In today’s podcast, I’ll be discussing important protocol that should be in every pitcher’s training program in order to throw harder and do it safely. Topics Include: What are perfect mechanics… do they exist? Why working on mechanics alone are not enough Sample programming techniques Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player development. Twitter https://...
Jul 06, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 147
Today I’m going to talk about how to increase power on the mound, behind the plate and on the bases. Topics include: Strength and Velocity are NOT interchangeable How to determine the needs of the athlete in front of you 3 great methods to help get you or your athletes more explosive Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player development. Twitter https://tw...
Jun 28, 2025•20 min•Season 1Ep. 146
Every year in August, we’re hired to provide select D1 programs our assessment and evaluation summaries on individualized programming for their athletes. Today, I’m joined by RPP Pitching Coordinator Matt Hartshorn to discuss the preparation and some thoughts on some exciting new changes to the assessment. Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player developm...
Jun 22, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 145
Today I’m flying solo and talking about what you should be looking for when shopping around for, or writing, your own Strength and Conditioning program. Topics Include: The importance of a realistic / sustainable program Give them what they need… maintain what they’re good at Injury prevention considerations Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player develo...
Jun 15, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 144
Today we’re sitting down with Salve Regina’s Coach Andrew McKeon. As the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator, Coach McKeon wears a lot of hats at Salve, including the S&C programs. Topics Include: Common traits amongst the best arms year-over-year Handling strength training without a S&C coach New topics impacting the recruiting process Coach McKeon joined the Salve Regina baseball staff in July of 2018, taking over as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. ...
Jun 07, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 143
Today, I am going to cover the importance of deceleration, whether it be the lead leg block or change-of-direction speed. Topics Include: How deceleration is “the key” to creating explosive power The 3 main phases of deceleration Training each throughout the year Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player development. Twitter https://twitter.com/RPP_Basebal...
May 24, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 142
Today we’re sitting down with sports nutritionist / dietician Nick Valenti to discuss optimizing performance by making better nutritional choices in the summer months. Topics include: The importance of caloric timing What is considered adequate hydration Food prepping for a weekend of games Nick was previously with the Toronto Blue Jays as a dietetic intern. He also served as an intern with Cressey Sports Performance during the summer of 2023. Nick has a Master's of Science from Florida State Un...
May 18, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 141
Today, I am having my partner Bahram Shirazi sit in for me as the Guest Host with Sam Sharf, RPP's Director of Recruiting. The topic is the College Transfer Portal: How does it actually work What to keep in mind How to navigate it to optimize your options Sam has over a dozen years of experience in the world of college baseball recruiting. If you'd like to connect with him, you can reach him on his email at ssharf@rocklandpeakperformance.com or schedule a phone call by clicking here . Ready to t...
May 09, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 140
Today we’re taking a deeper look into our Elite College Summer Programs. This will be our 8th year and we've have seen incredible results over the years. So, how do we get those big gains? Topics include: Who is it for? Individualized programming based on athlete’s primary focus Complete break down of the 12-week lifting and throwing programs Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes...
May 02, 2025•23 min•Season 1Ep. 139
Mobility can sometimes be treated as the un-wanted stepchild to an athlete. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. So, today we’re going to address Mobility... what it is, what it isn’t and why it’s important. Topics Include: Mobility vs Flexibility (they’re NOT the same) How to assess it Some common mistakes in programming for it Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball ...
Apr 27, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Today, I’m sitting down with Division I Wofford Head Coach J.J. Edwards. This is his 2nd year as The Terrier’s Head Coach. Topics Include: The importance of recruiting “Athleticism” Coaching through mental “slumps” Achieving Success on the base path Prior to the head coaching position, J.J. had been on the coaching staff at Wofford as an assistant for 12 seasons, including the last two as the associate head coach. A native of Endwell, New York, Edwards received his bachelor's degree in history f...
Apr 17, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 137
I’m flying solo today, discussing plyometric training and some of the “Pros” of training it correctly… and” Cons” of training it poorly. Topics Include: Different types of plyos Testing and assessing plyometric ability Bucketing ability into progressive phases Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player development. Twitter https://twitter.com/RPP_Baseball/ ...
Apr 12, 2025•26 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Today we’re sitting down with Monmouth University Pitching Coach Mike Russo. This conversation covers a lot of bases. Topics Include: Body, Ball, Performance Has the path to college ball changed? If so, how? Staying “present” on the mound Coach Russo joined the Monmouth Baseball program in August 2022. He came to Monmouth after six seasons at Princeton University working with the pitching staff. Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced co...
Apr 04, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 135
I’m flying solo today and discussing a topic that doesn’t get addressed nearly enough. I’m talking about the importance of ankle strength and stability and how I’ve seen it to be a game changer in training athletes to get them to be more explosive. Topics Include: Why is it important How to test for it How to train it Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of pla...
Mar 28, 2025•24 min•Season 1Ep. 134
Today, I am having Sam Sharf, RPP’s Director of Recruiting, sit in for me as the Guest Host with Winthrop Baseball’s Assistant Coach Mike Napolitano. Topics Include: Difference between D1 and D3 programs Balancing baseball and academics Most important characteristics when recruiting hitters Coach Napolitano came to Winthrop after three seasons as an assistant coach for the Babson College baseball program in 2023-24. Prior to his time at Babson, he served as a graduate assistant baseball coach at...
Mar 21, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 133
Today, we're with Coach Johnston Hobbs, Head Coach at Ft. Lauderdale High School, the Flying L’s. He has coached and played at every level of the game and we're going to focus on some of the challenges of coaching today’s high school athletes. Topics Include: The difference between coaching in the Northeast vs. the South Training catchers Mechanics... When to address / when to leave it alone Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coache...
Mar 14, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 132
Today we’re sitting down with Garrett deMarrais, Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator of Division III powerhouse Misericordia Baseball. The Cougars have reached the NCAA Division III World Series in back-to-back seasons, including a National Championship last year. Topics Include: The key to a winning culture The power of thinking “outside the box” offensively Key traits when recruiting new players Coach deMarrais is entering his third season with the Misericordia baseball team. He currently...
Mar 07, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 131
Today we’re sitting down with RPP Strength and Conditioning Coach Bill Walsh. Bill brings with him 20 years of experience in both the S&C and AT fields. Topics Include: The biggest challenges when coaching the high school population The 3 pillars of athleticism Ankle mobility / strength and its relationship to mechanics and speed Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the gues...
Feb 28, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 130
Today, I’m sitting down with Sam Sharf, RPP's new Director of Recruiting and Sales. Sam brings with him over 12 years of baseball coaching and recruiting experience. Topics Include: When is a good time to look into hiring a recruiter? What’s involved in an initial recruiting eval? Top focal points when preparing to choose as recruiter Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the gue...
Feb 14, 2025•34 min•Season 1Ep. 129
This week we're sitting down with Florida State Strength and Conditioning Coach Jamie Burleson to talk about training strength with the elite college population. Topics Include: Incoming Recruits, What to Expect on Day 1 The Importance of a Great Baseline Assessment The Lack of Dedicated High School Strength Coaches in the Northeast Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guess...
Feb 07, 2025•36 min•Season 1Ep. 128
Today we’re talking about creating a more efficient lead leg block through lower half activation with PT Greg LaMendola. Topics Include: Removing blocks in the kinetic chain The Soleus and Piriformis muscles and their association with lead leg stability More efficient transfer of power from lower to upper half Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player deve...
Jan 31, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 127
Today I’m flying solo addressing how to identify and train Scapular Stability. This is such an important topic with many athletes ramping up into hard throwing. Topics Include: How to identify Scapular Instability The key muscles responsible (and to focus on) How to train to create a more stable shoulder Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player developmen...
Jan 17, 2025•28 min•Season 1Ep. 126
After speaking at last week’s ABCA, today I’m sitting down with Dr. Jimmy Onate, Director of Human Performance at the Ohio State University to discuss last week's convention… and a lot more!! Topics include: What is the ABCA experience What it offers that’s different from other conventions Jimmy’s role in the Performance Lab at OSU Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guessw...
Jan 10, 2025•33 min•Season 1Ep. 125
Today, we’re sitting down with S&C Coach Zach Kollar with the Toronto Blue Jays, who was also formerly the Director of S&C at RPP Baseball. Topics Include: How a great internship can prepare you for a job in pro ball The difference in coaching when going from the private sector to pro ball Juggling training volume and starts for pitchers Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball ta...
Jan 05, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 124
Happy New Year! This week we’ve got a special episode featuring the Top 5 downloaded podcasts of 2024. Topics will include: Training Rotation (Eugene Bleeker) Developing Global Movement Patterns (Dr. Ismael Gallo) What’s in a Great Travel Program (Bahram Shirazi) Assessing and Profiling Pitchers (Nunzio Signore) Life in the Transfer Portal (Ryan Butler) Once again, have a safe and Happy New Year! Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced c...
Dec 27, 2024•32 min•Season 1Ep. 123
Today we’re sitting down with Sam French, Freshman Pitcher / Corner Infielder at Red Bank Catholic High School (NJ), and his father Alex French. Sam (Class 2028) is ranked #92 Nationally by Perfect Game as a RHP, and Top 20 Overall in New Jersey. We’ll be discussing Sam’s recent gains in lean muscle mass, how he got there, and the subsequent gains it has brought him. Topics include: Making nutrition a priority Calculating caloric intake Scheduling meal / snack times Calculating calories to daily...
Dec 15, 2024•30 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Today we’re sitting down with EMD Recruiting’s Andy Kiriakedes. Being both a former player and a coach, Andy brings a wealth of knowledge to the table. Topics Include: Showcases, when and why Downsizing the 40-man college roster, what it means to young athletes New topics that are potentially impacting the recruiting process Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out...
Dec 06, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 121
Today we’re sitting down with Zach Dechant Strength and Conditioning and Performance Coach at Texas Christian University (TCU). Today’s topic is going through the off-season “to-do” list. Topics Include: Some main bullet points to achieve in a great off-season protocol Testing and assessing on Day 1 Periodization Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player d...
Nov 22, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 120
Today, I’ll be discussing testing and training the shoulder to help both optimize performance, as well as help reduce the risk of injury. Topics include: The importance of optimizing both movement AND stability Testing protocols Training and rehabbing the shoulder / elbow Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player development. Twitter https://twitter.com/RP...
Nov 15, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 119
Today, I’ll cover a number of methods and information on training linear and change-of-direction speed. Topics Include: Efficient Running Mechanics An Efficient Warm-up Some Big Coaching Mistakes Importance of Strength Training Ready to take your game to the next level? With our holistic and data-driven approach, experienced coaches, and cutting-edge technology, RPP Baseball takes the guesswork out of player development. Twitter https://twitter.com/RPP_Baseball/ Instagram https://www.instagram.c...
Nov 03, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 118
