Welcome to Brain & Barrel — a high-performance, elite training facility for athletes of all levels. Below are some of the most commonly asked questions to help you better understand what we offer and how we operate.
GENERAL FACILITY
Monday–Friday: 3:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
489 Shoemaker Rd, Suite 101, King of Prussia, PA 19406. Free parking is available on-site.
All sessions must be booked in advance through our scheduling platform.
We work with youth, high school, collegiate, and professional athletes.
Yes! We offer one-on-one softball coaching, memberships, and team clinics.
Absolutely. Contact us to arrange a private tour.
MEMBERSHIP & PRICING
Our memberships are structured in 8, 12, 24, and 48 week blocks. You can commit to one or multiple blocks. Each membership includes scheduled training sessions, open facility time, and more.
A personalized development program coached and supervised by our expert coaching staff. This is developed by Dan Hennigan, the Director of Hitting for the Houston Astros who oversees and designs all Astro development protocols. You will also have access to our elite equipment, performance tracking technology, and dedicated member support.
Yes, based on coach availability.
Our programs require full commitment to maximize results. Memberships are non-pausable once the 8-week block begins. Plan and schedule your work accordingly to get the most out of what we provide.
Yes, ask our team for family pricing options.
TRAINING & SERVICES
Hitting, pitching, softball development, advanced performance tracking, and college recruitment services, strength and performance training, speed training, and defensive work per your respective position—we have a professional catching coach on staff as well as elite infield and outfield coaches.
Yes. At Brain&Barrel, we offer private lessons, small group sessions, and full team clinics—but unlike traditional training facilities, we don’t simply “stack” sessions for volume. Every lesson is part of a larger developmental storyboard we build for each athlete based on a formal assessment.
For private sessions, athletes receive a fully customized plan built from their movement screening, skill evaluation, and long-term goals. This gives each session true direction—every rep has a purpose, every adjustment is connected to an outcome. Oversight is consistent, measurable, and intentional.
In our group sessions, we train in pods of 3 to 6 hitters per session, maintaining a high standard of instruction while fostering competition, focus, and shared accountability. While the individualization is less granular than in private training, each athlete is still developed within our proprietary Pillars of Success framework. Objectives, progressions, and drill selections are delivered with clear intent, and athletes move through sessions with purpose—not guesswork.
For team clinics, we’ve built a full-service curriculum that includes:
- Player assessments
- TrackMan pitch and swing screenings
- Slow-motion movement breakdowns
- Staff-led instructional blocks customized to the talent level and strategic goals of your team
We collaborate with coaches and parents to ensure our curriculum not only elevates the athletes—but also aligns with the vision for the program as a whole.
This isn’t just training. It’s structured development—designed, measured, and executed with care.
Yes. We offer tailored in-season and off-season training.
Yes, we offer virtual assessments and custom remote programs.
We do our best to accommodate coach requests based on staff availability. That said, one of the things that makes Brain&Barrel unique is the level of collaboration behind the scenes. Our coaching staff meets regularly to review every athlete’s development plan, progress, and programming—together.
This means that no matter who is leading your session, every coach in the building knows exactly what you’re working on, where you’re progressing, and how to support your goals. It’s not just one coach—it’s an entire team aligned behind your development.
This means that no matter who is leading your session, every coach in the building knows exactly what you’re working on, where you’re progressing, and how to support your goals. It’s not just one coach—it’s an entire team aligned behind your development.
BOOKING & SCHEDULING
All sessions are scheduled through our online portal.
Yes. Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice. A no-show fee of 50% will apply.
STAFF & COACHING
Dan Hennigan – Founder & Director of Hitting (Houston Astros)
Dan Hennigan is one of the fastest-rising figures in professional baseball, currently serving as the first-ever Director of Hitting for the Houston Astros—one of MLB’s most analytically progressive and successful organizations. In less than a year, he was promoted to lead the entire hitting department, overseeing all coaches, designing the organization’s offensive philosophy, and managing strategy and player development. His rapid rise followed the creation of Houston’s first fully systematized hitting foundation, complete with unified development processes and evaluation pipelines across all levels.
Before joining Houston, Dan spent two years in the Minnesota Twins front office, where he built a hitter evaluation model now used across their amateur, pro acquisition, and player development departments, while also running weekly education sessions to raise the baseball IQ of cross-department teams.
Dan is also the founder of Brain&Barrel, a performance company at the forefront of modern hitter development. Built from the ground up, Brain&Barrel operates out of a 25,000 sq. ft. facility, serving elite amateur and professional clients. The company’s strength lies in fusing analysis, strategy, and development into one cohesive system.
He is the creator of the 100+ page Brain&Barrel Hitting Bible, which includes SOPs, drill libraries, protocols, and diagnostic logic. It features a 20+ course mental performance curriculum used by professional players and top-tier agencies to strengthen the “mental engine” behind performance. This approach has helped hitters become batting champions, All-Stars, and Home Run Derby participants, while producing measurable gains in metrics, production, and contract value.
Though best known for his work in hitting, Dan has also developed elite-level pitching strategy frameworks, including pitch-calling blueprints that have guided MLB pitchers through dominant stretches. His cross-disciplinary expertise was showcased when he served as keynote speaker at the 2023 Wake Forest Bridge Pitching Seminar—despite no formal pitching background—proving the versatility and impact of his analytical systems across all areas of the game.
Bryan Hennigan – College Recruiting, Agent, Trainer
Bryan Hennigan is Brain&Barrel’s NCAA transfer portal specialist, with a proven record of helping athletes advance to higher collegiate levels. His work includes moves from Richmond to Arkansas, George Washington to Virginia Tech, and Lafayette to Wake Forest. He also coaches, manages pro players, and connects athletes to college programs nationwide.
Tyler Hill – Hitting Coordinator
Tyler Hill, the last hitter in the Royals organization to finish a season hitting over .400, oversees all development programming. A former Triple-A player with the Rockies, he has been training with Dan since 2017. Tyler customizes programs based on evaluations, tracks progress, and ensures athletes are on a clear, measurable path to success.
Nick Todero – Player Evaluation & Development Coach
Nick Todero runs the comprehensive evaluation process that sets the tone for every athlete’s development. Using Trackman and Proteus Motion technology, he identifies strengths, pinpoints growth areas, and connects athletes with the right development path, applying Brain&Barrel’s systems in a personalized way.
Sonny Ulliana – Hitting & Catching Coach / Marketing
Sonny Ulliana, a former professional player and four-year starter at the University of Rhode Island, capped his final full pro season with a .992 OPS, .333 average, and 10 HR in 204 at-bats. He combines high-level playing experience with college coaching experience and Brain&Barrel’s systems to train hitters and catchers, and leads the company’s marketing efforts to share athlete success stories.
Matt Alvarez – Pitching Coach
Matt Alvarez, a Boston College graduate and former professional pitcher, applies a movement-first approach to pitching development. He uses data and biomechanics to improve velocity, pitch shapes, command, and health through efficient, repeatable mechan
Yes, schedule an intro call to learn more.
SAFETY & POLICIES
Yes, all athletes must complete a waiver before participation.
Athletic wear, sneakers, turfs, water, and personal gear. Helmets and bats are provided for some sessions.
Refunds are issued based on our cancellation policy. Please review terms before booking.
TECHNOLOGY & EQUIPMENT
Two Trackmans, Spinball iPitch, 7 Autofeeding Hack Attacks, Proteus Motion, 7 – Delay Video Cameras Projected to 70inch Televisions for each respective cage (Allows hitters to see their moves immediately), advanced video analysis, and sensor-based performance tracking.
Yes, athletes receive performance data and progress updates.
Yes. That’s encouraged and expected. Personal bats, gloves, and equipment are the norm.
PITCHING DEVELOPMENT
At Brain&Barrel, we work with athletes who are ready to take full ownership of their development. Our philosophy is simple: there are no shortcuts, no gimmicks, and no one-size-fits-all solutions. Pitchers who train here enter a long-term process rooted in precision, education, and individualized planning. We don’t just chase velocity—we build complete pitchers: mechanically efficient, mentally resilient, and structurally sound.
If you’re looking to reach your ceiling—and stay healthy doing it—there’s no substitute for a program built entirely around your needs. This is where that work gets done.
Velocity is an outcome—we train the system behind it. At Brain&Barrel, we protect the arm by building it the right way. Our velocity development protocols are layered with workload tracking, movement efficiency, and recovery science, so athletes gain speed without sacrificing health.
We don’t gamble with your future. For serious arms—and serious families—this is the gold standard for safe, sustainable velocity growth.
Each session is a curated experience built to match the standards of the most elite training environments in the country. We begin with a customized movement prep based on your body’s specific needs. From there, athletes move through targeted mechanical drills, real-time video feedback, and advanced constraint-based training—finishing with individualized cool-down and recovery work.
This isn’t babysitting. This is elite, structured training for athletes who want to reach the next level and for parents who expect expert oversight.
Command comes from repeatable movement and precise feel—not guesswork. We help athletes develop both through targeted drills, posture and balance refinement, and deep pattern awareness.
Every athlete is taught how to identify their true delivery rhythm—and how to return to it under pressure. Consistency isn’t a mystery when you understand your own movement. We don’t just give you cues—we give you tools to own your process.
We measure what matters. Every athlete at Brain&Barrel is tracked with the same tools used at the highest levels: TrackMan, 4D Motion, Proteus, wearable tech, and high-speed video.
This isn’t about collecting data—it’s about converting it into real outcomes. Movement patterns, pitch shapes, velocity profiles, rotational speeds—we read them, refine them, and use them to make precise adjustments. If you’re training without feedback, you’re guessing. We don’t guess.
Every athlete starts with a full-body movement screen and performance audit. From there, we design a fully personalized plan built around their physical development, performance goals, and long-term aspirations.
Youth players build mechanics and body awareness. High schoolers are prepared for velocity, workload, and competition. Collegiate and pro arms are pushed with data-driven precision. No two plans are alike—because no two athletes are. If your son is being handed the same program as everyone else, he’s not being developed. He’s being managed.
Elite off-speed development requires more than just a grip change. We train spin efficiency, wrist angle, seam pressure, and release timing through progressive throwing patterns. We start with feel-focused drills and build toward full-speed execution—so the pitch holds up in competition, not just in catch play.
Your son shouldn’t just have a breaking ball—he should own one. We show him how.
When a new pitcher walks in, we’re immediately evaluating:
- Is the lower half creating power, or leaking energy?
- Is the arm slot safe and repeatable?
- Are hip-shoulder dynamics efficient?
- Is posture affecting command?
- Is there a clear path to sustainable performance?
We don’t just fix mechanics—we correct the root cause. If your son has been told to “just throw more strikes” or “stay back,” he’s being misdiagnosed. That stops here.
In-season, one bullpen per week—ideally 3–4 days post-outing—keeps rhythm without adding stress. Offseason? One to two pens weekly depending on the development phase, with added focus on mechanics and pitch design.
Every bullpen has intent and structure. We don’t throw to stay busy—we throw to get better.
Two-way athletes require precise balance—and we’ve built systems to support them. We coordinate individualized throwing and hitting workloads, ensuring that one doesn’t compromise the other. Recovery protocols, movement training, and skill sessions are organized to maximize performance in both roles without increasing risk.
It’s not easy—but with the right structure, two-way players can thrive.