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@ucsd_athleticperformance

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UC San Diego Athletic Performance

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We want to jump higher and hit harder, so one of the best ways to do that is by chasing the development of the foundation and underpinnings for those two mechanisms of sport.

Before we start loading, we prepare the body to move. The spine and trunk need to move, stabilize, and transfer force through a variety of positions. Our prep work focuses on developing that with movements that get the spine to flex and extend, laterally flex, and rotate.  Every jump and subsequent landing places demands on the muscles and tendons responsible for controlling movement. So early off-season phase is about developing movement competency, increased time under tension, movement quality and laying the foundation for what’s next: greater recruitment of high-threshold motor units, maximize generation of potential energy to utilize the SSC, and overcome inertia.

#ucsd #volleyball

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With our pitchers still throwing relatively low volumes, we are taking advantage of this time to continue developing strength in the weight room.

A big emphasis in our upper body programming is split stance and single arm exercises to challenge stability, trunk control, and coordination.

Whether pushing or pulling, our biggest focus is cueing the scapula and how it moves around the rib cage, emphasizing quality movement while continuing to build strength.

#UCSDBaseball #baseball #StrengthAndConditioning #collegebaseball #athleticperformance

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Traveling as D1 strength and conditioning coach is pretty dope, tried to capture a few of those moments 🤙🏻

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Keep It Simple⚡️

Don’t be that athlete who realizes how important hip mobility is, when it’s already too late! ⏰ Try these progressions on your own and stay tuned for Level 2🪜

#trainedbydeano #hipmobility #keepitsimple #d1athlete #fyp

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Exercise 3 of my 9 favorite exercises for baseball. The Single Arm Overhead Press.

For us, the biggest focus is not necessarily how much weight an athlete can press, but how well they can control their scapula as it moves around the rib cage.

We spend a lot of time cueing athletes to allow the scapula to naturally upwardly rotate and move around the rib cage as the arm travels overhead, while maintaining control through the trunk.

In baseball, both throwing and hitting require coordinated movement between the trunk, scapula, and upper extremity. The single arm overhead press gives us an opportunity to develop and reinforce those qualities in a controlled environment.

Starting in a ground based position allows us to focus on scapular movement and control around the rib cage before introducing external load. The goal is to establish quality movement without unnecessary compensation.

The half kneeling position gives us a stable base to emphasize scapular upward rotation, trunk positioning, and controlled overhead movement. This is a great opportunity to reinforce the movement before increasing complexity.

The half kneeling position gives us a stable base to emphasize scapular upward rotation, trunk positioning, and controlled overhead movement. This is a great opportunity to reinforce the movement before increasing complexity.

Moving into a split stance introduces additional demands on lower body stability and trunk control. We want the athlete to maintain a strong connection through the ground while allowing the scapula to move naturally as the arm presses overhead.

As we increase movement demands, the focus remains on maintaining scapular control and coordinated movement between the lower body, trunk, and shoulder.

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Before an athlete returns to running, we focus on building the capacity and tolerance needed to handle repeated ground contacts.

We start with a skipping progression that includes forward skips, backward skips, height skips, and distance skips. These allow us to gradually develop lower leg strength, capacity, and tolerance to repeated ground contacts before introducing running.

Our biggest cue is to initiate the skip from the ankle. We want the power to come from how the foot and ankle interact with the ground, rather than relying on the opposite leg to drive the movement.

From there, we progress into dribbling.

Dribbling helps us develop the rhythm, timing, and repeated ground contacts associated with running. We start with small movements around the ankle, emphasizing frequent, controlled contacts before gradually increasing the range of motion.

As the athlete becomes more comfortable, we allow the drill to naturally transition into jogging and the next phase of our return to run progression. #athleticperformance #soccer #strengthandconditioning #returntoplay #ucsd

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Exercise 2 of my 9 favorite exercises for baseball. The Single Leg RDL.

Much like the skater squat, one of my favorite things about the SL RDL is its versatility.

Pitching and hitting both require the ability to produce and control force through the lower body while maintaining stability through the hips and trunk. The SL RDL gives us a simple way to develop some of those foundational qualities.

We can use it to teach the hinge pattern, develop posterior chain strength, challenge single leg stability, and introduce rotational demands.

By changing the loading strategy, movement complexity, or level of support, we can emphasize different qualities based on what the athlete needs. #UCSDBaseball #baseball #StrengthAndConditioning #SportsPerformance #athleticdevelopment

A great starting point for teaching the hinge pattern and building positional awareness. The dowel provides a reference for trunk position while the athlete learns to control the hips and maintain balance throughout the movement.

Once the athlete can consistently control the movement, we can introduce external load. Using dumbbells allows us to develop posterior chain strength while continuing to challenge single leg stability and hip control.

Adding a rotational component challenges the athlete to control movement through the hips and trunk while maintaining balance on one leg. This gives us another way to develop rotational control and coordination without abandoning the hinge pattern.

When strength becomes the primary focus, the barbell gives us an opportunity to progressively increase external load. The goal is to challenge the posterior chain while maintaining consistent hip position and control throughout the movement.

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Over this series I am going to share 9 of my favorite exercises for baseball. These are not the only exercises we use, and they will not fit every athlete or every situation. They are simply tools I consistently find myself coming back to.

First up, the skater squat.

Its biggest advantage is versatility. We can progress or regress it based on the athlete, load it in a number of different ways, and use it in the weight room, at the field, or on the road with limited equipment.

It gives us a simple way to develop single leg strength, stability, and control without needing much equipment or setup.

#UCSDBaseball #strength #StrengthAndConditioning #athleticperformance #baseball

1. Counterweight Skater Squat

A great regression for athletes who struggle with stability. The counterweight moves opposite the hips, helping the athlete keep their center of mass over the working leg while learning to control the movement.

2. Bodyweight Skater Squat

When movement quality is good but capacity is still the limiting factor, we use bodyweight to accumulate quality reps. I like programming these as a total number of reps completed in as few sets as possible rather than prescribing traditional sets and reps.

3. Loaded Skater Squat

When capacity is no longer the limitation and we want to develop more strength, we start adding load with chains or plates. This is a great bridge before getting under a bar, and chains allow the upper body to move more freely throughout the movement.

4. Hand Supported Skater Squat

One of the most versatile progressions. Adding hand support reduces the stability demand and allows us to emphasize the quality we actually want to train. We can load it heavy for strength, emphasize braking with controlled reps, or move fast when the goal is speed and intent.

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Do the simple things really well.

The exercises will change and the programming will progress, but the fundamentals stay the same.

For our pitchers, it starts with building a strong foundation. Develop single leg strength and stability. Learn to control, resist, and produce rotation. Build routines that complement what is happening on the mound.

Once that foundation is established, we can build around the individual needs and demands of each pitcher.

#UCSDBaseball #athleticperformance #PitchingDevelopment #StrengthAndConditioning #baseball

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Highlights from beginning of fall maxxing week 🏋️🔱#tritonthrows

Tyler 150kg clean
Zach 160kg bench
Tyler 200kg squat
Zach 150kg clean
Tyler 130kg x3 bench
Lawson 140kg x3 bench
130 kg ish clean

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Statics from spanos

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Congratulations to LAIFC epeeist Karolina Nixon @karolinanixon - @usafencing & @ucsdfencing 2026 D1A Bladerunner ROC Champion, she gets her name on perpetual trophy with other fencers who represented the Club such as @kasianixon.la , @avanbrummen & @supersonicnava .

#losangeles #sandiego #epee #bladerunner #espada

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