Eric Cressey on the Evolution of Baseball-Specific Training

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Eric Cressey’s work ethic is incomparable. In addition to being the Co-Founder and President of Cressey Sports Performance—widely considered one of the premier facilities for baseball-specific training—Eric is a prolific writer who has authored over 500 articles and five books, including Maximum Strength and The High Performance Handbook. And as if that weren’t enough, Eric joined the New York Yankees in January 2020 to serve as their Director of Player Health and Performance while maintaining his role at CSP. Eric is a highly-sought after coach who has worked with hundreds of professional and youth players over his career—jumping, sprinting, and alongside his athletes to inspire them while keeping them healthy in the process. Eric joins me today to talk about business and baseball. He discusses how he manages his time between working with Cressey Sports Performance and the Yankees and describes the power of planning that makes it all happen. He shares the evolution of his training philosophy in baseball and explains why he shifted away from strength development to some degree. And he also discusses why so many youth baseball players get broken even before they get to the major league levels and reveals the three things he’d do to keep younger players healthier and on the field.   Being able to learn baseball on a deeper level has made me a better coach and allowed me to create better content for athletes. – Eric Cressey   This week on the Physical Preparation Podcast: * How Eric balances his time between his New York Yankees role and his business * His training philosophy and how it has evolved over the years * The advantages of being an outsider and how having a deeper understanding of baseball made Eric a better coach * Emerging injury trends in baseball and their common causes * Protecting young baseball players from injuries * Why catching is an incredibly challenging position in baseball and why kids shouldn’t exclusively pitch * The state of baseball-specific training and the importance of understanding adaptations * The role of weighted balls and how they should be incorporated in a program * Eric’s principles for developing better baseball-specific training   Related Content: * Eric Cressey on Building the Bulletproof Baseball Shoulder * Eric Cressey on Baseball Development, Daily Schedules, and the Myth of “Balance”   Connect with Eric: * Eric Cressey Website * Book: Maximum Strength: Get Your Strongest Body in 16 Weeks with Ultimate Weight-Training Program by Eric Cressey * Book: The High Performance Handbook by Eric Cressey * Elite Baseball Development Podcast * Cressey Sports Performance on Facebook * Eric Cressey on LinkedIn * Eric Cressey on Instagram * Eric Cressey on Twitter * Eric Cressey on YouTube *