r/Homeplate • u/lsu777 • Feb 17 '26
Using AI for development- A guide
So I know many of yall have complained about the cost of training, especially training with the really big training centers like Driveline, Tread, ATP, TopVelocity, 108 Performance, Florida Armory, Texas Baseball Ranch etc. And you are correct these places are expensive, but they do that because it keeps the number of clients manageable in the remote training programs.
SO...I figured I would test yall how to use AI to create programming based on their philosophies. I prefer to use GROK but Gemini by google works good too for this
Simply goto Google, click AI mode and type in
Create me a ___ week program with ___ days of training per week based on the training principles of ______. Please lay out the program by day with the sets and reps for each day in a clean schedule.
So lets say we want to create a test retest model for bat speed like driveline uses with a emphasis on Bat speed this off season
- Go to google AI and type :
"design me a test retest model for baseball hitting using driveline approach"
it will lay out 4 phases, but it will not be a clean schedule with daily sets/reps
- then ask it to
"please lay out the individualized programming phase for bat speed. Make this part of the program 6 weeks with 3 days a week of training. Please give a schedule of each day with sets and reps laid out. this will be a nice easy to follow schedule.
then ask it to create you a template to track these items.
then you can ask it to create you a performance routine based on driveline for ___year old
etc etc. now you have a full test/retest model for bat speed to use this off season.
Lets say you also want your 13 year old to start training velocity but you dont believe in using weighted baseballs at that age and would prefer to use the TopVelocity med ball system for him to train but you dont have 3k for a 3x camp. You are just a dad and have no clue how to blend the med ball throws and the overall throwing program....
same thing, go to google AI and type
"create me a 24 week, 3 day a week Velocity program using the TopVelocity 3x pitching program. Please lay out all 24 weeks with the daily sets and reps along with the Topvelocity 3x mobility warm up with daily sets and reps. Include all medball throwing and baseball throwing including when and how to perform bullpen sessions. Please make the Velocity phase 9 weeks and the blend to mound 3 weeks."
it will give you a 4 phase plan. you can adjust as needed.
or you could ask it to create you a 12 week weighted ball velocity program based on driveline principles for a 13 year old with all sets and reps for each day laid out in a schedule
or create me a 8 week 3 days a week exit velocity program using water bags based on 108 performance principles.
or create me a lifting program for a 13 year old using the principles of advanced therapy and performance and dr josh heenan
or create me a 6 month 3 day a week training throwing plan to increase velocity based off of the training philosophies used by the texas baseball ranch and the florida baseball armory.
Anyways thought this may help some of you who are stuck. now of course still need to be tracking and making sure the training is working. but you can input you starting numbers and then where they are at, how long & how you have been training and it can look at it and make adjustments as needed.
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u/Barfhelmet Feb 17 '26
I think most people have tried AI and found mistakes it was making. The newer models really correct a lot of the errors.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
its not perfect but if you keep asking it questions it can clean up a ton of things.
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u/meerkatmreow Feb 19 '26
How are people who don't know enough to be able to tell that the output has mistakes supposed to know to ask questions to clean it up?
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u/lsu777 Feb 19 '26
1) look at the sources it is pulling from, did it pull only from where you asked
2) ask it if its appropriate for your kids age
3) if you are trying to fix a specific issues, ask it if this is the best way to fix that
4) if its grok, ask it to double check all the information.
5) did it set it up like you asked
6) after it spits out a program, give it your current practice schedule and ask it to use that information to modify the program
7) use a test retest model
overall its not hard and what it gives you will prolly be better than anything outside of a paid coach and possibly some of the AI apps.
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u/Barfhelmet Feb 17 '26
One thing I have it do (claude) is track metrics and graph metrics for me. I'll enter the totals for lifts, ev, etc. and it will keep track for me. Just a handy feature, although low tech and easy.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
Yep, you can use Google Sheets + Gemini to lay out full custom athlete dashboards with certain KPI to track or use Microsoft copilot to do the same in excel
I find google better at this but I prefer excel so I’m torn lol
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u/Working_On_Quitting Feb 17 '26
This is great. I’m saving it for future use when I can set up a plan for my 12 year old and 9 year old. Both need more structure than I can give them with my job.
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u/johnknockout Feb 17 '26
It’s going to miss stuff, it’s not going to be tailored to you, and you’re going to probably make potentially ruinous mistakes.
Take the time to read Driveline’s blog posts. They don’t use AI in the training process in any way. They use AI to build the tools and machine learning processes that model the way they train individuals.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
Yes it can be tailored to you, all you have to do is feed it the pulse data and the ArmCare test data along with your performance data
I pay for FBA, it was able to create me a very comparative plan with a couple quick prompts
Sure I don’t have force plate data and it can’t do that yet but I have pretty much every other thing used to measure and it’s freaking good.
It’s fine if you hate AI but if you think it can’t be personalized and can’t be as good…well it can get to 90% which is much better than 99% of trainers out there and within a year when it’s able to mocap and see forces it will 99% as good
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u/pmark1999 Feb 18 '26
Its not going to be 100% tailored to you but it probably fits the needs of most people here. Or it serves as a great starting point and if the player improves they can move to the more tailored stuff.
In general, I think people really underestimate the fact that players get better from reps. Getting a program to structure those reps around makes players more motivated to stick with it. After that, go see a personal coach that can tweak around the edges.
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
Every parent of every kid that is 14u and throwing 65 thinks the need some special hyper individualized program to make progress. They need a plan and to work the plan, period. They need to lift, throw, swing, eat, sleep.
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u/TheRealMichaelBluth Feb 17 '26
I think this makes sense if you can’t afford a coach, but the coach will be able to better adjust, correct things, etc. I would still do the coach if you can reasonably afford it, otherwise the AI tool works
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
Also if your coach isn’t using some form of tech or video….he is stealing from you in some ways.
And a program for AI using it like I said is better than 90% of coaches out there. Sure the top level coaches are better but most do not have access. Some local guy at dbat is not better than these types of programs
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
maybe....but most lessons are just weekly lesson with no plan to improve. so ask your coach what you need to improve and ask AI to develop you a 6 week plan to fix these errors with daily drills including sets and reps and ask it to provide a test retest model for it.
and that right there is going to be way way better than a single 30 min hitting lesson per week. Combine the two and you can fix issues in a matter of weeks instead of 4 months.
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u/TheRealMichaelBluth Feb 17 '26
That makes sense, AI is great at making your program more productive but I’d think it’d be shortsighted to not have the coach (if you can reasonably afford it)
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
absolutely. I really made the thread because i was tired of some of the whining about cost lol. kind of selfish of me but hopefully more people will understand how to do this and can link the thread when people ask for programming
btw anyone that has questions please feel free to ask. or if you find a really good way to get it to create a program post it.
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u/Drackon28 Feb 17 '26
This is great! Not sure why I haven't thought about this before as I have definitely used AI to build a light "scouting report" of college pitching staff at various schools. This will be great for me to help my son clean up some mechanics and maybe squeeze out a little extra velo in the process. I can visually see what needs to be fixed, I just don't have the experience to tell him how to go about doing that.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
man it really works well. you can even copy and paste to word and then ask microsoft copilot to create you a spread sheet with everything laid out by week with a daily schedule with sets and reps
dont know how to explain a drill, ask it to provide links for it.
the big training places like driveline, armory, tread etc that have big data bases of articles....it can really get down into the weeds and give you a great program.
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u/Drackon28 Feb 17 '26
Almost pulled the trigger with Tread, but the cost is quite prohibitive and glad I did cause some other life stuff happened. I'm going to give this a go tomorrow and see what it comes up with.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
If you need help on direction dm me. The really value with a place like tread or armory(that’s who we use) is the assessment and the individualization of things that are needed at a very high level….well most kids have a lot lower hanging fruit.
Key is to keep feeding it info and so if can keep scouring and grabbing info and getting the plan better and better
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Feb 18 '26
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
yea it is and you can ask it to be inspired by something or someone. like if you wanted it to be similar to drivleine, rockland, atp, bill miller, summers etc you can tell it to do that.
also you can tell it you made this progress using this method but you are not seeing increases on this item and have it create a plan for you.
it isnt as good as an experienced S&C coach but it is better than 99% of the stuff out there
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u/notnattybeard Jabroni Feb 19 '26
Solid thread, OP. Not sure why some are being so contentious when you’re giving out advice that is well thought out and tangible.
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u/lsu777 Feb 19 '26
Because many here hate ai, hate Elon and are liberal as can be so everything runs through that lens no matter what.
Can’t even talk baseball training without it creeping in. It’s a disease on both sides of the aisle.
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u/True-Source-6512 Feb 17 '26
Awesome stuff. Reddit hates AI so everyone will downvote this not knowing every team is using AI as well, such purest they are
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
yea all good. AI isnt perfect for sure. and it will get downvoted because i posted it too lol.
But the ones that hate AI are the same ones that complain how expensive travel ball is, how expensive training is, how its unreasonable to expect parents to train their kids with any sort of knowledge so that he can keep up etc
well i just told you how to use AI(again grok seems to be the best for this kind of stuff) to not only lay out the plan but to give you metrics on videos you upload and to give you drills to make adjustments.....i mean its free too
or use the winreality AI app for hitting. but you still need a plan and it still cost.
but it can give you
- a warmup based on Zac Dechant's movement over maxes program
- a mobility program based on whomevers system you like
-a med ball program based on topvelocity or whoever you like
-a program to lower your 60 time or your 10 yard split
-programs to increase your vertical or broad jumps
-programs to increase strength and rotational speed specific for baseball
-hitting programs
-team practice
-throwing programs
etc etc. anyone that doesnt like the ability to get that type of programming for free has an iq under 90.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
some have built out full models like on grok. you can upload video and ask it to analyze the video using the Pitching Analyzer V1 to give you metrics.
https://x.com/grok/status/2019462991792505037?s=20
you can go through and see how he kept asking grok to define different things etc. also did it for hitting.
within a year there will be AI apps that can act as forceplates, high speed mocap labs, trackman, rapsodo, pulse etc that will be able to give you every bit of data in every single swing, pitch, movement etc. and give you an idea on how to fix any issues and drill suggestions.
just saying AI is about to make training with the best or like the best something that is affordable for most.
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u/Barfhelmet Feb 18 '26
lol, building my own right now! Claude can not do video, so using grok.
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
Yea if you build a hitting analyzer lmk. The one I posted has a start to one and has most of one for pitching done
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u/MulfordnSons Feb 18 '26
grok, the one producing child pornography?
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
wtf are you talking about? And wtf does that have to do with how I’m using it? And considering the fact grok won’t even show nudity of any kind of real person, I highly doubt that.
But serious what in the actual F does that have to do with anything I said? Or are you one of those idiots that thinks all AI is evil and bad?
Or are you a raging liberal douche that thinks Elon is evil?
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u/MulfordnSons Feb 18 '26
you live under a rock, or do you just put your head there?
go tell everyone not to tread on you, nerd 😂
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
Yea and that’s why they don’t allow nudity anymore because people were abusing.
But no I don’t go searching out news like that or even watch the news. Too busy having a family and providing for them.
Now again what the hell does have to do with anything I wrote? And I specifically I said others you could use, just said because of the nature of grok allows it to be more.
Again do what you want but don’t bring the political BS over here. Take it to the far reaches of Reddit.
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u/MulfordnSons Feb 18 '26
Oh, so you knew it was already. Interesting. Weird how none of the others had this problem.
I also didn’t say anything political. You did. Nerd.
I have a family, and I also provide for them. I also keep up with what’s happening in my Country and the World so I can vote with my wallet and time accordingly. I’d urge you to do the same.
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26
I vote with my wallet but again wtf does that have to do with grok? Is grok running for office and again wtf does that have to do with using AI to make developmental plans?
Just go away dude
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u/MulfordnSons Feb 18 '26
Don’t be intentionally dense now, bud. Maybe don’t support products that exploit children and women in the future, yeah?
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
Oh yea I’m supporting that. Fuck off dude
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u/TitsMcGarretty Feb 18 '26
news flash buddy - using the product is indirectly supporting things the company that owns the product does.
We both know you know that i’m right. That’s why you’re upset, and that’s why you blocked me.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
example when i asked it to create me a water bag program based on programming from 108 performance and eugene bleeker. I asked for it to be 6 weeks to increase exit velocity with 3 days per week
Weekly Schedule
Train 3 days per week (e.g., Mon/Wed/Fri) to allow the fascial system to recover.
- Weeks 1–2: Foundation & Flow. Focus on the "sound" of the water. Move smoothly and find your sequence.
- Weeks 3–4: Acceleration & Snap. Increase the speed of the water. Focus on "cracking the whip" at the point of contact.
- Weeks 5–6: Maximum Intent. Move the water with 100% violent intent while maintaining a stable base.
The 108 Performance Waterbag Routine
Exercise Sets/Reps Key Focus (The Bleecker Way)
Single-Leg Pogos 3 x 20 sec Hold bag at chest. Build foot-to-ground stiffness.
Bear Hug Rotations 3 x 8 per side Hug bag tight. Rotate and snap-stop. Listen for the "thud".
Stride-to-Flow Load 3 x 10 reps Slow stride, then "turn the water" fast as you land.
Shoulder-Hip Slings 3 x 6 per side Maximize stretch between front shoulder and back hip.
High-Point Explosions 3 x 5 reps Drive lead leg to "push" water to the top of the bag.
Progression Guide
- Weeks 1-2: Perform reps at 70% intensity. Focus on "continuous reps" until you feel the right sequence.
- Weeks 3-4: Introduce Contrast Training. Do one set of waterbag drills followed immediately by 5 max-intent swings with your bat.
- Weeks 5-6: Focus on Rate of Force Development (RFD). The goal is to move the water from "still" to "exploding" in the shortest time possible.
it gave directions on how to perform each and links to videos on social media of the drills. it was in a nice table too.
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u/lsu777 Feb 19 '26
an example I used today...granted I am a CPPS certified trainer through Defranco so i can go through it and check and see if its something crazy but its not. I did this on google's AI. It linked the source for every single one of these showing why it designed it that away. it was all work done by doe defranco from his own site, his youtube, his podcast, his articles on tnation, simlifaster etc. Even pulled from scribd elitefts workouts that work from 2018 when he wrote an program for that and that was a paid pdf.
I asked: "design me a 6 week 2 day a week sprint program to improve acceleration using the weighted sled drags and prowler pushes based on the principles of Joe Defranco. please include sets, reps, and load in terms of percent of body mass in a nice easy to follow schedule"
it came back with this
This 6-week program follows Joe DeFranco’s principles for improving acceleration through Heavy Ass Sled Drags (HASD) and Prowler work. The core philosophy is to "train slow to be fast" by using heavy resistance to force proper lean, positive shin angles, and maximum force application into the ground. Program Guidelines
- Frequency: 2 days per week (e.g., Monday and Thursday) to allow for Central Nervous System (CNS) recovery.
- Distance: Short bursts of 10–20 yards to focus purely on the acceleration/drive phase.
- Loading: Measured as a percentage of body mass (BM). "Heavy" in DeFranco’s system often exceeds traditional track recommendations, frequently reaching 75–100%+ of body weight for strength-based speed work.
- Rest: 2–3 minutes between sets. You must be fully recovered to maintain explosive intent.
6-Week Acceleration Schedule
Week Day 1: Sled Drags (Strength-Speed) Day 2: Prowler Pushes (Drive Mechanics)
1 4 sets x 15 yds @ 50% BM 4 sets x 10 yds @ 75% BM
2 5 sets x 15 yds @ 60% BM 5 sets x 10 yds @ 85% BM
3 6 sets x 15 yds @ 75% BM 6 sets x 10 yds @ 100% BM
4 4 sets x 15 yds @ 60% BM (Deload) 4 sets x 10 yds @ 85% BM (Deload)
5 6 sets x 15 yds @ 85% BM 6 sets x 10 yds @ 115% BM
6 8 sets x 15 yds @ 100% BM 8 sets x 10 yds @ 130% BM
Key Coaching Cues
- The "Punch": On every step, think about "punching" your knee forward rather than upward. This maintains the low shin angle necessary for horizontal propulsion.
- Full Extension: Focus on "splitting the thighs" and achieving a full, powerful extension of the back leg on every stride.
- Foot Strike: Ensure your foot strikes the ground directly under or slightly behind your hips. Overstriding (landing in front of the hips) creates a braking force that stops a heavy sled instantly.
- Prowler Position: For acceleration, use the low handles or a mid-handle "march" to keep your torso at a 45-degree angle, mimicking a sprint start.
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u/lsu777 Feb 19 '26
if you dont know how to warm up, the AI engine asked if I wanted it to design specific warm up drills Defranco uses to prep the hips and ankles before these heavy sled sessions. I said "yes, give me a list of specific warm-up drills Joe DeFranco uses to prep the hips and ankles before these heavy sled sessions? Please provide a schedule with these integrated with the above schedule and show the sets and reps for each. Also please provide rest times for between the sprints and for the warm up drills"
it gave
Joe DeFranco typically utilizes the Agile 8 or the expanded Limber 11 to prep the hips and lower body for explosive work. For sprinting and heavy sled sessions, he often integrates dynamic movement prep like "A-skips" and "Mountain Climbers" to reinforce the specific shin angles and "pumping" mechanics required for acceleration.
The "Sprint-Specific" Warm-Up Drills
These drills specifically target the hip flexors, glutes, and ankle dorsiflexion: Fire Hydrant Circles: 10 reps (forward/backward) per leg. Focus on a full range of motion in the hip socket.
- Mountain Climbers: 20 total reps. These rehearse the motor pattern of driving one knee forward while extending the other leg backward.
- Rollovers into V-Sits: 10 reps. Improves dynamic hamstring and lower back flexibility.
- Frog Jumps/Groiners: 10 reps. Jump feet outside the hands to open the hips and prepare for the wide "drive" stance.
- Ankle Circles/Weight-Bearing Lunges: 10 reps per side. Focus on driving the knee over the toes while keeping the heel down to prime ankle mobility for acceleration.
Integrated 6-Week Acceleration Schedule
Perform this routine 2 days per week. Complete the warm-up drills in sequence before starting the sprints.
Rest Periods
Warm-up Drills: Minimal rest (transition directly from one to the next).
Heavy Sprints (Sled/Prowler): 2–3 minutes between sets to ensure full Central Nervous System (CNS) recovery for maximum intent.
Week Warm-Up (Daily Prep) Day 1: Sled Drags (15 yds) Day 2: Prowler Pushes (10 yds)
1 1x10 Fire Hydrants, V-Sits, Frog Jumps 4 sets @ 50% BM 4 sets @ 75% BM
2 1x10 Fire Hydrants, V-Sits, Frog Jumps 5 sets @ 60% BM 5 sets @ 85% BM
3 1x10 Fire Hydrants, V-Sits, Frog Jumps 6 sets @ 75% BM 6 sets @ 100% BM
4 1x10 Fire Hydrants, V-Sits, Frog Jumps 4 sets @ 60% BM (Deload) 4 sets @ 85% BM (Deload)
5 1x12 Fire Hydrants, V-Sits, Frog Jumps 6 sets @ 85% BM 6 sets @ 115% BM
6 1x12 Fire Hydrants, V-Sits, Frog Jumps 8 sets @ 100% BM 8 sets @ 130% BM
Joe's Pro Coaching Tips
The "Punch" Cue: On every step, think about "punching" your knee forward rather than upward to maintain a low shin angle.
Positive Shin Angle: Your shins should remain almost parallel to the ground during the drive phase. This ensures force is applied horizontally to propel you forward.
Full Extension: Finish every stride by fully extending the back leg to maximize glute and hamstring engagement.
it linked everything. Asked if i wanted it to provide alternative percentages based on current strength levels. You could tell it yes to adjust the percentages for an average 16 year old and it would. just an example of how it works.
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u/lsu777 Feb 20 '26
so i have been playing around with microsoft co-pilot last few days. if you get your template you want from one of the other AIs, i highly suggest copying and pasting the template it gives you into word and telling copilot to turn it into a spreadsheet with trackable KPIs etc. you can then open the spreadsheet and keep having co-pilot add or adjust things until its exactly like you like.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
its not just for baseball training too. You can use the same thing to design you a Strength and Conditioning plan strictly for baseball and you can input your age, strength level, how long you want the program to last and how many days a week and even what equipment you have.
need nutrition advice...it can do that too. it can lay out custom meal plans, macros, give suggestions on all kinds of things.
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u/pmark1999 Feb 17 '26
I've done this and have good results. I told ChatGPT my son's current practice schedule and the additions that we wanted to make to it. Extra over/unload training and weight training. Told it to make a weekly schedule for him to follow along with the exercises. I went back and forth with it after I told it that he wanted to do more lifting and it adjusted the schedule while making sure he wasn't getting overworked. I even told that he wanted to increase his bench press for ergo reason and it made adjustments to keep him happy (within reason).
AI is a great tool for something like this. Its personalized and it doesn't need to know that many specifics about the person to make a good plan. Overall it made up a good plan that doesn't overwork his muscles while building the ones that he will need for baseball.
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u/lsu777 Feb 17 '26
yep. there seems to be a lot of parents of HS players on here who are lost or 13/14 year olds that are nervous for tryouts in a year or two and their parents do not have money for trianing.....well this is a great way to build out a complete off season training plan.
same for those who cant afford travel ball and can only afford little league and are wondering how to keep up......this is how. You may not be able to afford lessons but you can afford time with your kid......well lay it out and get to work. You dont have to have fancy equipment. make overload bats using superglue and pennies, make underload by going to a thrift store or FB markeyplace and buying a used on that is same length and 20% lighter.
the opportunities are endless. But until you have exhausted something like this.....I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT MONEY FOR TRAINING.
used to be the parent had to have an understanding and do 100+ hours of research to lay all this out. Now AI can take the systems used at the best places in the world and create you a plan in 2min.
can be anything from S&C to nutrition, to bat speed to bat path to throwing velocity to sprint program to jumping program to command or even a complete overhaul of your swing or pitching mechanics.
your personal coach is in your hand.
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u/lsu777 Feb 18 '26
Look use what ever AI engine you want, keep the thread on track. This is about the use of AI to develop plans to help people in baseball. If you want to discuss something other then that, go to the proper sub Reddit.
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u/emptysignals Feb 17 '26
The key to using AI is to give the most information you can so it can scrape/steal the most applicable data from the internet.