The anterior cruciate ligament is the last thing you want to injure. If you need ACL surgery, you have a 6- to 12-month rehabilitation period ahead of you, and you may not return with the same speed and agility you once…
Slapping – Point of Contact Drill – George Wares – Central College
Watch as Assistant Coach Alicia O’Brien explains and a player demonstrates this Point of Contact Drill.
Timing Slap – Tim Walton – Univ. of FL
Watch as Coach Tim Walton explains and a hitter demonstrates this Timing Slap Drill.
4 Goals for an Outstanding Pitching Warmup
I am constantly amazed at how LONG pitchers take to warmup, and yet how bad most of them pitch at the end of it all. Discover 4 goals every pitcher should have for her warmup. If your pitcher’s warmup more closely resembles wrist-snap-day than…
Outfield Quarterback Drills – Christina Sutcliffe – Northern IL Univ.
Watch as Coach Christina Sutcliffe explains and a player demonstrates these Outfield Quarterback Drills.
Hip Hop and Squat Pitching Drill – Diamond Academy
Watch as Diamond Academy Coaches explain and demonstrate this Hip Hop and Squat Pitching Drill.
Producing Hitters at All Ages
This article is about training batters to become relaxed, confident hitters. Hitters that are prepared and trust themselves, their teammates and their coaches. Trust is key. Players that trust in the team and staff will be more relaxed in the…
Hitting – Change Up Drill – Randy Schneider – Univ. of WI
Watch as Coach Randy Schneider explains and a player demonstrates this Change Up Drill.
Pitching Endurance Drill – Diamond Academy
Watch as Diamond Academy Coaches explain and demonstrate this Pitching Endurance Drill.
Using Rules To Gain A Competitive Edge
Two runners are standing on the same base. Which do you tag? This does not happen often, but when it does, confusion usually reigns. The Brooklyn Dodgers actually ended up with three runners on third base many years ago. So what is the proper…
Chair Hitting Drill – Howard Dobson – Louisiana State Univ.
Watch as Coach Howard Dobson explains and a player demonstrates this Chair Hitting Drill.
3 Plate Change Up Drill – Margie Knight – Salisbury State University
Watch as Coach Margie Knight explains and players demonstrate this 3 Plate Change Up Drill.
Training The Mind To Mold Better Hitters
We coaches spend enormous time practicing all aspects of the game of softball. Hitting seems to have a great appeal to hitting coaches, and therefore, over the past decades, hitters are able to do things they were not able to do in the past…
Slapping Footwork Drill – George Wares – Central College
Watch as Assistant Coach Alicia O’Brien explains and a slapper demonstrates this Slapping Footwork Drill.
Pitching Accuracy Drill with Kyla Holas
Watch as Coach Kyla Holas explains and a pitcher demonstrates this pitching drill to improve accuracy.
5 Practice Keys to Ensure a Great Season
The one thing all teams have in common is – they practice. School teams practice more than travel ball teams, and college teams more than high school, but either way, practice matters! While we all have different facilities, weather, budgets and…
Power Slap Whip Action Drill – Yvette Healy – Univ. of WI
Watch as Coach Yvette Healy explains and players demonstrate this Power Slap Whip Action Drill.
Fielding and Throwing Drill – Marla Townsend – UAB
Watch as Coach Marla Townsend explains and infielders demonstrate this Fielding and Throwing.
It’s Important to Define and Accept Roles
Recently, I was watching a Sunday Night Football game between the San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots. During the second quarter, Brandon Bolden blocked a punt that resulted in an injury to San Diego punter Mike Scifres…
Slapping – Three Speed Timing Drill – Ehren Earleywine – Univ. of Missouri
Watch as Coach Ehren Earleywine explains and players demonstrate this Slapping – Three Speed Timing Drill.
Walk Up Drill – Ricci Woodard – TX St. Univ.
Watch as Coach Ricci Woodard explains and a batter demonstrates this Walk Up Drill.
Seeking More Order in the Batter’s Box
Who is the next batter? The effect for batting out of order includes wording to identify who should be the next batter after the appeal – and this may be the most confusing part of this rule. If properly appealed, the next batter is the bat…
Batting Drill for Balance and Driving the Ball – Lisa Rizzo – Diamond Academy
Watch as Coach Lisa Rizzo discusses this Batting Drill for Balance and Driving the Ball.
Hitting – Contact Point – Craig Nicholson – AZ ST. Univ.
Watch as Coach Craig Nicholson explains and a player demonstrates this Contact Point Drill.
5 Softball Catcher Drills for Throwing Power
In softball, consistently getting runners out when they try to steal bases requires speed, agility and power. You’ve got to be able to quickly transition from a catching to a throwing position, or you may miss the mark.
Hitting – Hand Activation – Randy Schneider – Univ. of WI
Watch as Coach Randy Schneider explains and demonstrates the importance of hand activation in staying inside the pitch.
Pitcher’s Conditioning Drill with Melyssa Lombardi
Watch as Coach Melyssa Lombardi explains and a players demonstrates this Pitcher’s Conditioning Drill.
Why High School Softball Pitchers Don’t Throw Fastballs
Maybe you’ve noticed a trend in high school softball pitching—most pitchers don’t throw fastballs in games. It’s possible for a pitcher to succeed by forgoing the fastball in favor of movement pitches. But more often than not, pitchers who throw…
Catching Drills for Framing – Lisa Rizzo – Diamond Academy
Watch as Coach Lisa Rizzo explains these Catching Drills for Framing.
Outfielders Throwing Drill – AZ St. Softball
This drill is for the outfield getting behind the ball and coming through it in a tag situation.