Athletes do tend to increase their velocity when training with us, but it's a byproduct of moving more efficiently and gaining strength/explosiveness. We do not take short cuts to try to have athletes make velocity gains. We have a structured plan for each athlete that is appropriate for the time of year, their physical readiness, physical maturity and their goals. We will work on mechanics, command and movement of all pitches before worrying about velocity.
When an athlete throws their screening bullpen with us, they will receive a grade on their command, movement and velocity. Command and movement will be addressed first, along with any delivery adjustments that need to be made. We will train command in these ways:
1) Placing an emphasis on always having a target when throwing a baseball
2) Creating a more challenging physical environment that challenges their ability to throw a ball accurately.
3) Using balls of different sizes/weights to allow the athlete to create more awareness of ball release.
We DO NOT train command by telling kids to "throw strikes," and you shouldn't either!
Each athlete will receive programming based around their delivery needs. We do not have every kid in the facility doing the same exact drills as one another, nor do we coach every kid the same way. We individualize each athletes training experience by allowing them to play a major role in the delivery adjustment process, not just sitting back and telling them what we believe to be good mechanics.
Yes, but we do not use them with majority our athletes. We have protocols in place to help determine whether using them is right fit for the athlete. Some of these factors include:
1) Physical maturity.
2) Time of year the athlete starts training with us (in-season vs. off-season).
3) Injury history.
4) Athletes personal beliefs towards weighted balls.
The simple answer is a lack of space. We have maximized every inch of the facility to serve a purpose for the athletes in the building. The more detailed answer is that we want to dedicate the entirety of our time in the facility to coaching the athletes. We initially allowed parents in the facility, but a lot of our time was spent talking to parents instead of being able to coach. We love that parents want to be involved with their kid, but we have seen a drastic difference in the quality of work they put in without having to look over their shoulder at a parent.
Small group allows:
1) Cheaper price for the sessions ($100 for a 60min private lesson vs. $100 for 4 hours of training with us).
2) Allows athletes to learn how to interact in a group setting, just like being on a team.
3) Creates teachable moments about how to ask "authority figures" questions.
4) Promotes the athlete to be proactive in their own development.
5) Prepares the athletes for baseball at higher levels (high school, college)
6) Each athlete still receives 1 on 1 attention with a 3:1 or 4:1 Player to coach ratio.
High School and Middle School athletes can train 1, 2 or 3 times per week. College and Professional athletes can train up to 6 times per week.
The fee helps cover the following items:
1) The time it takes us to screen the athlete
2) The time it takes us to go over all screening data
3) The time it takes us to create a customized program designed around their flaws
4) The time we spend doing a performance review with each athlete (we go over their program and video and record it for parents to watch)
5) Each athlete's Trackman Baseball account
6) A user profile on our PPL app (where all of their programs will be found)
7) Allowing multiple staff members working on each step of the screening and first phases of getting the athlete started
(859) 587-6859
949 National Avenue, Suite 118
Lexington, KY 40502