Softball Training Tips – This is What Really Counts

It’s the Time Between Lessons That Really Counts

 

As most of you who have been around for a while know, I am a private instructor in addition to being a team coach and administrator of the Discuss Fastpitch Forum. It’s something I love doing — I must, because for most of the off-season I’m doing it nearly every day of the week for hours at a time. As such, I’m certainly an advocate of taking lessons for various skills — particularly hitting and pitching. A good instructor can really help shorten the learning process, and keep players from making a lot of dead-end decisions regarding technique. Yet I always have one thing I stress to every new student and her parents: It’s not the time you spend with me that’s important. It’s really the time you spend between visits to me that makes the difference. Sure, I wish I could offer some miracle cure to players — a simple laying on of the hands, so to speak, that would instantly convey the skills they want to acquire. But honestly, if I could do that I’d be charging $1,000 per lesson, maybe more. And there would be a line a mile long to get a little of that “healing action.”

That’s not the way it works, though. Instead, learning skills in softball hitting takes time and effort. Lots of both. But I find that when players put in the time on their own, their overall progress is much faster than those who show up once a week not having touched a ball or bat since the previous week’s lesson. The same, of course, applies to who your instructor is. Just because you’re going to so-and-so, the famous ex-player or well-known coach doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to get your money’s worth out of it. If you don’t put in the work, it really doesn’t matter who you go to. Because I have yet to find anyone who offers the miracle cure. Kids, in case you’re wondering, the answer is yes. We instructors can usually tell if you’ve been working during the week. Those who do tend to pick up where they left off. Those who don’t tend to have to take a couple of steps back each lesson before starting to creep forward again. We’re always delighted to see a student who has actually worked at getting better too.

If the only work you put in is during lessons, the odds are you’re wasting your time, the instructor’s time, and your parents’ money. The real learning happens when you apply the lessons you’ve learned on your own — trying things, thinking them through and making each instruction a part of your “natural” way of doing things. The more you work on your own, the faster you’ll get better. It’s like one of those math graphs. You have time on one axis, and improvement on the other. The more time you put in, the faster you’ll improve. The less time you put in, the more time it will take to achieve the same level of competence. So go to your lessons, and absorb all you can under the watchful, helpful eye of your instructor. But just remember that going to lessons isn’t enough. It’s the work you put in between those lessons that will really deliver the value.

Anyway, that’s the way I see it.

 

Softball Pitching – How to Easily Get 80% of Batters Out?

I’ve coached at pretty much all levels of the game going from rec 8U to college and international softball in the as 20 years. I’ve coached and watched a lot of softball games in my life. A couple of years ago, I even spent an entire summer  scouting (charting pitches, identifying pitching patterns,  measuring speed, etc.) and filming the best pitchers in the world (Finch, Roche, Ueno, Fernandez, etc.) for the Canadian Women’s National Team. One thing that seems to be consistent across all levels is the difficulty that the majority of batters have hitting the low inside and outside pitches. At the younger levels (not talking about 18U Gold or college ball), I strongly believe that if a pitcher keeps the ball  low most of the time and throws strikes on the low corners  (even only using a fastball), she can get easily 80% of  the batters out.

Do you know many teams that carry a lot of hitters able to consistently hit rockets out of low inside or outside pitches? I don’t. Most teams may have one or two such hitters – maybe three if they are lucky. Hitting a low inside or outside pitch (even if it is a strike) solidly is tough and challenging! As you know, I strongly believe in shifting the odds in your favor. Think about this for a second. Most hitters fail at least 70% of the time less than 300 batting average at the plate. The same hitters probably fail at least 85% of the time on low inside or outside pitches for strikes. What are the odds that 2 or even 3 hitters will line up several hits in a row to score a run if you keep the ball low, throw strikes and avoid giving up walks? The odds are very low – especially if your defense can do the job of getting the batters out on easy grounders or lazy pop-ups.

Bottom line – there are two things I want to emphasize:

1) Keep the ball low on the corners. Throw most of them for strikes.

2) Practice keeping the ball low.

 

Unless you are practicing a rise or a high pitch on purpose, everything you throw even in a warm-up should always be BELOW the waist (and knee-high ideally). I see a lot of pitchers who warm-up and keep throwing everything high until they get in their full motion. That’s a mistake. Why so? Because you’re training the habit of throwing the ball high. Pitching is a matter of timing and consistency of release point. Start right away learning to throw strikes low inside or outside consistently on each pitch – even in the warm-up. To go a step further, I would probably ban anything that is above the waist – unless it was meant when working with younger pitchers! Just doing this will quickly help you get most of the batters out! Imagine when you start mixing them up with change-ups and other moving pitches in addition to keeping the ball low, you can become very effective pitchers even if you don’t throw that hard!

 

 

 

Softball Coaching Challenge: Break the Cycle of Mean

Today I have a challenge for the young, up and coming coaches: be the one who breaks the cycle of mean. What does that mean? Many of us learn how to do things by following the example of others.  We learn many things by imitating our parents, older siblings, and others whom we perceive as being more knowledgeable than ourselves.

And when it comes to coaching, the people many of us learn from are the coaches we had when we were players.  Often times that’s a good thing.  Coaches can be very influential in our lives, and if we had a good one what better way to model ourselves when we become coaches than on someone we admire? Unfortunately, that influence of coaches can also work the other way.  If we had a mean, nasty coach who always put players down, treated us unfairly and made our lives miserable it’s very easy for us to pick up that behavior.  It becomes part of a cycle, passed down from coach to player, who then becomes a coach and passed the behavior down to his/her players. It doesn’t have to be that way, though.  Think about how you feel with the coach who acts that way.  Did you enjoy playing for him/her?  Or did you just tolerate it because you wanted to play? Assuming you answered the latter (as most of us would), why would you then want to model that behavior to your players?  Because it’s all you know?

Think instead about the coach you wish you had, and become that coach instead. If you’re not sure how, ask around for a recommendation of who a good coach is and seek that person out as a mentor — someone you can observe, ask questions of and learn from generally. See how that coach interacts with his/her players.  See how he/she encourages them when they need it, and comes down on them when they need it without destroying their self-esteem. That mentor coach doesn’t have to be the same gender, or even a fastpitch softball coach.  The most important principles of coaching are actually pretty universal. Breaking the cycle of mean doesn’t mean you have to be a marshmallow. Many of the best and most-admired coaches can be plenty tough when necessary. But there’s a way of being tough without being mean about it.

It’s easy to think that the only way your players will respect you as a young or new coach is by showing how tough you are.  But the mental game experts have shown time and again that that type of behavior only gets you compliance. Put another way, if you are constantly beating on people, they’ll do just enough to avoid another beating.  But they won’t be giving you their very best, because if they do and you still come down on them they have nowhere to go.

As Gandhi said, be the change you want to see in the world.  Be bold enough to break the cycle of mean and treat your players with kindness and respect.  Your team will be better — and the world will be a little better place as well. Anyway, that’s the way I see it. What’s your next move, after having read this post?

 

Softball Success Tips: Do the Hardest Thing

If softball success was easy, everyone would be an all-star, but it’s not and, while everyone may get a trophy nowadays, not everyone is an all-star. What’s that thing they say about success? Oh yeah, the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Therefore, in order to achieve softball success, you must be willing to do what others are not. You must be willing to put in the work, not just when you feel like it, but all the time, day in and day out. The “secret” to success for most people is actually not some secret formula or mysterious strategy.  It rarely has anything to do with the latest trend or training at the best facilities.  In fact the “secret” most successful people know is pretty boring and UN-glamorous.  In order to achieve “great” things, you must do the work and possess the willingness to do the hardest thing.

What hardest thing? You know, the thing you don’t particularly like doing.  The thing you would gladly skip if no one made you do it.  The thing you practically can’t stand even though you know it’s good for you and you know doing it will improve your softball performance. You must be willing to do that thing. So many players and coaches say they want to be successful, win big games, accumulate amazing stats, and win the biggest prize…and yet they are unwilling to do the work it takes to get to that level.  They often put off the hard stuff or dog the tough training.  They pass up the opportunity to train harder, focus better, increase intensity, or put in more time than their competition.  They might sustain full blown commitment and effort for a short period of time, but grow weary of the discipline and dedication required as the season drags on.

Are you one of them? Think about it.  Do you say you want big things, but train just like everyone else?  Are you really giving all you can?  Or do you hold back and avoiding areas you don’t like or areas that push you outside your comfort zone?  Are there things you skim over or do half-heartedly?  Are there things you could do better, faster, longer, harder, or more focused than you do now? If you really want to reach your full potential and achieve more than anyone thought you could, do the hard thing(s) and do it with your best effort and highest level of enthusiasm! You can start small.  Make a change in just one area and let your actions compound from there.  It can start with something as simple as…

• Baserunning
• Training to hit pitches you don’t like, rather than just your favorite one
• Setting up practice stations to help your team be more efficient in training
• Helping with team equipment
• Eating healthier so you can train and perform better (Don’t skip breakfast! Cut back on junk food)
• Planning practice if you’re a coach (stop flying by the seat of your pants hoping answers will come to you)
• Do conditioning: push-ups, sprints, core work or other “tough” exercises/workouts
• Working as hard on effectively throwing your least favorite pitch as you do your most favorite pitch
• Going to sleep at a decent hour (get off facebook)

I know, I know.  It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but sometimes less “fun” now means more fun when it counts the most.

Before you decide this probably won’t work, I want you to think about this one question…

If you did this, if you made the conscious effort to do the work, to do the hardest thing (not just the easy fun stuff)…

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

Please comment below and let me know… I would really appreciate it.

 

Great Softball Learning Opportunity

One of the great things about growing up in the Chicago area during the 1960s and ’70s was the opportunity to watch a lot of professional baseball on TV during the summer.  At that time the Cubs played all their home games during the day, so while we were off school there was a pretty good chance of catching games. While those of you who remember those teams can certainly argue about the quality of ball being played, we were still able to learn a lot by watching what the pros did.  Even if we weren’t paying full attention, a certain amount seemed to seem in through osmosis. That opportunity is coming up now for fast pitch softball players.  The NCAA Division 1 playoffs are upon us, and with them the opportunity to see high-level games from many of the best teams in the U.S. While pretty much every team always strives to play the best ball it can, when the playoffs come everything gets raised to another level.  Players run harder, dive more and extend themselves more because they know they either get the job done or go home.

Players these days don’t seem as interested in watching games on TV.  There are too many other distractions — texting, the Internet, video games, DVDs, streaming video and the list goes on.  But it will be a whole another year before this opportunity comes up again.  So how do you take advantage of it? Parents, you can sit down with your players and watch some games with them.  Watch the techniques the players are using and see if they’re aligned with what you’re learning. Study how the pitchers throw the pitch, and what pitches they throw in various situations.  Look at controversial rules calls, and discuss the reasons behind a pinch hitter, pitcher change, or defensive substitution. Coaches, why not bring your whole team over to watch a game?  Pop some popcorn, order some pizza or have everyone bring some snacks. If you want to condense the time frame and/or get into deeper analysis, DVR a game and fast forward through some parts while slowing down others.  It makes a great rainy day activity.

If there is a local favorite team you can all root for that team.  If not, why not have players “adopt” a team and report on good plays and bad decisions they see?  There is so much learning to be done, yet it can also be fun. And that’s the key.  Unlike free-flowing sports, where the requirements are fairly straightforward, with softball there’s a lot to learn  and most of it is conditional.  A team will only face so many situations in a given year, especially if the opponents aren’t so hot.  But watching college games live or on TV you can start to teach your players the strategies and decision-making process that may pull a few extra wins for you.

Take this opportunity to learn and it will pay huge dividends come this summer.

 

Softball Tips – How to Avoid Injuries and Poor Performance

Don’t Skimp on the Warm-ups

You would think that this week’s rant topic would be pretty self-evident. Yet apparently it’s not. I keep hearing stories about coaches (many of them HS coaches right now because that’s the season most are in) who don’t seem to think that warm-ups are essential or even necessary. What’s odd is that when they get the results you would expect — injuries and poor play — they don’t seem to learn from it. One girl I know, a pitcher, was actually called a diva because she wanted to do some dynamic warm-ups before starting practice or throwing for games. Her teammates apparently saw no reason to stretch; sadly, neither did her coach. She did the best she could to get herself prepared but it was definitely a struggle.

A good warm-up, including dynamic stretching, is essential both for game preparation and injury prevention. (Static stretch, where you pull and hold a muscle, is strictly for post-game cool-downs and flexibility.) Yet all too often coaches merely give it lip service, or don’t focus on it at all. The same goes with skills warm-ups. I’ve seen plenty of teams that laugh and joke their way through warm-ups. The mess around when they should be working on bunting; they throw the ball all over the place without a worry in the world. They dog it on fly balls and ground balls. Then their coaches get mad when they lose.

What do those coaches expect? Warm-ups are performed for a purpose. They’re there to help your team get ready for the game. If that’s how you warm up, that’s how you’ll play. Many coaches also seem to lack understanding of what it takes for a pitcher to warm up. I suppose that’s because in high school many lower level coaches in particular are teachers with no softball experience who are either there to earn a few extra dollars or to be adult supervision so you can have a team. So let me throw this one out there.

Pitching is a difficult, high-pressure job, as difficult as softball hitting.  Pitching is a softball is particularly challenging because the motion is unique to that position. While there are certainly nuances that differ, a baseball pitcher is throwing overhand, which is something everyone else does. But a softball pitcher is the only one throwing with a windmill motion. Pitchers, even accomplished ones, need some time to get that motion grooved so they can perform at their best. Given how important pitching is to the overall success of the team you’d think coaches would let pitchers do whatever they need to in order to get ready. But time after time I hear or read about a coach who says “You don’t need to do all that. Just throw a few pitches and let’s go.”

I beg to differ. Yes, coach, she does need all that time if that’s what it takes. Some can warm-up quickly. Others take more time. It can also vary with an individual from day to day, because we all have good days and bad days. I say again, whatever it takes for a pitcher to get ready let her do it. A lot of the team’s success is riding on it. A fish rots from the head down. If the coach doesn’t take warm-ups seriously, neither will his/her players. When that happens, be prepared for a long, unhappy season. If you’re a coach, make sure your team is preparing to succeed rather than fail. It will make a huge difference.

 

Softball Tips – Little Things Do Matter

As I told you a few days ago, I am presently in Kitchener in Southern Ontario at the Tri-Nations Cup where Canada, Venezuela, Japan and Australia are competing against each other in preparation for the Olympic Games I have been here for 2 days working with the Canadian athletes helping them prepare for the China Games. All of the teams are staying at the same location so it allows to also observe what the other teams do outside of the ball field.

I can tell summarize everything that I have seen by this:

==> Little Details Do Matter a Lot <==

What I mean by that is that the best players on the planet don't take anything for granted.

They realize that little things and little details do matter when preparing for competition.

They don't left anything to chance. And that's true for ALL the teams.

Here what I mean by that:

• They watch what they eat
• They make sure their shoes shine
• They tuck in their uniforms
• They all have a bottle of water or Gatorade
• They sprint to get on and off the field
• They go for morning jogs and stretch even when they play later
• They bring healthy snacks to the park
• They do dynamic warm-ups
• They are very serious in their pre-game preparation
• They observe what the other teams does
• They share information with their teammates about what they notice
• They are disciplined
• They are always on time and even ready way before they have to
• They pick up after themselves and always leave dugouts clean
• They take very good care of their gloves and bats
• Non-starting players are keeping themselves ready to go in anytime
• They take every swing very seriously both in practice and in their pre-game warm-up
• They put sunscreen on
• They stay in the shade between games to recover faster
• They put ice on after games
• They say “thank you” to anybody that helps

And I could go on and on….

I will just share two examples of what I saw this morning.

Example #1 – As I was going down for breakfast, I saw 3 girls from the Australian Squad coming back from a light job outside and they are playing tonight.

Example #2 – As I sat down for breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice that all the girls from the Venezuelan squad were eating healthy stuff for breakfast despite bad choices being available to them.

To be the best, you have to do all the little things that the best do.

You can’t only rely on talent, good coaching, and working hard at practices.

What you do on and off the field is important to become the best you can be.

Remember – every little thing and detail counts. The best are doing it.

Softball Training – Are You Still Using Static Stretching for Warm-Ups?

You see it everywhere. It’s been done for years thinking it was good for them. It’s still being thought by many to be what the thing to do despite all of evidence pointing to the contrary. Softball is an “old-school” sport. It’s a very conservative sport. Things change slowly unlike other sports like track and field. There are “old belief” that holds no matter what. What am I talking about? STRETCHING!!! Yes, stretching.

Using Static Stretching to Warm-Up! There is a belief that by that doing static stretching exercises (a stretch where you hold a position without moving for a given amount of time) prior to doing sport or exercise helps prevent injuries. The rationale is that by increasing the range of motion around a joint, there is less chance of injuries. NOT TRUE! We now know that it is not the case. Serious studies have clearly shown that performing static stretching doesn’t prevent injuries. Did you read that? Static stretching performed prior to physical activities DOESN’T prevent injuries. Even worse, some studies have also shown that it could be detrimental to the performance of speed-power athletes.

Softball players are speed-power athletes because all of the actions in our sport have to be done quickly and explosively. Did you read that too? Stretching potentially decreases performance on the field!! READ IT AGAIN. The reason is that in order to generate speed and power,  our nervous system needs to be “turned on”. The problem is that static stretching does exactly the opposite: it turns off the nervous system! Studies have shown that athletes performing static stretching are losing power for up to an hour afterwards. Again – you lose power for up to an hour after stretching.

DO YOU want to bat or pitch with less power???

This is really bad news for any softball player! We need all of the power we can get to perform on the field! Now, I am not saying you should not warm-up or that static stretching is bad. Warm-up is essential to prevent injuries and to prepare the body to perform while static stretching is an excellent mean of increasing flexibility. My point is that we have to reconsider how we warm-up and when we use static stretching. Static stretching is not a good way to warm-up. Moreover, the idea that increased range of motion helps prevent injuries is still a valid one. However, we need to increase the range of motion without turning off the nervous system.

The three main goals of a general warm-up are:  (a) warm-up the whole body gradually, (b) increase the range of motion around the major joints, and (c) turn on the nervous system. Most sports conditioning experts now agree that a good warm-up should mostly be dynamic in nature – NOT sitting around in a circle and stretching passively! That means that it should be comprised of movements that allow us to reach all three goals.

Typically,  a good general warm-up will consist of some sort  of activity that brings the body temperature up (i.e. jogging)  followed by exercises that will challenge the nervous system  and also increase the range of motion around the major joints. These exercises are often described as “dynamic flexibility exercises”, “mobility exercises” or “movement preparation exercises”. Static stretching is still a great way to improve flexibility  and promote recovery. The purpose of a warm-up is NOT to increase flexibility but  to prevent injuries and prepare the body to perform optimally. As a result, the best time to use static stretching is right after a game or a training session during a cool-down period. At that time, muscles are more compliant to flexibility training (they are warmed) and the body needs recovery.

So, don’t make the big mistake of using static stretching as the core of your general warm-up – do dynamic warm-up instead. Be smart and learn how to properly do a warm-up that will truly optimize your performance while keeping you away from injuries! So please, STOP being “old school” using methods that DON’T WORK and get into the 21st century with “cutting-edge” methods.

 

Softball Pitching: The Panic Face is Not Allowed

Have you seen that look on a softball pitcher’s face before?  The panic look?  I know I have…and when I’m on the other end of that look (in the batter’s box) I KNOW I have that pitcher beat!  I KNOW I’m going to hit the ball and make something happen.

One thing great pitchers know how to do is avoid that panic face at all costs. Great pitchers know how to keep “bummed out” feelings from showing on the outside.  Great pitchers can keep the same demeanor and just keep throwing even when all hell is breaking loose around them (in other words, when their defense is making errors left and right).  Whether they just struck out the side and are feeling confident or it’s the middle of the longest inning ever and they have reason to be frustrated, they look the same on the outside.  This is such a powerful skill to master, but it’s not always an easy thing to do, nor does it come easily to everyone.

So how can you get better with this?

Well, it starts with awareness.  Some pitchers may not even be aware of the signals they are sending with the look on their face or the change in their body language.  This is something that coaches may need to point out and work with their pitchers on.  If you’re a pitcher, get some feedback from your coaches or even our teammates about what they notice about you when you throw a mistake pitch or when you get frustrated or upset during a game.  What do you do?  How does your body language or facial expression change.  Knowing what you are currently doing or how you are weak in this area is the first step to making improvements.

Actually, this is an issue any player can work on, not just pitchers, but I believe this issue is even more important for pitchers and catchers. Why?  Because the pitcher is often who your opponent is focused on and the catcher is someone that everyone on your defense is looking toward on every pitch.  The body language and demeanor of these two people can have a big impact, either positive or negative, on your team and your opponent.  It’s an important part of both those positions and is something that should be addressed and worked on in addition to skill work.

Many pitchers will work on their pitching skills daily, but how often are they working on their mental game? How often are they practicing how to avoid showing that panic face which can get them into almost as much trouble as hanging a pitch over the plate? Probably not often enough.

Need some help bringing the subject up with your pitchers? Check out the article below…

There was a softball article that talked about this “panic look” pitcher’s sometimes get.  There were actually quite a few references to the mental game in this article.  It’s a great article for pitchers (and players in general) to read – it definitely opens up opportunities to discuss the mental game with them.  Check it out HERE.

Hopefully these tips have been helpful. What do you think?

Softball Tips – Take a Little Time to Retool

Without a doubt this is a busy part of the fastpitch softball summer season. Tournaments every weekend, for some team’s league or scrimmage doubleheaders during the week, and maybe a practice squeezed in here or there. What that means is very little time to work on individual skills. Some may be able to handle that, but they’re in the minority. For most, all this play time means skills are actually deteriorating. It makes sense. In a practice setting, a hitter might take 100 to 200 swings in a session. In a game, she’s lucky if she gets 12. That’s a pretty big delta. Same with fielders. Whereas in a good practice session you may field 50-100 balls or more, you may go a game or two without any significant fielding chances — especially if your team has dominant pitching. Sure, you get some practice during warm-ups, but your focus is different then. It’s on getting ready for this game coming up, not on necessarily improving your skills. Even pitchers can have it tough. Sure, you’re still throwing a lot of pitches. But the focus will be on the ones that are working. The pressure is on to throw strikes and keep baserunners off the bases, so if you curve is working and your rise is not, the rise isn’t going to get much of a workout.

That’s why it’s important to make time for that sort of deep practice that will keep skills sharp and you playing the way you want to play. Which probably means you’ll have to get out on your own to do it. When my hitting students tell me they’re struggling because their team doesn’t practice hitting, my first question is do you own a tee? Followed by do you have time during the day to use it? The answers are usually yes and yes. So then why aren’t those players getting their own BP in? I think a part of it is kids today have gotten so used to organized practices, formal lessons, etc. that it never occurs to them to just go out and swing a bat or get someone to roll ground balls to them or take a bucket of balls and pitch them into the closest backstop to their houses. That’s too bad, too, because some of your best practice time is when you’re by yourself. Without a team or personal coach there, YOU have to figure out why something is going wrong and correct it. You learn the skill much more thoroughly and deeply that way, which means when crunch time comes you know what to do and how to overcome adversity.

Now, that doesn’t mean you should never see a personal coach during the season. If you have the right one, he/she knows you, knows the mechanics you’re supposed to be using, and can help you shortcut the discovery process. Another good reason to see the personal coach is for a confidence boost. With games so focused on results it’s easy to get caught up in it. You start pressing to make the play, get the hit, strike everyone out, etc. and if it doesn’t happen you get in a negative thought pattern — perhaps helped along by a team coach. A good personal coach will remind you of what you CAN do, and help you get back on track. Remember, no matter what the skill, it always works better if you’re confident in your abilities. If everything is going swimmingly for you, keep on doing what you’re doing. It seems to be working. But if you’re finding that your performance isn’t where it ought to be, or where it was a few weeks ago, make time to do a little individual work. You’d be surprised what a difference a half hour here or there, even during a busy season, can make.

Anyway, that’s the way I see it.