The Wake Forest Pitching Lab is the biomechanics evaluation destination for pitchers at every level of the game. The state-of-the-art facility, cutting edge technology and expert staff enable them to perform a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of a pitcher’s mechanics and develop customized training programs aimed at reducing the risk of injury and enhancing performance.
The Wake Forest Pitching Lab vision is to transform the future of baseball by combining baseball, science and medicine to revolutionize the way pitching mechanics are analyzed and taught.
Thousands of young athletes seek medical treatment every year for elbow and shoulder injuries, with many occurring among baseball pitchers, according to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. The Wake Forest Pitching Lab is one of the first of its kind in the United States and integrates the Wake Forest athletic department with the sports medicine experts at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
Join Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society's Administrative Director, Matt Krause, who spent 17 years as the Director of Strength & Conditioning for both the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. In addition, Dr. Ted Lambrinides will be the moderator for this symposium.
Coach Matt Krause NYY
Matt Krause Cincy Reds
Symposium moderator: Ted Lambrinides
Ted Lambrinides (right) at 2010 Rose Bowl with Coach Earle Bruce
Just across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati, is the city of Newport, Kentucky. It's been known for a lot of interesting things over its two hundred year history. But nowadays, it has a contemporary feel along with a historical feel. as well. The popular spot is 'Newport on the Levee'...shops, ice cream, restaurants, a theater. They also have a huge notable aquarium.... the Newport Aquarium. And it's all a mile or two from Paul Brown Stadium, where on a good day, Cincinnati Bengals' quarterback, Joe Burrow, might be able to launch one to Newport.
Head a little bit south of the river on I-471 get over to Carothers Road and turn just a bit past the Skyline Chili restaurant, and head up a long, winding road to the top of the hill and you'll be at Newport Central Catholic High School, the Home of the Thoroughbreds! That's where today's high school feature takes place with the Director of Strength and Conditioning and Physical Education instructor, Vinny Gilardi.
Coach Gilardi has been a part of the Newport Central Catholic community for about a year and a half, as he's putting to good use his Bachelor's Degree and undergraduate studies in Exercise Science to develop strength and conditioning programs for the Thoroughbreds. Prior to NCC, he interned at the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and served as a sports performance coach at an Athletic Strength & Power training center in Cincinnati.
Coach Gilardi: "At NCC our orientation to strength training starts with a facility tour, in this way, the athletes know where everything is located, then introduction to classmates/coaches. Step three and four of the orientation is to review the Newport Central Catholic Strength and Conditioning program. Then, we set our individualized strength goals. The last step of our orientation process is assigning a mentor. This is an awesome way to get the upper and lower classmates to work together.
Coach Gilardi: on steps to take in introducing a new exercise to the novice athlete: "The steps we take are always safety first. When training novice athletes we don't add any type of extreme load until the previous training sessions are done properly. We always review the acute variables, and want an exercise backed by science "
Coach Gilardi on the key factor in a young athlete’s continuation with a strength and conditioning program: "In my opinion, I believe keeping data of the strength gains of each athlete. When a young athlete sees their progress of getting stronger they will more likely continue with the Strength and Conditioning Program. People love seeing results!
Coach Gilardi on orientating parents, administrators and other coaches about strength and conditioning for athletics: "Communication on social media is very helpful when it comes to reaching out to parents and coaches. We should always promote our program with highlights on social media networks. This keeps the NCC community involved with the strength program"
Coach Gilardi on a solid method for determining poundages for your young athletes: "Picking the right amount of weight for a young athlete involves trial and error. Our main focus is to add enough load while maintaining proper form. Safety is key and I always say, "we're stronger than we think."
Coach Gilardi on testing for maximum effort with his high school athletes: "Our program at NCC is really concerned about the safety of our student athletes and we don’t test for maximum effort until 16 weeks into the program. This gives the athletes enough time to figure out how to train safely and properly.
Coach Gilardi: on some of the motivation techniques that he uses to encourage your athletes to strength training: "We like before & after pictures that way the athletes can see the progress from a different perspective. We all love seeing more weight on the bar, but seeing an actual picture of you getting bigger really motivates you to work harder.
Coach Gilardi: on implementing plyometric exercises into the NCC strength and conditioning program: We do some type of plyometric exercise everyday. It might be in our dynamic warm-up or weight training. I think athletes should work in all of the different planes and plyometrics are very useful for keeping an athlete healthy.
Coach Gilardi on how he includes a nutritional education aspect to the overall program at Newport Central Catholic: " I’m lucky enough to be the Physical Education teacher and Director of Strength and Conditioning at NCC so I get plenty of time to go over the importance of nutrition in the weight room and classroom
Coach Gilardi had some of his baseball players in training on the day of my visit. They got a good dose of a total body workout that featured some squat work for the lower portion along with several super sets on the upper body movements.
Topic: 2022 STRENGTH COACHES, CHIROPRACTORS AND DIETITIANS – “THE CONTINUUM OF CARE”
Join us June 4th for an awesome webinar as we collaborate with the Pro Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society @pbsccs. You will hear from a great lineup of speakers that include dieticians/nutrition, sports performance, strength training, chiropractic and more! . REGISTRATION: click here
*** ALL TIMES ARE in EASTERN TIME ZONE *** INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS: 1.0 Sports Nutrition + 1.5 hours Chiropractic Care + 30min Strength Training + 30min Q&A = 3.5 Hours (NSCA CEUs)
9:30am Open Zoom Webinar 9:40am – Play Sponsor Videos 1-10 9:50am – Krause (PBSCCS INTRO) 9:55am – McDaniel (PBSCCS Presidents Update) 10:05am Bishop (PBCS Executive Director Update)
10:15am– BLOCK 1: Building a Player Program from Spring Training Assessments -Goldy Simmons- White Sox (10:15-10:40) – Designing a program for athletes from spring training assessments
10:40am to 10:55am – Q&A with S&C (HOST Velasquez) 10:55am to 11:00am – Break (Sponsor Videos 1-5) _____________________________________________________________________ 11:00am – BLOCK 2: Sports Nutrition and Chiropractic Care -Erika Wincheski – Kansas City Royals (11:00-11:25pm) – "Managing Weight In-season" -Dr. Ken (11:25-11:50) – The Continuum of Care - "Collaborating Treatment & Performance" 11:50pm to 12:05pm – Panel Q&A (HOST Velasquez) 12:05pm to 12:10pm – Break (Sponsor Videos 5-10) _______________________________________________________________________ 12:10pm – BLOCK 3: Nutrition for Immune Health in Sports - Stephanie Wilson – SOS Nutrition / (12:10-12:35) – Implementing ISAK protocols in MLB Strength Prog. - Dr. Brett Winchester – St. Louis (12:35 -1:00) – multi-Disciplinary approach to Athlete Care: Strength & Conditioning Coach and Team Chiropractor “Functional Triage, The Lost Art of Prioritization” 1:00pm to 1:15pm – Panel Q&A (HOST Velasquez) _______________________________________________________________________ 1:15pm – BLOCK 3: Recovery techniques and CBD - Dr. Brian Call (1:15-1:40) – “Biohacking your Recovery and Performance Through Hormetic Stress” 1:40pm – 1:55pm - Q&A with S&C (HOST Velasquez) 1:55pm – Eric McMahon – NSCA Update _______________________________________________________________________ Closing Remarks (2pm) 2:00 to 2:10 – END (Sponsor Videos 1-10) 2:10pm – Event Hard Stop
Physical screens are extremely powerful in the betterment of an individual’s physical limitations, but how can you quantify fundamental movement patterns while conducting these assessments?
Join us for an in-depth discussion with Phil Stotter, V1 Sports Director of Sports Science and Biomechanics Expert and special guest Matt Krause, Administrative Director of the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS) and former Director of Strength and Conditioning, six seasons with the New York Yankees on our next webinar tomorrow, March 18th, 2pm ET.
You'll learn:
How to conduct various TPI and OnBaseU screenings and understand the effectiveness of using ground force pressure not just for athletes, but for everyone.
How you can leverage ground force data and video to improve the strength and performance of athletes, treat injuries, and prevent the next ones.
Tips on gamification to make assessments and improvement plans actionable and engaging for any individual.
Register to Reserve Your Seat Can’t attend live? Register anyway and we'll send you the recording.
Robert Rolf M.D. is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and a graduate of La Salle High School. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he received a BS in Chemical Engineering. This served as the foundation for furthering his studies into medicine and eventually, a specialty in the shoulder following his advanced research conducted at The Boston Shoulder Institute at Harvard under the guidance and fellowships with world reknowned shoulder surgeons. Nowadays, Dr.Rolf is the Co-Director of the Beacon Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine sports medicine fellowship program. He's also a guest for our ASAP Podcast on the shoulder joint and rotator cuff.
The shoulder joint is definitely one of the more intricate joints of the human body. It's an amazing structure, to say the least. And, it's capable of some extraordinary athletic performance. USA gymnast, Simone Biles is not going to have extreme success performing a Yurchenko double pike without a the shoulder joint working to perfection. Quarterback Aaron Rogers would not be able to launch a football 70 yards with pinpoint accuracy with a seriously injured shoulder. Dr. Rolf, a distinctly skilled surgeon was able to share some of his time and expertise with ASAP~Athletic Stength And Power Podcasts in a discussion about the shoulder, and more specifically the rotator cuff, while making the intricasies of a very complicated joint quite easy to understand.
What is the rotator cuff? The rotator cuff is a term used for a complicated area of the shoulder joint, comprised of tendons and relatively small musculature. The rotator cuff allows us to extend our arms up over our heads, rotate our shoulders, and throw a ball or object. The main muscles that make up the rotator cuff are:
the Supraspinatus
the Infraspinatus
the Teres Major
the Subscapularis
Other important muscles in this region that need to be considered are the latissimus dorsi, the deltoids, the pectoralis muscles and the biceps and triceps. All of the aforementioned muscles play a key role in the function of the shoulder.
The shoulder, the rotator cuff and the muscles of the back are all interrelated with the large shoulder bone blades, or scapula, as well as the clavicle, humerus and acromion process. Interestingly, as Dr. Rolf discusses in our ASAP Podcast, there are seventeen muscles that attach to the scapula. Seventeen muscles! In addition, he explained that those smallish rotator cuff muscles are "two to four pound muscles", meaning that two to four pound dumbells along with the exercise bands at The Bill Jacobs Power Company, are all that's required to stimulate growth or repair to the area. The heavier weights used in bench pressing, vertical presses, cleans and rows are not effective in targeting the rotator cuff.
Athletes, especially those who are required to do a lot of throwing need to pay special attention to this area of the body. Career ending injuries or painful, nagging type injuries have been the demise of many athletes...both professional and amateur. Things can go wrong in this area....including, the aging process- where the shoulder slowly degrades over time, overuse injuries that lead to tendonitis, tears, impingement and sprains. Other injuries are due to muscle imbalances and also hard or heavy impact to the region.
A specialized program needs to be used to prevent injuries to the rotator cuff. This includes proper strengthening exercise and a regular flexibility program.
STRENGTH TRAINING for the Rotator Cuff The following exercises should be included in a comprehensive program for the rotator cuff.
Side lateral raises
Side deltoid flys with a cable machine
Front Deltoid Raises with a dumbell
Rear deltoid flys (machine or dumbells)
Dumbell Shoulder press on a inclined bench
Lying "L" Flys
Standing "L" Flys
Lying Flys (arms straight out)
Normal Grip Bench Press (avoid the wide grip technique!)
FLEXIBILITY PROGRAM
Straight Armed Pectoralis Stretch
Overhead Pole Stretch
External Rotation Stretch
Partner Deltoid Stretch
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Longtime ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power associate and baseball strength and conditioning advisor Matt Krause is now the chief administrating director of the Professional Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS). You've seen Matt in our baseball strength segments known as "POWER HIT with Cincinnati Reds Strength Coach Matt Krause." and he is always willing to share his information on training the baseball athlete. Imagine keeping a baseball roster prepped, strong, and conditioned for over 162 games per year! That's what Matt did with two of Major League Baseball's most storied franchises, both the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees. He's the best in the business and ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power is fortunate to have him as a resource!
Krause, the NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) 2018 Strength Coach of the Year. played an instrumental role with the development of a training program for former MLB ironman Bronson Arroyo. The starting pitcher followed an extensive training plan in Cincinnati with then Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Krause, where the two devised a meticulous program that accounted for strength training and conditioning, elbow and rotator cuff specialization, recovery and sports nutrition. He appeared in 419 games with 383 Major League starts. In fact, Arroyo never missed a start in eight years with the Cincinnati Reds!
Give your athletes that competitive edge with the 2020 Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society’s (PBSCCS) Virtual Clinic powered by the NSCA. Identify strength training, conditioning and wellness best practices for the baseball player. Learn from current and former Major League strength and conditioning coaches about how best to strength train the baseball player from youth/novice to adult/professional level players. Up to date, evidence-based methods and practices to help reduce the risk for injury and enhance performance for the baseball player. DO NOT miss out on this one of a kind opportunity to learn from the Pros that take care of the Pros. Hosted by: Matt Krause, MA, ATC, CSCS,*D, RSCC*E [email protected] Frank Velasquez, ATC, CSCS [email protected] Eric McMahon, MEd, CSCS, RSCC*D [email protected]
ASAP Podcaster Ed Cicale caught up with former MLB star pitcher Bronson Arroyo. The 6'5 finesse thrower spent the bulk of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. However, prior to that time the strength training enthusiast spent time with the Boston Red Sox where he had the opportunity to pitch in a World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. During an eight year stint with Cincinnati, Arroyo never missed a start in manager Dusty Baker's pitching rotations. He followed an extensive training plan in Cincinnati with then @REDS Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Krause, where the two devised a meticulous program that accounted for strength training and conditioning, elbow and rotator cuff specialization, recovery and sports nutrition. He appeared in 419 games with 383 Major League starts!
Former Reds and Yankees Strength & Conditioning Coach Matt Krause and star pitcher Bronson Arroyo explained this shoulder strengthening routine to me and it's been a great addition to many athletes' programs. It's a great way to get your shoulders, especially the rotator cuff region, prepared for some serious strength training....... or some throwing! Krause, who isn't a native of Cincinnati, has certainly developed an affinity for one of the Queen City's favorites. And that is Skyline Chili. That's where the locals get their chili in the form of a "3-way," "4-way" and the ultimate "5-way." So, Matt aptly named this regular shoulder strengthening routine used in the workouts by the Cincinnati Reds players the:
"5-Way Shoulder Routine" .... it's Skyline Time! Matt Krause is presently the President of the Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society~ PBSCCS He is also is the owner and director of OnMilk™
Copyright 2020 Athletic Strength And Power blogpost by Ed Cicale
ASAP went to the top for this ASAP Baseball Strength Training Podcast! We ventured down to The Swamp for this one. Longtime University of Florida Gator strength and conditioning Coach Paul Chandler took a few minutes and shared some valuable information on strength and conditioning for baseball with ASAP~Athletic Strength And Power. Coach Chandler's office and Florida Gator's training center is located at the University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Find out how Coach Chandler runs his Gator Baseball and Softball training programs in this ASAP Podcast brought to you by: TEAMBUILDR
Paul Chandler is in his 10th season as the Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the baseball program and in his eighth season working with the Gator softball program at the University of Florida. His responsibilities include designing and implementing year-round strength, speed and conditioning workouts for the Gators in the Griffin/Oakley Strength and Conditioning Center. Chandler guides each student-athlete through an individual training program designed to enhance strength, as well as explosive power, speed, agility, endurance, coordination, balance, flexibility and mental toughness.
Florida Gators Baseball Accolades
2017 National Champions
Seven College World Series Appearances (2010-11-12-15-16-17-18)
Five SEC Championships (2010-11-14-17-18)
14 MLB Big League Players (WVU and UF since 2010)
74 Total MLB Draft picks 24 All-America Selections
This segment has been contributed by Washington State Cougars Strength & Conditioning Specialist Adam Thackery
In August of 2016, I was hired as the strength and conditioning coach for baseball at Washington State University. The baseball team was going through a major rebuilding phase under second-year head coach Marty Lees. The fall ball roster consisted of 23 newcomers and only 18 returners. With this many newcomers to the team, it only made setting my expectations for the team that much easier. I am fortunate enough to have a coaching staff that is 100% on board with what I want to accomplish in the weight room. During the fall semester, I was able to get 13 weeks of mandatory training, and an additional two voluntary weeks at the end.
Learning to Train
The first eight weeks consisted of fall ball practices, individual sessions, and lifting. We were in the weight room every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30 am; while all practices and individuals were scheduled in the afternoon. The first two weeks were spent re-grooving our squat and hinging patterns, teaching main kettlebell movements, as well as teaching major pulling and pressing movements. We would finish all of our workouts with a high-intensity finisher to build our work capacity.
Establishing a base for what we will train on until next June is key during this time. The foundation for all of our major movements must be taught and taught again. We will squat (front and back) and pull from the floor (deadlift or Olympic style pull) year round, so establishing these movement patterns from the beginning will eliminate any headaches later in the year. By the end of these eight weeks, the guys are starting to move well and we are ready to increase volume and intensity for the rest of the semester.
Training
With fall practices over, our volume and intensity in the weight room increased dramatically. We will still lift three days a week, but now we are also running on Tuesday and Thursday. Both running days will consist of high intensity, low volume sprint and plyometric work.
Competition Friday
Fridays are our biggest lifts, so setting the mood the minute they walk into the weight room is EVERYTHING!!! The whole team will be at least 30 minutes early to the lift for foam rolling, stretching, or getting something from the nutrition station. The music will already be cranked up as the guys are getting ready to attack the lift. We will start the lift off with either a 1v1 or 2v2 competition, pairing the position players against the pitchers. There is a new competition every week, and the athletes won’t know who will have the opportunity to go. We will do a variety of competitions that favor different strengths. The competition could be anything from:
Climbing rack to rack from a rope:
A straight-arm plate hold:
Or a partner progressive load barbell hold:
The stakes are high during these competitions, as the entire losing group must complete a predetermined amount of burpees before beginning their lift. After each lift, we will pair the entire pitching staff against the position players. These competitions will vary in length and intensity based on the week.
They can be as simple as: A med ball plank relay:
Or a Sally-Up, Sally-Down push-up challenge: (insert video)
Finishing every week on a high note is crucial for a culture-changing program. It creates a sense of accomplishment, competitiveness, and pride. And most of all, it creates excitement for the next week of training.
Cougar Challenge
Week 12 is four days entirely dedicated to competitions. Our roster was drafted into four teams of pitchers and position players combined. Monday morning consisted of a set distance for each team to complete on the Versa Climber, followed by a short relay, and then finished off with the entire team banded together racing through a predetermined route around campus carrying the Cougar Flag. Tuesday morning, each team reported to our Sports Nutrition Department for a surprise hydration test. Each team was either awarded or subtracted points depending on their level of hydration. After hydration testing was done, we headed to the pool for a mix of team and individual relays and challenges. With the weather in Pullman being hit-or-miss, we waited to do Wednesday’s challenges in the afternoon on the baseball field. We had six different competitions for each team to compete head-to-head against. The competitions included: sled push relay, tug-o-war, med ball relay, farmers carry relay, med ball scoop throw, and sled drag relays. Each event included a surprise twist that would require the entire team to work together before or during the event. The final challenge was held on Thursday afternoon. Each team reported to the weight room and we banded them together again for a campus-wide scavenger hunt relay. Before each team could begin, they had to complete a 10 question quiz about the history of PAC-12 Baseball (each incorrect answer resulted in a 30 second penalty). I had eight interns around campus and Pullman with a riddle for each team to solve before they could move on to the next checkpoint. At the final checkpoint, each team had to carry a sandbag, 100lb dumbbell, 32kg kettlebell, and a 25kg bumper plate back to the baseball field for the finish line. We finished the week off with bear crawl harness battle with the finish line being a College World Series home plate. The intensity was through the roof; it was a great way to finish off the week and head into Thanksgiving break.
Special thanks to Washington State University Strength & Conditioning Specialist Adam Thackery for contributing this article. Follow him on Twitter @AdamThackery
2022 PBSCCS BASEBALL STRENGTH COACHES & SPORTS SCIENCE – LEARNING TO HIT AND THROW