We use the 3D Strap a ton with our athletes, so I encouraged Cressey Sports Performance - MA coach Ethan Dyer to record a few of his favorite drills to share with a larger audience. Here they are (and I'll be chiming in with a second installment of this article myself very soon).
Also, if you haven't started using the 3D Strap with your athletes, I'd strongly encourage you to do so; they add a ton of options to your training bag of tricks. Definitely check them out at www.WhatsThatStrap.com and enter coupon code CRESSEY at checkout for free shipping on your order.
Enjoy! -EC
1. 3D Strap Lateral Sled Drag: One of the most notable benefits of the 3D Strap for baseball and softball athletes is that it doesn’t require any gripping. This means we can load up activities like reverse and lateral sled drags without having to worry about the neural and local fatigue associated with frying our grip and forearms, particularly in-season.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/rN3eWdUqnNs
2. 3D Strap Lateral Rotation: This is a piece of equipment that allows for significant tactile and sensory feedback while executing certain drills, like this lateral rotation. The helical, compressive forces and leading effect that the strap provides is unique and gives us plenty of ‘feel’ based options for our rotational athletes.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/zPc3c-3emb8
3. 3D Strap-Assisted Bowler Squat: The 3D Strap provides a ton of value for loaded single leg activities like this bowler squat. In addition to the previously mentioned ‘feel’ based input we get, we’re able to add significant loading to exercises where we might be looking for resisted or assisted range of motion.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hXWuLpEPCS0
4. Split-Stance 3D Strap-Resisted Row w/Alternate Arm Reach: Even in post-surgical contexts, we can drive rotation through the upper body without needing to do any gripping. This may be less significant loading than an actual cable row, but if we’re looking to restore / maintain range of motion at the ribcage post-surgery, this kind of activity can be an excellent choice.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/v9Iq6CfAmPE
5. 3D Strap-Resisted Heiden with Stick: The strap isn’t a band, meaning it’s non-elastic. Because of this we can get more out of activities like resisted jumps for certain athletes. When we yank on the strap the force is applied over a very small amount of time, which should bias getting into and out of the cut with greater velocity. This cannot be done to the same extent with a band, making the 3D Strap a useful tool while programming for change of direction or return to run progressions.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/zNCIR4VxFEU
As you can see, this is an awesome piece of equipment that can really yield a variety of training benefits. We'll be back soon with more of our favorites, but in the meantime, you can check it out at www.WhatsThatStrap.com and enter coupon code CRESSEY at checkout for free shipping.
About the Author
Ethan Dyer serves as a Strength & Conditioning coach at Cressey Sports Performance. He started as a client at CSP and eventually went on to intern at CSP-MA. Following another internship at Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training, Ethan joined the CSP-MA team. He was a pitcher at the College of the Holy Cross before transferring to Endicott College to complete his undergraduate work with a major in Exercise Science and minor in Psychology. A Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Ethan has been a volunteer with both the Miracle League and Special Olympics, and has a passion for working with young athletes to help them fall in love with training while avoiding injury. You can follow him on Instagram at @Ethan___Dyer.
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We welcome Cressey Sports Performance - Florida Pitching Coach Ethan Westphal to the latest podcast. Ethan brings a wealth of knowledge from the private sector, college, and professional baseball, and he shares how coaching approaches have to be adjusted for each population and environment. We discuss the mental side of the game, the importance of synergy across a coaching staff, and his "Aha" moments from utilizing markerless biomechanics technology at CSP.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, AG1. Head to https://www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and you'll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
This episode is brought to you by AG1. AG1 is your daily foundational nutrition; it has 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s foundational nutrition needs across five critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. It is the new and future way of getting a multivitamin, and a whole lot more. Head to www.DrinkAG1.com/cressey and claim my special offer today – 10 FREE travel packs – with your first purchase. I use AG1 daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I’d encourage you to give it a shot, too – especially with this great offer.
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The elbow-supported dumbbell external rotation is a pretty common exercise in strength and conditioning circles, but does it hold value for overhead throwing populations? In today's video, I answer that question:
If you're looking to learn more about how I assess, coach, and program for the shoulder, be sure to check out my popular resource, Sturdy Shoulder Solutions.
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I’m flying solo for this week’s podcast, as I discuss some of the downstream injury impacts - both direct and indirect - of the large increase in pitching velocity we've observed over the past few decades. Huge velocity is here to stay, so it's imperative that the health and human performance industries identify how it impacts player health.
A special thanks to this show's sponsor, Marc Pro. Head towww.MarcPro.comand enter the coupon code CRESSEY at checkout to receive an exclusive discount on your order.
Sponsor Reminder
This episode is brought to you by Marc Pro, a cutting-edge EMS device that uses patented technology to create non-fatiguing muscle activation. Muscle activation with Marc Pro facilitates each stage of the body’s natural recovery process- similar to active recovery, but without the extra effort and muscle fatigue. Athletes can use it for as long as they need to ensure a more full and quick recovery in between training or games. With its portability and ease of use, players can use Marc Pro while traveling between games or while relaxing at home. Players and trainers from every MLB team - including over 200 pro pitchers - use Marc Pro. Put Marc Pro to the test for yourself and use promo code CRESSEY at checkout at www.MarcPro.com for an exclusive discount on your order.
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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Cressey Sports Performance – Florida is looking for the newest member of our team: a Social Media Coordinator and Marketing Assistant.
This position will be heavily involved in CSP’s marketing efforts related to both our in-person training offering and online presence (newsletter, podcast, distance-based coaching). This is a full-time salaried position with benefits, and would require a regular presence in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Responsibilities:
• Oversee Social Media accounts for Cressey Sports Performance
• Assist in creating the overall marketing plan for Cressey Sports Performance and related entities
• Organize Cressey Sports Performance newsletter
• Develop and implement new, fresh ideas to promote the CSP Experience
• Organize content to be used for corporate sponsorship fulfillment
• Assist in community outreach and coordinating events at CSP
• Editing and graphic design for the CSP Elite Baseball Development Podcast
• Be constantly looking for new ideas and ways to help improve the CSP experience for our clients!
• Other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
• Experience in commercial social media and marketing experience is preferred
• Excellent communication and organization skills
• Familiarity with the game of baseball, preferably at the collegiate or professional level
• A “can-do” attitude that is willing to put in the work to set a high standard
• Graphic design and podcast editing experience is preferred
Applicants can submit resumes and cover letters as a single PDF document to CareersatCSP@gmail.com. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2023.
Cressey Sports Performance is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, marital status, citizenship status, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal laws.
Today, I've got a quick guest video blog from Cressey Sports Performance - Florida Pitching Coordinator Matt Hinkley. Pitch grading is a hot topic at the high levels of baseball right now, and while it can be super helpful for guiding players to best evaluate their pitching arsenal, it can sometimes lead you down confusing rabbit holes. In this video, Matt provides some context:
If you're looking to learn more about a short- or long-term visit to Cressey Sports Performance - Florida, please reach out to cspflorida@gmail.com. And, be sure to check out the CSP Pro Experience, a summer development opportunity we offer to pitchers who are interested in relocating to Palm Beach Gardens, FL to train with us regularly.
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We were overdue for a new CSP T-Shirt debut, so we figured we'd celebrate with a bunch of new colors in our classic home plate design! All shirts are $24.99 plus shipping. Just click on the bolded hyperlinks below to add them to your cart.
Today, I've got a great webinar case study from Cressey Sports Performance - Florida pitching coordinator, Matt Hinkley. In this presentation, Matt discusses how we create synergy across departments by integrating our strength and conditioning evaluation with our markerless motion capture technology from Theia in order to individualize coaching interventions with our pitchers.
If you're looking to learn more about a short- or long-term visit to Cressey Sports Performance - Florida, please reach out to cspflorida@gmail.com.
Also, if you'd like to learn a bit more about Theia, you can check out this podcast I did with its founder, Scott Selbie:
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Back in 2010, I got an email from Tim Ferriss asking if I'd be willing to help out a friend of his. Apparently, he met some dude from New Zealand while in a coffee shop in Argentina and they really hit it off. This guy happened to be a retired rugby player with an extensive history of shoulder problems. I happily obliged, and the friendly Kiwi made the trip to Massachusetts to train with us for about a month.
He got a healthy shoulder, and the Cresseys made a wonderful new friend in Chris Ashenden.
More specific to today's blog, though, is the fact that we were witnessing the beginning of an incredible brand. While there, Chris was preparing to launch Athletic Greens (now AG1).
As a brief background, Chris was working to overcome some significant G.I. issues, and had been really disappointed in the supplement industry as a whole as he had investigated various options to complement his dietary changes.
Companies often sourced garbage ingredients to keep their margins high, and there weren't products out there that allowed consumers to efficiently supplement. Rather, people had to take dozens of pills to try to derive comprehensive benefit, and even then, many of the compounds were low quality or competed with each other. The industry was expensive, inefficient, and ineffective - not to mention shockingly unregulated.
With Athletic Greens, he broke from that stereotype. AG1 was the first to put this much nutritional content into one product, at this quality. And, in doing so, AG1 took the opposite approach; a synergistic comprehensive approach that made it very easy to have the power of great daily foundational nutrition in one simple daily (and tasty) habit.
Pioneering the new and future way of getting and replacing a multivitamin, multimineral and nine other products in one including adaptogens, pre and probiotics for gut health, and specialized extracts to support cellular health and key bodily functions.
I have consistently used the product since its inception, and in adopting the approach of continual innovation, they continue to build on their reputation for quality and research and are currently on AG1’s 53rd iteration. Each iteration drives more innovation, value and quality back to the customer based on the latest research. This approach of consistently innovating and disrupting your own product and raising the bar is really hard to copy. As perhaps the best example, one large supplement company once asked Chris if they could take his formula and package it with their label on it. When they investigated the ingredients, they pulled out because the margins weren't high enough to make it worth their while. Sourcing such high quality raw materials wasn't good for their bottom line.
Nonetheless, AG1 has thrived. You'll find it as a NSF certified resource in loads of professional sports clubhouses, and on the recommendation lists of some of the health and human performance industries' most progressive people, including Dr. Peter Attia, Dr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.
As perhaps my highest praise, my mom and wife both take it daily, and many of our athletes swear by it. I trust Chris and his company with my family's health.
If you're looking to make a similar investment in both your short and long-term health with AG1. I recommend you to head to www.AthleticGreens.com/cressey and claim my special offer today – 10 FREE travel packs – with your first purchase. I’d encourage you to give it a shot.
Further, with full disclosure, when AG1 took their first ever investment in 2021, Chris reached out to some of his longest supporters and customers, and offered us the ability to participate. It was a no-brainer to take the next step to support a product and company I believed in this much, so since 2021, I have been both an investor in and advisor to AG1.
We welcome Cressey Sports Performance - Florida Vice President and Co-Founder Shane Rye to the latest podcast for a detailed conversation on manual therapy. Shane speaks to his treatment approaches not only for baseball players at CSP-FL, but also in his work in the football realm as a manual therapist for the Miami Dolphins. We touch on various soft tissue methods, their potential mechanisms of action, and why having the right "treatment roadmap" is vital to the success of any manual therapy intervention.
A special thanks to this show’s sponsor, Athletic Greens. Head to http://www.athleticgreens.com/cressey and you’ll receive a free 10-pack of Athletic Greens travel packets with your first order.
This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. It’s an all-in-one superfood supplement with 75 whole-food sourced ingredients designed to support your body’s nutrition needs across 5 critical areas of health: 1) energy, 2) immunity, 3) gut health, 4) hormonal support, and 5) healthy aging. Head to www.AthleticGreens.com/cressey and claim my special offer today - 20 FREE travel packs (valued at $79) - with your first purchase. I use this product daily myself and highly recommend it to our athletes as well. I'd encourage you to give it a shot, too - especially with this great offer.
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!
Sign-up Today for our FREE Baseball Newsletter and Receive Instant Access to a 47-minute Presentation from Eric Cressey on Individualizing the Management of Overhead Athletes!
