I hope you're having a great holiday week. I'm long overdue with a list of recommended reading, so I've luckily got some good stuff stockpiled.

Keeping the Fun in Children's Sports - This was a great piece in the New York Times that summarizes some new findings from an American Academy of Pediatrics report on organized sports.

Why We Sleep - Brandon Marcello recommended this book when he came on the podcast (listen to his interview here), and it hasn't disappointed. I'd highly recommend it.

The Language of Coaching - Nick Winkelman put up his slides from this year's Perform Better presentations, and he's got some great information on optimizing coaching cues.

Top Tweet of the Week

Crazy. The next time you blurt out that a player “sucks” because he made an error, struck out, or gave up a HR, remember that he’s likely the best athlete in the history of his hometown. And, there are a lot of other really good athletes who'd love to “suck” as much as he does. https://t.co/HOdKGhQjCl

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) June 20, 2019

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

 

 

 

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*Exhale fully to get more out of your anti-extension core exercises and shoulder flexion mobility drills.* 👇 One of the central points of the @posturalrestoration philosophy is that folks who live in a gross extension pattern (forward head posture, excessive lordosis, anterior pelvic tilt, plantarflexed ankles, etc.) live in a constant state of inhalation. In other words, they have absolutely no idea how to get air out. When you exhale, your ribs should come down, so the best time to challenge this function is when the arms are flexed overhead, as folks with an anterior-weight-bearing tendency often "flare" the ribs up during this overhead reach. It's challenging enough for folks with these heavily ingrained habits to get their arms overhead in a neutral spine position, but ask them to exhale in this position and you'll make folks feel inadequate really fast. Here's a good progression you can use, from mobility drills to stability ones. Exhale fully at the position in each drill when the arms are overhead (lats are on the biggest stretch): Bench T-Spine Mobs -> Dead Bugs -> Back to Wall Shoulder Flexion -> Tall Kneeling TRX Fallouts . . . #cspfamily #mobility

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Jun 10, 2019 at 5:35pm PDT

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We're excited to welcome sports scientist Dr. Brandon Marcello to the podcast for Episode #14 for an in-depth discussion on sleep. A special thanks goes out to this show's sponsor, VersaPulley. It's an awesome option for challenging deceleration in multiple planes of motion, and has been an excellent addition to our training at Cressey Sports Performance. They've got a great 10% off offer going for our podcast listeners at http://www.VersaPulley.com/Cressey10.

Show Outline

• What the four major components of recovery are, and how sleep influences these domains
• Why sleep is vital for human performance and what the negative implications are for ignoring its importance
• How individuals are actually born as early birds or night owls, and what strategies people should utilize to maximize their sleep regardless of their tendencies
• Why routine is king when establishing quality sleep habits
• What is sleep debt and why it is significant for people to avoid the accumulation of sleep debt over time
• How impactful are naps for overcoming the accumulation of sleep debt, and how to best incorporate them
• Why not all sleep supplements are everything they claim to be
• What easy adjustments athletes can implement to improve their sleep beyond the well-known strategies already commonly practiced
• How athletes can combat the negative implications of their current sleep situation
• Why coaches should encourage their athletes to value their sleep, and what strategies they can use to aid in their players accumulation of quality sleep

You can follow Brandon on Instagram at @bmarcello13 and Twitter at @bmarcello13.

Sponsor Reminder

This episode is brought to you by VersaPulley. The VersaPulley offers flywheel training and one benefit of training with a flywheel is inertia. The faster the flywheel is moving, the more the user must decelerate the inertia that is created - and we know training deceleration is a huge piece of preventing athletic injuries and enhancing performance. While there are a few flywheel training options on the market, the VersaPulley is the only one that that allows you to train at any point along the force/velocity curve, and in multiple planes of movement. If you want to train at any speed, any load, and any direction, the VersaPulley has got you covered. They've set up a great discount of 10% for our listeners; you can learn more at http://www.VersaPulley.com/Cressey10.

Podcast Feedback

If you like what you hear, we'd be thrilled if you'd consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving us an iTunes review. You can do so HERE.

And, we welcome your suggestions for future guests and questions. Just email elitebaseballpodcast@gmail.com.

Thank you for your continued support!

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It's a short week on the content front, as I posted last week's recommended reading a few days late. We are still making things happen, though!

Eccentric Overload with Flywheel Training and Rehabilitation - This is an awesome article from the power couple, Jennifer Reiner-Marcello and Brandon Marcello. We've been using the Versapulley more and more in our training, and this delves into some of the mechanisms that make it so great.

Brian St. Pierre on the Fundamentals of High-Performance Nutrition - Brian has been a friend, employee, and trusted resource for over a decade - and podcasts like this show why that's the case. He delivers some excellent content.

11 Ways to Make an Exercise Harder - Earlier this week, on social media, I shared this old article of mine from T-Nation. It's a collection of important programming progressions and regressions that anyone writing strength training programs should understand.

Top Tweet of the Week

"Corrective exercise" is a bit of a garbage term. Just about any exercise can be corrective if it happens after an assessment verifies that it can be coached and loaded appropriately - and in sufficient volume - to create an adaptation.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) December 16, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

Split-stance double clutch overhead #medicineball stomps are an awesome drill to work on firming up the front leg to accept force during pitching. This is yet another example of how med ball work can be an outstanding way to prepare for the stress of throwing without actually throwing. Thanks to @srshrek31 for the demo. #cspfamily #sportsmedicine #sportsperformance #medball #performbetter @perform_better #mlb

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Dec 13, 2017 at 11:31am PST

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Happy Monday! I've got some recommended strength and conditioning resources for you, but before I get to them, I want to quickly remind you that the early-bird registration deadline for my September 17 seminar near Washington, DC is this Thursday, August 17. This event will sell out, as I only have a few spots left, so if you're interested in attending, don't delay on registration. Here's the information page.

Baseball America Podcast Interview with Dr. James Andrews - This was an an excellent 18-minute conversation between Will Carroll from Motus and Dr. Andrews. They covered Dr. Andrews' latest observations on arm injuries in youth baseball players.

Do You Need a Navy Seal? - This article from Dr. Brandon Marcello is a few years old, but warrants reincarnation in light of recent developments with alternative, military-inspired training approaches in the general and athletic populations.

Sabotaging Your Sales Pitch: 4 Mistakes to Avoid - My business partner, Pete Dupuis, presents a little fitness business advice. In this post, he covers the lead conversion conversation - and how to not screw it up!

Top Tweet of the Week

Educated, motivated athletes crave structure - and input on that plan. Deny them that organization and active role, and you'll lose them.

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) August 11, 2017

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If you want to throw hard, you have to firm up on the lead leg...and at the right time and in the right direction. Cleats can definitely help athletes "get away" with a bit more in this regard, as they guarantee a larger base of support (foot stays on the ground) and generally have a lot more medial/lateral support than normal sneakers. It's one reason why many pitchers throw considerably harder outside than they do off indoor (turf) mounds. That said, if you're going to pitch off a turf mound, do yourself a favor and make sure that you've got a sneaker that isn't too flimsy - especially side to side. You shouldn't roll out of the shoe (which we see in the right video). Take note of the same pitcher on the left in the @newbalance #mx20v6, a minimalist sneaker that is lightweight but still provides adequate medial/lateral support. Exact same delivery, but markedly different outcomes. Full disclosure: I helped design this shoe - but the lessons are the same regardless of what you're wearing. Thanks for the demos, @joeryan34! #cspfamily #pitching #pitchingdrills #minimalistshoes

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Aug 9, 2017 at 6:03pm PDT

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It was an eventful weekend in the Cressey household, as we had our first trip to the emergency room with one of our daughters. Everything is fine, but it was another not-so-subtle reminder of how two-year-olds can change your plans on a moment's notice! Since I didn't do any writing myself this weekend, here's some good stuff from around the 'net:

Forget Career Hacks - Dr. John Berardi penned one of the more insightful articles on professional success that I've read in recent years. I love this equation because it demonstrates to folks that passion is necessary, but ineffective by itself:

Brandon Marcello on Life as a Performance Strategist and Consultant - This is some outstanding stuff from Brandon Marcello, one of the brightest guys in the field of performance enhancement. Mike Robertson interviews him for his podcast.

10 Important Notes on Assessments - I reincarnated this post from the archives yesterday, and though it warranted sharing here as well.

Top Tweet of the Week

What the scouting service writes (top) vs. what the college coaches are actually thinking (bottom). #baseballrecruiting #baseballshowcase pic.twitter.com/icArFeItH2

— Eric Cressey (@EricCressey) July 31, 2017

Top Instagram Post of the Week

 

"Hey Mom, if you thought that C-section was hard on your abs, you've got to try this!" #cresseytwins #hudsonma #abwheel #coretraining #ladieswholift #mommastrong @annacressey

A post shared by Eric Cressey (@ericcressey) on Aug 6, 2017 at 12:33pm PDT

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