velocity

I wanted to start a series of articles that depict my experience with the recruiting process (primarily the collegiate recruiting process). I have talked with many parents and young athletes who are unfamiliar with how the system works. I sure did not know how the process worked until after the fact.  Therefore, I want to use my experience and my...

Bowlvalanche… That’s what I call it. It’s a term I coined a long time ago. Any time 3 or more of anything falls, I call it a “that thing” valanche. This is an Avalanche… This is a Ballvalanche… A Toothpickvalanche And this thing… This accident waiting to happen… If you attempt to add to or take away from this chaotic...

“Just throw strikes. Don’t worry about velocity. Just get lots of out… Win lots of games… And the college recruiters will see you’re a winner and they’ll want you to be a part of their program.” That’s what I told my son, Ty. I couldn’t have been more wrong... Continue reading →

Good Afternoon, My name is Randy Sullivan. I am a physical therapist and a baseball coach. They call me “The Arm Pain Assassin.” I am one of the best arm pain specialists on the planet and if you ask me why your arm hurts I will tell you… Continue reading →

Not a day goes by that I don’t get a flurry of questions about the “latest rage”… weighted baseballs (ironic that the “latest rage” began nearly 30 years ago). With process development and advocacy from a cadre of progressive thinking instructors and coaches, and support from several high level programs, a  a throwing modality once considered radical is rapidly becoming mainstream. Last winter the Tampa Bay Rays approached me for advice on implementing an off-season weighted ball velocity enhancement program. I was intrigued. Continue reading →

In 2010, Coach Ron Wolforth coined that phrase, and it changed the way I practice physical therapy and forever altered the way I train throwing athletes. It just made sense. You see, in the Ranch System, pain is neither good nor bad. It is simply information  -- a beacon that lights the way toward dysfunction. Continue reading →

Oates Specialties has a number of new products that I plan on featuring in the coming posts.  One of our newest additions is a line of products that will share the name “Khaos.”  Our line of Khaos products are uneven and/or unstable training products designed to challenge athletes during their workouts, often taking routine exercises and making them much more difficult.  And for those of you who know anything about Greek Mythology, Khaos (or Chaos) was the name of one of the Greek gods at the beginning of the universe.  Khaos was the lower atmosphere which surrounded the earth—comprised of invisible air and gloomy mist, which seems apt to name such a line of products. Continue reading →

Introduction  Throwing velocity is a performance measurement used for assessing baseball players, particularly in pitchers. Pitchers are constantly seeking out ways to increase their pitching velocity, as higher velocity is looked at as a measurement of success. Research has been conducted to look at the effects of weight training, medicine ball training, ballistic training, proper mechanics, and throwing under- and overweighted baseballs on throwing velocity. Continue reading →

Hi, Last week, a young man flew into Tampa to train with us for a few days. I’ll call him Cade. A barrel chested Lefty who, at 6’0” and 210 lbs, Cade clearly excelled in the weight room, He was having pain in the lateral upper arm and forearm. He said he had experienced the same symptoms during every high school outing this year.  Each day, when he started his throwing routine here, he could only manage about 10 throws before succumbing to throbbing/radiating pain and weakness in his left arm. Continue reading →

It seems like every time I drive somewhere I see some type of infrastructure enhancement going on, AKA...Road Construction. There always seems to be a road that is getting fixed, expanded, or a whole new road or highway being built. Most, if not all of these things, would be considered by most as progress. But, with progress there is always some inconveniences. Like, when road construction is taking place, often the traffic is actually worse than it was before the construction started. Usually, before the construction started, traffic moved ok, but not great. Then when the construction starts, the traffic moves much slower than before the actual project began. There are back ups and jams and the project always seems to take longer than planned. Usually because of an obstacle, that was not originally foreseen. Like a week straight of rain, or a busted water line, or a piece of equipment breaks down. But, once the project is completed, the road is better than before: the traffic flows much better, much faster, and more smoothly. Continue reading →