Meet the Performance Center Pitching Instructor

The Performance Center is pleased to welcome Rich Dishman as the pitching instructor for the Thrower's Performance Program.  Mickey Levinson, PT, CSCS is a Clinical Supervisor at the Sports Rehabilitation and Performance Center.  Questions about the Thrower's Performance Program and private pitching instruction can be directed to the Performance Center at 646.797.8005.

Mickey: You grew up in New York City. How did you become a professional pitcher? 

Rich: For me the process of becoming a professional pitcher started in NYC. I went to grade school in Manhattan and attended high school in Queens. Like most kids who play baseball, my journey started with playing catch with my parents and friends.

Part of the reason that I developed as a pitcher was because my parents’ were so proactive. Around the time that I started junior high, they realized that they had taught me as much as they could on their own and found the best pitching coach in the tri state area. We would drive an hour each way for a half hour lesson.

They also found specialists in baseball strength and conditioning. My basic conditioning started while I was in junior high, and eventually I was playing with and against the best players in the area. You have to be creative to find the space in NYC to work on baseball skills, but if you have proper instruction, dedication and talent NYC can produce baseball players.

The hard work my parents put into finding the best in the field allowed me to develop into the type of prospect that attracted colleges, pro scouts and eventually the Atlanta Braves.

Mickey: What sets you apart as a pitching instructor?

Rich: A pitching instructor is only as good as his communication skills. If the coach can’t relate and communicate his ideas to the pitcher then he is not an effective instructor. 

I’ve been fortunate in my playing career to have played with and been coached by some of the best. The list includes future Hall of Famer’s, Major League All Stars and Olympians.  Those experiences have allowed me to study and understand what the best players and coaches do to reach their full potential. I try to pass along that first hand experience to my students.

I have played for a championship amateur team, Duke University, and one of the best organizations in professional baseball, the Atlanta Braves, in addition to the Olympic team development process. For all of those achievements I’ve also had an equal number of disappointments. This balance, which is the baseball life, allows me to understand and appreciate what my students are going through during their developmental process.

Mickey: What steered you towards bringing this program to Hospital for Special Surgery?

Rich: The decision to work with Hospital for Special Surgery was an easy one for me. I’ve had a long history of using HSS’s rehabilitative services to put me back on the field. I’ve had personal success with their programs and seen the game’s best players take advantage of their services as well.

 I became a pitching coach so I could help change the culture of baseball development in NYC. An important part of that process is to introduce and educate parents, coaches and players to proper mechanics, strength/conditioning and injury prevention. Working with HSS will help me to reach those goals.

As New Yorkers we demand the best and if the best in professional baseball come to HSS for injury prevention and rehabilitation, then that’s who I wanted to be affiliated with. The programs we develop at HSS will give every kid the opportunity to reach their full potential on the baseball field.

Mickey: What do you see as the advantages of the screening and video analysis?

Rich: The screening and video analysis is the first step to injury prevention. The screening spots the skeletal or muscular imbalances that can lead to future injuries. The earlier the inefficiencies are spotted the more time the player has to correct them improving their chance of success on the field. Earlier in the interview I mentioned how my parents would seek out ways for me to improve. When I was 13 or 14 they took me to get a screening done. I remember to this day how the therapist told me my posture could lead to a shoulder injury. I laughed it off and didn’t make any adjustments… 12 years later a shoulder injury led to the end of my baseball career.

The video analysis is the best way to analyze mechanics and develop a game plan to improve them. Today’s generation of players respond to the visual cues provided by the video analysis. There are specific positions in a pitching delivery that every pitcher can do to reduce their risk of injury while increasing command and velocity.  The video analysis allows the pitcher to see if they’re incorporating these positions into their windup. The analysis also provides a historical record so the pitcher and parent can track the progress of their development.
 
The screening and video analysis provides the foundation the players will use to create their own personal development program for the rest of their baseball career.