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.
Your New Softball Season Resolutions
With the New Year just beginning did you make some New Year’s resolutions? Maybe you want to lose weight, or finish that certain project, or learn another language. But what things are you resolute to do for your upcoming softball season?
Batting Ski Drill – Weight Transfer – Lisa Rizzo – Diamond Academy
Coach Lisa Rizzo discusses weight transfer and a player demonstrates the Ski Drill
Pitching: Wrist Snap Drills with Beth Torina – Louisiana State Univ.
Coach Beth Torina explains and a pitcher demonstrates these Wrist Snap Drills
Mental Conditioning and How To Overcome Hitting Fears
In today’s blog post, I am going to talk a bit about softball mental conditioning, the fear and nervousness that goes along with making the play, the effect that it can have on your hitters and how they can overcome those feelings…
Hitting – Hands Drill – Jordan Stevens
Coach Jordan Stevens explains and a player demonstrates these Hand Drills
Defense – Rundown Strategies – Patty Gasso – Univ. of OK
Coach Patty Gasso explains and players demonstrate these Rundown Strategies
Softball Pitching Drills – Getting the Grip Right
Before teaching your players a huge variety of softball pitches, you’ll want to start at the fundamentals. The first thing I always go over with my new pitchers, and even my veterans, is their grip. I’ve been able to increase the power and…
Good Coaches Use A Variety Of Strategies
Whether or not to sacrifice with a runner on first base is an individual decision for every coach. Much depends on the inning, the score, who’s batting, whether the batter is proficient, how many outs and so on. Coaching isn’t easy, but decisions…
Outside Hitting Drill – Fran Troyan – Lehigh Univ.
Coach Fran Troyan explains and a hitter demonstrates this Outside Hitting Drill
Heavy Ball Hitting Drill – Randy Schneider – Univ. of WI
Associate Head Coach Randy Schneider explains and a player demonstrates this heavy ball hitting drill
Inside Turn Tag Drill – Lonni Alameda – Florida ST. Univ.
Coach Lonni Alameda explains and players demonstrate this Inside Turn Tag Drill
Plays at the Plate – AZ State Softball
Assistant Coach Boo Gillette explains and demonstrates the Catcher’s proper positioning for plays at the plate
4 Tips to Become a Better Softball Pitcher
1. Get into a Pitching Routine
I do not believe there is a magic number of pitches you need to throw per day or week. That said, I do agree that the first year should be intense in terms of frequency in order to attain consistency.
Pitching Workouts with Kyla Holas
Coach Kyla Holas explains and her Pitcher demonstrates these conditioning exercises
Side Toss Drill – Fran Troyan – Lehigh Univ.
Coach Fran Troyan explains and a hitter demonstrates this Side Toss Drill
Being Alert Can Yield Appealing Results
The purpose of this column is to help softball coaches better understand softball rules and perhaps, by so doing, get a competitive advantage.
Appeal plays offer this opportunity. Batting out of order is the most confusing of all appeal plays…
Indoor Practice Throwing Drills – Jordan Stevens
Coach Jordan Stevens explains and his team executes these indoor practice throwing drills
Mini Hurdle Drills – AZ State Softball
The AZ State Strength and Conditioning Staff run the squad through these Mini Hurdle Drills
3 Keys for Constructing vs Destructing Your Players
As a softball coach, you’re talking to your players all the time. But, are you building them up or breaking them down? Are you constructing them into better players or destructing them into total messes? Learn the 3 keys so you can avoid this…
Hitting – Positioning – Howard Dobson – Louisiana State Univ.
Coach Howard Dobson explains a hitter’s proper positioning in the batters box
Quick Feet Ladder Drills – Mike Stith
Players run through a series of ladder drills with emphasis on quick feet