Leo Mazzone - Baseball Health Network

Former MLB Pitching Coach Leo Mazzone Coming to NYC

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Well-known radio/television host and noted author Ed Randall and his Fans For the Cure charity will present a special evening devoted to pitching and injury avoidance on Tuesday July 24 from 7-9 PM.

Leo Mazzone - Atlanta Braves Of particular interest to young players, their parents and coaches, the legendary Tommy John, Leo Mazzone, Atlanta Braves pitching coach to three Hall of Famers, and former noted Oakland A’s and Mets pitching coach, Rick Peterson, will speak on pitching and injury avoidance.

Leo Mazzone is no stranger to baseball fans. As the pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves, he presided over a pitching staff that won fourteen consecutive National League Eastern Division titles.

This will take place at the SVA Theater in New York City for a lively conversation in front of a live audience.

Tickets and more information can be found here.

Tommy John Town Hall Meeting June 28, 2016

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Baseball Health Network members Dr. Christopher Ahmad and Leo Mazzone were among the members of an all-star panel at the “Tommy John Town Hall Meeting” on June 28 in New York City.

Tommy John, the man for whom the celebrated surgical procedure was named was also joined by Dr. Glenn Fleisig from the American Sports Medicine Institute, moderated by WFAN’s Ed Randall.

Fans 4 the Cure Town Hall Meeting — L-to-R: Ed Randall, Tommy John, Leo Mazzone, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, Dr. Glenn Fleisig

Among the many highlights –

* Tommy John saying that in all the years since his surgery, not one MLB pitcher who’s undergone the same procedure has ever reached out to him.

* Leo Mazzone on one of his secrets to pitching without injury – “Pitchers should throw more often, but with less intensity. Throw a lot so that you find your max effort you can put on a pitch without maxing out.”

* Tommy John remembering an instance in which renowned player agent Scott Boras said that Tommy John doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to the surgery that bears his name.

* Dr. Christopher Ahmad on studying Tommy John surgery technique under legendary Dr. Frank Jobe – “As he began an operation, Dr. Jobe turned to me and said, ‘I’ve done so many of these procedures…I think I’ll do this one left-handed.’ The joke was on all of us in the operating room, since he was, in fact, left-handed.”

* Dr. Glenn Fleisig – “There was a recent study that demonstrated that overexertion on full-speed fastballs and not curve balls were the cause of the majority of arm injuries.”

* Tommy John saying that it’s a myth pitchers throw harder after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Proceeds from the event went to Ed Randall’s Fans For the Cure.

Tommy John Surgery Panel With BHN Members Chris Ahmad & Leo Mazzone

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

Ed Randall’s Fans For the Cure has a very special event planned for Tuesday June 28 at 7 PM at SVA Theatre at the School for Visual Arts in Manhattan.

A panel of experts will join former Major League pitcher Tommy John for a discussion about pitch counts, best practices for pitching and throwing, the importance of extended recovery periods for young athletes, and the truths and myths of Tommy John surgery.

Guests also include one-time Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone and Yankees’ Dr. Christopher Ahmad from the Baseball Health Network, and American Sports Medicine Institue Research Director Dr. Glenn Fleisig.

Moderated by WFAN radio personality Ed Randall, all proceeds will go to Fans for the Cure.

Tickets are $50 per person in advance and $75 at the door. Click here to purchase now and reserve your seat.

Ed Randall is well-known to baseball fans in the NY/NJ area. A long-time host of “Ed Randall’s Talking Baseball” on WFAN, Ed is the CEO and Founder of Ed Randall’s Fans for the Cure (FFTC), a 501(c)(3) charity he started in 2003 to promote prostate cancer awareness and the life-saving value of screenings and early detection.

All proceeds go to Fans for the Curea,, a charity that promotes awareness and education about prostate cancer.

Mazzone – “Want to keep that arm healthy? Throw more!”

By Jim Monaghan
Baseball Health Network

The legendary Leo Mazzone, the long-time pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, has a simple directive for pitchers who are looking to avoid arm injuries – throw more often but with less exertion.

It’s a philosophy he derived from his days as a pitcher in the Braves minor league system working under Johnny Sain. Appearing at the Baseball Health Network’s April 11th seminar at Professional Baseball Instruction, Mazzone asserted that pitchers need to throw in order to stay healthy.

Leo Mazzone at PBI Mazzone knows from whence he speaks – during his time with Atlanta (1990-2005) his pitchers had a history of remaining relatively injury free while dominating the National League’s Eastern Division.

Three of his pitchers – Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, and Tom Glavine – have been enshrined in Cooperstown.

The guy knows his pitching.

“Throw more…with less exertion,” he repeated over and over to the coaches, scouts, parents and players who were in attendance. “In Atlanta, our pitchers went to the mound more often to practice their craft at 60’6” going downhill to a catcher. The difference was that we controlled their effort. That’s because our goal was to find out what the effort was going to be on the pitch. We wanted to find out what the maximum effort was that we could put on the pitch without actually maxing out.”

Former MLB pitching coach Leo Mazzone — Former MLB Pitching Coach Leo Mazzone

Mazzone has written two books on pitching. His Pitch Like A Pro, published in 1999, was kind of revolutionary for its time. “The (Braves’) throwing program is so simlpe and yet so imaginative,” he wrote. “It dictates that you pitch on a regular basis with a carefully regulated effort. The key is knowing how to throw between starts without going all out on every pitch.”

At a time in which baseball has fallen in love with power arms (is there a team in the major leagues without at least three arms in the bullpen capable of throwing 95+ on a consistent basis?

By regulating the intensity of a pitcher’s throws, Mazzone pointed out that the end result was not only a smoothing out of a pitcher’s mechanics, but more often than not, the control improved dramatically.

Baseball Health Network Seminar April 11, 2016

The Baseball Health Network‘s latest seminar – “Coach, my arm arm hurts.” Now what? – was held at Professional Baseball Instruction‘s indoor training facility in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Baseball Health Network staff - Dr. Ahmad, Doug Cinnella, Steve Hayward, Eric D'Agati, Leo Mazzone — The Baseball Health Network

The evening was hosted by BHN founding partner Doug Cinnella and featured presentations by BHN founder Steve Hayward, Performance Director Eric D’Agati, Dr. Christopher Ahmad, and legendary former MLB pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

Highlights included a full demonstration by Eric on Trunk Rotation and Shoulder Mobility, using a local high school coach as his test subject.

A full video showing how to test and fix trunk rotation can be found under “premium videos” here on the BHN website.

Steve detailed the importance of proper throwing mechanics, along with ideas on playing catch with a purpose. He also incorporated a power point presentation that illustrated some of the common mistakes young pitchers make and how to correct them.

Dr. Ahmad‘s power point demonstration shed light on baseball’s current love affair with velocity, and how it’s not necessarily good for the game. He also showed video footage of an actual Tommy John surgical procedure.

Leo Mazzone spoke of the benefits of throwing more often with less intensity and how that philosophy not only carried the Atlanta Braves to 14 consecutive National League Eastern Division crowns an a World Series victory, but also helped keep his pitching staffs relatively injury-free under his supervision.

A full Q&A, hosted by PBI’s Jim Monaghan, followed featuring questions from the audience as well as some submitted in advance over the Internet.

“Coach, My Arm Hurts.” – Now What?

John Lackey If you or your child has played baseball for any appreciable amount of time, there’s a good chance you’ve heard complaints of pain. It has become all too common for players to be suffering from pain in their throwing arm. Many times it’s just a warning sign from their body that something is wrong and if addressed properly, there will be no further issues. Other times, that warning sign is just the beginning of something far more serious – possibly an injury that can lead them straight into the operating room!!!

The statistics are there – each year, players younger and younger are experiencing serious throwing arm injuries. Some of these injuries are causing players to miss a couple weeks of practice and games; others are ending their seasons, even threatening their careers.

The bottom line is this – throwing a baseball puts extreme stress on the joints, tendons and ligaments of pitchers as well as athletes who play multiple positions.

The only way to prevent your child from becoming a statistic is to educate yourself on both the causes and solutions.

On Monday April 11 from 7:30-10PM, the Baseball Health Network will present an educational seminar on this topic with an All-Star lineup that includes legendary MLB pitching coach Leo Mazzone, Dr. Christopher Ahmad (head team physician for the New York Yankees), and Steve Hayward & Eric D’Agati from the Baseball Health Network. Professional Baseball Instruction’s Doug Cinnella will be your host for the evening.

TOPICS:
* Injuries/injury prevention
* Arm care/maintenance
* Pitch counts
* Training pitchers for health/success

A question and answer session will follow.

COST: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
LOCATION: Professional Baseball Instruction, 107 Pleasant Avenue, Upper Saddle River NJ

TO REGISTER:
Online registration (credit card/PayPal) – Click Here
Call 800-282-4638

Baseball Health Network 4/11/16 seminar

Former MLB Pitching Coach Leo Mazzone Coming to NYC

Tommy John Town Hall Meeting June 28, 2016

Tommy John Surgery Panel With BHN Members Chris Ahmad & Leo Mazzone

Mazzone – “Want to keep that arm healthy? Throw more!”

Baseball Health Network Seminar April 11, 2016

“Coach, My Arm Hurts.” – Now What?

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