Yesterday, i was doing a hitting session with my team. I was teaching the “inside-out” concept. It’s a bit technical without being that complicated. After the “theory” and “dry swing” part of practice, we got into a circuit with stations. One of the stations was a tee station. And as I do usually, I walk … Read more
Few people recognize the importance of a good catcher. Many regular players and most parents (unless they have played the game) don’t really understand how important the role of a catcher is. A catcher does so much more than just catching balls. However, most coaches (especially after a while) and all pitchers do realize how … Read more
A few years ago, as a younger and less experienced coach, like most new coaches in softball, I wanted to win, win often, and win it all. That was at the recreational level and also in travel ball at the younger levels (12U, 14U, 16U). So my thinking was the following – practice super hard … Read more
Not long ago, I was observing a coach teach hitting. It was obvious he knew something or two about softball hitting. But he was really bad at teaching it. His players had a hard time applying what he was teaching. Here’s what he was doing. He kept telling his players about what they shouldn’t do … Read more
Yesterday, I told you that if you want to get faster, you need to get stronger. Let me tell you why. Muscles do produce forces. When you apply forces to the ground with strong and powerful steps, the ground gives you back that energy. Basic principle of physics. Think of it this way. If you … Read more
Even though I consider myself very knowleable in the area of speed, agility and quickness (probably more than 98% of people in the softball world), I took my team to see a top speed and agility coach. The guy who own that facility is considered by many in the sports conditioning and fitness field to … Read more
I started working with my team officially this weekend with our first practice yesterday. We have a good hitting team. And yesterday, I was introducing a few simple softball hitting concepts mostly about stance, rythm and loading/trigger/negative movements. I have one player who said “I can’t do it”. What? “I can’t do it. My body … Read more
It happens all the time – errors and mistakes. Softball is full of it. In fact, it’s a sport of errors. The team that makes the least usually wins. At the younger levels, teams don’t get beat, they beat themselves. Coaches and parents are in most cases very well-intented. They want to help their kid … Read more
Today, I was in NY State with my good friend Sean Cotter. Sean is the Head Softball Coach at Plattsburgh State University, one of the best NCAA Division III softball program in the country. Sean is very well-known for driving his opponents crazy with a very aggressive style of play. And I mean really aggressive. … Read more
There is a disease that often goes undiagnosed. Pitching (and other skills too) is very technical. It takes a lot of hours to learn, master, and refine the various technical elements of pitching if you include all of the pitches. It’s very easy to confuse pitchers. All you have to do is to give them … Read more