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Ben Baggett

@ben_baggett • 2,739 subscribers

Follower of Christ. Stanford alum. MBA. CSCS. @builtbybaggett on @instagram In-Person and Remote Spots Available. DM to Train.

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Blake Brown (Blake Brown) lives mid–upper 90s and has touched 101 mph at 6’0, 195 lbs while carrying 20–25% body fat through his midsection.⁠ ⁠ Does he throw hard in spite of that… or because of it? ⁠ ⁠ When you rotate at 95–100+ mph speeds, your trunk isn’t a rigid lever. It’s a deformable system— fascia, fat, muscle, viscera — all behaving with fluid-like properties. ⁠ ⁠ So here’s the why behind the ‘velo pouch’: ⁠ ⁠ 1. Rate-Dependent Behavior Viscoelastic tissues (muscle, fascia, fat, viscera) display time- and rate-dependent properties.⁠ -Low strain rates (walking, slow lifting): tissues deform and dissipate energy, acting as dampers that absorb shock and protect joints.⁠ -High strain rates (explosive trunk rotation): the same tissues stiffen non-linearly, behaving more like elastic springs. Instead of leaking energy, they store and recoil at the precise velocities required for throwing.⁠ ⁠ 2. Elastic Storage & Release⁠ As the trunk rotates, fascial slings that spiral around the torso are loaded. This deformation increases strain energy within the system. At pitching-level strain rates, those tissues recoil elastically, amplifying rotational velocity and contributing to the rapid acceleration of the arm.⁠ ⁠ 3. Rotational Energy Transfer⁠ Performance hinges on efficient rotational energy transfer. A more compliant torso allows greater torsional deformation (similar to wringing a towel), increasing elastic loading before recoil. Additional soft tissue mass distributes rotational forces across a larger surface area, smoothing out energy transfer through the chain and reducing localized energy leaks.

Blake Brown (Blake Brown) lives mid–upper 90s and has touched 101 mph at 6’0, 195 lbs while carrying 20–25% body fat through his midsection.⁠ ⁠ Does he throw hard in spite of that… or because of it? ⁠ ⁠ When you rotate at 95–100+ mph speeds, your trunk isn’t a rigid lever. It’s a deformable system— fascia, fat, muscle, viscera — all behaving with fluid-like properties. ⁠ ⁠ So here’s the why behind the ‘velo pouch’: ⁠ ⁠ 1. Rate-Dependent Behavior Viscoelastic tissues (muscle, fascia, fat, viscera) display time- and rate-dependent properties.⁠ -Low strain rates (walking, slow lifting): tissues deform and dissipate energy, acting as dampers that absorb shock and protect joints.⁠ -High strain rates (explosive trunk rotation): the same tissues stiffen non-linearly, behaving more like elastic springs. Instead of leaking energy, they store and recoil at the precise velocities required for throwing.⁠ ⁠ 2. Elastic Storage & Release⁠ As the trunk rotates, fascial slings that spiral around the torso are loaded. This deformation increases strain energy within the system. At pitching-level strain rates, those tissues recoil elastically, amplifying rotational velocity and contributing to the rapid acceleration of the arm.⁠ ⁠ 3. Rotational Energy Transfer⁠ Performance hinges on efficient rotational energy transfer. A more compliant torso allows greater torsional deformation (similar to wringing a towel), increasing elastic loading before recoil. Additional soft tissue mass distributes rotational forces across a larger surface area, smoothing out energy transfer through the chain and reducing localized energy leaks.

16,511 Aufrufe

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Terry Busse had gone from All American Division 1 closer in 2023 to not even traveling with the team over a single year’s span, and he had lost ~4-5mph in the process. He's back into the mid 90's and absolutely slicing and dicing this spring. Honestly, there's not many battles harder than fighting your own pride and ego. Sometimes, reality sucks, but it is only when you accept the situation for what it is, that you can attack it head on. Staying after long weekend series and midweek games to dominate the weight room, not forcing or stressing about overnight change, and just putting in the daily deposits was the formula for the climb back to locking down games. Down, but not out-- Terry Busse Jr. is a warrior and has earned every bit of his way back.

Terry Busse had gone from All American Division 1 closer in 2023 to not even traveling with the team over a single year’s span, and he had lost ~4-5mph in the process. He's back into the mid 90's and absolutely slicing and dicing this spring. Honestly, there's not many battles harder than fighting your own pride and ego. Sometimes, reality sucks, but it is only when you accept the situation for what it is, that you can attack it head on. Staying after long weekend series and midweek games to dominate the weight room, not forcing or stressing about overnight change, and just putting in the daily deposits was the formula for the climb back to locking down games. Down, but not out-- Terry Busse Jr. is a warrior and has earned every bit of his way back.

85,307 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

Extensive plyometric exercises are a great way to stress connective tissue, but unfortunately there aren’t many upper body plyometric exercises relevant to throwing that can fill this bucket. Enter Medball dribbles.

Extensive plyometric exercises are a great way to stress connective tissue, but unfortunately there aren’t many upper body plyometric exercises relevant to throwing that can fill this bucket. Enter Medball dribbles.

102,876 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

Oh no. Does someone wanna tell these undersized guys throwing ~100 that they need to “get into their pec”. I’m thinking they’re not deep enough! If a right handed throw is ultimately just a rotation to the left, all the “pec stretch” is is just a reflection of the upper half delaying in sequence (but still ultimately turning the same way). Let’s get first things first, there’s way more things going on in the shoulder girdle than the pecs— and this elastic energy transfer is occurring through the entire system (from the trunk all the way through the shoulder girdle). The ‘stretch’ you’re seeing aesthetically is largely based on relative joint stiffness, tissue quality, the ability to move proximal to distal, and the timing of rotation. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if we brought back a little flat arm syndrome. At true weight bearing foot-plant, you can see both of these guys are moving into relative external rotation, however, they’re still in IR. Oh no! But their arm isn’t at 90 degrees?! How can they get deep in their pec, bro?! Maybe it’s more about the timing and sequencing than it is you attaching an arbitrary value to your ‘pec contribution’ by checking out from a behind camera angle how much space there is between your forearm and your head? #PecsAreTheOnlyMuscleInTheShoulderGirdle

Oh no. Does someone wanna tell these undersized guys throwing ~100 that they need to “get into their pec”. I’m thinking they’re not deep enough! If a right handed throw is ultimately just a rotation to the left, all the “pec stretch” is is just a reflection of the upper half delaying in sequence (but still ultimately turning the same way). Let’s get first things first, there’s way more things going on in the shoulder girdle than the pecs— and this elastic energy transfer is occurring through the entire system (from the trunk all the way through the shoulder girdle). The ‘stretch’ you’re seeing aesthetically is largely based on relative joint stiffness, tissue quality, the ability to move proximal to distal, and the timing of rotation. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if we brought back a little flat arm syndrome. At true weight bearing foot-plant, you can see both of these guys are moving into relative external rotation, however, they’re still in IR. Oh no! But their arm isn’t at 90 degrees?! How can they get deep in their pec, bro?! Maybe it’s more about the timing and sequencing than it is you attaching an arbitrary value to your ‘pec contribution’ by checking out from a behind camera angle how much space there is between your forearm and your head? #PecsAreTheOnlyMuscleInTheShoulderGirdle

33,267 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten

Really cool to see a lot of different elements in play here during his ‘Velocity Training’. The ability to weave these things together coherently in a case-by-case basis is what allows athletes to progress faster and faster in terms of developing skills that actually transfer.

Really cool to see a lot of different elements in play here during his ‘Velocity Training’. The ability to weave these things together coherently in a case-by-case basis is what allows athletes to progress faster and faster in terms of developing skills that actually transfer.

58,071 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

$Drew Bryan has had a wild ride—D3 All-American, transfer to powerhouse ECU, fractured ribs that sidelined most of the year, back to D3 at UChicago, and now? Off to Duke. We started working together while he was still shut down—dealing with lingering rib pain and velo down in the 80s. It was time to reset. We integrated rehab with performance, built a steady return-to-throw progression, and chipped away at every limitation in the delivery. Drew Bryan$

Drew Bryan has had a wild ride—D3 All-American, transfer to powerhouse ECU, fractured ribs that sidelined most of the year, back to D3 at UChicago, and now? Off to Duke. We started working together while he was still shut down—dealing with lingering rib pain and velo down in the 80s. It was time to reset. We integrated rehab with performance, built a steady return-to-throw progression, and chipped away at every limitation in the delivery. Drew Bryan

38,815 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

I’m still waiting to hear that part of the video where he gets technical about every single checkpoint in his delivery. Oh wait “if I could throw like someone just whipping the ball around” Pay attention to what you’re feeling instead of focusing on trying to create feel.

I’m still waiting to hear that part of the video where he gets technical about every single checkpoint in his delivery. Oh wait “if I could throw like someone just whipping the ball around” Pay attention to what you’re feeling instead of focusing on trying to create feel.

41,593 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

How many times have you tried to actively drift and failed? It’s a lot easier to do than pitching gurus everywhere want you to know, and you’re likely just getting in your own way. Here’s 3 quick ways to improve your first move.

How many times have you tried to actively drift and failed? It’s a lot easier to do than pitching gurus everywhere want you to know, and you’re likely just getting in your own way. Here’s 3 quick ways to improve your first move.

37,462 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

Where do you get your dopamine? From the game itself? Or from stacking party tricks in the gym and posting about it? Too many guys fall in love with training. With being the hardest worker in the room. With the process itself. But that’s not the point. Training exists for one reason: to create an adaptation that helps you be better on the field. To bring up what’s limiting your performance so you can actually reach your goals. But a lot of guys now use training as a comfort blanket. They hide from failure behind hard lifts, weighted balls, or perfect mechanics. It feels good. It’s controllable. It gives you dopamine hits without the risk of real exposure. Because failure is real—and unavoidable. That’s what makes sports matter. Keep the main thing the main thing. Train to get better where it counts, not just to feel better about working hard. Praise Thorsen

Where do you get your dopamine? From the game itself? Or from stacking party tricks in the gym and posting about it? Too many guys fall in love with training. With being the hardest worker in the room. With the process itself. But that’s not the point. Training exists for one reason: to create an adaptation that helps you be better on the field. To bring up what’s limiting your performance so you can actually reach your goals. But a lot of guys now use training as a comfort blanket. They hide from failure behind hard lifts, weighted balls, or perfect mechanics. It feels good. It’s controllable. It gives you dopamine hits without the risk of real exposure. Because failure is real—and unavoidable. That’s what makes sports matter. Keep the main thing the main thing. Train to get better where it counts, not just to feel better about working hard. Praise Thorsen

21,448 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

How does the Pelvis ACTUALLY rotate open in the throw? No different than the gait cycle, the pelvis swings open because Lateral Bend coupled with the lordosis of the Lumbar spine induces an axial torque on the Pelvis driving it in the opposite direction Focusing on “back leg tension” or vertical shin to better “fire the hips” is like looking at the wheels spinning on your car and assuming that must be what’s propelling it forward on the road The pelvis is rotated from above - the legs provide kinetic and potential energy and act as amplifiers of more proximal movement around the spine Trying to use the back leg to open your pelvis is like using the Flintstones car - go get yourself a real engine

How does the Pelvis ACTUALLY rotate open in the throw? No different than the gait cycle, the pelvis swings open because Lateral Bend coupled with the lordosis of the Lumbar spine induces an axial torque on the Pelvis driving it in the opposite direction Focusing on “back leg tension” or vertical shin to better “fire the hips” is like looking at the wheels spinning on your car and assuming that must be what’s propelling it forward on the road The pelvis is rotated from above - the legs provide kinetic and potential energy and act as amplifiers of more proximal movement around the spine Trying to use the back leg to open your pelvis is like using the Flintstones car - go get yourself a real engine

18,235 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten

When isolating our thinking of the ‘pec stretch’ to a position like flip up, we’re not respecting what’s truly going on in order to create a stretch and load on this tissue. They’re actually lengthened as the arms go past the midline, not up or out.

When isolating our thinking of the ‘pec stretch’ to a position like flip up, we’re not respecting what’s truly going on in order to create a stretch and load on this tissue. They’re actually lengthened as the arms go past the midline, not up or out.

15,901 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

Roki Sasaki with a sick and long awaited debut— before bumping his velo up a bit this AM, it was no secret that his fastball has been a bit down. Averaging ~98.8 in ’23 compared to ~96 last year. My social media guy has me posting insane clickbait, so I just wanted to throw these up and highlight a few differences I’m seeing: Initial CoM position at peak leg lift: -At peak leg lift, you can see back in’23, Sasaki’s center of mass is slightly shifted further away from the rubber. -Greater oppositional side-bend at peak leg lift. Back in ’23, it looks as though he’s got more pelvic side-bend to his arm side, and more thoracic side-bend into his glove side. What I think happens as a byproduct of this: -Gets stuck on his back leg—> You can see a more pronounced vertical shin now and the CoM not as far down the mound as he begins rotating. -Hingier torso posture with glove side direction slightly more across the body and higher—> Likely a byproduct of earlier pieces, trying to find some way to delay rotation. The body knows he’s trying to throw 100 and will do everything it can to delay rotating. When you see guys lose a bit of the ability to create good internal torque earlier in the delivery (get good shirt wrinkles as AnatomyLinks.com is king of demo’ing), you end up seeing the body trying to do too much downstream to make up for it. Ultimately what this all sets up is mistimed rotational and linear separation and an inefficient window for layback. Throwing hard is all about maximizing force into the baseball— which happens as the arm transitions into layback and through ball release. Do I have any idea what’s going on? No. Does Roki still throw harder than Ben Baggett ? Currently. Did this post spark interest, clicks, and possibly violence? Hopefully.

Roki Sasaki with a sick and long awaited debut— before bumping his velo up a bit this AM, it was no secret that his fastball has been a bit down. Averaging ~98.8 in ’23 compared to ~96 last year. My social media guy has me posting insane clickbait, so I just wanted to throw these up and highlight a few differences I’m seeing: Initial CoM position at peak leg lift: -At peak leg lift, you can see back in’23, Sasaki’s center of mass is slightly shifted further away from the rubber. -Greater oppositional side-bend at peak leg lift. Back in ’23, it looks as though he’s got more pelvic side-bend to his arm side, and more thoracic side-bend into his glove side. What I think happens as a byproduct of this: -Gets stuck on his back leg—> You can see a more pronounced vertical shin now and the CoM not as far down the mound as he begins rotating. -Hingier torso posture with glove side direction slightly more across the body and higher—> Likely a byproduct of earlier pieces, trying to find some way to delay rotation. The body knows he’s trying to throw 100 and will do everything it can to delay rotating. When you see guys lose a bit of the ability to create good internal torque earlier in the delivery (get good shirt wrinkles as AnatomyLinks.com is king of demo’ing), you end up seeing the body trying to do too much downstream to make up for it. Ultimately what this all sets up is mistimed rotational and linear separation and an inefficient window for layback. Throwing hard is all about maximizing force into the baseball— which happens as the arm transitions into layback and through ball release. Do I have any idea what’s going on? No. Does Roki still throw harder than Ben Baggett ? Currently. Did this post spark interest, clicks, and possibly violence? Hopefully.

11,479 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr

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