Premier Pitching and Performance

Behind the scenes

for Premier Athlete Ty Pohl ahead of the All American game.

Are you moving fast enough down the mound?

One of the first metrics we look at on our motion capture reports is Center of Gravity (COG) Velocity.

Using our dataset, 110 in/s is a benchmark we use to suggest whether a pitcher has the potential to produce high velocity.

But 110 in/s isn’t a magic number.

We also have to ask: What does the athlete do with that energy?

Can they effectively stop and redirect linear energy into rotational energy through the trunk? What movement strategy are they using? And how important is linear momentum to their individual delivery?

We’ve seen athletes perform at a high level with lower COG velocities because their strategy allows them to rotate faster and efficiently transfer energy.

So when evaluating how a pitcher moves down the mound, we don’t just ask “Are they moving fast enough?”

We ask:

How much energy are they creating?
How are they redirecting it?
And is that strategy working for them?

That’s the difference between looking at a metric and understanding the athlete.

Keep climbing. Nick Gardewine

Every exercise we prescribe has a purpose.

For Hunter Holst, the Cable Assisted Plyo Push is being used to develop upper-body rate of force development and improve his ability to produce force rapidly.

For pitchers, upper-body force production isn’t simply about being strong. The ability to express force quickly is critical when the time available to accelerate the arm is measured in milliseconds.

The Cable Assisted Plyo Push gives us a scalable way to expose the upper body to high-velocity force production while controlling the amount of resistance applied. This allows us to progressively challenge Hunter’s ability to produce force rapidly without unnecessarily increasing the complexity of the movement.

The cable also gives us the ability to manipulate loading based on the athlete’s current training capacity and development needs. As Hunter adapts, we can systematically progress the stimulus while maintaining the intent and velocity of the movement.

This is an important distinction in performance training.

We’re not simply trying to make an athlete stronger.

We’re developing the physical qualities that allow them to express force effectively within the demands of their sport.

For Hunter, the goal is to improve the rate at which the upper body can produce force so that physical development ultimately supports what happens on the mound.

This is what individualized programming should look like.

Identify the physical quality that needs to improve. Select an exercise that targets that quality. Then create a scalable environment that allows the athlete to progressively develop it.

Assessment drives intervention.

Intervention drives adaptation.

Adaptation drives performance.

Big dreams require big goals.
Big goals require big plans.
Big plans require good decisions.

DATA IS ONLY VALUABLE IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

Collecting more data doesn’t automatically create better players. The value comes from what happens next.

DATA → INSIGHT → INTERVENTION → ADAPTATION → PERFORMANCE

Because an assessment shouldn’t end with a report.

It should change what you do next.

Don’t just collect data.
Use it to develop better players.

We’re excited to continue to dig in with High Point University Baseball to build their custom player development system inside BOOST.