The David Parkinson Story: Velocity = Opportunity

Heading into his senior year of high school, David Parkinson had no scholarship opportunities being offered to him. Then he came to an INVINCIBLE VELOCITY camp. Eighteen months later his opportunities include a potential high draft pick in the June MLB amateur draft and several large scholarship offers from the top schools in the ACC and SEC. Here is an excerpt of his story as told by INVINCIBLE VELOCITY founder Jeff Roberts.

It’s 9 am on a June morning when I pull up to the stadium with a trailer full of baseballs, bands, laptops, monitors, tables and chairs, and food and water for the first INVINCIBLE Velocity Camp of the summer. Day 1 of the two day event isn’t scheduled to start for another couple of hours but he’s already here, sitting on a chair in the shade of the clubhouse. I don’t know who he is yet, but boy I am glad to see him. Usually set up for the camp is a one man job, but its already smoking hot this morning and the sun hasn’t fully cleared the pines that line the road. It will be nice to have a helper today.

I hop out of the cab of the truck and head down the steps to enlist his aid.   He sees me coming and stands up. “Big boy,” I say to myself. He grins and extends his hand before I can say anything out loud to him. “Good morning Coach, need some help?” I answer “yes” then ask why he’s here so early. He grins again and says “I thought it started earlier. The lady with the keys to the restrooms was here and said it started at 11 am, so I figured I would wait.”

At this point all I can say for sure is he is a big boy and he’s left handed (the glove gave it away) “You are,” I start to say. “David Parkinson”, he quickly replies.  “I pitch for the Richmond Braves 17U.”  Ok. He’s a big boy, a lefty, a rising senior who plays for the top travel program and before today, I hadn’t heard much about him. Wonder why?

The early morning promise of a scorching hot day is fulfilled by the time we break out of the classroom session of the camp and take the field for the first time around 2 pm.  It takes that long to introduce David and the other participants to the Pillars of Invincibility, essentially the language and vocabulary of high velocity throwing that we use to describe our methods.

A camp full of first timers is a beautiful thing. After listening to us mostly contradict everything they have ever heard about pitching and throwing, they can’t wait to get on the field and show us their stuff. Predictably they spill out of the classroom onto the field and head straight for the bucket to grab a baseball.  One of our staff is already there to greet them.  “We don’t throw to warm up. We warm up to throw. Put the baseballs back and step away for the bucket,” he says gently.   About 45 minutes later, they are back at the bucket to get a baseball. Only now they know what it means when we say “warm up to throw” and nobody more than David. Sweat is rolling down the big boy’s face. His cheeks are bright red and I notice for the first time that there is more boy than man in that big body as the sweat glistens on the peach fuzz on his face.

At age 17, Mother Nature hasn’t finished with this kid and I am reminded of another lefty who pitched for the Braves a few years ago.  Danny Hultzen was already an artist when I first saw him at age 12. He still was more boy than man at age 17. Mother Nature finally caught up with him his senior year in high school  and by the time he reached the mound at Davenport Field in Charlottesville he was untouchable.

David is really huffing and puffing. It’s hot as blue blazes so I give him the benefit of the doubt and ask who he goes to for athletic training. He gives me a blank stare.  “Professionally supervised strength and conditioning,” I say. No answer from David,  so I turn and ask for a show of hands. “How many of you go to someone for professionally supervised strength and conditioning? Not something offered by your high school baseball coach or the weight training in PE. How many of you go to someone who has letters after his name that indicate he knows how to train athletes?”  No hands go up. No surprise.  “Significant opportunity for improvement”, one staffer says dryly in reference to a phrase used in lieu of the word “pitiful” by PT’s during physical evaluations.

After throwing for a while, it’s time for the first round of throwing tests. The first thing we measure is displacement.  The second test measures velocity.  After the tests are completed, I no longer wonder why I never heard much about David Parkinson. His throwing velocity is upper 70’s. One of the 14 year olds in the camp throws it just as hard.

Over the course of two days, we get to know the boys. We read their body language when we evaluate their throwing patterns. We watch them during the drills.  Are they leaning in when we speak? Parkinson is leaning in. He’s not going through the motions. He a rising senior with no opportunities to pitch in college.   And as camp draws to a close, we ask two simple questions to the assembled: Are you satisfied with your velocity? If not, are you willing to change? 

It’s a long two days and everyone scatters when it’s over. The packing up is usually a one man job. I am in the trailer when I hear “Need some help Coach?” I turn toward the back door of the trailer. It’s David Parkinson, leaning in.

INVINCIBLE VELOCITY POWER PITCHING TRAINING CAMP
Featuring: RAPSODO Spin Rate Assessment Technology

PLUS: BEYOND THE GYM: The only way to TRANSFORM yourself into the SUPER ATHLETIC BAD*SS WARRIOR who totally dominates the game (and life!) 

Cost:  $495 (Registration Required)
 

Who should attend: Pitchers of all ages and ability who want to throw harder. 
 

Topic: How to build head turning throwing velocity in 2019, combine it with the most incredible piece of technology ever invented to measure the flight of a ball and  and unlock your potential.

Great news!: Your chances of gaining a college scholarship just keep getting better! If you believe that throwing a baseball 90 mph is your ticket to a college baseball scholarship or pro contract, then first, you are right and second I have great news for you! Your competition is being told to GIVE IT UP! That's right, a vocal and very credible group of former athletes and medical experts have concluded that amateur baseball players throwing a baseball leads to Tommy John surgeries at the Major League Level. They recommend that youth and high school baseball players play less and limit development of throwing velocity! In other words, they are telling you and your competition NOT TO EVEN TRY. 

Hi, my name is Jeff Roberts. I'm not a former MLB player or a trained medical expert. If you are still reading this after that admission, then you must be one of those rare folks who know that following the herd guarantees mediocrity. I love it when I hear professional athletes and doctors discouraging baseball players from doing the exact things it takes to become great because I know it means my clients will have less competition in the future. Think about. These former big leaguers and world famous surgeons who got to where they are in life because they took HUGE RISKS and WENT AGAINST THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM and FEARLESSLY REACHED BEYOND THEIR CURRENT CAPABILITIES are now the CONVENTIONAL WISDOM. In baseball, like any endeavor, you have to find a way to separate yourself from almost everyone else. And the best way to separate yourself is to stop following the crowd, playing it safe, and start FEARLESSLY REACHING BEYOND YOUR CURRENT CAPABILITY!  Velocity equals opportunity. Period. In 20 years of coaching, scouting and training elite baseball players, I have never seen anyone who throws 90 mph not get a college or professional offer. Never. 

Where do you stand right now? Find the chart at the very bottom of this page and study it for a few moments.  Are you on track to get the opportunities you want?  Think about how you will feel if everyone stopped to watch whenever you throw a baseball off the mound, across the infield or out of the outfield! Or better yet  imagine how it will feel to get a baseball scholarship at the #1 college of your dreams or a big, fat signing bonus to play professionally!  If you can put yourself on the top of that chart and stay there, you can turn your dream into reality. The good news is that is never too early or too late to start training to throw 90 mph, but the bad news is: you aren't born with it; it is unlikely you will stumble across the right formula for developing it and you will to be berated by others for trying to be get ahead! 

Join me in this fast paced training camp of the Invincible Velocity Power Throwing Program. See first hand the process high velocity throwers use to add MPHs to their throws.  Learn the language, vocabulary and concepts we use to create world class throwers year in and year out. If you want to make heads turn, jaws drop and unlimited opportunities come your way in 2019 and beyond then join us for one of our training camps.

For more information on cost, availability contact jeff@d1draftable.com

The less traveled road leads to rich rewards.

Heading into his senior year of high school, David Parkinson had no scholarship opportunities being offered to him. Then he came to an INVINCIBLE VELOCITY camp. Eighteen months later his opportunities include a potential high draft pick in the June MLB amateur draft and several large scholarship offers from the top schools in the ACC and SEC. Here is an excerpt of his story as told by INVINCIBLE VELOCITY founder Jeff Roberts.

It’s 9 am on a June morning when I pull up to the stadium with a trailer full of baseballs, bands, laptops, monitors, tables and chairs, and food and water for the first INVINCIBLE Velocity Camp of the summer. Day 1 of the two day event isn’t scheduled to start for another couple of hours but he’s already here, sitting on a chair in the shade of the clubhouse. I don’t know who he is yet, but boy I am glad to see him. Usually set up for the camp is a one man job, but its already smoking hot this morning and the sun hasn’t fully cleared the pines that line the road. It will be nice to have a helper today.

I hop out of the cab of the truck and head down the steps to enlist his aid.   He sees me coming and stands up. “Big boy,” I say to myself. He grins and extends his hand before I can say anything out loud to him. “Good morning Coach, need some help?” I answer “yes” then ask why he’s here so early. He grins again and says “I thought it started earlier. The lady with the keys to the restrooms was here and said it started at 11 am, so I figured I would wait.”

At this point all I can say for sure is he is a big boy and he’s left handed (the glove gave it away) “You are,” I start to say. “David Parkinson”, he quickly replies.  “I pitch for the Richmond Braves 17U.”  Ok. He’s a big boy, a lefty, a rising senior who plays for the top travel program and before today, I hadn’t heard much about him. Wonder why?

The early morning promise of a scorching hot day is fulfilled by the time we break out of the classroom session of the camp and take the field for the first time around 2 pm.  It takes that long to introduce David and the other participants to the Pillars of Invincibility, essentially the language and vocabulary of high velocity throwing that we use to describe our methods.

A camp full of first timers is a beautiful thing. After listening to us mostly contradict everything they have ever heard about pitching and throwing, they can’t wait to get on the field and show us their stuff. Predictably they spill out of the classroom onto the field and head straight for the bucket to grab a baseball.  One of our staff is already there to greet them.  “We don’t throw to warm up. We warm up to throw. Put the baseballs back and step away for the bucket,” he says gently.   About 45 minutes later, they are back at the bucket to get a baseball. Only now they know what it means when we say “warm up to throw” and nobody more than David. Sweat is rolling down the big boy’s face. His cheeks are bright red and I notice for the first time that there is more boy than man in that big body as the sweat glistens on the peach fuzz on his face.

At age 17, Mother Nature hasn’t finished with this kid and I am reminded of another lefty who pitched for the Braves a few years ago.  Danny Hultzen was already an artist when I first saw him at age 12. He still was more boy than man at age 17. Mother Nature finally caught up with him his senior year in high school  and by the time he reached the mound at Davenport Field in Charlottesville he was untouchable.

David is really huffing and puffing. It’s hot as blue blazes so I give him the benefit of the doubt and ask who he goes to for athletic training. He gives me a blank stare.  “Professionally supervised strength and conditioning,” I say. No answer from David,  so I turn and ask for a show of hands. “How many of you go to someone for professionally supervised strength and conditioning? Not something offered by your high school baseball coach or the weight training in PE. How many of you go to someone who has letters after his name that indicate he knows how to train athletes?”  No hands go up. No surprise.  “Significant opportunity for improvement”, one staffer says dryly in reference to a phrase used in lieu of the word “pitiful” by PT’s during physical evaluations.

After throwing for a while, it’s time for the first round of throwing tests. The first thing we measure is displacement.  The second test measures velocity.  After the tests are completed, I no longer wonder why I never heard much about David Parkinson. His throwing velocity is upper 70’s. One of the 14 year olds in the camp throws it just as hard.

Over the course of two days, we get to know the boys. We read their body language when we evaluate their throwing patterns. We watch them during the drills.  Are they leaning in when we speak? Parkinson is leaning in. He’s not going through the motions. He a rising senior with no opportunities to pitch in college.   And as camp draws to a close, we ask two simple questions to the assembled: Are you satisfied with your velocity? If not, are you willing to change? 

It’s a long two days and everyone scatters when it’s over. The packing up is usually a one man job. I am in the trailer when I hear “Need some help Coach?” I turn toward the back door of the trailer. It’s David Parkinson, leaning in.

Coming soon: Chapter 2: The devil is in the details ... building a world class pitcher.