We welcome physical therapist Dan Swinscoe to this week’s podcast for a great in-depth conversation on the unique needs of rotational sport athletes and key sports medicine considerations across the baseball lifespan. Dan also offers some great insights for up-and-coming rehabilitation specialists looking to become well-rounded practitioners, highlighting key competencies and emphasizing the importance of openmindedness. Dan's been an awesome resource to me over the years, and I'm excited to share his expertise with a larger audience.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, AG1. Head to https://www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of AG1 travel packets with your first order.
This episode is brought to you by AG1. AG1 is your daily foundational nutrition; it has 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s foundational nutrition needs across five critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. It is the new and future way of getting a multivitamin, and a whole lot more. Head to www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and claim my special offer today – 10 FREE travel packs – with your first purchase. I use AG1 daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I’d encourage you to give it a shot, too – especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
Cressey Sports Peformance - Florida is home to hundreds of pro baseball players from all over the world, at all different levels of play throughout the off-season. They move to FL to train and develop with our awesome team of coaches that collaborates to create the synergy players need to thrive. We're able to individualize the experience from start to finish, as we feel that is what makes athletes successful. Whether we’re working with a first-year minor leaguer or one of our Cy Young Award winners, the right “mix” is slightly different for everyone. It is this detailed individualization – along with our world-class facilities, coaches, and services – that we bring to our summer program, The CSP Pro Experience.
Here's what this 10-week (6/3/24 - 8/9/24) program entails:
2 Movement Assessments (1 entrance and 1 exit)
2 Proteus Power Tests (1 entrance and 1 exit) and accompanying reports for targeted force-velocity profiling for rotational athletes
Weekly Force Plate Testing
10 weeks of Individualized Strength & Conditioning Programs ALWAYS monitored by our team of coaches
All bullpens will take place on dirt mounds in cleats with supervision from our coaches – and applicable technology present.
Pitchers who need to get innings as part of their overall developmental plan can easily throw against live hitters on the showcase field adjacent to our facility.
Athletes participating in this program will begin and end by throwing a bullpen on Theia, our biomechanical markerless motion capture system. Our system records the athlete using an 8-camera setup. The cameras give us the ability to upload the data collected and produce a 3-dimensional visual model of their bullpen session. Using the markerless motion capture system, we will be able to provide a service to athletes at arguably the best quality/accuracy in the country in a real life, on-field environment. That model will explain, in detail, what the athlete is doing on the mound with respect to biomechanics, and provide a number of visual tools that will help us better understand the pitcher’s delivery. We will use this to put together a report outlining what they do, how they do it, why they do it, and – most importantly – coaching interventions.
We will be capping this program to ensure exclusivity and to make sure each athlete gets the time and coaching they deserve. This program will sell out quickly, so delaying enrollment may restrict your ability to gain access. You can learn more by reaching out to CSPFlorida@gmail.com.
Registration is now open for the 2024 Cressey Sports Performance Collegiate Elite Baseball Development Program. This event takes place at our Hudson, MA facility, and runs from 6/3/24 through 8/9/24.
This will be the eighth year we’ve run the program, and each year, we’ve had pitchers move to Massachusetts from all around the country. This summer, we anticipate another awesome collection of motivated athletes who’ll push each other to get better in conjunction with the same training opportunities and expertise we provide to our professional athletes.
This program is a good fit for pitchers who need to prioritize development over just getting innings or exposure. In other words, it’s a suitable replacement for those who still need to throw, but also need to gain 20 pounds, learn a new pitch, sort out old aches and pains, or improve their mobility. The average ten-week velocity increase for participants over the last five years has ranged from 4.1 - 4.4mph.
Each athlete will begin with a thorough initial movement and pitching assessment that will set the stage for individualized strength and conditioning and throwing programs, respectively. Speed and power testing - via force plates, Proteus Motion, and velocity-based training - are integrated into the assessment process and tracked throughout the summer to ensure that progress is being tracked consistently.
Your individualized programs will correspond to six days a week of training. Generally, four of the six training days per week are double sessions, with throwing in the morning and strength and conditioning in the afternoons.
A typical training week would look like the following:
MON: AM throwing, PM Strength and Conditioning
TUE: AM throwing, PM Strength and Conditioning
WED: Late AM throwing and movement training (at field)
THU: AM throwing, PM Strength and Conditioning
FRI: AM throwing, PM Strength and Conditioning
SAT: Optional AM Mobility Work and Recovery Session, AM Throwing and movement training
SUN: Off
In our throwing programs, we integrate weighted ball work, long toss, and bullpens (including video analysis). We’ll utilize detailed Trackman breakdowns and high-speed camera work in these bullpens as well. Pitchers also have opportunities to throw live to hitters, and we have historically placed a few arms in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League late in the summer in light of the improvements they’d made.
All the athletes will receive manual therapy with our licensed massage therapist or physical therapist, as well as nutritional guidance throughout the program. Also to help with recovery, athletes have access to MarcPro, Normatec and red light therapy.
Last, but not least, we’ll incorporate regular educational components to educate the athletes on the “why” behind their training. Previously, this has consisted of not only staff presentations, but also conference calls and in-person meetings with Major League players and established coaches from around the country.
The best part is that it’ll take place in a motivating environment where athletes can push each other to be the best they can be. By optimizing the situation, you can help change the person.
Interested in learning more? Email cspmass@gmail.com – but don’t delay, as spaces are limited and this offering has sold out in summers in past. We’ll be capping the group size again this time around.
2023 marked year 5 of the Elite Baseball Development Podcast. In all, we released 36 episodes in 2023 - and I learned a ton from some great guests. That said, here are our top five episodes from the year:
1. Creating a Culture for Sustainable Success with Tim Corbin - Vanderbilt University head baseball coach Tim Corbin discussed transforming cultures in a team environment, and what key standards must be present to provide for sustainable success. Tim also spoke to college recruiting, long-term player development strategies, and the evolution of the student athlete.
2.Optimizing Athlete Physiology with Dr. Andy Galpin - California State University – Fullerton Professor and Human Performance scientist Dr. Andy Galpin shared many great insights on the physiological assessment of athletes. Andy has worked with athletes from across many high levels of sport to develop a comprehensive set of research-backed solutions for those seeking peak performance. We touched on the benefits and drawbacks of technology, and where he sees the health and human performance industry going in the decades ahead.
3. The Broken Business of Baseball Showcases with Dr. Peter Kriz - Sports medicine orthopedist and researcher Dr. Peter Kriz took an in-depth look at how showcase participation relates to injury rates in pitchers. This conversation drew heavily on Dr. Kriz’s two landmark studies on the topic, and yielded some crucial insights to help players, parents, and coaches plan for safe long-term development of pitchers. We also chatted about the diagnosis and treatment spondylolysis (stress fractures) of the lower back in extension/rotation sport athletes.
4. Using Archetypes to Individualize Baseball Training with Rick Franzblau - Clemson University Director of Olympic Sports Strength and Conditioning Rick Franzblau covered innovative ways to assess, program, and coach in a baseball population. Rick’s insights related to infrasternal angle, mechanical vs. fascially driven athletes, and the development of college athletes are all outstanding. This conversation will help you to see individualized development through a new lens, and also appreciate how you might have gotten “accidental” positive results in the past.
5. How Pitching Injuries Occur - In this podcast, I discussed some of the causative factors for modern pitching injuries. Everyone wants to heavily scrutinize mechanics, but there are a lot of other considerations we have to take into account.
Finally, while I've got your attention, be sure to check out our foremost sponsor from the past year, AG1 (formely Athletic Greens). It’s an all-in-one superfood supplement with 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s nutrition needs across 5 critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. Head to https://www.drinkag1.com/cressey and claim my special offer today – 10 FREE travel packs – with your first purchase. I use this product daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I’d encourage you to give it a shot, too – especially with this great offer.
We're back to the regular EricCressey.com content this upcoming week. Thanks for all your support in 2023! We've got some great stuff planned for 2024.
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
I've already highlighted the top articles I put out at EricCressey.com in 2023, so now it's time for the top guest posts of the year. Here goes…
1. Grip Strength for Baseball Hitters- Physical Therapist Dan Swinscoe writes about how we can better prepare our hitters' hands and wrists for the demands of baseball.
2. Combining Physical Assessment with Motion Capture to Optimize Pitching Cues - Cressey Sports Performance – Florida pitching coordinator Matt Hinkley discusses how we create synergy across departments by integrating our strength and conditioning evaluation with our markerless motion capture technology from Theia in order to individualize coaching interventions with our pitchers.
3. 10 Nutritional Considerations for High School Athletes with Dan Rosen - Cressey Sports Performance – Florida strength and conditioning coach Dan Rosen guest hosted this podcast for me. Dan heads up the nutrition coaching for our athletes at CSP-FL, and I asked if he’d be up for delivering important nutrition messages for the younger athletes (and their parents and coaches). He came through with an excellent summary of the basics – and more importantly, some actionable items relating to them.
4. Pitch Grading: a Stuff+/CSP+ Case Study- Pitch grading is a hot topic at the high levels of baseball right now, and while it can be super helpful for guiding players to best evaluate their pitching arsenal, it can sometimes lead you down confusing rabbit holes. In this video, Hinkley provides some context.
I'll be back soon with more highlights from 2023.
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We welcome Houston Astros pitcher Bennett Sousa to the latest podcast. A Cressey Sports Performance athlete since his high school days, Bennett touches on how that experience impacted his development. He speaks to the importance of routine, and also delves into why the big leagues is so much different than pitching at any other level of baseball, yet the adjustment from high school to college is actually the biggest. There are some great pearls of wisdom for players, parents, and coaches who are looking to optimize their long-term development plans.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, AG1. Head to https://www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by AG1. AG1 is your daily foundational nutrition; it has 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s foundational nutrition needs across five critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. It is the new and future way of getting a multivitamin, and a whole lot more. Head to www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and claim my special offer today – 10 FREE travel packs – with your first purchase. I use AG1 daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I’d encourage you to give it a shot, too – especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
It's time for another listener Q&A, so I cover three questions from our audience in this week's podcast:
What are your thoughts on high school students playing a winter sport? My son has played basketball and baseball since he was 4. He wants to play college baseball and decided as a sophomore he wants to quit all sports but baseball and focus on that. We think he is too young and should play basketball this winter and still attend his indoor baseball session (pitching). Thoughts?
Rotator cuff drills are a key part of rehabilitation and prevention programs, but I’m struggling to see where all the different kinds fit into my program. Do you have any ideas?
You previously talked about lessons learned in terms of Tommy John timelines. I know a lot of surgeons and rehab specialists have adjusted their approaches to surgeries and the associated timelines well. What are some of your key takeaways now that there have been some changes to the way elbow surgeries were approached in recent years?
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics, the premiere force plate on the market today. They're used all day, every day at Cressey Sports Performance and are a key component of both our performance and rehabilitation programs. Head towww.HawkinDynamics.com/cresseyto learn more about what a game changer their force plates can be for how you evaluate, program, and train athletes.
Sponsor Reminder
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hawkin Dynamics. In 2016, Hawkin engineered the world's first wireless force plate solution with a mobile app - making it the quickest, easiest to use, and most robust solution on the market for group testing. Today it is still the only fully validated wireless force plate solution that exists – something that is extremely important when evaluating marginal gains on the world's best athletes, monitoring readiness, or returning athletes back from an upper or lower extremity injury. It is trusted by all sport organizations large and small; as well as tactical, military, and rehabilitation environments around the globe. It's force testing in the palm of your hand with research-grade accuracy. We use Hawkin Dynamics force plates at Cressey Sports Performance and they’re a crucial part of our evaluation process, not to mention a vital resource for monitoring fatigue and evaluating the efficacy of our performance and rehabilitation programs. Whether it’s finding the sweet spot on the force velocity curve or keeping a close eye on asymmetries, these force plates are used all day, every day at CSP. Check them out at www.hawkindynamics.com/cressey to learn more.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
We welcome Oakland Athletics infielder Zack Gelof to the latest podcast. A Cressey Sports Performance athlete since his teenage years, Zack offers some awesome insights on chasing long-term athletic development; seeking out competition; visualizing goals; adapting training approaches; and improving defensive performance on the diamond.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Hawkin Dynamics, the premiere force plate on the market today. They're used all day, every day at Cressey Sports Performance and are a key component of both our performance and rehabilitation programs. Head towww.HawkinDynamics.com/cresseyto learn more about what a game changer their force plates can be for how you evaluate, program, and train athletes.
Sponsor Reminder
Today’s episode is brought to you by Hawkin Dynamics. In 2016, Hawkin engineered the world's first wireless force plate solution with a mobile app - making it the quickest, easiest to use, and most robust solution on the market for group testing. Today it is still the only fully validated wireless force plate solution that exists – something that is extremely important when evaluating marginal gains on the world's best athletes, monitoring readiness, or returning athletes back from an upper or lower extremity injury. It is trusted by all sport organizations large and small; as well as tactical, military, and rehabilitation environments around the globe. It's force testing in the palm of your hand with research-grade accuracy. We use Hawkin Dynamics force plates at Cressey Sports Performance and they’re a crucial part of our evaluation process, not to mention a vital resource for monitoring fatigue and evaluating the efficacy of our performance and rehabilitation programs. Whether it’s finding the sweet spot on the force velocity curve or keeping a close eye on asymmetries, these force plates are used all day, every day at CSP. Check them out at www.hawkindynamics.com/cressey to learn more.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
For this week's podcast, I'm tackling an important - but underappreciated - topic in the worlds of health and human performance: warm-ups. I shine some light on the goals of warm-ups, as well as the research on both injury reduction and performance benefits. Most importantly, I make some practical recommendations for how to structure an efficient, effective warm-up for not only baseball athletes, but a variety of other populations as well.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, AG1. Head to https://www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by AG1. AG1 is your daily foundational nutrition; it has 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s foundational nutrition needs across five critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. It is the new and future way of getting a multivitamin, and a whole lot more. Head to www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and claim my special offer today – 10 FREE travel packs – with your first purchase. I use AG1 daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I’d encourage you to give it a shot, too – especially with this great offer.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
We welcome Chicago Cubs pitcher Julian Merryweather to the latest podcast. We talk about the advantages attending junior college afforded him; what factors were key to his velocity improvements; and the strategies he employed to have a career year in terms of performance and durability in 2023.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head towww.MarcPro.comand enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive an exclusive discount on your order.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for an exclusive discount on your order.
Podcast Feedback
If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.
And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
