Inspire Her: It’s Not as Difficult As You Think
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Did you ever notice that when you put a concept into the context of a story, you bring it to life? It becomes interesting and memorable.
Her Worst Nightmare About Softball Come to Life
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Here is a short story that I'm sure you can relate to, especially if it's after the end of your first season as a softball parent/coach. If you read through to the end of this story you will find out how to avoid some big mistakes in the future.
It's your daughters first kid-pitch game. She's seen her friends pitch a few times and has maybe tried it with you in the backyard once. Today is a big game with the rival team: Reliable Auto vs. Rose Salon. The inning starts and she nervously creeps out of the dugout and dawdles up to the mound. All eyes are on her as she feels small out there on the big field. She throws her first pitch - a grounder.
Read MoreDo You Need A Backup Sport?
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Let’s say your daughter decides she wants to be a pitcher. She’s really going to put the work in this time. Unfortunately, she’s pursuing this position later than all of her teammates. In fact, everyone else has been working hard at pitching for 2 or 3 years. She’s quite far behind in all aspects including accuracy and speed. She doesn’t know any movement pitches.
However, your daughter ends up growing to like it more than you thought she would. She’s doing all the practices, going to every pitching school class, and even getting some innings in her house league.
In fact, she’s so into this softball thing that she’s going to try out for her high school team. She wants to go all-in on softball and quit her other sport. She’s so excited that by the time she gets to high school her “like” for pitching turns into love.
You know something she doesn’t, though.
Read MoreHow to Do Lessons
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*As Published in Fastpitch Magazine
The stronger your reason for doing something the more likely you are to do it, especially for pitchers. Often students come to pitching lessons with vague goals. Young players might come because their parents want them to learn how to throw it over the plate so the games go faster. Experienced players come because they want to simply "get better."
I'd like to offer you a little help on figuring out your "why" for taking pitching lessons. That is, for going week after week, year after year, throwing game after a game, before practice, after practice, or even when you have a ton of school work. What are you doing here anyway?
Your pitching coach's job is to help you develop a repeatable motion as soon as possible.
I'd like to offer you a little help on figuring out your "why" for taking pitching lessons. That is, for going week after week, year after year, throwing game after a game, before practice, after practice, or even when you have a ton of school work. What are you doing here anyway?
Your pitching coach's job is to help you develop a repeatable motion as soon as possible.
Read MoreWhat Pitchers Can Teach Us About Confidence
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Three weeks earlier I was teaching a clinic of 8 and 9 year olds in Chicago and I said, “You have to be brave when you pitch and in life. I am brave because I just quit my job to be a pitching coach and teach you ladies full time.” “What?!!! You did???!! Wait. You get paid for this?”
Read MorePitching Guide for the Wary Player
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Let's face it; there are no shortcuts to pitching perfection. It's like diet and exercise. You can't be Arnold Schwarzenegger by pumping iron once a week for two years. You can't lose those 10 pounds by reading a couple of health articles and including celery into one meal a day. You're not going to be the first 8 year old in the history of all post coach-pitch leagues to throw the ball anywhere near the plate by pitching once a week in games. Don't fret though!
Read MoreWhat's Your "Wow" Factor?
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Tonight at 7 p.m. we’ll be releasing an interview I did with Wright State Head Coach Laura Matthews and DePauw University Head Coach, Erica Hanrahan (yes, we’re related) in a live Zoom meeting. How good does a player need to be if she wants to play in college? How fast? How accurate?
Maybe there’s even a bigger question - why would i want to play softball in college, anyway?
Both stressed the importance of having at least one thing you are exceptionally good at. Coach Erica calls it your “Wow!” factor. Coach Matthews said at the very least, have enough command to work both the inside and outside of the plate. You can’t get stuck on one side.
What’s your WOW factor? When you go to a camp or play in an exposure tournament, what will make you stand out from the crowd? Is it….
Read MoreWill Virtual Lessons Ever Rule the World?
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For parents and players trying to learn more about pitching, gathering all information from online sources can be overwhelming. As a result, it gets demotivating. Every coach says something different. The key is to ask, “What are my goals and what are my daughter’s goals?”, and “What methods of learning would fit our lifestyle best?”
Read MoreWhy Inspiration Matters
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In the softball world, obsession about finding the “edge” over the competition or trying to find the “motivation” to get out and practice, causes us to overlook the important role of inspiration.
How are motivation and inspiration different? I think inspiration has to do with feelings, excitement, and creativity. It has to do with a person allowing an outside force to act within him or herself.
Motivation, on the other hand, is about will. It’s about habits and is self-imposed through some sort of discipline.
I was inspired to play as a young girl by my uncle, who’s passion and joy around the sport became contagious. His daughter, my cousin, had the same drive . All the games I had to watch inspired me with her competitiveness. It seems cool to care.
Read MoreHow People Make the Most of Their Training - Alone
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I know many pitchers are wondering how the Coronavirus outbreak will affect their softball seasons. How many games, practices, and lessons will get cancelled? Will they get behind? Will they lose command and speed? Let’s be honest, it will affect them. But quite possibly….for the better.
Read MorePitching: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
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*As published in Fastpitch Magazine
I stood on the mound my sophomore year in college as the opposing team cheered in the dugout. The hitter looked confident strutting up to the batter's box. She took extra time to knock the dirt off of her cleats before she put the bat up to her shoulder. Then she settled in and stared me in the eye. I stood up taller, followed my pre-pitch routine, and delivered my blazing fast curve ball right towards the - “BALL ONE!” Okay, no problem. I beared down, focused on my catcher’s mitt and fired again. “BALL TWO!” Although two balls in a row were not ideal, it is nothing that any good pitcher can not handle. When the next two pitches buzzed in as “BALL THREE!” and “BALL FOUR!” the cheers from the opposing dugout resounded even louder. As the good Brian Cain says, “So what, next pitch,” that saying formulated then in my brain.
Read More5 Go-To Resources About Mechanics [Video]
/![5 Go-To Resources About Mechanics [Video]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56a0f458b204d5ee03895a17/1459611492316-UI28VRUQTFLQIEEYSS7U/Julia.jpg)
Here is a cheat sheet with videos for the pitching basics. There are five basic pitching fundamentals, A take away, or pre-motion, sets you up for the rest of your pitch. Both hands need to propel forward to the target. The arm circle is fast and loose, your back leg drives towards the target.
Read MoreA Real-Life Lesson About Training: My Story
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As a young athlete, I had an average work ethic. I went along with what my coaches said to do. Although my parents took me to lessons with my uncle who was a pitching coach once per week, I only practiced maybe once per week, if at all, in an unfocused and purposeless way. I felt bad for my catcher. Wasn’t I “putting her out” by asking her to catch for me? Sometimes I felt sorry for myself because I had to throw to a wall and bend down to field it. My dad was supportive but not pushy. If I asked him to catch me, I’m sure he would have; but I never felt like practicing so I didn’t ask. Mom and Dad came to my games and were proud of my “efforts,” like most other parents.
Read MoreIthaca College Hall of Fame
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In October, Kevin Connors, ESPN sportscaster and Ithaca College graduate, interviewed me and 7 other inductees into the 50th class of the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame. It was a very fun (and nerve-racking) experience, but I wanted to share what I talked about. The reason I’m sharing this is because I think it’s important for young athletes to see what’s possible in the sport of softball. After all, many 8-12 year olds don’t know there is a professional softball league, that college softball is televised, or that they might have enough talent to play beyond high school. I’ve also added the introduction video they showed the audience before my interview to give some background on what we had to do to achieve at a high level.
Read MoreWhat Yoga Can Teach Us about Pitching
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This summer we held class at a beautiful personal training and yoga studio called “Practice Chicago” in Lincoln Park. What a fitting name, right?! As you know, I love when pitchers practice, but I never looked at practice the way described in @practicechicago’s recent Instagram post:
“When an activity becomes a practice it shifts from something you are doing at a point in time to an ongoing process of becoming. The former lends itself to “good” or “bad” judgments, forgetfulness, and discontinuity. The latter lends itself to integration, continuous learning, and wholeness.”
Read MoreWhy We Love Accountability Partners (And You Should, Too)!
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Everyone needs consistent human support when attempting difficult physical activity. Before I got a personal trainer and started attending scheduled classes at the gym in 2014 I just wandered over to Lakeview YMCA 2 or 3 times a week and completed my old college lifting workout. That's right, I did my old college workout for ELEVEN years because I didn't know what I didn't know. Seemed like a totally awesome workout because it was totally awesome in college.
Why Pitchers are Like Batman
/Being a pitcher is a year-round commitment. As you know the learning curve is steep! If you want to contribute to your team and see playing time, your best bet is to practice multiple times a week, get professional instruction, and take planned breaks (not breaks where you don't quite "feel like it today").
Unlike a shortstop or a left fielder, you hold the ball every single play in the game. You have the power to strike everyone out or walk everyone. You have the power to affect the attitude of the rest or your team, whether you stay positive after an error or lose faith when a run scores.
You hold the most power in your hands and with this "power comes great responsibility." - to quote my favorite comic book hero, Batman.
Make the time to practice year-round and you might save the day, too!
New Take-aways from College Coaches at the NFCA Convention
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One take-away I got from her presentation explained the importance of the grip. Did you ever notice that when you throw a curve ball it slides out of your hand and goes straight? I know, it happens all the time! You need to slide your thumb up on the ball and put extra pressure on your fingertips and thumb equally. Voila!
Read MoreYou Need a Strong Core to Pitch
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Did you know that a great deal of the power a pitcher generates comes from her hips and core? The arm is not entirely responsible for generating hand speed. Hand speed is the ultimate indicator of the speed of ball speed.
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