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Pitch, Pressure, & Psychology: Performance Unchained Insider (Ed. 17) - Athlete Recovery

Welcome to Pitch, Pressure, & Psychology: Performance Unchained Insider (Ed. 17) - Athlete Recovery


From biomechanics to mindset, this edition brings the science that supports the grind. I’m incredibly thankful to every coach, clinician, therapist, and high-performance pro who’s followed this journey. What started as a solo subscriber experiment (yes, just me) has grown into a tight-knit community of performance-obsessed thinkers pushing the field forward.

This newsletter wouldn’t exist without your support. Every follow, share, comment, and like not only helps me reach more eyes, it holds me accountable to keep finding the most relevant, evidence-backed studies shaping the future of performance, recovery, and sports psychology health.


This edition dives into: 

⚾️ Biomechanical hip patterns in high school baseball pitchers 

🧊 Recovery science combining massage, BFR, and cold therapy for MMA athletes 

🧠 The psychological effects of training frequency and habits on adolescent mental health

If you care about bridging research and real-world application in the trenches of human performance,  this one’s for you.


📥 Not subscribed yet? SUBSCRIBE and get exclusive, research-backed insights sent straight to your inbox, built for performance, not fluff.


So lets dive into it!


Randy Palacios

Founder,

Flexfit Wellness & Recovery

Wellness Spotlight: Top Recovery Tip of the Month



🥊 Battered, Bruised… and Back in 48 Hours?

Let’s be honest, recovery is the hidden training partner that too many athletes leave waiting outside the ring. But what if I told you that a smart combo of sports massage and a tactical blend of cold therapy + blood flow restriction (BFR) might just be your fastest route back to peak power?

A recent randomized controlled trial by Trybulski and colleagues (2025) put this recovery dream team to the test…and the results pack a punch.


💡 The Big Question:

Can sports massage or a cold-BFR combo help MMA fighters bounce back faster after fatigue?

Spoiler alert: YES!  And they might just be your new secret weapons.


🔬 Inside the Lab (or Dojo):

36 MMA athletes were pushed to the edge with brutal plyometric box jumps (five sets to failure). Then, each was assigned one of three post-fatigue protocols:


  • 👐 Group 1: Massage (the classic)

  • ❄️💥 Group 2: Cold + BFR alternating for 20 minutes

  • 🛋️ Group 3: Control (just… rest)


Researchers measured everything: blood flow, muscle elasticity, jump performance (RSI), pressure pain threshold, and recovery perception over 48 hours.


📈 What Did They Find?

Massage and Cold+BFR were both winners. At the 48-hour mark, these groups had:

- Increased blood flow 

- Better muscle elasticity 

- Higher reactive strength (they jumped higher, faster) 

- Better perceived recovery

The control group? Still tired.

But here's the twist: pain tolerance didn't differ much across groups. That means even if you feel sore, your body might still be bouncing back stronger beneath the surface.


🧠 The Takeaway for You (Athlete or Coach):

Forget the ice bath dread. Recovery isn't just about suffering, it’s about strategy. Whether you're an MMA warrior or a weekend athlete, modalities like massage or BFR+cold therapy can slash your downtime and protect your power.


⚙️ Real-World Application:


  • Trainers & Coaches: Whether you're coaching a fighter or a footballer, this protocol isn't exclusive to MMA. Cold+BFR can be easily integrated into team sports recovery protocols, think post-match soccer cool-downs or back-to-back tournament recovery in volleyball and basketball.

  • Athletes: Endured a high-volume leg day? Coming off a grueling tennis match or sprint session? Treat your muscles with the same level of intent you bring to your workouts. This method isn’t just for elite combat athletes, it’s for anyone looking to optimize bounce-back time and performance output.

  • Clinicians & Therapists: Combine subjective tools like Total Quality Recovery (TQR) with objective metrics like reactive strength index (RSI) to design personalized post-fatigue strategies. Particularly useful in rehab scenarios post-ACL or hamstring injuries where tissue loading needs to be gradual and precise.

  • Strength & Conditioning Professionals in Team Sports: Think beyond the ice bath, incorporate BFR cuffs and cold sleeves during game-week microcycles to maintain freshness without compromising training loads in sports like rugby, basketball, and even track cycling.


🚀 Ready to Recover Smarter?

If you've hit the wall, been misled by bro-science recovery hacks, or simply need a pro in your corner, I’m your friendly neighborhood Athletic Performance Consultant/ Wellness Strategist. With 15+ years of elite experience, from rehab to ring-ready, I tailor recovery plans that work for you.


Let’s turn soreness into strength.

Athletic Performance Spotlight: Unlock Your Edge Tip of the Month



⚾ “Hips Don’t Lie: How High School Pitchers Can Unlock Hidden Power and Prevent Injury”

Hey coaches, parents, and scout-team insiders, it’s time to zero in on the unsung hero of the perfect pitch: the hip. A brand-new study in Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine by Manzi et al. (2025) reveals why hip mobility isn’t just a bonus, it’s a game-changer.


🔍 What They Did

Researchers observed 56 high school pitchers using high-precision 3D motion analysis while throwing fastballs. They focused on the hip flexion-extension range in both the lead and back leg to see how this influenced pitch velocity and elbow/shoulder stress.


📊 What They Found


  • Reduced hip motion was common among high school pitchers compared to pro counterparts:

  • Limited hip mobility didn’t reduce pitch speed, but it increased stress on the shoulder, setting up a risk for overuse injuries.


🌀 Why It Matters

The throwing motion is a kinetic chain: legs → hips → core → arm. When hip motion is limited:


  • Force doesn’t transfer efficiently

  • Shoulders and elbows absorb the excess stress

  • Injury risk goes up without performance gains


🛠 Playbook Takeaways for Coaches & Trainers


  1. Assess hip range of motion regularly, simple mobility screens go a long way.

  2. Train hip extension with strength + mobility work (e.g., hip thrusts, banded lunges, rotational drills).

  3. Reinforce timing and sequencing between lower and upper body mechanics.


🔄 Beyond the Mound: How Other Sports Can Use This

This isn’t just for baseball. Any sport with rotational power or ballistic movement benefits from better hip mechanics:


  • 🏌️ Golfers rely on hip clearance for club speed and accuracy.

  • 🏒 Hockey players need explosive hip drive in slapshots and skating strides.

  • 🏀 Basketball players generate force in jumps and cuts through the hips.

  • 🥊 Boxers and martial artists rotate through the hips for knockout power.

  • 🏈 Quarterbacks and pitchers? Same movement. Same injury risks. Same fix.


In short: if your sport involves twisting, throwing, cutting, or striking, hip mechanics are foundational.


🧠 Pro Insight

If you're only treating the arm, you're missing the engine. Hip mobility is a foundational pillar, ignore it, and you're building performance on borrowed time.

In my experience working with elite athletes across multiple sports, the hips often tell the story behind both performance gains and nagging injuries. This study reminds us that small deficits in joint mobility can ripple into big problems upstream. Whether you're on the field, the mat, or the court, optimize the hips, and the rest will follow. 


🧩 Need an Edge?

If you've hit the wall, been misled by bro-science recovery hacks, or simply need a pro in your corner, I'm your neighborhood Athletic Performance Consultant/ Wellness Strategist. With 15+ years of elite experience from post-op rehab to pro-level return-to-play, I design systems that are individualized, science-backed, and performance-driven. Whether it’s unlocking a pitcher's hip torque or tailoring recovery protocols that go beyond ice packs and foam rollers, I’m here to elevate your game. #YouthBaseball #PitchingMechanics #HipMobility #KineticChain #InjuryPrevention #SportsBiomechanics #StrengthAndConditioning #BaseballCoach #AthleteDevelopment #SportsScienceResearch

Mental Performance Spotlight: Mind Over Matter Tip of the Month



🧠🏀 Sweat, Science, and Sanity: What Basketball, Golf, and Table Tennis Teach Us About Teen Well-Being

Imagine a high school gym. One side echoes with the rhythmic thump of basketballs. Another hums with the focused poise of table tennis rallies. Across the courtyard, a group swings clubs under the calm of a morning sun on the golf range. They may look like ordinary extracurriculars, but according to a fascinating new study out of Japan, these sports are quietly transforming adolescent health in powerful, measurable ways.


📚 The Big Question

Researchers asked: How do different sports and the frequency and intensity with which teens play them impact their fitness and mental health, particularly in a post-pandemic world of rising anxiety and depression?

Turns out, the answers aren’t just intriguing, they're a playbook for how we should be building youth training programs.


📊 What They Did:

241 university students were recruited and split into sports-based training groups (golf, basketball, and table tennis), each training 15 times over 4 months, while also analyzing frequency and duration of regular exercise habits.

They measured:


  • Vital capacity (hello, cardio!)

  • Explosive power (e.g., long jump)

  • Flexibility (think: toe touches)

  • And self-rated anxiety and depression levels


💥 The Results? Nothing Short of Game-Changing.


  • 🏌️Golf improved lung capacity and flexibility while reducing anxiety and depression. Tranquil + effective.

  • 🏀 Basketball was the king of explosive power gains, plus solid mental health perks.

  • 🏓 Table Tennis boosted lung function and nudged depression scores down.


And perhaps most importantly:

Students who exercised more frequently and consistently, regardless of sport, reported significantly lower anxiety and depression levels. 

Even low-intensity routines had big psychological returns.


⚖️ Takeaway for Coaches, Parents, and Athletes Alike:


  • Not every teen needs a high-intensity grind to thrive.

  • Mental health gains come not from perfection, but from participation and consistency.

  • Want to boost lung health, power, or flexibility? Choose the sport that matches your vibe and goals.


💼 Real World Play:

✅ Athletic programs: Incorporate varied training to support full-spectrum development, physical and emotional. 

✅ Parents: Let teens enjoy their sport, especially post-pandemic. Emotional benefits often come from the rhythm of activity, not its intensity. 

✅ Mental health pros: Movement is medicine, especially when done consistently and joyfully.


I just want them to “Make it”:

However, the study also cautioned that extremely high-intensity activity, especially when done without rest or variation, can increase anxiety and depressive symptoms. 

This is especially concerning in today’s youth sports culture, where early specialization is the norm rather than the exception. Multiple studies have shown that early specialization, defined as intensive training in a single sport before age 12, is linked to higher rates of burnout, injury, and psychological distress (Jayanthi et al., 2013; Bell et al., 2016). 

With the rise of AAU circuits, club teams, and year-round travel ball, many adolescents are logging professional-level hours without the emotional maturity or physical resilience to handle the load. 

The takeaway? 

Long-term athletic development, which includes multisport play, unstructured activity, and mental recovery, is not just safer but more effective. Sometimes, pulling back now means your child will still love the game and be healthy enough to play it later. 


🚀 Need to Build a Teen Wellness Plan That Works?

If you're a coach, educator, or parent navigating the complexities of athletic development and mental health or an athlete yourself tired of guesswork and burnout, I’m your neighborhood Athletic Performance Consultant or Wellness Strategist. With over 15 years working with elite performers and young athletes alike, I design performance pathways that are science-backed, personalized, and sustainable.

Thats a Wrap!


If this edition sparked a new insight or validated something you’ve seen in the trenches, let me know below.👇 Your thoughts, comments, and shares keep this movement alive and growing.

Whether it was the study on cold therapy + BFR in MMA recovery, the hip mechanics behind high school pitching, or how exercise habits are shaping adolescent mental health, the goal is always the same: spotlight science that drives better outcomes.


📥 Subscribe if you haven’t already and if you’re already here, thank you. You’re not just a reader, you’re part of a community reshaping what optimal performance and recovery truly mean.

Let’s keep turning insights into action. Let’s keep building a future where science, recovery, and performance aren’t separate conversations, they’re one unified mission.


Until next time! Stay curious, stay committed, and keep breaking limits.


Randy Palacios

Founder,

Flexfit Wellness & Recovery

Athlete Recovery Edition 17 - pitch, psychology, & performance

 
 
 

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