Coaching Objectives: What Kind of Environment Are You Fostering?

By Carly | January 22, 2013

I’m going to take a little break from the technical pitching info and spend a few weeks talking about what is probably the most important aspect of fastpitch softball: coaching. I know a lot of our readers are probably coaches, and parents who are not necessarily trained coaches but are volunteering their time to give their children the opportunity to play softball. Hopefully the information I provide in this series of articles will help you spruce up your coaching skills and move you toward achieving the common goal we all have: positively affecting the lives of young athletes and creating a playing environment that helps them grow not just as players, but as people also.

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Does Lifting Weights Make Girls Bulky?

By Joe Bonyai | January 16, 2013

One of the main concerns young females have about starting a lifting program is that they will get “bulky”. To be clear, lifting weights does not make you bulky. However, I know it’s going to take a lot more than me saying it to convince hundreds of female readers that it’s true. Maybe a message from Miss America 2013 will help?

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Quick Tip: Avoid Getting Overwhemled by What You’re Learning

By Carly | December 10, 2012

When you’re first learning a skill like pitching or hitting, or when you’re trying to work on breaking more than one bad habit, lessons can be overwhelming. After every pitch or swing, your coach might rattle off a list of things to change. After the next one, it’s something different. You change one thing, but you forget about something else. Trying to keep track of all the things you’re doing incorrectly can be overwhelming, and often not very productive.

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How To Avoid Getting Holes in Your Cleats

By Carly | December 3, 2012 |

The majority of windmill pitchers can probably relate to my annoyance on this subject: you buy a shiny new pair of softball cleats, and before ONE SEASON is even over, the field is tearing up your foot through the holes you’ve worn into your shoes. Well, fret no more! I’ve got some suggestions that will help you get a lot more mileage out of your cleats. Your feet (and your parents’ wallets) will be relieved!

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Should You Stop Taking Your Daughter to Pitching Lessons?

By Carly | November 19, 2012 |

Here are some questions I hear a lot, both in person and online, usually in reference to young pitchers between the ages of 8 and 11: How far along should my daughter be right now? My daughter isn’t doing as well as her peers; is she hopeless? Do you think she has what it takes? Should we quit pitching? The vast majority of the time, these sorts of questions come from very overanxious parents. Before you make a snap judgement about your daughter’s future as a pitcher, take into account these tips that I’m going to share with you today.

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Making it to “The Show:” Part III

By Phil | November 16, 2012

Ok, you’re leading off in the top of the 7th; your team is down by one run; the coach for your top choice school just stepped up to the fence; you lace a first pitch curveball into the right-center field gap, turn on the jets and dive safely into third for a triple. You get up, pump your fist, beat your chest, and strut your stuff to a wildly cheering group of faithful fans. You just showed that college coach everything he or she need to see, right? Not so fast… read on.

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If You Could Only Do One Exercise

By Joe Bonyai | November 14, 2012

One exercise can help you run faster, throw and swing harder, as well as keep your shoulder healthy. It’s not magic, it’s the traditional barbell deadlift. Overlooked and dismissed as a “football exercise” that can hurt your back, I explain why you should be learning it and show you a video how to do so safely.

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Troubleshooting Common Pitch Location Problems

By Carly | November 12, 2012 |

When you’re learning windmill pitching for the very first time, the ball is probably going to go everywhere… and that’s normal! Once you sort of get the hang of it, however, you may notice that when you miss your pitch location, it is often in the same spot, or the same two spots. I find myself constantly reminding my students WHY pitch after pitch lands inside, outside, high, or low; I tell them to memorize the reason so they can self-correct in games and practices. Whether you’re a parent trying to teach your daughter to pitch and you’re not quite sure how to troubleshoot location issues, or you’re a Fastpitch Power student already and you need a cheat sheet to help you remember, this post is for you!

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