What is “Overthrowing?”
How many of you pitchers have been told you’re overthrowing, or trying too hard? And how many of you are not entirely sure what that means, or don’t know how it feels to fix it? You’re not alone.
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How Strong Do Girls Need to Be?
As an athlete, it’s hard to grade your effort in the gym. How strong is strong enough? You can train hard, but are you making real progress? Are you getting stronger in the areas that will transfer to performance on the field? There are some universal benchmarks that strength coaches should be progressing you toward. In this presentation, I show you an ideal model of how a high school athlete should improve from year to year.
Read MoreWhy Do Some Pitchers Pitch with Mechanical Flaws in Games but not Practice?
A recent reader question reminded me to address this topic, which affects so many pitchers. In a past article, I discussed some tips for overcoming game-time nerves to help you pitch as well in games as in practice, However, many pitchers who DO NOT get nervous during games still struggle to match up their practice and game-time pitching mechanics. But why?
Read MoreMore on Forearm Fire
Learning the arm whip when it doesn’t come naturally is one of the most difficult aspects of windmill pitching, and we still get a lot of questions about it. In today’s video I discuss the mechanics of the arm whip, which we call forearm fire, a little more.
Read MoreCollege Softball Summer Workouts – Flexibility
Over the next couple of weeks, Cassie and I will be covering the different components of a typical college softball summer workouts for incoming freshmen. This week, Cassie demonstrates a total body flexibility routine that you should be doing at home as often as possible. Below the video, I lay out the guidelines. Flexibility Routine…
Read MoreCan Your Stride Be Too Aggressive?
We’ve talked a lot about how the force with which you push off the pitching rubber largely determines the velocity of your pitch as a windmill pitcher. It follows that the harder you push off the rubber, the longer your stride has the potential to get.
Read MoreCommand is Located in the Throw Zone
In today’s video, I’ll be discussing what you need to focus on in order to gain greater command of your pitches.
Read MorePerfecting Your Drive Through Mechanics
I’m going to continue answering reader questions this week, and it just so happens that this one is a nice continuation from my post last week about strengthening your body to support the leg drive phase of the windmill pitch. How do you work on transitioning from a good push off the pitching rubber to a good drive-through in your pitching practice?
Read MoreWhen Should You Start Doing Power Drills?
In today’s video, I explain why it’s never too early to start focusing on power.
Read MoreSoftball Team Speed Training
In this week’s video, I demonstrate 8 speed training exercises that are easy to instruct but hard on the legs! The exercises require MINIMAL space and equipment so they are PERFECT for team warm ups and workouts. Following the video, I lay out a 12-week sample program that coaches and parents can easily implement with their athletes starting today.
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