Baseball Speed

Hello Everyone!

As mentioned in my recent post, baseball and softball are pure power sports. Whoever can generate the most power in the quickest time will be at an advantage. Power can also be thought of as how fast can you move your strength.

When we think of power and running, two main focuses are ACCELERATION and MAXIMUM VELOCITY. Acceleration is your starting speed, either from a dead stop or a minimal movement, to the point where you reach your top end speed. Your top speed is your maximum velocity.

In this great video (click this link) we see Jarrod Dyson use his power to accelerate from his lead off spot, a little less than 10 yards in, to second base in 2.19 seconds (that's over 20 yards covered!). Then as he approaches third we see the red dot signify where he hits his maximum velocity of 21.1 mph, and that's off an angle from rounding second base!

Click HERE to watch video

On the next play we see him tag from third and on a straight ahead sprint accelerate for about 10 yards at a clip of 1.34 seconds to his maximum velocity (the next red dot) of 21mph about another 10 yards in. To get to 21 mph in about 20 yards takes a large amount of power. Dyson moves his strength very fast.

At AGSP we build strength in the weight room, but we also learn how to apply that strength into powerful running by teaching proper acceleration and maximum velocity mechanics. You can't just lift weights and assume you'll become more powerful and faster. You have to learn how to move that strength fast.

Keep Training! 
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance

Baseball Agility

Hello Everyone!

AGSP has seen the return of many of it's baseball and softball athletes over the past few days. So I thought now would be a good time to share two baseball agility videos that were sent to me from an AGSP athlete.

Baseball and Softball are about as powerful, fast-twitch-muscle-fibered sports as you can get. The best players are the ones that can generate a tremendous amount of power in a split second.  Swings, pitches, and throws are all about quick power.

A skill set that isn't as well appreciated in baseball and softball athletes are their agility skills. Agility is an athlete's ability to change his/her body's position and direction quickly and efficiently. Here are two great examples of agility on the diamond.


And yet again...


Everyday at AGSP we work on both power and agility improvement. Which is a big reason why so many of our athletes are returning for another off-season of training!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance

Athletes in Action: Connor Vomero

Hello Everyone!

Recently I had a chance to watch one of our football athletes compete. Connor Vomero of Highland is number 27 and he did some private training with me this summer to fine tune his athletic performance.

It's always great to see the skills we work on at AGSP in action. Here are some examples:

Acceleration off the line. Connor does a nice job of driving back, keeping his shoulders pointed forward, and extending through the hip. These were key points we focused on in his training.
 

Acceleration

Keeping his weight forward and chest facing down. Are crucial for successfully chasing down his opponent once free from his defender. This summer, we did some video analysis to help him improve this part of his run.

Weight forward and chest down.

It's always a compliment when you are double or tripled teamed. Connor's hard-work in the weight room, along with proper athletic mechanics, makes it tough for just one person to stop him.

Triple-teamed and still moving.

He was very consistent with his proper start stance: chin in front of knees, flat back, and chest facing down.

Start stance.

Great triple extension on this almost sack of the QB. We worked on this with Cleans in the weight room. 

Triple extension means hips, knees, and ankles extend.

I'm a big believer in training athletes in movements that they actually do in a game and Connor demonstrates them well!

Keep Training!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance 

Optional means Opportunity

Hello Everyone!

For serious athletes, the word optional should mean opportunity. If you're an athlete that truly loves your sport, every time you hear the word optional, your mind should automatically think opportunity.

I enjoy following Alan Stein, Drew Hanlen and The D1 Experience on Twitter. Over the summer they shared that at one of their camps they had 14 out of 65 athletes show up for an optional 7:00 am workout. I was shocked! These athletes were staying at the camp and they had no reason not to be there except they chose not to! They will never get that optional workout back, they missed it. And for what, an extra hour of sleep? These athletes were attending a camp called The D1 Experience so you assume they want to play collegiality.

Serious athletes don't miss optional sessions, serious athletes know that optional actually means opportunity. That's why I love the name of the 7:00 am optional workout, The Separator. Your actions (or lack there of) speak so loudly I can't hear what you're saying.

Athletes at AGSP know that every workout counts!

Keep training (regardless of whether it's optional or not)!
Coach Amanda Kephart and Akron General Sports Performance

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ

HOW DO I SIGN UP?
After you've decided to train with us, call our scheduling line at 330-945-3150 (Stow) or 330-896-9829 (Green) and you can schedule your next sessions. You can also schedule as many upcoming sessions as your package allows for simplicity. (See more about scheduling below)

WHEN CAN I START?
You can start and stop at anytime. If your first day is the 5th of January and you're doing a monthly package, your package would end on February 5. When returning to your sport, please let our receptionists know when you are stopping training.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FULL PROGRAM AND THE SPEED ONLY PROGRAM?
The full program means the full 90 minutes, including the weight room. The speed only is the first 30-45 minutes of our sessions and does not include the weight room. The start times are the same for each program.

WHEN ARE THE TRAINING SESSIONS?
STOW after school hours are:
Monday through Friday we have 3:30pm and 5:30pm start times. And when needed, we open an overflow 4:30pm to keep up with demand.
Saturday mornings we have 9:00am, and when needed, we open up an overflow at 10:30am.
STOW summer hours are:
Monday through Friday we have 10:00am and 5:30pm start times. And when needed, we open an overflow 11:00am and sometimes a 1:00pm.
Saturday mornings we have 9:00am, and when needed, we open up an overflow at 10:30am.

GREEN after school hours are:
Monday through Friday we have a 5:30pm start time. And when needed, we open an overflow 4:00pm to keep up with demand.
Saturday mornings we have 10:00am start time.
GREEN summer hours are:
Monday through Friday we have 1:00pm and 5:30pm start times.
Saturday mornings we have 10:00am start time.

HOW DOES SCHEDULING WORK? CAN I CHANGE MY SCHEDULE?

At AGSP we have wonderful, REAL, receptionists that can help you maximize your training via scheduling. They are available Monday through Thursday from 7:00am to 7:00pm and Friday 7:00am to 2:00pm. You can always leave a message after hours and they'll get back to you when they return. You can change your schedule as often as needed, but you have to arrive for the sessions you've scheduled. We limit our class sizes to maintain high levels of coaching and showing up at the correct time is crucial. We understand that life happens, just call us and let us know if you need to change your schedule (even the day of if needed!).

WHAT DOES "WAIT LIST" MEAN?

This only effects athletes that are doing the full program. When all weight room spots are filled we go to our "wait list" scheduling. This means if you are "wait-listed" and someone cancels from the weight room, our receptionists will call you to let you know you've been added into the weight room. Regardless, you can always do the speed portion of the session.