Back in 2014, I thought I had pitching figured out. I had been coaching for 18 years, formally training pitchers for 6, and we’d had some success. In my mind, I knew my stuff.
Then everything changed.
I was sitting in the front row at a pitching conference in Texas. The keynote speaker was a gentleman from the Netherlands I’d never heard of named Frans Bosch. What I didn’t know at the time was that he was one of the world’s most respected experts in biomechanics and movement science.
He walked up to the podium, looked out over a room full of coaches who made their living telling players what to do, and opened with this:
“The body shows very little interest in what the coach has to say.”
You could have heard a pin drop.
From there, he dove into a world of ideas I’d never imagined—implicit learning, self-organization, variability, adaptability. Honestly, most of it went right over my head. But I knew one thing: my world had just been rocked.
And then, to top it off, I was the very next speaker.
A Breakfast That Changed Everything
That night, I stayed up nearly all night trying to process what I had just heard. The next morning, blurry-eyed, I wandered down to the hotel lobby for breakfast. There, sitting alone in the corner, was Frans Bosch.
I nodded at him. He raised his head, said “Mr. Sullivan,” and motioned for me to sit.
“I liked your presentation,” he said.
I couldn’t believe it.
He was waiting for his ride to the airport from Trevor Bauer (yes, that Trevor Bauer). The problem was there had been a mix up in communication, and Trevor was running two hours late. Which meant I got two hours, one-on-one, with one of the brightest minds in the world.
Two hours that would change the course of my life and the future of the Florida Baseball ARMory.
Digging In
When I got home, I ordered his book. I didn’t just read it once. I read it six times. Then I found the 200+ references in the back and spent the next three months chasing them down and studying every single one.
It was like I had stepped into a whole new universe. Training wasn’t about barking orders, fixing flaws, and drilling mechanics anymore. It was about teaching athletes how to solve problems, adapt, and thrive in the chaos of competition.
Frans and I stayed in touch. He introduced me to some incredible coaches from the Netherlands, and soon after, we launched the Baseball Skill Acquisition Summit, a gathering that has since brought together some of the best minds in the game.
The Birth of SAVAGE
Those experiences were the spark that ignited the SAVAGE Training System:
Specific Adaptation through Variability and Goal-directed Experiences.
SAVAGE is now the backbone of everything we do at The ARMory. It has helped thousands of pitchers unlock velocity, sharpen command, build resilience, and reignite their love for the game.
Frans even wrote the foreword to my book SAVAGE Revolution: Overthrow the Status Quo in Baseball Pitcher Development. Since then, I’ve been blessed to write and collaborate on books, travel the world, and share these ideas with players and coaches everywhere.
Why This Matters to You
When I think back to that little kid who fell in love with baseball at 5 years old, I never could have imagined this journey. I wasn’t good enough as a player to leave my mark. But as a coach, a teacher, and a writer, I’ve been blessed to make a real contribution to this beautiful game.
And it all started because Trevor Bauer was late for an appointment.
Serendipity is real.
So why does this matter to you? Because your breakthrough moment might be right around the corner. Maybe you’ve been overlooked, counted out, or told you’re not good enough. Maybe you’re frustrated, stuck, or struggling to see progress.
Don’t quit. Don’t settle. The right plan, the right training, and the right opportunity can change everything.
That’s what SAVAGE Training was built to do—help you chase your dream with a system that works.
Ready for Your Breakthrough?
This summer, we’re opening the doors to our SAVAGE Summer Training Program—five days a week, four hours a day, immersed in the same system that has transformed pitchers from overlooked to unstoppable.
Your moment of serendipity doesn’t have to wait. You can create it.
Call us today at (866) STRIKE3 to lock in your spot:
Spaces are limited. Your breakthrough is waiting.
Randy Sullivan, MPT, CSCS CEO, Florida Baseball ARMory
