Players are working on reaction to the ball and getting rid of the ball quickly, as if for a close play. The drill is harder than it sounds. Players will tire and must concentrate more than ever by the end of the drill. You must keep the drill…
Pitching – Game Management – Judi Garman & Michelle Gromackil
The coach or catcher may call the pitch. When someone else makes the call, pressure on the pitcher is lessened; however, the pitcher may be given the right to overrule the calls. If the pitcher does not make the final decision, she should have…
Specific Pitch Drills – Judi Garman & Michelle Gromackil
Use these drills to develop and feel the finer points of specific pitches. Emphasizing and seeing the visual patterns for each pitch will also help develop the proper release point and follow-through. Pitching under pressure is much more difficult…
Out of the Box Pitching and Throwing
Many high school, recreational, and travel ball girl’s fastpitch softball coaches I have observed do not seem to have a good grasp of the difference between the concepts of throwing and pitching in girl’s fastpitch. Their apparent concern with…
Softball: Game Speed Training with Medicine Ball Throws
Develop your explosive force through contact while hitting and running and at the release point of throwing and pitching.
Softball is a power sport, and players need to be able to exert max strength and recruit as many muscle fibers as possible…
How to Prevent Softball Wrist Injuries
Softball players rely on their hands and wrists to make great plays, like throwing a wicked pitch or slamming a double in the gap. Thus, keeping your wrists injury free is extremely important. The nearly year-round softball season can subject your…
Proper Shoulder Training for Throwing Athletes
There are two schools of thought when it comes to shoulder training for athletes who throw. No matter what the athlete or the sport, pitchers, quarterbacks, javelin throwers, volleyball players, softball players, you typically get two differing…
Staying Mentally Tough Through Injuries – Spencer Wood – Icebox Athlete
It is said that there are only two certainties in life…death and taxes. In softball, for every team, and for almost every player at one point or another, you can almost count on a third…the probability of injuries. For players they are among…
Important Keys to Coaching the Female Athlete – Cindy Bristow – Softball Excellence
Have you ever disciplined one of your softball player’s only to have 3 other players mad at you for a week? Or had one of your best athletes not really trying her hardest no matter what you did to convince her otherwise? If so then you really need…
Special Plays – Judi Garman and Michelle Gromacki
Certain situations occur regularly in a game and offer unique opportunities to advance runners or to score. Coaches need to decide ahead of time how they want to respond, and the team needs to practice accordingly so players feel comfortable with…
Lessons Learned from Failure are ours to Decide as Coaches
The worst part, of course, was the look on her face. Shock that I could do this to her, pain that I, who supposedly loved her, could be so insensitive. Tears welled up, and then like a dam unable to bear the weight of water, poured over her…
Take Time to Reassess at Season’s End – Tom Wysocki
With the completion of the myriad “national” tournaments, the 2011 summer travel ball season has long been over. During the campaign, dreams came true and dreams were broken. At each season’s end, we reassess and sometimes wonder if it’s worth the…
Teach Your Players to be Aggressive in Short Game – George Wares
How often have we had a discussion as coaches after a game, and said “We just could not handle their pitcher.”? If you are like us, probably more than you would like. In softball, unlike baseball, we have to face the other team’s “ace” most of the…
Three Key Steps to Conquer Post-Season Pressure – Spencer Wood – Icebox Athlete
Here is a sobering thought….In the entire history of high school and collegiate track, the most important individual and team championship skill is often the skill that is practiced the least…namely the ability to perform extremely well under…
You Can Also Be Aggressive in Team Defensive Situations – George Wares
he great game that we all love to play and coach is called fastpitch for a reason. It is “very” fast. When two very good teams compete against each other at almost any level, it usually comes down to each team having a couple of opportunities to…
You Never Stop Scouting Your Opponent – Bill Edwards
Bill Edwards’ belief in the “game within a game” philosophy is one of the biggest tools in his coaching arsenal. This two-part series detailing this philosophy begins this month with “You Never Stop Scouting Your Opponent” and will conclude next…
Practice with PRESSURE! – Carol Bruggeman
How many coaches out there can relate to this scenario? You feel you have a very solid defensive team, as your athletes work hard on the mechanics and fundamentals of fielding, throwing, and receiving every day. Each member of the team fields 150…
Four Guidelines for Any Coach
I will be the first to admit that I have been very lucky in this business. My career has allowed me to live a life which most softball coaches can only dream of. I have won national championships, coached All-Americans and served on the USA …
Quick Tips To Improve Bunting Skills
Bunting is one of the simplest, but most often under-taught aspects of our game. Here are some quick tips to help you.
First, you want to either be in the front or back of the box. Being in the front increases the chance of the bunt going fair…
Seven Tips for Better Hitting – Ken Krause
There has been a revolution in the game of fastpitch softball in the past few years – the introduction of powerful and reliable hitting. While it used to be a given that any game between two even halfway decent teams or above would end in a score…
The Mental Game of Hitting
Hitting is adjusting–adjusting to the pitch, the type of pitcher, the count, the umpire, and the situation. The mental game of hitting begins in practice. In a game, it begins on the bench, continues in the on-deck circle and on the approach to…
Toss Drills
These drills are useful because they do not require a lot of space or expensive equipment. Players can use rubber softballs, old softballs (tape the balls if the seams are coming apart), and Wiffle balls and can hit into a fence, carpet, curtain…
You don’t have to be fast to be a good base runner…
As I look at the identity of my program, I always look at ways in which we can get better. The place I always come back to is base running. Base running, in my opinion, right next to over hand throwing is one of our games’ weakest skills.
Base Running – Light vs. Sound Approach
Our philosophy of base running is based on two concepts Light vs. Sound plus ownership of the skill. Generally speaking, one of the skills lacking of players when they come to college is the understanding of base running. Base running is not to be…
Stealing a Base
Stealing bases is a useful component of fast-pitch softball because the speed of play is dramatic with the bases just 60 feet apart. A successful steal can build offensive momentum and increase the pressure on the pitcher and defense by moving…
Speed Training for Softball Base Running
In softball, getting on base is purely about speed. A quick jump toward first base after a batter makes contact with the ball is often the difference between reaching safely or being called out.
Competition Drills for Pitchers
Watch: Competition Drills for Pitchers
Body Position: Screwball – Poles Drill with Kyla Holas
Watch: Screw Ball – Poles Drill
Teaching the Curve Ball with Kyla Holas
Watch: Teaching the Curve Ball – Kyla Holas – Univ. of Houston
Rise Ball: Learning How to Spin with Barb Sherwood
Watch: Rise Ball – Learning How to Spin – Barb Sherwood