Richie Contartesi

STRONG FEET & ANKLES AT BFC The most overlooked piece in fast bowling performance. ✅Whether you’re hip or knee dominant, or your heel stays up or down at back foot contact (BFC)—one thing is non-negotiable: Your ankle must be stable. Heel up or down is not a key descriptor. Coaches have gone down the wrong path. Stability and controlling the collision on your terms is key ⁉️Here’s why it matters: 1. FORCE TRANSFER BEGINS AT BFC Your back foot is the first braking and loading point. A strong, stiff ankle stops you collapsing and redirects force up the chain Weak ankles = delayed hip rotation + lost timing. 2. REFLEXIVE STABILITY A strong ankle triggers the stepping reflex and hip extension, helping you rotate and stride efficiently If the ankle gives, the hip won’t engage properly = energy leak. This is crucial for hip-dominant bowlers, but applies to all. 3. VERTICAL FORCE & TENDON STIFFNESS The foot-ankle unit builds pre-tension, helping vertical force and loading the front leg cleanly This supports higher RFD (rate of force development)—a key metric in elite speed. 4. SEQUENCING STARTS FROM THE MIDDLE BUT TRANSMITTED FROM THE GROUND Foot and ankle stiffness sets up swing leg retraction, hip lock, and trunk rotation Your intra- and interlimb coordination relies on a secure base. 5. REDUCE INJURY RISK Weak ankles = overpronation, tibial twist, trunk misalignment Strong ankles = protect knees, hips, spine. 6. SPRINTING PARALLEL BFC is like mid-stance in sprinting. Whether heel stays up or down is individual… But ankle stiffness and midfoot contact are universal for reactivity. BOTTOM LINE: You can be heel-up or heel-down. Hip- or knee-dominant. But you can’t be unstable. Add barefoot bowling drills, calf-eccentrics, spring mechanics, isometrics, and skill stability paradigm to your weekly plan Foot and ankle training isn’t optional. #pacelab #pacelabprinciples #thefoot #ankle #bfc #fastbowling #isometrics

45

4 Comments

Coaching insight: your equilibrium governs swing speed. In today’s lesson I share a quick self‑screen (close‑eyes and one‑leg tests) and a finish‑hold drill that stabilizes the lead ankle so you can turn through the ball with confidence. Watch Full Video Here: https://lnkd.in/esSUgwJ3 #GolfInstruction #GolfTips #Balance #SwingSpeed #JohnHughesGolf

7

Stop Saying “We Can’t.” Start Asking “How Can We?” I thought the first article would rattle some cages so to get a head of it. “Matt, you don’t coach in college.” “Matt, you don’t know the intricacies of NCAA policy.” “Matt, that’s not how the system works.” You’re right. I don’t live in the NCAA compliance office. But I do know this: I’ve spent 45 years helping hundreds of players find success in college, the pros, and beyond. And I’ve seen just as many get stuck in a broken system that wasn’t built for them it was built to protect itself. We Keep Saying “Can’t”: “You can’t do that NCAA won’t allow it.” “You can’t start your own academy.” “You can’t fund youth development through college.” But maybe the problem isn’t that we can’t. It’s that too many people stopped asking how we can. Here's What I Tell Players: “You GET to do this. Not you HAVE to.” That mindset is everything. It keeps the passion alive. It fuels the grind. It’s why you still show up when no one’s watching. So why are we building player pathways that feel more like red tape than roadmaps? Are we developing players or just Grading them (MLS nEXT)? Aren’t We Supposed to Be the Land of Opportunity? The land of freedom, creativity, and building something out of nothing? Then why does the American soccer system feel like we’re just choosing between Option A, B, or C because someone else wrote the rulebook 30 years ago? What if the best path is Option X, Y, or Z? What if we built a model that wasn’t controlled by TV contracts, outdated compliance manuals, or who’s allowed to make money? Yes, We Need Structure. But We Also Need Freedom: - Players who can flow between college and pro freely - Coaches who can build true pipelines - Systems that work for all kids not just the ones with the money, connections, or the perfect résumé We need to stop protecting a system that isn’t protecting the players. Let’s start designing one that does. Don’t tell me it can’t be done. I’ve seen it done in other countries. I’ve helped players carve out those paths by hand. It’s time to stop building around the system… and start building something better. Let’s open the floodgates. - Want to build this with me? - Want to prove it’s possible? - Want to stop talking and start doing? We need independent thinkers talking please !

11

1 Comment

​Here are 5 things I’d do, right now...if I was looking to move or stay ahead. The season’s over, for most teams and leagues. Not MLB...they're in full flow...but you get my drift. In the world of elite football for example (soccer to those in North America:))... - New managers. - New regimes. - New budgets. And suddenly, staff are on the move.​ If you work in sports medicine or performance, this is when the carousel spins fastest. ​ Those 5 things: 1. Audit your story What do you actually stand for? Is your CV just a list of jobs, or does it show how you think, lead, and improve environments and improve culture at a team? No one hires you for your job title...they hire you for your impact. 2. Reconnect with your network Not with a “Hey, I’m looking” email (laughing inside as 'You Got Mail' was on last night on TV). Reconnect with value. “Saw this article and thought of you.” “Noticed your team’s injury rates dropped...kudos, amazing work.” Give > Take. Always. Givers get lucky! 3. Get clear on what you want next Role? Yes. But also: - Type of culture - Kind of leadership - Level of autonomy Most people chase jobs BUT smart ones chase fit. 4. Publish something once a week A thought. A mistake. A method. A win. Build proof of your thinking.​ Don’t aim for viral. Aim for visible!!! The right people notice consistency, not perfection. 5. Stay ready If someone called tomorrow and said: “We’re building something special. Want in?” Are your materials, mindset, and message ready? Or would you scramble? People don’t just hire skill. They hire story. And how clearly you know where you’re going. Now is the time. Make it count. #recruitment #culture #performance ​

46

1 Comment

Induced Vertical Break (IVB): A Weapon with Overlooked Considerations (THREAD) 🧵 Let's be honest, few data driven metrics have exploded in popularity across player development the way Induced Vertical Break (IVB) has over the last couple years. If you dive down the baseball social media rabbit hole, you’ll see it everywhere: data visualization of fastballs by vert, player development threads about spin efficiency, and Stuff+ models that weigh IVB heavily in projection models. While IVB is without a doubt a powerful tool, chasing it blindly can inherently become a double edged sword. Induced Vertical Break is a measure of how much a baseball resists the force of gravity compared to a “spinless” pitch. Think of it this way: Imagine throwing a ball with no spin at all, it would decline over its duration of flight downward as distance increases, more or less at a predictable rate under the influence of gravitational force. A fastball w/ backspin inherently resists that linear decline through the Magnus effect, and IVB tells us exactly how much less it falls than gravity in isolation. To be clear: a high IVB fastball doesn’t actually rise, despite how it is often described. What happens instead is that the ball drops less than hitters expect, creating a more or less optical and timing illusion for the guy standing 60'6" away in the batters box. Why does IVB matter? Whiff%: High IVB fastballs generate a significantly higher Whiff%, particularly in the upper thirds of the strike zone rooted in the optical and timing related illusion of "carry", especially in a developmental landscape driven by attack angle. Arsenal Pairing: Fastballs w/ enhanced vertical characteristics inherently pair well with pitches that attack on the horizontal plane (sweepers, sliders, changeups, breaking balls). In terms of arsenal optimization, a north/south vs. east/west separation simply plays. The high-IVB fastball plays above the barrel, while sweepers and changeups tunnel from a similar release point before separation, or vertical profile breaking ball / gryo slider offerings. Stuff+ / Run Value Models: These predictive models inherently reward IVB, especially when paired with velocity. A 95+ mph fastball with 18–20 inches of IVB scores extremely well in projection models because it consistently misses bats and limits damage when elevated. In today’s data driven landscape, where player valuation/promotions/contracts are at the mercy of model-driven data; High IVB fastballs can and often boost performance outcomes but how the organization sees future value. The industry understands the objective value of high IVB fastballs, so training/developmental stimulus often focuses on just that: “adding ride.” Check out the full thread on X here, there is a whole lot more: https://lnkd.in/eF3Zwn6K

10

The WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) has an opportunity to do something special right now.    The league is at an inflection point with the breakdown in player contract negotiations, and its commissioner is struggling mightily to build (and rebuild) trust with players.    In today’s installment of Unsolicited Advice, Anne Morriss and I discuss how to *not* waste this crisis.    The predictable path is for the WNBA to retreat into its own patronizing defensiveness, a familiar crouch for sports leagues in moments like this. The unpredictable path is to find the courage to listen and do things differently this time.    We think the lessons of this moment can be applied well beyond the world of sports.   I hope you enjoy. TED Conferences | Harvard Business School | Pushkin Industries

191

23 Comments

Raising capital is just like the high school recruiting process. When a school or investment firm first reaches out, they will roll out the red carpet if you’re high on their board. This is the time to listen with your eyes and watch with your ears. Coaches or investors will absolutely sell you the dream. The ones showering you with compliments and looking to move fast? Typically, this is a smoke screen that quickly goes away once contracts have been signed. After you’ve formalized things, reality sets in and the compliments go away. Let’s say you’ve gotten your first offer or term sheet. Congratulations, now ask them if this is a committable offer. I’ve had multiple #investors offer me 7 figure checks in the past but when it came time to collect on a wire transfer… things seemed to change. This is similar to recieving a verbal offer from a school. It’s not real until you’ve signed the national letter of intent. Only difference with raising capital? It’s not real until a wire transfer has hit as most term sheets are non-binding. My advice to another #founder looking to raise #capital and ignite their #business? Move with intention and purpose. You may think speed and momentum are to your advantage. Spend the time developing the relationship first. Through building a relationship you can vette out who you do and don’t align with. (The more you practice this, the faster you get at coming to a decision.) Remember when it comes to raising capital, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I’d rather get into business with true partners over accepting the largest or most attractive checks. A team is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Unless it is clear from the start that someone is a ghost member on the cap table and their value add is their capital contribution, be diligent with who you bring on your team. Be smart, read the room, and trust your intuition.

18

4 Comments

Step #1 in selling more tickets to businesses is to get the appointment. Step #2 when you arrive is break your prospect's pre-occupation barrier. Is that with a stick, basketball, baseball bat or purple suit? Some ideas in this week's Secrets of The Ultimate Toolkit Revealed.

17

The FULL pivot series to play off a jump stop: 👀 to the rim & show the 🏀 on ALL stops and pivots 1\ Shoot over the top Get to the spot and shoot over a smaller defender 2\ Shot fake, shoot over the top Get to the spot and disrupt the timing of the defender with a fake 3\ Inside foot front pivot (the foot closest to the 🗑️ ) ➡️ step through When the defender over pursues 4\ Inside foot front pivot ➡️ step through ➡️ turn around J Create space if the defender closes on the step through 5\ Inside foot reverse pivot, drop step - “Kobe Pivot” 6\ Inside foot, fake the reverse pivot, shoot over the top See: Hakeem Olajuwon “Dream Shake” See the last two pivots in the tweet below, and more on this jump stop pivoting breakdown right here: https://lnkd.in/gTAJpVBC 7\ Outside foot front pivot (the foot farthest from the 🗑️ ) ➡️ turnaround jumper Create space to shoot over the top (see film) 8\ Outside foot front pivot, turnaround, step through If the defender bites on the turnaround, step around him to the rim After teaching all the pivoting techniques, put them to the test against live defense in a small sided game Encourage players not to script their moves, but instead try to read the defensive cues in real time Dozens of the best and most detailed resources for high school basketball coaches can be found here: https://lnkd.in/ebQaqAqZ

9

"𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲." As Leaders, being "𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲" is vital to helping your organization grow beyond your current results.  You need to be able to see the "truth" about your business and not fall into the rut of making excuses... " When the team wins more games we will sell more..." " There is a lot of competition in our market..." " This is the way we have always done it...." " Our staff is "okay" but have been here a long time and deserve a promotion...." " It was very rainy this season..." " Interest in our tea,/sort is way down...." "The sun was in my eyes 😎 ...." To grow your business you need to have an honest assessment of where your business is currently minus all of the excuses.  One of my favorite questions to ask my teams, and now our clients, is "what are our/your barriers to success?"  Often times it is amazing to hear what gets shared with a consultant that they won't share with their leadership. This information is part of the roadmap to improvement. After you become more aware of your organization's "truth" you then need to 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 that it is okay to admit you/your team needs help.  This is not a sign of weakness but rather a sign of strength and self-awareness. Three quick steps to being a more aware Leader and move your business forward: 👇 1. 𝗔𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 - this means you need to take any honest assessment of your situation and "𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘴𝘩*𝘵" 2. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 - it is okay to raise your hand and ask for assistance. 🙋 3. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 - it is much more effective and efficient to talk with someone who has "𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴" about how they handle(d) certain situations. These are simple yet effective steps that can help transform your business. It is amazing how a second set of eyes and ears on a situation will shed a tremendous amount of light - if you are open to receiving it. I am happy to help you and your organization if you need help...feel free to DM me and we can discuss.  #leadership #culture #askforhelp #sportsbusiness

24

2 Comments

“Nice guys don’t finish last. They build the future.” For as long as I’ve been in business, I’ve been told the same thing: You’re too nice. Business isn’t built on trust, it’s built on leverage. And yet, science and experience tell a different story. The Prisoner’s Dilemma, one of the most famous models in game theory, proves that in repeated interactions cooperation consistently outperforms selfishness. The winning strategy? ✅ Cooperate first. ✅Stand strong against bad actors. ✅Forgive and return to collaboration quickly. ✅Be predictable, not random. Cutthroat tactics might deliver a short-term win. But in the long run, collaboration, clarity, and consistency win bigger and win sustainably. The truth is, today’s business isn’t about extraction. It’s about ecosystems. It’s about designing value chains where everyone thrives, not just one player. So if being called “too nice” is the price, I’ll take it. Because in this new world, being nice is not weakness, it’s the real power. #Leadership #Strategy #GameTheory #Collaboration #PrisonersDilemma #NiceGuys #PowerToThePeople

23

Seller notes get a bad reputation in SMB deals.   Buyers hesitate to ask for them. Sellers hesitate to offer them. And deals that could close fall apart.   So where does the stigma come from?   𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 “𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻” 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗱. Fake dealmakers push 100% seller financing. Sellers hear it and think: “Why should I take all the risk while the buyer puts in nothing?” That mindset has soured many sellers on notes altogether.   𝟮. 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀. Plenty of lawyers, brokers, and consultants preach: The only money a seller can count on is what’s paid at closing. The message: seller notes are risky and unreliable.   Both views miss the point.   A well-structured seller note: • Aligns incentives, keeping the seller invested post-closing. • Bridges valuation gaps without stalling the deal. • Protects sellers with clear remedies if payments aren’t made.   Yes, it isn’t cash on the table. But they can give sellers more leverage than sitting behind the bank. And in a strong company, with a capable buyer and good terms, the odds of default are far lower than the myths suggest.   Seller notes aren’t “dirty.” They’re one of the most practical tools to align interests and get deals done.   Good dealmakers don’t run from them. They use them to close gaps, manage risk, and finish the deal.   𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳? #SellerFinancing #MergersAndAcquistions #SMB #BusinessBuying  

9

4 Comments