Strength in Numbers #242 Spring Training always brings a flood of new data.  And I’ve been deep in it lately, looking at 3D motion capture, force plates, high-speed video, endless breakdowns of arm paths, and shoulder rotation. One theme keeps showing up in conversations with coaches...we’re obsessing over the arm and missing what happens at the ground. One of the…

Strength in Numbers #241 Right now, I’m working with a college pitcher and his coach, and our biggest challenge is consistent testing after games. Time is short, players are mentally drained, and everyone just moves on. That means we miss an important data point about efficiency. We throw the word efficient around constantly, but what…

Strength in Numbers #240 Velocity is the hot topic right now. Everyone wants more of it, but few are asking what it costs. The real goal isn’t to hit a new peak once. It’s to gain velocity, sustain it, and stay healthy enough to use it. That’s where many velocity programs miss the mark. As…

Strength in Numbers #239 The real question isn’t whether an athlete can throw harder—it’s whether they can tolerate the added force safely. Our data-led approach to velocity enhancement is built around two priorities: Improving the strength–velocity ratio Rebalancing the throwing shoulder before adding acceleration The athlete data shown below is just clearing the minimums: 70…

Strength in Numbers #238 What separates the best from the rest isn’t just knowing the science or logging years of reps—it’s the ability to bridge both. That’s called evidence-based practice. At its core, evidence-based practice means making decisions that blend the best available research with real-world experience, rather than relying on “how it’s always been…

Strength in Numbers #236 Across multiple studies, a consistent pattern keeps showing up. The muscles that protect the elbow fatigue before velocity drops - The small forearm and finger flexor muscles that help stabilize the elbow get tired early in games—even when the pitcher still looks fine and velocity hasn’t changed. As pitchers throw more,…

Strength in Numbers #235 The force–velocity curve describes a fundamental property of muscle contraction: as contraction speed increases, the maximum force a muscle can produce decreases. At slow speeds (or during isometric efforts), muscle fibers have more time to form cross-bridges, resulting in higher force output. At very fast speeds, fewer cross-bridges can attach, so…

Strength in Numbers #234 Grip strength has long been used in baseball as a quick screening tool for fatigue and injury risk. It’s easy to measure, inexpensive, and has proven to decline during games and across a season. But multiple studies have exposed a critical limitation: Why grip strength falls short It measures the wrong…

Strength in Numbers #233 Velocity has long been considered a necessary risk of high-level performance. A recent landmark study of over 1,300 pitchers across eight seasons found that higher fastball velocity is associated with an increased risk of UCL reconstruction. But there’s an equally important—and often overlooked—point. Velocity explains only a portion of injury risk.…