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 MoreMake this fall and winter a proactive off-season! If your arm was hanging this summer, if you had to miss games because of shoulder pain, you can take action this winter to get your arm feeling better than it ever has. Here is my five step plan shoulder and elbow injury prevention plan for softball players.
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 MoreIt’s no secret that windmill pitching is not easy. It requires not only a tremendous amount of practice and aptitude for the skill, but also a tremendous amount of strength and stability. Core strength is something that is lacking in many—if not most—young female pitchers, yet it is absolutely essential to pitching with sound mechanics.
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.
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