An EXTREMELY common question I hear from parents of new young pitchers is, “How often should my daughter pitch? How many pitches should she throw?” You may have started noticing a pattern in my answers to these types of questions: there is no “right answer” or solid number I can give you that works for everyone. There are, however, guidelines you should take into account, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today.
Read MoreSo you finally made it. The next field you play on is going to be surrounded by college coaches, and guess who they might just be looking at? Welcome to “The Show.”
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As Americans, we’re growing accustomed to putting too much on our plate, and I’m not talking about food. It’s a trend that is influencing young athletes who are being run down physically and mentally with unhealthy schedules and expectations. Who’s to blame?
Read MoreSeveral weeks ago, I was participating in a conversation on a softball message board about pitchers figuring things out themselves through experimentation. There is a lot of valuable information that can be gleaned from this idea of “experimenting,” so I wanted to share this with all of you here as well.
Read MoreThere are three “gifts” that all windmillers would love to receive this holiday season. Unfortunately, putting them on your wish list probably won’t get it done.
Read MoreThe MLB postseason is my favorite time of the year when it comes to sports. This year has been particularly exciting, with kind of a crazy number of come-from-behind victories, both in single games and in whole series. As is to be expected, this has prompted a lot of talk from baseball analysts about the role of postseason experience, momentum, and choking. When a great player suddenly performs very poorly in the spotlight, it’s easy to say, “Oh, he totally CHOKED.” But what does that really mean, and how can that knowledge help YOU perform better in big games?
Read MoreHow much softball is too much? Does your daughter play all year round along with other seasonal sports? This type of schedule might enhance skills temporarily but ultimately will lead to overuse either physically or mentally. I’m not going to convince too many parents that they should give their daughter some time off, but I can do my best to help athletes stay healthy and prevent injuries if they are playing all year round. Here are a few examples of at-home workouts that give you NO EXCUSE not to start an exercise program as soon as possible!
Read MoreFall ball is a popular time for many organizations to allow their second-year 10U and 12U players to get a taste of 12U and 14U, where they’ll be playing in the spring and summer. Even if you’re sticking with your age group this fall, the move up in the spring will be inevitable. Both age groups involve significant transitions for windmill pitchers: 10U pitchers moving to 12U will be moving back to 40 feet and throwing a larger ball. 12U pitchers moving to 14U will be transitioning to 43 feet. Today we’re going to talk about physical preparation and pitching drills that you can do to make the transition easier.
Read MoreIn response to my original post, a parent of a 14U travel player comments on the relatively non-competitive nature of 16U softball in their region. She goes on to indicate that many good 14U players skip right up to the 18U level which, in their area, is mainly showcase softball. She asks: a) Should her daughter play up? and b) What type of team should she look for if she is not quite ready to be seen by college coaches?
These are excellent and compelling questions and, although there are no simple answers, I hope my perspective will be helpful to the may players facing similar choices.
Read MoreAs a follow-up to last week’s post on “Recruiting Camps: Good, Bad or Indifferent?”
I received two excellent questions, the answers to which may be relevant to many of our followers.
The first question refers to a multi-talented player who pitches for her high school and travel teams, but only pitches at around 60 mph. In addition, she is an outstanding hitter and fielder. The father of this athlete is concerned that showcasing as a pitcher might not impress college coaches sufficiently to get them to stick around long enough to see her other considerable abilities.
What follows is an answer which should apply to any prospect under similar circumstances.
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