MLB Strength Coach Available for Advice

Welcome to the site Coach.

Thanks. Looking forward to helping.

Hey Dana, 

 

I have a 14yo son, plays IF/OF/P but biggest success is as a pitcher.  Good pitching coach, good mechanics. (bet you know him)  Also just finished football, then started basketball, but baseball is primary. Gets sprint, core from baseball workouts and his other sports.  Not the best athlete in Houston, but good athlete.  He is 5'7" and can almost touch the rim.  He currently pulls the crossover symmetry bands.  Also goes to Plex speed/agility/core workouts when there is a break between seasons, etc.

 

After basketball season (@feb 1st), he wants to start working his legs.  Can you give recommendation on what/how often/much etc.?

 

We have access to a standard full equipment type gym.  And a really big field behind the house with a bunch of rectangular net things people kick balls into.  When they kick it in, they run around with their arms in the air screaming.  weird.

 

Thanks for posting!

 

Just wanted to drop in and vouch for Mr. Cavalea. My son worked at his facility in White Plains for several months, until the HS took over the strength and conditioning. Really knows his stuff when it comes to baseball players working out.

Thanks for jumping on this board Dan - looking forward to the commentary and learning more.

Dan,

 

I'll start with a basic question:  What type of chest and shoulder presses do you prefer for baseball players?  dumbbell vs barbell, incline vs flat bench?  

 

Since overhead athlete, do you limit or avoid any overhead presses?  

 

I have 2018 and 2016 ball players working on strength and speed.

 

Thanks

As for pressing- we would only do a dumbbell bench for position players, nothing overhead. Pitchers we completely restrict pressing with minor exceptions. We avoid this due to the typical forward shoulder posture we have been seeing with young athletes and the high prevalence of arm issues.

Coach,

 

thanks for joining and offering to help!  Good info on the presses, that covered one of my questions.    I have a 2017 outfielder.  Other question I had was related to cleans- what are your thoughts there?   Son works with a trainer, and both power and hang cleans are a big part of the routine.   

Ok I will throw out a couple related questions...  I have heard jumping rope is bad for feet, ankles, knees.  Better to work with weights or box jumps (far fewer reps).  Agreed?  A related question, have seen several say vertical jump is an excellent indicator for pitching velocity.  I have known a couple mlb guys from my school who did not have much of a vertical at all.  Others say its lateral jump (such as skaters jump) that is more important.   This seems more intuitive to me.  Or perhaps its a non starter?  Thoughts?  And final general question, there is a lot of debate if a pitcher can increase  velocity through strength.   I have always firmly believed yes but I am just a coach not a strength and fitness expert so I really have nothing tangible to base that on.  Opinion?

Just bumping my leg question for a 14 yo pitcher

got it.  Relative to the dumbell bench, do you have a preference for flat on incline?

Always flat  Less shoulder stress

Any lifts TJS college level pitchers should avoid? Deadlifts, pull-ups, etc.,

For TJS pitchers avoid curling, bicep work, and any pressing. This will take the tension out of the complex. Focus mostly on pulling and strengthening the scalp/ shoulder complex

Can you explain the purpose of the "hill" you see at some MLB Spring Camp facilities?  Was watching down in Ft. Myers and they actually has some young guys catching footballs while running up the hill.

Welcome to the board:

My 2b/p tore his ACL in football. Surgery was Oct 6. Any advice you could pass along to me would be appreciated.

Side note: the kid is my son

 

Welcome to the board Coach!

 

My question: what's the best training to increase bat speed? My son is 15. He already hit balls close to the 300 feet fence a few times, and his goal for the next season is to hit a home run. What off season exercise should he focus on?

 

Similar question.  Best workouts for a MIF who's been told he needs to get bigger, stronger, and more explosive in order to become more of a masher than a singles hitter.

This could end up being one of the longest threads on the site (just a prediction - you asked for it).  Good luck and welcome aboard!

Yes don't think he was prepared for us...  questions backing up...  including mine!

maybe he is working out right now

Thanks!! Hope to see you back again soon.

Hi- I like cleans for those athletes that are well coached on them- including a start to finish progression. They are great for power production- but we stay away from them with pitchers to avoid issues to wrists. Also- stay away if there is a history of back pain.

Partially right!

Hi- in regards to legs, we look to hit these 2 times per week on the off-season. Sometimes we work push/pull splits- and spend about 16 total sets on the legs- so 4 exercises x 4 sets each. Now its important to build up to that since he has not been training. You can use a 4 week progression:

 

week 1=  4exercises x 2  sets each

week 2 = 4 exercises x 3 sets each

week 3= 4 exercises x 4 sets each

 

The exercises selected should be based on ability level. As we approach the season- we are focused more on power exercises- and sport specific speed training. I am a big movement based training coach- so we focus on squats (bilateral and single leg), straight leg deadlifts ( bilateral and single leg) lunges, split squats, and holding of each in different positions for time. Hope that helps. This is def a big topic.

My pleasure.

Bat speed is the results of total body power. The theory back in the day of focusing on forearms has come and gone. We now focus on stabilizing the core (planking/ glute bridges), as well as getting the glutes strong (bridging, squatting) while at the same time improving total body power (squat jumps,snatch, clean- for position players)- we also do a lot of rotary strength work using the legs to throw med balls into a wall or with a partner. These are a couple examples for lower body power generation.

 

Thanks, Coach.

Thoughts on nutrition, esp on protein powders that r out there and HS kids using them.

opinion on best breakfast for athletes who don't have time to eat big meal in morning. 

What should players eat after workout? 

Thanks

If a player could only do two exercises to maximize throwing velocity for the rest of his career, what two exercises would they be and why?

I have a player who has a younger brother in 5th grade.  The parent asked me the other day if there what they could do to improve on their sons athletisism and I had no clue what to say.  Is there something that can be at that age?

We stopped distributing protein powders to our guys about 3 years ago due to the chemical content most of these contain. There are some brands like jarrow nutrition, vega, sun warrior that are plant based or a clean whey that can be used as a meal replacement- but food is the best option. Most kids don't take in enough calories prior to the kitchen raid that usually takes place post school and practice where they eat anything they can get their hands on because they spend most of the day starving and burning calories. For a breakfast on the go, making a quick oatmeal with almond butter and possibly banana is a simple 2-3 minute fix that will provide good fat, carbs, and some essential nutrients to keep that athlete going. Also bringing some fruits to school is also helpful for nutrient intake- having snacks like tangerines/ apples/ pears which all provide vitamins and good fiber to keep the kids full. Most of our athletes want to grow- but they do not fuel their body with nutrients- usually just junk like granola bars and other breakfast bars that are high sugar yields.

That age is about coordination, balance, movement and basic strength through body weight. Skipping, marching, hopping, hop scotch and other balance games along with body weight squats, pushups, bear crawls, tag games, and playing a multitude of sports should help- do something everyday from the above and this will help. That age some big hormonal changes are getting ready to happen- so an uncoordinated athlete pre puberty will definitely be worse at the end of the hormonal changes if they dont do the basics to improve locomotion.

I am a big fan of lateral bounding- anything forcing the athlete to push the ground and displace themselves laterally- most pitchers especially young ones do not use the ground well- this will help. The second would be hex bar deadlifting to improve overall power and force production. These two coupled with planking for the core and a scapula/ shoulder program would be my go- to picks. The reality is it will definitely take more than 2 exercises to be great!

my sons trainer simplifies it to parents in this way. Baseball is played athletically from the bottom up and the back forward, so we train that way. 2 to 1 for the legs core and back vs the front and upper. plus lots of flexibility stuff.

 

big picture thought on that?

I think that is a nice and simple way to say it- agreed.

Coach Cavalea, 

 

Just wanted to welcome you to the board and let you know I probably gleaned more from your posts on this thread that is able to be immediately applied and beneficial than I could have hoped for.  Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your insights. 

       
       
Didn't want to do it but got to give myself a bump!  I think this one got lost in the shuffle!