PPL OFFERS EXPERIENCED COACHING AND COMPREHENSIVE LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR PITCHERS AGES 13 AND OLDER.
WHY PPL?
Between in-person and remote training, we have trained 800+ athletes ages 13 and older since our founding in 2019. We have helped develop athletes ranging from youth ages to MLB all-stars. We also have training partnerships with multiple colleges ranging from juco to division 1 levels. No matter who we are training, we individualize every athlete's training program and coaching approach. We help bridge the gap between technology and performance, as well as help filter the massive amounts of information on social media.
JAKE FAHERTY
Jake went from mid 80's to upper 90's (T101mph) with command of 3 pitches. He pitched at the University of Arkansas, and was drafted by the Marlins in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft.
TYLER GUILFOIL
Tyler has been a PPL athlete for 9 years. He was first team All-American and 1st team All-SEC at UK. He went on to be drafted by the Astros in the 8th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
KEVIN STATON
Hudson Staton started training with PPL when he was 13 years old. Kevin speaks on what has changed in his son since starting with PPL, and what makes the training experience at PPL special.
RANDY FAHERTY
Jake Faherty started training with PPL in the fall of 2019. Randy talks about making the change from private lessons to groups with PPL. He shares his insight on how PPL prepares you for the next level.
FOR ATHLETES AGES 13+ ONLY
STEP 1: MOVEMENT SCREENING
Our staff will take you through a comprehensive movement screen. You will do a series of exercises that are related to the demands placed on your joints in a throwing motion. We will weigh your mobility scores against things that we see in your throwing motion and start with the lowest hanging fruit. We do not intend to prescribe endless mobility routines. Rather, we will work on areas that can be problematic from a health and/or performance standpoint for everyone.
STEP 2: ASSESSMENT BULLPEN
Our staff will take you through a 10-25 pitch assessment bullpen. We will capture ball release of all pitches with Edgertronic camera and get metrics for all of your pitches with trackman. The number of throws will depend on the time of year and also the last day of high intensity throwing. We use a tech company named pitchbucket to organize all of the trackman data we collect. Pitchbucket gives you a grade for the movement and command for all of your pitches.
STEP 3: ASSESSMENT REVIEW
You will have an assessment review with one of our performance coaches. This will be a one-on-one meeting that you will record on your phone. The performance coach will start the review by playing the videos of your delivery on the TV. They will highlight things you do well and point out inefficiencies in your delivery. After breaking down the delivery, they will cover your command and movement grades on all your pitches. All of these will play a role in the decisions made with exercises and emphasis in your custom program.
STEP 4: CUSTOM PROGRAM
The initial structure of your program will be based around command of your pitches, movement of your pitches, the time of year, physical maturity, injury history, and your short- and long-term goals. We will then start to add your warmup, arm care, non-throwing drills, throwing drills, throwing program and mobility routines. All of those exercises will be based on your movement screen and your assessment bullpen. If you choose to add strength training, you will also receive a customized lifting plan. Your program will be in 4 week phases. Each exercise includes a link with video demonstrations and explanations about each movement or drill.
STEP 5: INDIVIDUALIZED COACHING
Your custom program will be extremely thorough, but it won't get you to the level you desire by itself. The coaching staff we have assembled is second to none when it comes to helping our athletes execute their program and get results. We are believers in making things as simple for the athlete as we can. We do not want to over explain topics and we do not want to coach every athlete the same way. Helping the athlete understand why we are doing something and getting them to feel their mechanics is the secret sauce. With how our programs are designed, our coaches can make changes in the fly to better suit what is working for you.
IN-PERSON TRAINING
Watch this video outlining in-person training at PPL
REMOTE TRAINING
Watch this video outlining remote training at PPL
Watch this video outlining in-person training at PPL
REMOTE TRAINING
Watch this video outlining remote training with PPL
Is PPL a "Velocity Facility?"
Athletes do tend to increase their velocity when training with us, but it's a byproduct of moving more efficiently and gaining strength/explosiveness. We do not take short cuts to try to have athletes make velocity gains. We have a structured plan for each athlete that is appropriate for the time of year, their physical readiness, physical maturity and their goals. We will work on mechanics, command and movement of all pitches before worrying about velocity.
Do you work on command/control?
When an athlete throws their screening bullpen with us, they will receive a grade on their command, movement and velocity. Command and movement will be addressed first, along with any delivery adjustments that need to be made. We will train command in these ways:
1) Placing an emphasis on always having a target when throwing a baseball
2) Creating a more challenging physical environment that challenges their ability to throw a ball accurately.
3) Using balls of different sizes/weights to allow the athlete to create more awareness of ball release.
We DO NOT train command by telling kids to "throw strikes," and you shouldn't either!
Do you work on pitching mechanics?
Each athlete will receive programming based around their delivery needs. We do not have every kid in the facility doing the same exact drills as one another, nor do we coach every kid the same way. We individualize each athletes training experience by allowing them to play a major role in the delivery adjustment process, not just sitting back and telling them what we believe to be good mechanics.
Do you use weighted balls?
Yes, but we do not use them with majority our athletes. We have protocols in place to help determine whether using them is right fit for the athlete. Some of these factors include:
1) Physical maturity.
2) Time of year the athlete starts training with us (in-season vs. off-season).
3) Injury history.
4) Athletes personal beliefs towards weighted balls.
Why does my credit/debit card get charged every week?
When you train with us, you get a detailed program that has multiple phases mapped out for a specified period of time. The program does not stop if you cannot make it to the facility one week. You are paying for the program itself and the coaching to supplement the program. We are currently not capable of predicting when you will not be able to make it to the facility. We have an open schedule, meaning you can train on a different day/time every week if needed to suit your own schedule. We ask that everyone who can't make their normal time/day to just change to another time/day that week. We do not do traditional make-ups because we've had dishonest people. If you miss your training time slot cannot find another day, we give those athletes the ability to do a "remote" week. That means you can communicate with your pitching coach every single day to get feedback beyond what you would by coming into the facility for just one day.
Why are parents not allowed in the facility during training hours?
The simple answer is a lack of space. We have maximized every inch of the facility to serve a purpose for the athletes in the building. The more detailed answer is that we want to dedicate the entirety of our time in the facility to coaching the athletes. We initially allowed parents in the facility, but a lot of our time was spent talking to parents instead of being able to coach. We love that parents want to be involved with their kid, but we have seen a drastic difference in the quality of work they put in without having to look over their shoulder at a parent.
Why do you only offer small group options?
Small group allows:
1) Cheaper price per session (Usually $70-$90 for a 60min private lesson vs. $100 for 2 hours of pitching and 2 hours of strength training with us.)
2) Allows athletes to learn how to interact in a group setting, just like being on a team.
3) Creates teachable moments about how to ask "authority figures" questions.
4) Promotes the athlete to be proactive in their own development.
5) Prepares the athletes for baseball at higher levels (high school, college)
6) Each athlete still receives 1 on 1 attention with a 3:1 or 4:1 player to coach ratio.
How many days per week do athletes train in-person at PPL?
High School and Middle School athletes can train 1, 2 or 3 times per week. College and Professional athletes can train up to 6 times per week.
What does the $300 onboarding fee cover?
The fee helps cover the following items:
1) The time it takes us to screen the athlete.
2) The time it takes us to go over all screening data.
3) The time it takes us to create a customized program designed around their flaws.
4) The time we spend doing a performance review with each athlete (we go over their program and video and record it for parents to watch).
5) Multiple staff members working on each step of this entire process.
(859) 587-6859
info@pitchingperformancelab.com
949 National Avenue, Suite 118
Lexington, KY 40502