Watch as Coach Rachel Lawson discusses a pitcher’s role and responsibilities. The pitcher must take ownership of pitch calling as they have probably grown up with coaches calling their pitches and this hampers the development […]
Are You a Prospect or a Suspect?
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life Questions College Coaches Should Ask and High School Players Should Be Able to Answer Better People=Better Athletes=Better Players and Teammates I am frequently surprised how rarely […]
Season Teaching Checklist with Lisa Navas – Univ. of South Florida
Watch as Coach Lisa Navas discusses a general checklist that you should cover for the season. She focuses on team offense, hitting and team defense, infielders, outfielders, as well as pitchers and catchers. The goal […]
Developing a Group Into a Team
By: Dr. Colleen M. Hacker Originally Published in: Achieving Excellence Provided by: Human Kinetics One of the main points from this chapter is that groups and teams are formed through intentional actions; they don’t just […]
Infielder’s Bare-Handed Baseball Drill with Caitlin Bollier
Watch as Coach Caitlin Bollier explains and shows a video clip of this infielder’s bare-handed baseball drill. The infielder stands on the board which elevates the player, and they are forced to bend their knees […]
Catching: Target vs. No Target with Kelly Inouye-Perez – UCLA
Watch as Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez answers a question on whether the catcher should or should not give the pitcher a target. Some pitchers need the target while others never even look, but coach wants the […]
Body Awareness and Front-Side Pitching Drills with Myndie Berka – BreakThrew Fastpitch
Watch as Coach Myndie Berka explains, and pitchers demonstrate these body awareness and front-side pitching drills. With these drills, the pitcher can work on their fastball, change up, or a movement pitch. Coach will detail […]
My Take on Leadership
By: John Klessinger Originally Published in: A Coach’s Manual Provided by: Championship Productions “If you expect people to follow you, you have to be willing to be the first to get dirty.” – John Klessinger […]
Reflecting On Why You Coach
By: Wade Gilbert Originally Published in: Coaching Better Every Season Provided by: Human Kinetics Most coaching books start with a discussion of the importance of creating a coaching philosophy and follow up with a section […]
Dirting a Changeup with Lonni Alameda – Florida State Univ.
Watch as Coach Lonni Alameda explains, and a pitcher demonstrates dirting a changeup. This is a great 0-2 pitch that allows the pitcher to expand the zone by bouncing the ball before the plate.
Pitching: Analysis and Count with Randy Simkins – Utah Tech Univ.
Watch as Coach Randy Simkins discusses pitch analysis and count. Both pitchers and coaches should always know the count. When you are ahead in the count be aggressive and attack but don’t waste pitches. The […]
Social Media: Knowing Your Audience with Garry Rosenfield – Coaches Inc.
Watch as Garry Rosenfield explains that it is important to be informed and have your own opinions, but it is also important to know who your audience is on social media and realize that not […]
Be Careful Not to Overuse Technology in Coaching
From the time most children can walk and talk today, they have a technological device of some type in their hands. By the time they finish elementary school, children can code, decode, transmit and transcend […]
Coaches’ Stressors & Mental Health with Dr. Peter Ormsby – Univ. of North Carolina Pembroke
Watch as Dr. Peter Ormsby discusses coaches’ stressors and mental health. He cites case studies that indicate the three main stressors are performance-related, organizational-related, and personal. Performance stressors deal with injuries to athletes and poor […]
The Grind
By: Coach Mickey Marley Originally Published in: Game Ready – 52 Takeaways for Winning If you are a professional, or at the least someone who has sought out to be a champion, you probably have […]
90-Second Hybrid Defensive Drill with Bonnie Tholl – Univ. of Michigan
Watch as Coach Bonnie Tholl explains this 90-second hybrid drill and emphasizes that the time of the drill can be changed to fit your personnel. This is a 5-station drill covering 3rd, 2nd, and 1st […]
Selecting an Assistant Coach with Ricci Woodard – Texas State Univ.
Watch as Coach Ricci Woodard explains that the biggest thing in hiring a new assistant coach is for them to understand what the program is about and what it takes to be successful. Loyalty, how […]
Infield: Sacrifice Bunt with Megan Smith Lyon – Marshall Univ.
Watch as Coach Megan Smith explains and a corner demonstrates the proper positioning and responsibilities for fielding a sacrifice bunt. When a batter squares to bunt, the corners yell “bunt” and slowly creep toward the […]
Developing a Culture
By: Jen Welter Originally Published in: Winning Ways of Women Coaches Provided by: Human Kinetics You must give players a voice in shaping the identity and setting the tone. With the most powerful teams I […]
Developing Routines for Handling Pressure with Bob Ligouri – Des Moines Area CC
Watch as Coach Bob Ligouri asks three of his players if they have developed any routines or tricks for dealing with pressure. Player #1 looks in the mirror as she is doing her hair and […]
5 Ways Champions Keep Their Heads in the Game
By: Cindy Bristow Provided by: Softball Excellence The biggest difference between champion softball players and everyone else who plays softball is that champions control their minds – they don’t let their minds control them. Discover […]
Why I Don’t Yell at Players with Matt Blackburn – Lake Belton High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Matt Blackburn explains why he does not believe in yelling at his players. Players emotionally respond to their coaches during a game and when a coach is mad or angry the players […]
Hitting: Ball Under the Back Knee Drill with Mary Jo Firnbach – Southern Illinois Univ. Carbondale
Watch as Coach Mary Jo Firnbach explains, and a hitter demonstrates this ball under the back knee drill. The hitter is in a ready stance and the back knee is over the ball. Emphasis is […]
Changeup: Flips and Grips with Jennifer Williams – Dartmouth College
Watch as Coach Jennifer Williams discusses changeup flips and grips. The variety of flips are the classic flip change (flip and pull back, flip up and pull back, or flip and reach), and the horseshoe. […]
Are You Building a Better You? with Chet Scott – Built to Lead
Watch as Chet Scott explains why it’s necessary to build a “better you” to be an effective leader. The way coaches regulate or react to a room influences the type of team they have. He […]
6 Steps to Better Bunting
By: Cindy Bristow Provided by: Softball Excellence Bunting isn’t glamorous or exciting but doing it successfully can be the difference between winning or losing a close game. Like free throws in basketball, bunting seems almost […]
Challenging Athletes Without Destroying Their Confidence with Dr. Greg Dale – Duke Univ.
Dr. Greg Dale explains that it is key to hold athletes accountable but do so without destroying their confidence or undermining their dignity. He talks about the difference between being intense and being emotional as […]
Safety in Sports Includes Mental Health Care
Medical professionals agree that about 20% of high school athletes and 30% of college athletes have or will have a serious anxiety or diagnosable mental health disorder that causes some degree of impairment in their […]
Teaching Defensive Skills with Larissa Anderson – Univ. of Missouri
Watch as Coach Larissa Anderson explains that she wants to teach everybody everything and make her players great athletes and her athletes great softball players. It is important that all the players practice defensive skills.
Team Culture Is Everything with Scott Whitlock – (Retired) Kennesaw State Univ.
Watch as Coach Scott Whitlock discusses team culture and how you must create a culture that does not compromise your core values and at the same time is a culture that allows the team to […]