RICHMOND, Texas (CoveringKaty.com) — For young baseball and softball players working to take their game to the next level, improving a swing, becoming a better pitcher or developing as an overall athlete increasingly involves more than simply showing up for practice.
At P95 Academy, a high-performance sports training facility serving the Katy, Fulshear and Richmond areas, baseball and softball are a major focus, but the training isn't limited to those sports. Athletes from a variety of sports can work with P95's staff on individualized strength and conditioning, speed and agility, while baseball and softball players can also receive specialized hitting and pitching instruction using technology that measures everything from the speed of a ball coming off the bat to the velocity, spin and movement of a pitch.
Owner Tim Clark built P95 Academy around a straightforward idea: Give athletes the coaching, space and technology to identify where they can improve — and a way to measure their progress. Clark and his staff work with athletes through individualized instruction and athletic performance training programs designed around their abilities, sport and goals.
“We're strictly a high-performance development training facility,” Clark said.
Located at 25323 Fulshear Gaston Road in Richmond, just south of the Westpark Tollway near FM 723, the facility sits on approximately four acres and includes more than 5,000 square feet of climate-controlled indoor training space, three 70-foot batting cages, a strength-and-conditioning gym and outdoor training space.
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Sherrel Rogers for Covering Katy News
An athlete at P95 Academy works through a hurdle drill designed to improve explosive power, coordination and agility while other athletes wait their turn.
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P95 Academy
An athlete at P95 Academy works through a box-jumping drill designed to improve explosive power, speed, strength and coordination.
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Sherrel Rogers for Covering Katy News
P95 Academy owner Tim Clark instructs athletes during a training session at the Katy-area facility in Richmond, where coaches use individualized programs to help athletes improve their performance.
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P95 Academy
A coach leads athletes through a strength-training session at P95 Academy, where individualized conditioning programs help athletes build strength, stability and overall athletic performance.
Individualized training for athletes
A major part of P95 is its strength-and-conditioning program, which serves athletes beyond baseball and softball.
Athletes are assessed and training programs are developed around their abilities, performance, sport and individual goals rather than placing everyone into the same workout.
Youth members have access to the facility five days a week during the school year. They schedule training times through an app and receive individualized workouts, with P95 trainers available to provide instruction, monitor technique and guide them through their training.
Michael Ribera praised that individualized approach in a Google review of P95.
“The training is truly personalized with real data and assessments,” Ribera wrote. “We've seen solid gains in velocity, power, and athleticism already. Knowledgeable, motivating coaches who actually care about development and injury prevention.”
Ribera called P95 the “best training facility around.”
For baseball and softball players, P95 adds specialized hitting and pitching instruction, full-length indoor batting cages and performance-tracking technology designed specifically for their sports.
Technology meets traditional coaching
P95 uses advanced Rapsodo and TrackMan technology — high-tech tools that help differentiate P95 from other baseball and softball training facilities — to give instructors and athletes detailed information about performance.
For hitters, that can include exit velocity, launch angle and ball spin. Pitchers can also measure velocity, spin and other characteristics of their pitches. The technology can be paired with slow-motion video, allowing instructors to break down an athlete's mechanics and identify areas for improvement.
The information gives P95's instructors another tool to identify areas for improvement and measure an athlete's progress over time.
College pitcher Jerry Flores said in a Google review that he came to Clark specifically looking to increase his pitching velocity.
“I'm a college pitcher and came to Coach Tim last year to gain more velocity,” Flores wrote. “My fastball was sitting around 88-90. I'm now up to 93-94 trying to make a big league roster.”
P95 Academy
Rapsodo systems use high-speed cameras and radar technology to measure an athlete’s performance and turn it into objective data.
Training at game-like distances
One of the most noticeable differences at P95 is also one of the simplest: the length of its indoor batting cages.
The three cages are 70 feet long, giving baseball and softball players enough room to train at distances appropriate for their age and level of competition.
Clark said that becomes particularly important when hitters face pitching machines throwing breaking balls and other pitches.
“So we try to mimic game situations here at the facility,” Clark said.
A breaking ball delivered from a shorter cage can reach a hitter before it moves the way it would during a game. The longer cages allow athletes to work on recognizing pitches and timing their swings from more realistic distances.
Outside, athletes have room for throwing, fielding, speed and agility work that can be difficult to perform inside a traditional indoor sports training facility.
Building P95 Academy
P95 Academy officially opened its new Richmond sports complex Aug. 1 with what Clark described as a clear mission of bringing “elite, high-level athletic training” to the local sports community.
Serving athletes from Richmond, Katy, Fulshear and surrounding communities in the greater Houston area, Clark said P95's development methodology is built on a “15-year foundation of scientific study, rigorous testing and continuous refinement.”
Securing a spacious, multi-use facility was a critical step for P95 Academy, Clark said, allowing his staff to accommodate local athletes as well as players who travel to the region for year-round training.
Focused on individual development
P95 is intentionally different from a traditional batting-cage business.
The facility isn't built around renting batting cages by the hour, and athletes don't have to play for a particular team or organization to train there.
“It's all about performance,” Clark said. “We strictly work with athletes who are looking to get to the next level.”
P95 offers private baseball and softball instruction, including hitting and pitching training, along with strength-and-conditioning and velocity training programs.
The facility also gives athletes a place to demonstrate their abilities for college coaches and scouts. Full-length cages, an open training field and performance-tracking technology allow athletes to showcase their skills while providing measurable information about their performance.
Helping athletes reach their goals
For Clark, the technology and equipment are ultimately tools to help young athletes pursue their goals.
“I love the sport,” Clark said. “I've been around the sport since I was 3 years old.”
He said some of the greatest satisfaction comes from watching young athletes develop.
“I do everything I can to help these athletes reach their ultimate goal,” Clark said.
For one athlete, that might mean making a high school team. For another, it could mean competing in college or pursuing an opportunity to play professionally.
P95 Academy is located at 25323 Fulshear Gaston Road, Richmond, TX 77406, just south of the Westpark Tollway near FM 723. For more information about P95 Academy, including baseball and softball instruction, hitting and pitching training, strength and conditioning, speed and agility programs and athletic performance training, visit P95Academy.com or email info@P95Academy.com.