Santa Monica, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/01/2014 -- Head Coach Sports, creators of The HeadCoach Throw Training System are proud to announce that Santa Monica PONY League Baseball’s Bronco Division All-Stars have reached the Pony League World Series. A key member of the squad, Luca Rubin, a third baseman and centerfielder, was the inspiration for The HeadCoach, a revolutionary baseball throwing training aid designed to help players improve throwing mechanics in order to throw better.
The PONY Baseball's 2014 Bronco League World Series takes place August 1 - 4 at Los Alamitos Youth Baseball (LAYB) in Southern California. The Bronco division is comprised of players 12 years and under. Eight teams from Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Mexico and across the United States will battle to be called “World Champion” while playing PONY’s fast and exciting brand of youth baseball.
When Santa Monica’s Luca Rubin started playing baseball, he developed a flaw in his mechanics that prevented him from throwing with any velocity or accuracy. In addition, his improper arm angle exposed him to potential injury in the future. That’s when his father, Justin Rubin, invented The HeadCoach.
“Luca had difficulty throwing the ball, but he loved the game so much, I didn’t want him to miss out on the joy of playing,” said Justin Rubin. “I made this simple, effective throw training tool to help my son throw better. Now he’s playing in the PONY League World Series. It feels unbelievably rewarding to see how far my son has come since we started training with The HeadCoach.”
The HeadCoach guides player’s arms into the optimal throwing angle, increasing velocity, improving accuracy, and keeping their arms healthy.
“This is an extremely common problem for young players, when they drop their elbows, bring their hand in close to their head and underneath the ball, and try to push the ball to the target,” says Junior Brignac, one of Rubin’s travel ball coaches with the Santa Monica Arsenal. “It is not an effective way to throw, because you are only using a small portion of your arm. It’s important to find that correct throwing angle if you want to reach your maximum throwing potential.”
Luca’s throwing mechanics have improved dramatically along with the fortunes of the Santa Monica PONY League Bronco All-Stars who have gone 17-2 since the start of the sanctioned PONY League Tournament. They advanced by winning their District, finishing second in their Section, fighting their way through the loser’s bracket in Super Regionals by winning 6 games in 4 days to finish as runner-up, then beating teams from Lacy, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, and Hilo, Hawaii twice to emerge as Western Zone Champions.
“I can’t believe we made it this far, “ said Luca Rubin. “It’s really cool. I think about all the trouble I used to have throwing the ball, and now I know I can play with the best kids in the world. That’s awesome. My dad made The HeadCoach to help me throw better. That feels really good.”
This is the first Bronco Team to represent Santa Monica in the World Series since they began playing under the PONY League charter. Anthony Gallegos, Jeff Gordon, and SL Collins coach the Santa Monica PONY All-Stars, and their home field is Los Amigos Park, where baseball has been played since 1952.
“Luca has been amazing. He is a kid I know I can rely on anywhere I put him in the field,” remarked coach Anthony Gallegos. “He has played a flawless third base. He’s pitched, he’s caught, I’ve used him in left field, and he made two unbelievable plays in centerfield. He robbed a home run against Torrance American, and he saved the game against Hilo, Hawaii with a running catch of a line drive. If the ball gets in the gap, who knows what happens.”
Asked if he knew anything of Luca’s past issue throwing the baseball, coach Gallegos said, ”No way. No way you would ever know that. Luca’s arm is rock solid.“
The HeadCoach can help players of all ages and skill levels improve in just 30 days. By integrating The HeadCoach into a daily throwing regimen, simply playing catch in a normal progression for ten to fifteen minutes a day for one month, you will see dramatic improvement in throwing performance. The HeadCoach is available now at www.throwbetter.com. Head Coach Sports offers a 30-day money back guarantee on The HeadCoach.
“I’ve seen the transformation In Luca first hand. I started watching him play baseball when he was 7 years old. The difference between then and now is staggering,” said HeadCoach co-founder Greg Craig. “He was always an athlete, but it didn’t seem like baseball was the sport for him, just because of his odd throwing mechanics. Now, he looks like a mini-David Wright or Mike Trout out there. The HeadCoach Throw Trainer has changed the game for Luca. He’s put in so much work, and I’m so happy for him, and so dang proud to be part of his development.”
The first game of the Pony League World Series is Friday, August 1 at 8pm against the South Zone Champions from Palm Beach, Florida. Tickets are $8 for adults 13 and older, $5 for children 5-12, and free to children under 5. Los Alamitos Youth Baseball is located at 4370 Farquhar Ave. in Los Alamitos situated at the California National Guard's Joint Forces Training Base.
About HeadCoach Sports
HeadCoach Sports, LLC was founded in Santa Monica, California in 2013 and is owned and operated by partners Greg Craig and Justin Rubin, inventor of The HeadCoach. Both are Santa Monica residents. Learn more about how HeadCoach is changing the game one arm at a time at http://www.throwbetter.com