Questions
Straight answers about training at PPL.
The questions families ask us most, answered plainly. If yours is not here, bring it to the free consult and a coach will give you a real answer rather than a sales pitch.
Getting started
Before you book anything
Where are you?
Three facilities in Kentucky: Lexington at 949 National Avenue Suite 118, Louisville at 13201 Data Vault Drive, and Marion at 223 Sturgis Road.
What age do you take?
Eight and up. Youth pitchers aged eight to twelve train in their own groups, and from thirteen up athletes are on the full program.
Do I have to commit before I try it?
No. The first thing is a free assessment. It costs nothing, there is nothing to buy on the day, and you leave knowing what we would work on.
Do I have to become a member to book the free assessment?
No. The assessment is free and it is where almost everybody starts, whether they end up training with us or not. You will leave knowing what is holding the athlete back and what we would work on first, and you can decide about a membership afterward.
How do we start?
Book a free assessment at any of the three facilities. It costs nothing, there is nothing to buy on the day, and you will leave knowing what we would change first.
In the building
What training actually looks like
What actually happens in a training session?
Every athlete trains on a program built from their own movement screen and their own numbers. Ball flight is measured on the bullpens and a slow motion camera catches the arm at release, so progress is something you can look at rather than something we tell you about.
Is it one to one?
Small groups, with a coach watching every pitch. That is deliberate. It gives an athlete time to work between reps and it is how the coach sees a pattern rather than a single throw.
How many things will you change at once?
One. A delivery usually has several things worth fixing and one that is causing the rest, and chasing all of them at once is how a pitcher gets worse.
Do you film the delivery?
Yes. Every athlete is filmed and the video is reviewed frame by frame, and you get to see it rather than only hear about it.
Do you use Trackman?
Yes, on every bullpen, along with slow-motion video of the delivery. You see the same numbers and the same footage the coach does.
Arm health
Keeping the arm in one piece
Does PPL have a physical therapist on staff?
Yes. A physical therapist screens every athlete and that screen is what the arm care program is written from, rather than a generic routine handed to everybody.
What does the movement screen look at?
Shoulder and hip range of motion, what moves well and what does not, and where the arm is compensating for something further down the chain. It is a full medical screen, not a quick look.
Is throwing harder bad for a young arm?
Throwing more than the arm is prepared for is what hurts it. That is why a physical therapist screens every athlete first and the throwing volume is built in phases rather than left to whatever the team schedule happens to be.
Is there anybody on site for arm health?
Yes. A physical therapist works with our pitchers in Lexington so the arm stays healthy while it gets stronger, and the movement screen that starts your program is run by our partners at Renewed Performance, who handle their own scheduling and billing for it.
PPL Youth
Ages 8 to 12
Is my athlete too young, or good enough, to be there?
Eight is where we start, and the program is built for that age rather than borrowed from the older group. The second half of that question is the one we hear least out loud and think about most, and the answer is that at 8 to 12 almost nobody has proven anything yet. We take motivated, consistent kids at every level, so if your athlete wants to get better and will show up, they belong here. If your athlete is 13 but young for their age, book the consult anyway, and if we think something else would serve them better right now we will tell you that instead of selling you a membership.
Will all this throwing hurt their arm?
Keeping arms healthy is the whole point, and at this age it is the entire job. The program was built with a physical therapist, so what we ask an 8 to 12 year old to do is set by what a body that age is actually ready for. We do not build velocity by having a child throw as hard as they can and hoping the arm holds up.
Do we have to sign a long contract?
No long contract. Billing is weekly with a 12-week minimum, and that is a minimum rather than the length of the program. It gives us enough time to make real changes and for you to see them. After that you continue week to week.
Do you take new athletes year round?
There are no seasons or sign-up windows, so there is no date you have to wait for. What limits us is capacity, because every athlete here is on a program a coach builds and manages week to week. Ask us where we stand on space at your location right now.
Teams
Coaches and travel programs
Do you work with whole teams and travel programs?
Yes. A coach can bring a whole pitching staff in and we will look at every arm, which is usually how a program finds out which of their pitchers are carrying something that will cost them a season. Ask for a team assessment when you get in touch.