How important is my Pre-Game?

Pre-Game is very important. As a pitcher or catcher, you have the opportunity to focus on the upcoming game, touching on location for pitches, and pitch movement.  But analyzing your pregame is JUST as important.. meaning: you have some vital "today" feedback to share with your coach so coach can call a game that will give you a successful experience on the mound.  

Catchers and pitchers should tell coach some of these valuable elements from pregame...

• What pitches are you throwing today? (2-Seam, Curve, Drop, Rise, Screw)
• What’s your BEST off-speed pitch today?
• What’s your go-to pitch today? (The fastball spot you hit most often) 

Why go to a clinic?

There are many benefits to attending clinics.  A variety of topics can be covered in something like Be the Best Clinic in Cherry Hill, NJ, or a specific concept can be key such as my winter power pitching clinics.
 

What should your expectation be?
 - To come away with one nugget of information.


What you should not do at a clinic?
 - Go in believing 100% of every single thing a coach says to the general audience. Remember as we say things, you may take instruction differently than others.. so still remember, do what works best for you.  Also, there are a variety of methods to teaching and to performing.

Adversity

Adversity causes some men to break; 

others to break records.
-William A. Ward-

Define Adversity: unfortunate event or circumstance.

Synonyms: catastrophe, disaster; trouble, misery...

Every athlete has met adversity.  If you have not felt adversity, you are not expecting enough of yourself. As we prepare for the spring season, we have 6-9 short weeks before the first batter steps up to the plate in competitive play.  Are you looking forward to this exciting event?

As we prepare, what are your expectations?  I believe in you, but what do you believe?  

Consider these:

• What is my batting average? how many hits do I expect per game?  [One hit every game is a good goal]
• What is my accuracy rate? I want to hit the outside changeup 8 out of 10 times my catcher calls for it.
•  What is my speed? I want to throw...miles-per-hour.  [Reasonable goals: 10u-40mph, 12u-45mph, 14u-48mph, 16u-50mph, 18u-55mph]
• What is my role as a teammate? I want to give a high five to my replacement when I'm taken out of a game. I want to cheer for every person on my team when they are at-bat.

These are just a few examples, tell us your spring goals....

Progress

This is a very important post, directed primarily towards parents and coaches.  The idea is progress.  We all want to reach success, our daughters, our careers, our families, etc.  In every areas, we must progress to reach success - this is evident.  Noone became the winningest coach without winning each game, by progressing year after year, compounding hard work with time..

Practice should be an evolutionary giant, a progressive system of learning, improving, and ultimately, reaching success.  How do we structure our practices to reach success?  Through progressive drills.

The next few posts will center around the idea of progress...

FIELDING FUNDAMENTALS:

• Week 1: fielding fundamentals: one-hoppers, side-to-side, slow-rollers (single line at SS)
• Week 2: fielding fundamentals: (single line at SS, throwing to 1B)
• Week 3: fielding fundamentals: without a glove (3 lines; field at SS, throwing to 2B, making the double play to 1B)
• Week 4: fielding fundamentals: game-situation, coach hitting to SS, making the double play (2B to 1B), then spend additional time by adding a runner.

How to choose a new bat?

A few important factors should be considered as you choose the right bat for you.

• Height
• Weight
• Barrel Length (and Sweet Spot)
• League Rules
• Comfort
• Warranty

To get a general idea on height, stand and lean a bat against your leg. The bat should reach to your wrist. Next, approach home-plate, prepared to hit. Hold your bat out: can you hit the outside pitch? If not, the bat is too small. If you have more than 2 inches hanging over the outside corner of the plate, the bat is too long.

Practice Swinging... Next, get in your hitting stance, and slowly bring the bat around to a perfect contact spot. Hold you bat out for 60 seconds. If your hands start to fatigue before 1 minute is up, or if you are shaking, your bat is too heavy. If you could hold the bat longer, see if a heavier bat works for you. It is very difficult to come around on a pitch if your bat is too heavy.  This is one of the most important factors in choosing your best bat.

Now that you have an idea of height and weight, notice the length of your barrel, or the area where you will make good contact with the ball. An experienced batter can benefit from a smaller, stronger sweet spot.

A beginner or intermediate batter can benefit from more coverage area over the plate. Compare the barrel length on these bats:

You are done with the hard part, now it's time to make sure you are investing in a product that you can use year after year.  (You should look to get at least 2 seasons out of a bat, 1 season if you play year-round). Make sure that you check your league rules, most have an official bat list. Don't make a purchase without checking this list first; you could make an expensive purchase that you can't use in a game.

Finally; if you have a few bats that fit the above criteria, go for comfort and price. Bats can range from $150 - $600, so decide what this bat is worth to you. If you spend $500 on a bat, do you have enough extra for a much needed new mit? cleats? Consider your whole game before taking out your wallet, and check ebay for competitive pricing on new bats. I do not suggest purchasing a used bat; bats do lose their capability to "pop" the ball off the bat. Whenever you buy, ask one final question: does this bat come with a warranty? Protect your investment by choosing a bat with a one-year warranty.

Thanks for joining our blog today. And remember, the most important factor in choosing a new bat is the player's mental thoughts on their new bat. If you think this bat is the best thing in the world, you will already improve your hitting!

Be The Best You Are

One way our parents and coaches can stay on top of the newest research and winning strategies is to continue our education in the game of softball.  Each year in Cherry Hill, NJ, softball greats like Lisa Fernandez, Ralf and Karen Weekly, Carol Hutchins, and many others gather to share their tips, drills, and insight into the game of softball.

Join us in January!

To register for this wonderful clinic click here.

Coaches Bucket

We appreciate our catchers. We appreciate our catchers. We appreciate our catchers. We really appreciate our catchers. We appreciate our catchers. We appreciate our catchers. We appreciate our catchers. We really appreciate our catchers.  

For all this training time, we cannot find glory without our priceless catcher behind the plate. We can't say it enough - we appreciate our catchers. If your catcher is mom or dad, brother or another adult - consider papering your catcher with this neat seat that covers a 5-gallon bucket. The cover has a cushion for your catcher to sit on, ample pockets for pencils, a cellphone, scorecards, etc. And in the bucket you can stuff your glove and balls.  A great idea to say "thanks for catching me"!

Interesting Article

I found this interesting…

“The move to year-round sports has led to an increase in chronic injuries for young athletes because the same muscles are stressed year-round with no time to rest fatigued muscles. A secondary fall-out from year-round sports is burnout.” (see full article)

I like to think I am hitting both of these areas very strongly in My Softball Training programs.  First, to prevent injuries we work out not only using year-round homework, but we change our workouts throughout the year, depending on our goals at that time.  This is called "periodization."  For example, right now we are focusing on building power, so our workouts will be tough and explosive while building endurance.  But during season we focus on injury prevention, so our workouts will be lighter and focused in other areas such as flexibility.

Also, building a solid relationship helps build love for the sport, and the practice that goes along with success.  I feel so sad for girls who hate a sport because they have done it day-in and day-out without change, just lots of practice. Throughout the year our practices change from a focus on games, to drills, to activities.  Because if you’re not having fun, it’s not worth doing….

So, I’m glad to see the studies sharing two of our important focal points, alongside quality instruction.  Yet another reason why My Softball Training programs are what’s working for so many athletes and families.

Let us help you love life, build confidence in yourself, and find success on… and off the mound!



Improving Your Swing.

Don't you wonder what new training tools actually work? And what training tools are just a scam?
Sometimes figuring out the device takes years, which is time lost in your regimen. (Like the Powerball - that was a disaster in my opinion: click to view it)

However, one miracle invention is the Turbo-Slot batting glove. I noticed during hitting lessons the change in how my athletes were holding the bat. They had a better grip - firm but not too tight, and their wrists had the ability to quickly move through the zone because of grip and hand placement on the bat. In addition, and likely because of the way you are forced to hold the bat when wearing Turbo-Slot batting gloves, I found players hit the ball further when wearing these gloves.

I hope this advice is helpful as you try to improve your reaction time, power, and overall batting experience.

A Great Training Device

One of the greatest training devices I have found is the Jennie Finch Pitching Machine. I feel that it is worth every penny for our girls to have the opportunity to build solid mechanics, balance, and strength in a small space - indoors or out.

The main idea is a wall-mounted device with a hinge and ball on the end. This allows for a perfect motion, while holding a softball. Balance is built as you have the ability to add resistance.  The important factor is finally, the need to work both the pitching arm, and the glove arm. This device allows you to do both, overhand and underhand...