Today we have another wonderful guest post from former East Coast #1 NCAA pitching recruit Jill Schonberg. Jill is going to share some important wisdom from her years of being a high level pitcher and give you some tips for how to pitch in high pressure situations. Enjoy!
Read MoreIn a previous video, I discussed the importance of the throw zone in windmill pitching and how to establish it. In today’s video, we’re going to take a more in-depth look at the throw zone and talk about how it relates to maximizing your velocity and command.
Read MoreYoung female athletes tend to lose flexibility secondary to loss of stability as they grow. Muscles can either be placed under tension as the bones grow or they protectively contract in attempt to control the larger skeleton. A proper stretching routine should enhance body stability as well as flexibility. In this week’s video, I demonstrate my favorite active flexibility exercises for softball players.
Read MoreA little while ago I received an email from a Fastpitch Power reader asking for specific windmill pitching drills to address the issues of turning the load foot and dragging it during the drive-through. The reader was right; though we’ve discussed these issues at length, we’ve been a little light on info regarding how to fix them. I see more pitchers every day having problems dragging their feet, and since it’s so prevalent, I want to share my response with all of you.
Read MoreWhen you’re all alone in the eight foot circle and things seem to be falling apart around you…who are you gonna call? If your answer is anything other than “your own self,” you’ll probably get a busy signal.
Read MoreAs the high school season comes to an end, summer travel teams are ramping up. In order to keep your throwing shoulder healthy thoughout the season, you must be PROACTIVE, continuing to keep your shoulder loose and strong before and after you pitch. In my last post, I demonstrated self-massage exercises that you can do if you have two tennis balls and a softball. In this week’s video, I give you my 4 favorite shoulder strengthening exercises that combat the fatigue you accumulate over your season.
Read More
Today we are very fortunate to have the first of several guest posts from someone with a tremendous amount of firsthand experience in windmill pitching and the game of softball in general. Jillian Schonberg went to Villanova University as the number one NCAA east coast pitching recruit in 2007, and now she’s a physical therapy graduate student at Harcum College. You’ll hear us talk a lot at Fastpitch Power about how we don’t like to teach “tricks,” but rather we insist on proper, healthy mechanics and hard work, even if it takes longer to get where you want to be. Nonetheless, there IS one thing you can have that can make just about any pitcher noticeably better without changing anything else: a fabulous catcher. A good catcher is invaluable to a pitcher, and a good pitcher-catcher relationship is integral to the success of a team. Jillian is going to share her wisdom on the subject.
Read MoreAcceleration in the windmill pitching motion is critical to the success of the pitch. It’s logical: if you’re not accelerating your arm at delivery, you will not release the ball with maximum speed. Despite this, so many pitchers get into the habit of slowing down or even stopping their hands at the delivery of the pitch, resulting in compromised velocity and accuracy.
Read MoreIn the Northeast, the high school season is progressing into section playoffs which has inspired me to share some tips on how to keep your throwing shoulder healthy throughout a long season. First, I have to make a bold proclamation: not all softball players should stretch their shoulders.
Read MoreI’ve been involved in fastpitch softball, either in a playing or coaching capacity, since I was eight years old. Thus, over the course of my life, I have seen and interacted with a pretty large number of softball players at all levels. It won’t come as any surprise when I say I’ve seen some pretty terrible throwing mechanics; you’ve probably all experienced the same thing. I have, however, noticed a curiosity: in a number of cases I’ve encountered, the most talented and athletic kid on a team has struggled more with her throwing than most of her teammates, displaying inconsistent accuracy, experiencing arm pain, or both. There are a few reasons why this might be the case. Personally, I believe coaches across softball, especially at the beginning levels, should place a much greater emphasis on teaching throwing and catching mechanics than they seem to do. Exposing very young players, even exceptionally talented ones, to competitive play without this foundation is doing a disservice to them and their futures as softball players. In addition to this, however, there is a factor that I believe comes into play in many cases. The average young girl’s hand is small, and a softball is big.
Read More