5 Core exercises

Five set #coreworkout with intern Richelle @RK_shell 👍

Do your core exercises include more than just your abs? It's so common to think core and really only focus on abdominal muscles. Remember core is the WHOLE center of your body meaning abs, sides, and back. Here is a great 5 set series. And bonus-- coaches use the sport specific equipment to add a nice meaningful touch. Like threading a softball between the legs in Bicycles...

Bicycles 

Scissor kicks

In and outs

Reverse crunches with Reach 

Supermans 

Our Trophy Case. Courtney Coppersmith.

​As someone who watches the Division I Women’s College World Series, Courtney Coppersmith has seen the best of the best collegiate softball players play for a school championship.  Her goal one day is to be one of those athletes in Oklahoma City playing on national television.  Her natural talent and great work ethic is something that Division I coaches look for, and she has the possibility of continuing to hone in on her skills in the next four years to be a DI prospect.

​Courtney began her training at the age of 11 with private hitting, pitching, and conditioning lessons.  Coach Jordyn saw her hit 58mph last year at 13 years of age, and she is now hitting 60 mph consistently at 14.  Courtney knows that hard work is important if she wants to make it to the Division I level; however, she sometimes struggles with keeping a positive attitude towards the work she has to put in.  She believes that you need to put the work in in order to get something out of it.  

​Courtney is continuing to work hard in order to reach her Division I potential.  She knows she needs to work on building speed in order to be effective on the mound.  She also realizes that she needs to build more strength and endurance in her arms, legs, and core so that she can become a stronger pitcher overall and she trains with the best-- Coach Megan to meet these Division 1 aspirations.   One thing Courtney is really focused on is becoming a more mentally tough athlete.  She understands that mental toughness is a huge part of pitching.  She hopes to improve her mental toughness through live-game situations and believes she will gain more, solely by maturing.  She knows she is pretty far away from reaching this goal, but she is continuing to work on building her mental toughness and becoming a more confident presence on the mound.

​Courtney is one of those athletes that puts in the work.  Any Division I coach would love to have someone like Courtney on their team because she busts her tail to improve her skills.  Keep working hard, Courtney, and good luck on reaching your dreams!

Our Trophy Case. Mackenzie Bedwell

This is the story of an up-and-commer, who is just now gaining confidence as an "I'm here now" kind of player. A story about a girl overlooked, a natural athlete, who needed to find a home.

Mackenzie “Mac” Bedwell started playing softball from an early age, she was traditionally an athlete so coaches could put her in any position. By 12 years of age she was playing travel ball, and by 14 years she was still being shuffled from position to position for her "ability to play anywhere." While it is a huge compliment, the struggle was internal - where was Mac going to really find a home? And it just didn't feel like she was being given the chance to be a star at any one position. It was Mackenzie that decided that pitching was where she saw herself growing - so she began training with Coach Jordyn at 13 years of age. This is often seen as a "late start" but with someone as athletic and hard working as Mac this was the perfect time to decide that the pitching mound was her home. Mac took two years of lessons before her travel coaches took notice of the amazing pitcher she was becoming outside of their practices. Mackenzie worked at home, before and after practices on her own, she took lessons and attended summer camps until she couldn't be overlooked anymore.

Three years later, Mac is playing on the 18u Delco Diamonds junior olympic team, showing off her amazing pitches, and is even more committed to her training.  Her poise, accuracy, and balanced skill set the tone on the mound.  Her past seasons seemed to be an uphill climb, but she never let herself get down. This has shaped Mac as a pitcher who has stamina and who can dig deep when things heat up. Mac has grown from an all-around athlete to a force to be reconed with on the mound. She is nearing the 60mph range with her fast and curve balls, her batting average doubled from last summer to this fall, and she holds the rotations-per-second (pitch spins) record with her pitching coach at 24rps. That's 24 spins every second her pitch travels to the catcher's mit. Try it - that's nearly impossible to hit.   

So how did Mac grow from an "athlete" to someone college coaches are fighting over? She surrounded herself with people who could help her get better, not just applaud her efforts. Mac took lessons from pro coaches, who knew to look beyond her capabilities, to her future. Coach Kelly Sylvester is one of those coaches- she sees potential yet untapped in Mac as a hitter.  Coach Sylvester has seen the work that Mac has put in to get better in the past years.  She sees how Mac is able to make quick adjustments when her mechanics are starting to break down or when she is working on different drills and isn’t seeing the automatic success.  Coach Sylvester also notices that Mac is very coachable and takes instruction well.  She is very focused and mechanical; she can take what she learned and transform it into muscle memory fairly quickly.  Coach Sylvester catches glimpses of the well-rounded athlete that Mac can become because she sees part of Mac that a highlight video doesn’t show:  the maturity and work ethic.

Mackenzie's story isn't complete...  she wants more from next season. Her coaches want to see her ERA below 2. in high level travel ball tournaments, and batting average above .300; she has committed herself to a vigorous winter training schedule of hitting and pitching lessons, high school and travel ball practices, and it will all prove once again that this uphill climb is surmountable by athletes like Mackenzie who strive to truly be the best!

Here's Mackenzie's Recruit Video: 2017 Recruit Mackenzie Bedwell - YouTube

Our Trophy Case: Mackenzie Bedwell

This is the story of an up-and-commer, who is just now gaining confidence as an "I'm here now" kind of player. A story about a girl overlooked, a natural athlete, who needed to find a home.

Mackenzie “Mac” Bedwell started playing softball from an early age, she was traditionally an athlete so coaches could put her in any position. By 12 years of age she was playing travel ball, and by 14 years she was still being shuffled from position to position for her "ability to play anywhere." While it is a huge compliment, the struggle was internal - where was Mac going to really find a home? And it just didn't feel like she was being given the chance to be a star at any one position. It was Mackenzie that decided that pitching was where she saw herself growing - so she began training with Coach Jordyn at 13 years of age. This is often seen as a "late start" but with someone as athletic and hard working as Mac this was the perfect time to decide that the pitching mound was her home. Mac took two years of lessons before her travel coaches took notice of the amazing pitcher she was becoming outside of their practices. Mackenzie worked at home, before and after practices on her own, she took lessons and attended summer camps until she couldn't be overlooked anymore.

Three years later, Mac is playing on the 18u Delco Diamonds junior olympic team, showing off her amazing pitches, and is even more committed to her training.  Her poise, accuracy, and balanced skill set the tone on the mound.  Her past seasons seemed to be an uphill climb, but she never let herself get down. This has shaped Mac as a pitcher who has stamina and who can dig deep when things heat up. Mac has grown from an all-around athlete to a force to be reconed with on the mound. She is nearing the 60mph range with her fast and curve balls, her batting average doubled from last summer to this fall, and she holds the rotations-per-second (pitch spins) record with her pitching coach at 24rps. That's 24 spins every second her pitch travels to the catcher's mit. Try it - that's nearly impossible to hit.   

So how did Mac grow from an "athlete" to someone college coaches are fighting over? She surrounded herself with people who could help her get better, not just applaud her efforts. Mac took lessons from pro coaches, who knew to look beyond her capabilities, to her future. Coach Kelly Sylvester is one of those coaches- she sees potential yet untapped in Mac as a hitter.  Coach Sylvester has seen the work that Mac has put in to get better in the past years.  She sees how Mac is able to make quick adjustments when her mechanics are starting to break down or when she is working on different drills and isn’t seeing the automatic success.  Coach Sylvester also notices that Mac is very coachable and takes instruction well.  She is very focused and mechanical; she can take what she learned and transform it into muscle memory fairly quickly.  Coach Sylvester catches glimpses of the well-rounded athlete that Mac can become because she sees part of Mac that a highlight video doesn’t show:  the maturity and work ethic.

Mackenzie's story isn't complete...  she wants more from next season. Her coaches want to see her ERA below 2. in high level travel ball tournaments, and batting average above .300; she has committed herself to a vigorous winter training schedule of hitting and pitching lessons, high school and travel ball practices, and it will all prove once again that this uphill climb is surmountable by athletes like Mackenzie who strive to truly be the best!

Here's Mackenzie's Recruit Video: 2017 Recruit Mackenzie Bedwell - YouTube