Winter in Chicago can make softball practice challenging, but it’s crucial for young pitchers to keep working on their skills, no matter the conditions. Consistency is key, and even if you don't have access to perfect equipment or facilities, there are still ways to practice effectively. Whether your daughter has a catcher, a net, or just a small space indoors, there are drills and equipment that can help her focus on mechanics and build proper movement patterns. The key is to make the most of what you have and keep practicing every day, ensuring steady progress even during the colder months.

This is what college coaches are looking for: a pitcher who wants to be part of a team’s success, even if that means she isn’t the primary star. This takes practice, and that practice is in the mental preparedness to be that type of a teammate. You must train to execute this behavior when you don’t think or feel this way at first. Once you rehearse this skill after learning about it, writing about it, and deciding your action plan to live it, you get to prepare in class through the Practice Pro model. THAT is why I believe in pitching school so profoundly. And THAT is also why Abby and I are deeply motivated to start an elite level class for pitchers who want to be everything they can be in college

Over the last 37 years of my relationship with softball (as both a player and a coach), there is not a single piece of my experience that trumps the TIME spent with my father.  We forged through thousands of hours of training together.  It created the foundation of our adult lives together, and that life has been a host of full and vibrant experiences (some softball and many not), set in motion by softball: the joy, laughter, frustration, honesty, support, and motivation that was necessary for me to transform myself from the worst player on my 10 year old travel team to the pitcher who earned a college scholarship and became a coach herself.  

This year I created the online practice club. We tested it last year, and now we’re rolling out an upgraded version. The program I created tells you exactly what to practice, pitch by pitch, every day for the ten weeks of pitching school. There are four levels, and as you improve, you move up a level. Each drill has a video so you can review it. Everything is in CoachNow, our app where students currently store their videos and notes. There are rewards, pins, and a community to keep you accountable and to cheer you on.

This quiz can be taken by people who are thinking about taking on the pitching position or for people who are already pitchers and want to test their progress. I wrote this from the player’s perspective, but parents can take it too.

I notice, as expected, parents new to the sport and position aren’t aware of what it really takes, and are looking for a way to “get by” and just “pitch a few more strikes”, without formally learning how to do the skill. Likewise, long-time players wonder why they’ve hit a plateau. Take this test to see if there are any barriers you need to overcome.

See where your mindset is!

After eight years of running a pitching school and sometimes coaching up to 150 pitchers per week, I have identified the drills that work the fastest to help pitchers understand the most important skills in pitching. After trying just about everything, these drills work for the largest amount of girls at the fastest rate. It is crucial to teach them correctly, so be sure to pay close attention to the explanations provided in the videos. Here are five of my favorite drills that help pitchers improve at blazing speed.

Last week I wrote a blog about creating your own BHAG, a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal [Video 1:18]. After Oklahoma accomplished a 4-peat last night by winning the WCWS against Texas, I wondered if they made a goal 4 years ago to win 4 in a row. While I doubt it, I think that would have been a perfect BHAG! Winning not just one, but 4 national titles is something truly outrageous.

I thought back to this speech I made two years ago at my Alma Mater, Trinity High School. In it, I explain a BHAG that I had as a high school student. It was to be a CEO at a big company. At the time, I didn’t know about BHAGs, but I think it’s interesting that I made one. I didn’t end up coming close to that, obviously. What is even more interesting is that if I didn’t have a goal to be a CEO of a big company, I wouldn’t own my awesome little one. They key is to create your BHAG for fun, try to get it, and welcome any twists and turns that come along the way.

This brings me to the discovery of who I am and how I love a BHAG. I read it first in a book called Build to Last about businesses, then read it again in a book about accounting, and then I heard it a third time at a softball conference. A coach was able to win a DII National Championship because he believed his team created a BHAG, a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. This is definitely not a SMART goal. BHAGs are seemingly unattainable; they are moonshots. They put your brain on a different plane of thinking. They scare you, challenge your courage, and mainly get you excited.

I had to opportunity to attend my 5th National Fastpitch Coaches Association convention at the beginning of this month. This year we went to Atlantic City. I learn a great deal of information about mechanics, team and staff building, the mental game, and - get this -  even other positions besides pitching. But the best part is hanging out with my favorite coaches and talking about the game. 

What I find most inspiring is that my coach-friends absolutely love what they do and are super intense about improving. When there are breaks in between seminars we talked about what we liked, didn’t like, and what were planning to adopt ourselves. They love a healthy debate and rarely get to talking about anything else. It’s not like other jobs I’ve had where everyone wishes they were back home or at the hotel bar. Everyone is excited to be there. How could you not? It’s one of the most rewarding jobs in the world. 

In an effort to be festive, let's honor the 12 days of Christmas with the top 12 things I learned at convention.