RM if no accommodating resistance is available*
• Perform 9 Sets of 3 Reps at Maximal Speed, with 45 sec rest periods
• Variation of Grip every 3 Sets if applicable; Narrow/Normal/Wide

Following Maximal and Dynamic Effort Primary Movements, speciality exercise movement is the next piece of the prescription.

Choice of 2-3 movements of 5-8 various exercises both strength and explosive based movements to strengthen weak points or promote velocity, given selection being individually programmed.

Each workout concludes with a dose of specific posterior chain and core exercises designed for injury prevention; For example: Reverse Hyperextensions and Dumbbell Side Bends along with others.

Takeaways

The Conjugate System developed by Westside Barbell is revolutionary in the strength and conditioning world, taking athletic performance to new heights.

Baseball In-Gym and Remote Clients of mine have seen major performance improvements over the past year using Conjugate System based programs resulting in:

• 6+ All-Conference and/or All-State Baseball Selections
• Multiple 100.0+ mph Exit Velocities
• Numerous 90.0+ mph Pulldown Velocities
• Multiple 450+ lb Box Squat and Deadlifts
• Numerous 20+ lb Offseason Weight Gains

I couldn’t be more proud of the work my clients have put in over the past year, I am blessed to work with so many athletes with an unmatched work ethic; it’s awesome seeing them show out on the field. The goal isn’t to build better athletes..it is to build monsters.

As coaches, we strive to help our athletes reach levels we never could, make them better than we ever were.

But Rob, how is this different from traditional strength programs?

For example, traditional progressive periodization in strength and conditioning consists of structured phases:

• Stabilization Endurance
• Strength Endurance
• Hypertrophy
• Maximal Strength
• Power

The problem with traditional periodization in the strength and conditioning world can be summed up in one word; inefficient.

With the variation of program focus every few weeks, loss of performance in any given phase begins to show after a few weeks. Baseball players cannot afford to lose force production in ideal planes of motion and cannot afford to lose muscle gains during the season, resulting in decreased performance on the field.

For the Average Joe, more often than not, is progressive to reaching his physical goals with the basic structure of progression because performance isn’t a priority.

Baseball Players rely on maximal levels of force production on the field, whether that be hitting, throwing, fielding, and running to produce at an elite level. Force production is King.

With that in mind, if force production is king…wouldn’t your training program reflect that concept?

Keep in mind here folks, there is so much more to the Conjugate System that I didn’t cover in this post, especially the science and physics behind the methodology.

Do yourself a favor and follow the following on social media for everything Conjugate System:

• @strongeight Coach JJ Morris, StrongEight, Specializes in Baseball Performance
• @westsidebarbellofficial Westide Barbell, the origin of the Conjugate System and Louie Simmons
• @queenbeepower Laura Phelps, one of the strongest women you’ll ever see…ever
• Join the Conjugate Club, Westside Barbell’s online portal of endless information

“The directions and planes of force production, play a crucial role in the development of velocity”

– JJ Morris, Strong Eight

Featured Sources:

The Westside Barbell System For Sports : Westside Barbell

Conjugate Club Baseball : Coach JJ Morris

Living the Dream

Every baseball player’s career comes to end one way or another, some hang it up after high school, others have the chance to play competitively into their 20’s and 30’s.

I was blessed with the opportunity to play this game at a high level into my mid 20’s, something I am grateful for; I had the chance to live out my dream from when I was a kid, playing professional baseball.

The 10+ hour bus rides, the low monthly pay, the comical hotels on the road, crushing pre and post game spread consisting of PB&J’s and concession food, and plyocare bocce in the bullpen are the moments that I miss most about professional baseball. It’s funny to admit, I miss those moments and my teammates along the way more than the game itself.

Baseball has taken me to some amazing places, from the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, NC for the DII College World Series twice to the Corn Crib in Normal, IL; all experiences that I will carry with me forever.

The Support System

The hardest part about playing professional baseball besides making less than a worker at McDonalds and being gone for the better part of the year, is leaving the ones that mean most to you behind.

I am blessed to have a woman in my life who supports me through thick and thin, puts up with my sh*t, always there for me when I am traveling, and loves me unconditionally.

The countless trips out to the midwest to see me on the road, with no guarantee that I will pitch being a relief pitcher, imagine that. Supporting my broke ass going out to eat, flights and hotels, can you tell she likes me?

She has gotten me through the worst of times and been by my side at the best in baseball and life, I wouldn’t be where I am today without her and for that I am forever grateful. Luckily this past December, I tricked her into spending forever with me, and we will be tying the knot this coming February.

Having a support system is essential when playing this game for a living whether that be family or a significant other, the vast majority of us are playing for little money, and are forced to get offseason jobs to support the dream.

Embrace Being Broke

Being broke is a part of the process, plain and simple. It’s crazy to think the public, up until recent publicity, were under the impression that professional baseball players in the system whether that’s affiliated made a good chuck of change.

The chart above is for AAA BASEBALL comparing it to minor league hockey…one step from being in “the show”.

Fun fact: I was making $600.00 per month before taxes during my first year of professional baseball and got a raise of $50.00 during my second year. Big baller right?

Oh wait…I forget about some other expenses that are involved with professional baseball.

• Clubhouse Dues: Paying the clubhouse manager, as he is in charge of doing laundry, pre and post game food spread, gas station runs pre game, and other nightly jobs ranging from $10.00 a week to $7.00+ a day, and this doesn’t include TIPPING.
• Rent: Luckily for me during my time in professional baseball, we had host families for a place to live. A lot of affiliated organizations do not provide housing, so you need to find a place to rent usually with a ton of other teammates, or they put you up in a hotel and take it out of your biweekly check.
• Meal Money: How’s $25.00 per day for meal money on the road sound? Thats eating out twice per day, more often than not hotels didn’t have breakfast, and if they did it was cereal and toast. Yeah, you get pre game spread of granola bars, PB&J, and if your lucky cold cuts. No, you don’t get fed after road games with the exception of “get away” days or known as the last game of the series.

Some “people” try to justify such low wages for professional baseball players by arguing “they play a game for a living”. Well “Jim” no one told you to suck at sports and now sit at a desk, we have invested our entire lives in being the best at our sport, and you think it’s okay to be paid less than fast food workers? I think not.

Well…What Now?

Well now that I don’t play a game for a living, what do I do now?

Lucky for me, I finished my college degree in sports and recreation management early in my professional career, something not everyone exiting the game has to their name. Not saying a college degree will immediately lead to a job especially in today’s world, but it can’t hurt right?

Since baseball is such a time consuming sport year long, internships and experience in the field of study is often put to the side for collegiate summer baseball in hopes to attract attention by professional scouts, to be put in the best position to make the jump to professional baseball.

Baseball has been my life since I was 9 years old, only fitting that hanging up the cleats wasn’t the end of my life in baseball; stepping on the other side of the fence into the coaching world.

I didn’t truly know what I wanted to do in my life after my baseball career was over, and it took me working offseason coaching and training jobs to finally figure it out.

I now had the opportunity to finally attend family functions and take trips with my fiancé and experience life outside of the sport, I was no longer away for months at a time.

It’s important to have a life outside of the sport, something I really sucked at most of my career, I was so focused on advancing in baseball and the training that went along with it; I truly missed out on so much. 

Since retiring from professional baseball I have coached and trained players from 10 years old to college and professional athletes, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Baseball development and athletic performance have become my passion, obsessed with helping athletes reach their full potential in all facets of the game.

I was blessed to extend my career all the way to professional baseball, winning championships at every level, the same experiences and success I want athletes that I train and coach to have.

How do you want to be remembered?

What we leave behind and how we impact those around us defines who we are, being able to be apart of an athletes journey is life changing.

For those of you who don’t know anything about me, I live off caffeine; plain and simple.

It would only be fitting to provide reviews of the countless energy drinks I have tested over the last few years and continue to try today, save those of you reading the never-ending process of trial and error.

With that in mind, as a health and fitness professional, energy drink content and flavor is a dealbreaker for me when choosing my fix for the day.

I will breaking down my reviews into a few categories:

• Caffeine Content
• Ingredient Profile
• Warnings (If Any)
• Taste (Flavor or Flavors)
• Best Places to Purchase (Save you some $)

Since I have already tried 17 of the 18 carbonated flavors currently on the market, I will be reviewing them collectively. Reviews on Keto, Caffeine Free, and Tea product lines will follow at a future date.

Caffeine Content

First and foremost, caffeine has been labeled as one of the effective performance enhancing supplements on the planet both in a physiological and cognitive setting.

According to a supplement study done and supported by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), low doses of caffeine (~200 mg) have also been shown to improve vigilance, alertness and mood, and improve cognitive processes during and following strenuous exercise. (1)

Bang Energy drinks contain 300 mg per 16 oz can coming directly from caffeine anhydrous, a more concentrated form of caffeine.

A collective of hundreds of studies have shown that the “safe” consumption of caffeine for healthy adults, without adverse effects, to be around 400 mg per day. (2)

Now let’s keep in mind that every person reacts different to caffeine, all have a different tolerance to the stimulant.

Would I recommend Bang Energy to the everyday person? No, and here’s why. According to the National Coffee Association, the average American drinks around 3.1 cups (8 oz) of coffee per day, or approximately 285 +/- mg of caffeine based on type of coffee.

One Bang Energy drink matches or exceeds a typical daily caffeine consumption in the United States. But Rob, what if I drink other energy drinks for my caffeine fix, how do they compare? Here’s how Bang compares to popular energy drinks on the market today in caffeine content from all sources according to Caffeine Informer:

• Red Bull: 80 mg / 8.46 oz
• Monster: 160 mg / 16 oz
• Rockstar: 160 mg / 16 oz
• NOS: 160 mg / 16 oz
• AMP: 142 mg / 16 oz

Some common side effects of increased consumption of caffeine include but are not limited to on an individual basis:

• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Increased Heart Rate
• Increased Blood Pressure
• Dehydration
• Addiction

If you experience any of the symptoms above, caffeine tolerance needs to be assessed and ultimately assessed in a progressive manner.

Ingredient Profile

Now let’s dive into the nutrition profile and ingredients of Bang Energy drink and translate some of the big scientific words that have us all shaking our head in confusion.

At first glance a few things stand out:

• 0 Calories
• 0 Carbohydrates
• 0 Sugar

When looking for an energy drink of choice, seeing zeros in these three sections on the nutrition label are an essential starting point.

Increased consumption of high sugar beverages of any kind have been linked to increased risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, and cancer.

Did you know that each gram of sugar contains approximately 4 calories?

In a generic 16 oz Monster Energy Drink, there are a whopping 54 grams of sugar! Thats 216 calories just from sugar!

Other nutritional values on the nutrition label for Bang Energy drink are irrelevant, levels are low enough not to be impactful from a recommended daily value standpoint.

VPX uses the artificial sweetener, sucralose (Splenda), to provide a sweet taste to every flavor as a sugar substitute. Sucralose has been shown to have no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels in healthy, normal weight people. Sucralose has been approved safe by the FDA as an artificial sweetener.

Other ingredients that stand out:

• SUPER CREATINE (Creatyl-L-Leucine)
• CoQ10
• BCAAs (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine)

Unfortunately, the amount of each ingredient is not on the nutrition label, and cannot be found on the companies website. It is my belief that the amount of the ingredients above are insignificant, and are not significant enough to provide performance enhancement.

Warnings

The following warnings can be found on the side of a can of VPX Bang Energy:

• Not intended for individuals under the age of 18
• Do not use this product if you are pregnant or nursing
• Do not consume this product if you are taking any prescription drug and/or have any medical condition
• This product contains caffeine and should not be used with any other caffeine containing products
• This product is intended for us by healthy individuals only

Seems like a ton of warnings for a simple drink, similar to listening to the narrator on a prescription commercial reading off side effects.

Bang is not intended for people under the age of 18 because of the elevated caffeine content; adolescents are more sensitive to stimulants like caffeine, creating a physiological response such as increased heart rate and blood pressure , can be easily abused unintentionally, and need to be consumed responsibly.

The remaining warnings are self explanatory and can be interpreted on an individual basis.

Taste

VPX Bang Energy has some of the best flavors on market today, and provide an unmatched level of taste blowing away its competitors. Here is my take on each flavor I have had the pleasure of trying with a rating of 1-10.

• Black Cherry Vanilla – 7.2, VPX hit the nail on the head with this flavor, black cherry initial taste and a smooth hint of vanilla to wrap it up.
• Blue Razz – 6.6, Blueberry and Raspberry blend with a slightly sour/sweet aftertaste.
• Cherry Blade Lemonade – 7.5, Strong initial cherry flavor followed with a refreshing rush of lemon lime aftertaste. Solid flavor choice!
• Cotton Candy – 7.6, Awesome mixture between the blue and pink heads of cotton candy you would get at a carnival.
• Pina Colada – 4.7, It’s like drinking pre-made Pina Colada mix from the grocery store, solid initial taste, becomes overwhelming with each additional sip.
• Root Beer – 6.4, Now I am not a huge fan of root beer, very similar to A&W Root Beer, I can say I have had this flavor more than once, max 3 times.
• Frose Rose – 8.1, If you have had the grape watermelon box of Nerds you would get as a kid on Halloween, this is it.
• Lemon Drop – 6.0, Think Sierra Mist, but diet, and not as good. Another average flavor.
• Star Blast – 7.1, Solid everyday flavor choice, mixture of Sprite and traditional gummy worms.
• Citrus Twist – 8.2, Orange soda to a T! My personal favorite, flavor never gets old. Blows the Ultra Orange Monster out of the water.
• Bangster Berry – 7.8, Umm can you say berry flavored Caprisun! Crisp flavor.
• Rainbow Unicorn – 4.3, People RAVE about this mystery flavor, not my cup of tea. Super sweet, complete overkill; good luck attempting to finish the whole thing.
• Sour Heads – 7.3, Green apple and lemon Jolly Ranchers melted down into a drink, not as sour as I was hoping but does live up to the name.
• Power Punch – 5.1, Very basic, fruity flavor that reminds me of fruit punch fruit snacks you would have as a kid.
• Purple Haze – 6.1, Holy GRAPE! Very sweet, if you like grape soda this is absolutely for you, I’m definitely not in the fan club.
• Peach Mango – 6.8, Strong initial artificial peach taste followed by a mild mango aftertaste, overall solid flavor
• Purple Guava Pear – 7.0, Very similar to the Ultra Purple Monster in regards to flavor, more of a berry dominant flavor with a hint of pear.

Best Places to get VPX Bang Energy Drink

VPX Bang Energy drinks have become extremely popular over the last year, now being sold in stores from GNC and Vitamin Shoppe to Walmart and gas stations around the country.

If you’re looking to try individual flavors, your best bet would be to visit you local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe, or are now available at a gas station near you on a store by store basis. An individual can of Bang will set you back between $2.50 and $3.00 after taxes, but are commonly on sale for 2 for $4.00.

To save you some time and effort, I have compiled a short list of the best places to get Bang Energy drink by the case.

• Campus Protein: $25.99 per individual case. Bang of Month Club: $22.99 get a new flavor of Bang every 14, 30, or 60 days. Bang Bang Stack: $46.99 for two cases of your choice.
• Amazon: $29.00-$35.00 based on individual seller and flavor. Free 2 Day Shipping with Amazon Prime available for some sellers.
• Vitamin Shoppe: $25.99 per case in store and online, Buy One get One Half Off is a common promotion run multiple times a year.
• GNC: $25.99 per case. Discounts and special promotions run on a monthly and yearly basis.
• Tiger Fitness: $23.10 per case. All flavors available.
• Suppz: $24.95 per case. All flavors available.
• Best Price Nutrition: $24.99 per case. All flavors available.

National Coffee Drinking Trends 2010, National Coffee Association

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691517301709

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4213371/

My Struggle

For years I was “domed” up, not just on the mound, but in everyday life after my shoulder injury during my first year at Franklin Pierce. My ability on the field crumbled with each bad outing and physical setback, I was in a hole, and had no idea how to pull myself out of it.

Made a change of environment spending my last year of eligibility at DIII Keystone College, things improved, but to a fault. For the life of me I couldn’t grasp the idea that I wasn’t a DUDE anymore, was just another 88-90 mph right handed arm, a dime a dozen.

Up until a week or two before the all star break during my first year of professional baseball I was dealing, transitioning from a bullpen arm to a starter, through 29.2 innings was sitting at a 2.12 ERA with 28 K’s.

I thought I had left all the doubt and struggle behind me, I was finally back to the pitcher I lost years ago, at least that’s what I thought. Ended up tanking my final two starts, got crushed and couldn’t hit the strike zone if my life depended on it, and ended up getting released with a 3.86 ERA at the All Star Break.

Got picked up by the Normal Cornbelters a week later, shoved my first start, then I lost it. Lost the ability to throw strikes, velocity was up and down, my performance took a nosedive.

Ended up getting released again, signed a week later by the Traverse City Beach Bums, shoved again in my first start, then continued struggling on the mound with no idea how to change the outcome. Ended up winning the 2015 Frontier League Championship weeks later, and was invited back for spring training the following season.

I was lost. Zero confidence in my ability as a pitcher, something had to give.

Enter DGAF

The years of frustration and struggle were still hanging over my head, still chasing the pitcher I USED to be. Having the ability to change the game single handedly on the mound, then losing it all together was extremely tough for me and led to a snowball effect of highs and lows.

I ended up being mentored by Alex Casillas aka Flama in the offseason of 15′, and was introduced to Driveline Baseball throwing protocols at that time.

The first conversation I had with Flama was eyeopening for me, the idea that I could never be who I “was” ever again, I needed to let that DUDE go and redefine who I was as a person and player.

Feeling sorry for myself, acting like a b*tch, not grateful for the ability to play the game, a constant fear of getting hurt, and creating an environment of self induced failure. He called me out on my bulls*it, and changed me forever.

Whats the worst thing that could happen? Blow your arm out? Then you can move on with your life, hang up the cleats, leaving no doubt in your mind you left everything on the table.

After months of training, risking everything to make something of my career, a huge shift of mentality, the DUDE I used to be was finally in the ground.

During this time period I did things I had never imagined:

• Back up to sitting 91-93 touching 94+ mph
• Weighing in at 225+ lbs
• Conventional Deadlift 500+ lbs
• Bench 315+ lbs
• Squat 400+ lbs
• Pulldown 97+ mph with a Baseball, over 100 mph with 4 + 3 oz
• No Shoulder Pain

Back to Traverse City that spring, I was a whole new player, both physically and mentally. Taking colored weighted balls and lighting it up into the bullpen wall, with not a care in the world.

I struggled with command early on in my first five starts, saw some velocity fluctuations, but it was different this time around…I was no longer results oriented, I stopped giving a sh*t, there was no pressure hanging over my head, I was out to embarrass the competition win lose or draw.

From my sixth start and then transition into a bullpen role through the end of the season, things finally came together on the mound:

• 19 Games
• 29 Innings
• 17 Hits
• 17 Walks
• 23 K’s
• 0.93 ERA

DGAF : More Than Baseball

The improved performance on the field and new love for the process of training was just a small piece of what Flama gave me, DGAF is so much more than that, its about what you don’t see behind the scenes.

Adopting a DGAF mentality isn’t as easy as a simple commitment to the process, it’s an approach to every aspect of your life.

Flama gave me the framework to change my life, creating a whole different outlook on everyday experiences, let’s get into some of the keys to unlocking your life on and off the field.

Gratitude

Accumulating a current of things you could possibly be thankful for; being thankful for the good bad and ugly in your life and how they have shaped you as a player and person.

Being able to embrace the range of experiences you have had in your life, acceptance of who you are is a sum of every success and failure in your life and being thankful for the collective.

Now this isn’t as easy as it seems, we all have pain and struggle in our lives, moments where we feel all is lost in the world and wonder “why me”.

This ideology is how DGAF changed my life, I always saw my injury as a dark mark in my story and was always running from my past. My injury, my struggle on the field for years, made me the person I am.

Dissatisfaction

An arrangement of past and present experiences and events that have held you back, don’t run from the pain, FEEL every bit of it.

We become numb to the negative and pain in our lives; we are told to have “positive vibes” and bury the pain of failure and struggle, failure is essential for growth.

We all experience “the suck” at any level, experiences that test our will and character, how you choose to use these moments dictate how we approach life as a whole.

I carried around failure and struggle from year to year during my career, stuck in a never ending loop of pain and disappointment, never accepting the emotion that came with it. Pushing it all down, hiding from reality, not being accountable.

The power to accept the negative in our lives is priceless, being able to embrace the pain and not give a f*ck, love the struggle and use it to take you to another level because one moment doesn’t make you who you are.

Past Visualization

Embracing failure in our lives gives us the ability to reflect, an opportunity to use the pain in a progressive manner.

• How can avenge all the failure and pain?
• If history repeats itself, failure and pain return, how can I prevail with a powerful mentality?
• How can I dominate the current “suck” and crush it?

Stop giving a f*ck about the past failure, own it, what are you going to do about it this time around? This is where DGAF can change how you approach everyday life, especially in baseball.

I struck out three times last game or last at bat, what if I strikeout again? I walked the house last outing, what do I do if I lose it again?

Own it. Who gives a sh*t if you failed, everyone around you claims to have the answer of what and why and will harp on your shortcomings. It’s on you, be accountable, have the character to accept the good and bad and dominate the very next opportunity.

Who do you want to be? The guy who crumbles under past or current failure, or the guy who doesn’t give a f*ck and is looking to show out and crush it in every opportunity that he gets.

Ultimately, it’s your choice, you determine how you will react, and define who you are.

Future Visualization

Being able to handle the failures in everyday life can be overwhelming in the short term. How can we prepare for the worst case scenario?

• Isolate a moment in the future
• Whats the worst possible outcome?
• Can you handle the failure?
• See yourself failing, feel it, and handle it like a boss

Visualization is a powerful tool, used in many forums, true cognitive preparation in its simplest form.

Some of you are reading this being like “umm you want me to visualize failure?”. But Rob, that seems like a bunch of eyewash to me…seems a little ridiculous. You’d be amazed what failure preparation can do for your mental state, especially when sh*t hits the fan and it’s all on you.

Takeaways and Everyday Application

Is there more to the process of developing a DGAF mentality? Absolutely. It’s not as simple as: I’m going to have this outlook on life going forward or seems simple enough I’ll just do it.

It takes persistence, an all in dedication to becoming a new version of you. It was extremely difficult for me, I always had it growing up all the way through my freshman year of college, I was a DUDE.

The following 4+ years of my life were full of pain, disappointment, struggle, and a crushing feeling of doubt every day. The ultimate acceptance of the idea that I would never be that DUDE again changed my life, made me who I am today.

How can I start? How can I begin to adopt this mentality on and off the field?

Embrace the moments of success and pain of failure in every facet of your life. Each experience and how we handle them shape who we are as a people, not define us.

Be thankful for every moment you have, on and off the field, we only get one life to live, there is no reset button on life. We cannot afford to carry around the baggage of the failures in our everyday life, own them, and commit to dominating every moment.

Be accountable. Accountability is a lost art in today world, we are all quick to point fingers at our environment, people around us, true deflection of blame.

At the end of the day, the only person to blame for your shortcomings is YOU. Stop making excuses, suffocate your bullsh*t, and take control of your life.

Become the person that YOU want to be, act how YOU picture that person would act, live life how that person you envision would live, and don’t give a fu*k about anything or anyone that doesn’t align with that idea. Thats what DGAF is all about.

“Your confidence shouldn’t be dependent on outside circumstances, it should come from an inner knowing that no matter what happens, your going to flip that sh*t” -FLAMA

No baseball career or life is perfect, mine is no exception by any means. We are all subject to ups and downs throughout the ride called life, some more than others. How our life pans out is a reflection of how we handle those the successes and failures along the way.

How can I expect the reader to actually read my blog if they know absolutely nothing about me and perceive me as just another former baseball player trying to make it by creating an online training platform?

With that in mind, I wanted to take some time and give those of you reading, a look into who I am on a personal level and why I do what I do in the sport of baseball.

The Beginning

Born in October of 1991, months premature at around two pounds, with one functioning kidney, barely able to function, and small enough to fit in your hand; What a way to start huh?

Fast forward years and multiple broken bones later, now nine years old and trying out for the all star team in my town. My dad was the coach, and I got cut.

Wait what? Your dad cut you from the team that he coached? Believe it or not he did, and it taught me the lesson that would carry me all the way to college baseball and beyond; nothing is guaranteed.

Years later, my development hit its stride, winning championships in youth baseball year after year, becoming one of the best catchers around.

On the other side, life had a habit of throwing me a banger. My mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer when I was in middle school and treatment continued into early high school, I may have been too young or immature to grasp the seriousness of the situation, but whether I knew it or not it would be a major event in my life.

My mother is a badass, plain and simple. Missed minimal time at work during her recovery, if I remember correctly she missed less than a week before her return to her job, and now is over 10 years cancer free. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her, she is my hero.

High School

Now a junior at Trumbull High School, the next step in baseball was becoming an opportunity for me, playing at the college level. Honestly, playing at the next level never crossed my mind up until that point, just a dude trying to win.

I ended up being an All-State catcher that year, that was the beginning of the process of getting to the next level. That summer I was invited to a workout with the Cincinnati Reds up in upstate New York, little did I know this would change everything.

Traditional workout structure with college and high school players, 60 yard dash, position specific infield and outfield, pop time, batting practice, and simulated games.

Up until the point of simulated games I was killing it with high school and college players alike, wouldn’t last long. I got absolutely embarrassed by college pitching, I didn’t make contact once.

At this point, I got pulled aside by one of the scouts at the workout and was asked if I had ever pitched before. Obviously I had little to no experience on the mound, but gave it a shot and threw a bullpen; was up to 88 that day. Ended up being one of the last days I would strap on the gear or grab a bat in my career.

At this point I had interest as a catcher from numerous schools in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, and I decided to change position and throw all of it away.

Few months later, I was signing my NLI (National Letter of Intent) as a pitcher to Division II powerhouse Franklin Pierce University after throwing on campus a few weeks earlier.

Early College + Summer Ball

Freshman year was a ride that I will never forget, and one that would ultimately change my life.

Stepped on campus in the fall up to 88 mph, by mid-season that spring I was up to 94 mph. Combination of strength, conditioning, and being pushed past any limits I had by the coaching staff, created a whole new person.

I became one of the go to arms out of the bullpen, coming into situations from bases loaded in the first inning to winning run on third in extras with two outs.

Toward the end of the season through the NE-10 conference tournament, I began to fatigue and was left with shoulder pain on a daily basis. I was a huge team guy my whole career, it wasn’t about me, it was about what I could do to help the team win.

With that in mind, I threw through major pain the whole postseason, from winning regionals to throwing in the DII College World Series, I gave everything for the squad appearing in 23 games over the course of the year racking up 43+ innings.

Took a month plus off after the national semifinal loss to UCSD, and received a call from my head coach with a contract to throw in the Cape Cod League for the Yarmouth Dennis Red Sox.

I was still in pain, but didn’t hinder my ability to throw at max effort, so I packed up and left for the Cape. What an experience that was, thousands of people, professional scouts everywhere, playing with some of the best players in the country.

Had a few short outings before I threw against the Orleans Firebirds in late July, the game everything would change. A few pitches into the inning, shoulder started to become tight, threw a fastball to the lefty first baseman from some SEC/ACC school that was destroyed over the amphitheater in right center.

The very next pitch I threw went about 50 feet, accompanied by an indescribable pain in my shoulder, this was the moment I knew I was in trouble. Got taken out the game with an apparent injury, couldn’t lift my arm in any way shape or form.

A month later, after seeing doctor after doctor, each with a different diagnosis and weeks of unsuccessful physical therapy, I finally was diagnosed with a Posterior Labrum Tear (SLAP) in my shoulder and needed surgery. Other issues with the labrum and rotator cuff were minor, that were cleaned up by not repaired.

I got the surgery done in October of 2010, performed by Dr. Augustus Mazzocca at UCONN Health Center, followed by a medical redshirt for my sophomore year of college.

The Struggle

Spent the next few years struggling to find what I had lost, constantly trying to get back to the level of play I had always known.

Years of frustration led to being completely “domed up”, losing my ability to compete at a high level. It funny to look back on it now, I threw more innings in my freshman year than the following three years combined at Franklin Pierce.

No matter how tough my personal struggle became, I was always about the team, a teammate over everything. During my final year at Franklin Pierce, I threw single digit innings, constantly dealing with injuries and mental setbacks.

I was left off the active roster for the entire postseason, but was there every step of the way in the dugout, supporting my squad in any way I possibly could. I can remember like it was yesterday, losing my voice on a daily basis, bringing as much passion and energy to the dugout as I did when I was on the field; the game is bigger than just you.

I ended up leaving Franklin Pierce after my redshirt junior year and going to pitch at DIII powerhouse Keystone College the following year, an opportunity to redefine who I was on the field and ended up putting myself in a situation to play professional baseball for 2+ years after college.

Professional Baseball & Driveline Baseball

Following my first professional baseball season, being bounced around from team to team; Starting out playing for the Lake Erie Crushers, signing with the Normal Cornbelters, and finally finding a home playing for the Traverse City Beach Bums during their 2015 Frontier League Championship run.

It was in my first offseason where I decided something had to give, my velocity was down to 87-89 touching 90-91 occasionally, I was finally fed up not being able to perform at my highest level.

I reached out to @flamadgaf, an instagram page full of high intensity pulldowns and features on Driveline Baseball that I had come across while doing down the rabbit hole. This was the start of my experimentation with ballistic throwing methods, signing up for remote programming and mentorship with Alex Casillas, aka Flama.

The mentorship was one of the best things I ever did, not only for my baseball career but my life as a whole. DGAF saved my life and I will forever be grateful for Alex and everything he has done for me (Will write a whole other post about the mental approach to training and baseball).

I was one of the OG remote clients of Flama and Driveline Baseball, an investment that changed my life. At the end of the off-season, I was back up to 91-93 touching 94+.

This was the first step to being personally invested in the methods produced by Driveline Baseball both in the private sector and college baseball. Pushing the limits of baseball performance has become an obsession for me, taking baseball development at any age to the next level.

I am currently certified by NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) in the following ways:

• Certified Personal Trainer
• Certified Performance Enhancement Specialist
• Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist

Also, will be pursing On Base University Pitching and Hitting certifications within the next year to take the screening process of athletes to the next level. NSCA’s CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) certification is another goal of mine and will be pursuing in the near future.

Reflection

I have been asked by teammates and players over the years if throwing through the pain and the years of struggle that followed were worth it? The answer is always the same: Absolutely, I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

Getting hurt was one of the best things to ever happen during my career and life as crazy as that sounds. I helped me appreciate and love the process of training, how important it is to take care of yourself in all facets from throwing to strength and conditioning.

I do what I do to educate the masses, create a love for the process of training and sports performance, and most importantly mentor players about the years of struggles and mistakes that I made and put them in the best possible position to succeed in our sport.

Injuries are a part of the game, plain and simple, I strive to give players the tools to prepare themselves both physically and mentally to love the process of not only of improving performance, but reducing injury risk.