Life in the Fastpitch Lane

A very different experience

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:14:00 GMT

Last night I was out teaching as usual. Only four lessons thanks to the start of the HS season, starting with an eight year old and finishing with a high schooler. During that last one Ashlee was working on her movement pitches, and broke off a particularly nasty curve ball. The curve is probably her most reliable movement pitch, and she can do wonders with it.

After throwing the pitch, a guy came walking up and asked "Wow! Was that a curve ball?" He then told me he and some of his buddies play men's fastpitch in Wisconsin, and none of them would've wanted to go up against that. He also mentioned that two of the guys with him were their pitchers. Then he went back to hitting, and we finished the lesson.

After I packed up, I went by just to say goodbye to the guy (Matt) since I hadn't had much chance to talk during the lesson. He and the two pitchers stopped what they were doing and asked what grip Ashlee was using for the curve. I showed them, at which point Matt got out his digital camera and asked if he could take pictures of that and the grips for a couple of other pitches.

One thing led to another, and before I knew it I was giving an impromptu (and free) lesson to the pitchers on how to throw a backhand changeup. We didn't take a long time, but I did explain some of the principles and things to follow, demonstrated it (poorly I might add -- I really need to do warm-ups before I start doing demos) then each of them tried it. It was rough, but they picked up the basics pretty quickly. With some work they should have a nice, new pitch come this spring.

That's the first time I've ever worked with men's fastpitch pitchers. It was definitely different. For one thing, they were both taller than me. I got the impression they were both self-taught too, mostly playing for fun.

In any case, I had a good time working with them. Maybe they'll wander up to Grand Slam again some Wednesday night and we can talk more softball. You just never know where life -- or fastpitch softball -- will take you.

Girls throw like their fathers

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:12:00 GMT

This is more of an observation than anything else. But teaching as many pitching lessons as I do, I've had occasion to watch a lot of girls play catch with their fathers. And it's amazing how closely the throwing mechanics of the daughter reflect those of her father.

If Dad stands face-forward and pushes the ball, so does his daughter. If Dad wraps his arm around his head when he throws, so does his daughter.

I don't seem to recall that so much with boys. Not sure why -- maybe boys receive more training at an early age, or perhaps they just spend more time throwing on their own. It's my firm belief that to a boy, duck+rock=throwing practice. A girl would never draw the same conclusion.

In any case, whatever the reason, step back and watch sometime. You'll see I'm right.

For those of you who are fathers, definitely keep that in mind. However you throw is how your daughter is likely to throw. So if you want your daughter to succeed, work on your own throw first. It could help shortcut her path to being the player she wants and needs to be.

What's the deal with conditioning and HS tryouts?

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:17:00 GMT

This is the week for high school tryouts. And with it come the interesting stories.

I've heard from several of my students who told me that much of their tryouts were spent not showing their skills, but running, running running.

Not to go all Seinfeld on you, but what's the deal with that? I know tryouts for the most part are perfunctory. Most teams, especially varsity teams, are chosen well in advance. Still, wouldn't you think that coaches would want to take as long a look at the skills of their players as they can, to make sure no stone is left unturned?

All I can figure is they're trying to weed out the girls who are just dabbling, or trying softball for the first time. That's a shame. A school sport should be more inclusive, at least at the lower levels. Why make it miserable right off the bat?

Some schools have trouble even fielding teams at all levels. Running the girls to death is no way to get them out. It's not that I'm anti-conditioning. It's an important part of sports performance. But why not ease them into it? Or build up to it? After all, it's not soccer or basketball. It doesn't take all the much endurance to play our sport. Conditioning is not the game-changer it is in continuous motion sports.

Start with a reasonable amount and work your way up. Better yet, work conditioning into skills training to maximize your efficiency. With a little effort and imagination it can be done. And that way, you're not turning off kids who might otherwise be able to make a real contribution to the team.

The Olympics just don't dig team sports

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:04:00 GMT

This morning in the newspaper I saw a story about the woes of women's hockey in the Olympics. They were talking about how the Canadians and Americans dominated the competition, and how as a result the International Olympic Committee is considering taking women's hockey out of the Winter Games.

Sounds familiar? It should. It was essentially the reason our sport was removed from the Summer Games. The perception was that the USA dominated the sport and so it should be removed for one that would give more countries a chance.

After reading this morning's story it hit me. The problem isn't softball or hockey. It's bigger than that. The Olympics really don't like team sports. Or put another way, they prefer individual sports.

Think about it. With an individual sport, you just need one good individual to compete for a medal. A country that hasn't had much success in a particular sport can turn its fortunes around with a single outstanding athlete.

But it takes a lot more with a team sport. Take fastptich softball. You have nine players on the field who have to have outstanding individual skills plus the ability to play together as a single unit. It also helps to have a couple of dominant pitchers in the bullpen in addition to the one in the circle.

In the US, that's not tough to find. We have a huge pool of top-level players to choose from. Same with Japan, China and Taiwan. All have viable softball programs. But in many other countries it can be tough to round up 15 elite-level softball players. Most have a few holes in the linup and as a result they just can't compete.

In hockey it's even worse, in my opinion, because you don't have starters and bench players (other than in the goal). On a 20-person roster, 19 of them are likely to see a lot of ice time. Other countries may be able to find a few top quality hockey players. But with one-minute rotations on the ice they're likely to have large chunks of time when they don't match up with the world's best.

The IOC sees that, and that's why they seem to look for reasons to drop team sports. They replace softball (team) with golf (individual). True, they did add a form of rugby, but it wasn't a full-team version. It was a short-sided version -- easier to gather up a few good players than a bunch.

I don't have a solution. Wish I did but I don't. The IOC wants to spread the wealth when it comes to medals, and that's easier to do with individual sports. Guess we'll just have to settle for the non-Olympic championships -- at least until there's a change in thinking at the IOC. Perhaps someday they'll realize that the people want to see excellence and entertainment no matter who is delivering it. Then we'll stand a chance of getting our sport back in the Olympics.

Almost time for HS softball

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:47:00 GMT

Wow! It's hard to believe Monday is March already. It seems like just a couple of weeks ago I was goofing off on Christmas vacation, staying up way too late and sleeping in until morning. But now Shamrock Shakes are available at McDonalds (although I'm not a big fan of the whipped cream and cherry) and at least here in Illinois girls are preparing for HS tryouts.

It's been an interesting week. The time was spent getting pitchers ready to go in and show what they can do. (None of my current hitting students are in high school just yet.)

I'm actually looking forward to this HS season. My kids are all out of HS now so I don't have a family interest in it. But I am looking forward to getting out and seeing my students play. Yes, HS ball can be maddeningly bad (and maddenly political). Still, there's something fun about seeing kids compete for the glory of their schools.

The only thing that worries me is the weather. Right now there's close to a foot of snow on the fields, and more on the way. It might melt by March 24, which is the first scheduled game for our local HS. But even if it does I'm not sure the fields will be too playable. Too bad, too, because one of my students is opening against that local HS, which would be awfully convenient for me.

Oh well, it has to melt sometime. Doesn't it?

It's not what you know or did, it's what you can teach

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:15:00 GMT

A couple of years ago I was at the National Sports Clinics as Jacqui Joseph of Michigan State Universityprepared to take the stage. Mary Nutter, the formidable force behind the clinics and a long-time friend of Jacqui's, gave her a glowing introduction. Mary talked about Jacqui's accomplishments as a player and as a coach, particularly at MSU. The list was long and impressive and the audience eagerly awaited her presentation.

When Jacqui took the stage, she put everything into perspective immediately as only she can do. Thanking Mary, she said something to effect of, "That stuff I did is all well and good, but non of it means (expletive) if I can't help you teach your kids how to hit."

Everybody laughed of course. But the point was made. It doesn't matter how much a coach did in his/her playing career, or how much he/she knows. It only matters how much of it he/she can convey to a student or player.

You see it at times in live coaching situations. But you see it even more on the Internet, on boards like our own Discuss Fastpitch Forum. Most people who go to online boards have one of three goals: they either want to learn something new to teach their players/daughters/students, they want to solve a particular problem, or they want to give back to the game by helping one of the first two groups. Well, I suppose there's another reason, which is the social aspect of "conversing" with people who share like interests.

For a small group, though, they are not particularly interested in learning anything or helping anyone. They simply want to show off how much they know. They will focus on arcane bits of knowledge, claiming to understand the movement of every little muscle and tendon in a complex athletic movement, and use technical or pseudo-scientific terms with only one goal in mind: to show how much smarter they are than everyone else.

That's all well and good. And they may possess a great deal of technical knowledge. But if they can't convey it in simple, understandable terms, what good is it? You can tell me how to split an atom in agonizing detail but it's unlikely I will ever build even a rudimentary nuclear reactor. It's just over my head.

So I guess my caution today is to not be impressed by incomprehensive mumbo-jumbo or fancy terms. Remember what Jacqui Joseph said. The people you want to listen to are the ones who can tell you how to make your daughter/players/students better in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Which hopefully is what you feel I do here. The rest is just self-serving blather.

The numbers are down for baseball and softball sign-ups

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:04:00 GMT

In the last few years, it's seemed like fewer and fewer kids have been going to tryouts, and teams have had to compete harder for the kids who did come out. I know of several programs (including the one I've been associated with for the last 14 years) that have had to fold teams, or that maybe took a couple of players they normally wouldn't have just to be able to play.

But I thought maybe it was just an isolated program here or there. Turns out it's not. I saw this article this morning in my local newspaper. It talks about how the numbers are down all across the area, and how that is part of a larger trend.

The culprit? For once it isn't coaches who yell at the kids or anything like that. Instead, according to the article, the #1 reason is video games. Kids are opting to stay indoors and play video games rather than go outside and play sports.

There are a couple of reasons listed. One, of course, is the general sedentary nature of kids these days. Between texting, mp3 players, computers, etc. they're just a lot more oriented toward sitting and playing with electronics than getting up and moving around.

But video games have had another effect too. According to the article, and the experts it quotes, the nature of video games have made real sports less appealing to today's youngsters. Video games are relatively easy to learn, and offer instant gratification -- as opposed to softball which can take years for most kids to just become competent.

They simply don't have the patience for the constant repetition required to learn how to play softball. Throw in "cheat codes" in games that allow them to overcome their shortcomings by getting past obstacles and you can see where there's a disconnect. There aren't any cheat codes in softball.

The article says the younger ages -- under 10U -- are not being affected as much. But once kids get to the age where they have iPods, smart phones, maybe even their own laptops, and of course a choice of gaming consoles -- the 10U to 14U range -- the numbers drop off dramatically. And it's even affecting high school sports, as fewer kids are going out for them and often the ones who are don't have their skills developed quite as well as those of a few years ago.

So if you feel like your travel team or league has been struggling, you're not alone. Apparently it's happening all over.

A drill to work on tosses

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:21:00 GMT

Well, it's snowing like crazy here in Illinois, so teams won't be moving outside anytime soon. That can be a drag for players. There's a lot you can do in a gym, but it's not quite the same. And coaches often run out of ideas after awhile, so they do the same things week after week, leading to even more player boredom.

I know. I've been that guy running that practice. Which is why I came up with the drill I'm about to describe. It's good for working on multiple skills at once, including fielding ground balls, backhand tosses, forehand tosses, regular throws and catches.

Here's the setup. You need three fielders across in a line, plus a coach and someone to catch - preferably another player.

Fielder 1 Fielder 2 Fielder 3

Coach Catcher

The coach hits a ground ball to Fielder 2. She does a backhand toss to Fielder 1, who then throws the ball home to the Catcher. The Coach hits another ground ball to Fielder 2, who fields it and does a forehand toss to Fielder 3, including following the throw. Fielder 3 throws to the Catcher, and follows the throw home, becoming the Catcher. The Catcher catches the ball, hands it off and goes to Fielder 1's position. Fielder 1 moves to Fielder 2.

In addition to working on a variety of techniques, if you do the drill quickly it also provides some good conditioning and practice performing under pressure. For more advanced players add a second ball so you can hit one ball as soon as the other is tossed to Fielder 1 or 3. To really step up the pressure and get the competitive juices flowing, do it against a stopwatch with a prize for the foursome who goes all the way around quickest.

A feelgood week

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:54:00 GMT

I think every coach goes through this now and then -- those days where you wonder if you're actually doing anybody any good. You start to wonder whether everyone's time might be better spent apart rather than together.

Then there are weeks like this one. Two significant events occured this week, both on the pitching side, that made it a real feelgood week for me.

The first was Wednesday night. I was continuing to do radar gun checks of students I hadn't seen yet. I like to do it periodically just to get some empirical data around what I'm observing. Most kids don't like being gunned, and in a lot of cases the results tend to be a little lower than they thought, leading to disappointment. I have no doubt that anxiety over being clocked causes them to tighten up, making disappointing results a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So it was nice when one of my students got excited to see the radar gun come out. Of course, she had her own motivation. Her dad Rick, who is a reader and contributor here, apparently had promised her a kitty if she hit 57 mph. She was psyched up to give it a go.

She came ever so close -- very consistently at 55, plus one 56, but couldn't quite get that little extra on it. Still, she had fun trying, and like all daughters she assured me that she'll be getting said kitty anyway. Rick didn't look so sure, and maybe he can comment on it. But we'll probably try again in a couple of weeks. In any case, it was nice to have someone actually want to do it. And by the way, she'd gained several mph since the last time I clocked her last year so it was good all around.

Then last night my first lesson was with a girl I started with last fall. She is a sophomore who never had a pitching lesson in her life. She'd just sort of gone out there and done it. She and/or her mom decided it was time for lessons, and they knew it would be a long, tough road. The girl didn't throw too hard or too accurately back in September, primarily due to some serious mechnical issues.

Last night, though, she was rocking the ball. Her mom told me she'd had to purchase a catcher's mitt because her old fielder's glove from her playing days was no longer doing the job. Her hand was getting bruised and she needed the added padding. Accuracy also was excellent -- no more throwing behind the batter.

The real fun part, though, was moving to the changeup. She threw three excellent changes and I told her let's move on, I can only screw you up from here. That got a big smile!

Both of these girls work hard, listen intently, and try their best to do what I ask them to do. They are willing to make changes in their approach, and even more importantly they are learning to correct themselves. They are aware when they're doing something they shouldn't, and will say something even before I can. That, to me, is the best news of all.

And that's the beauty of coaching. They both put in the effort, and I get to enjoy it along with them. Not a bad way to spend a couple of winter nights!

Working with the young 'uns

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:38:00 GMT

Had an interesting bit of feedback yesterday regarding coaching younger/less accomplished players which got me to thinking. But before I get into the thoughts, first a little background.

One of my co-workers at my day job (yes, that's right, this coaching thing is just a sideline for me) had asked me if I would work with his daughter on hitting. She is 13, I believe, and next year will be entering high school. Since she wants to play on her high school team he thought it was time to get her some lessons. She is a rec ball player currently, by the way.

So last Saturday we got together for the first time. I looked at a couple of swings and then started working with her on a major overhaul of what she's doing. She's a good kid and very smart, so as I explained what to do and why we were doing it I could see her processing it. By the end of the lesson she showed some good improvement re: taking her bat to the ball.

Yesterday my friend stopped me in the hall and mentioned the lesson. He also told me that when he had signed up at the facility he had signed his daughter up for one lesson with one of the regular coaches at that facility. (I don't happen to teach out of that one, but it's convenient to where he lives and not far from me so I do the traveling coach thing.) Sounded like an impulse thing, but I was fine with that. You should sample.

In any case, he said he really liked the way I related to his daughter and explained things to her. Then he told me something that surprised me: the other coach seemed very disinterested throughout the lesson. She wasn't mean or anything, but he said it just seemed like it was more of a bother than anything.

That kind of surprised me at first. But then as I thought about it I realized I've seen and heard about this before. Some private coaches don't really like working with beginners or kids they don't perceive as having great gifts. They only want the cream of the crop. I'm not sure why that is, though.

I'd guess a lot of it has to do with building a reputation or being perceived as a great coach. It's a lot easier to do that if all the players you're working with are already talented, and you cut out any who don't measure up to your standards. It also takes more energy and patience to work with kids who aren't dripping with talent.

But in my mind, those are the kids who need a good coach the most. Talented players will tend to succeed no matter who is doing the coaching. Does having a better coach help them too? Absolutely. But talent will out, as they say, and a great player can rise above mediocre or poor coaching.

It's the ones who don't have the native ability, though, who can be the most rewarding. Seeing a kid who might've otherwise had difficulty and probably wind up hating softball become a contributing player to her team is exciting to me. Seeing her rise above the crowd based on hard work and dedication is a thrill for me as well. But I guess that's not for everyone.

One other kicker in this particular situation, of course, is the age-old debate on whether female athletes do better with female coaches. The other coach has great credentials as a former player. She played fastpitch softball in college, was all-conference one year, even played a year in one of the pro leagues.

In short, she was everything you'd think you'd want. Yet at least in this case she lacked that all-important enthusiasm and ability to relate to the kid she was working with. Which once again supports my believe that it's not the gender that's most important. It's the approach that makes the difference.

So what have you seen? Have you ever had your daughter (or son) somewhere for lessons and seen that "I only work with top-level players" mindset? Or are you aware of any private coaches who take that approach? And what do you think?

Put the emphasis on basic throwing and catching

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:42:00 GMT

It's been a while since I've talked about this, but once again as I work with girls on various skills I am struck by how little time seems to be spent on the basic skills of throwing and catching.

I don't know why that is. I suspect that coaches are in a hurry to get into drills, hitting, trick plays and the like. But throwing and catching are such an important part of our game it's hard to imagine you wouldn't want to have your players' throwing and catching skills be highly developed before moving into other aspects.

Among the things I see, either out of pitchers I work with or kids I see practicing a cage or two over, are:

Throwing arm wrapping around their head
No turning of the body; they throw with their shoulders squared up to the target the whole time
Elbow dropping to the rib cage (typically called "throwing like a girl" although I've seen boys do it too)
Striding off-line
Glove arm hanging down at the side like it's broken
Glove arm swinging out to the side (swimming)
No use of the legs -- all arm throw
Arm weakly making a throwing motion causing the ball to float or arc
Catching with one hand while the throwing hand hangs down limp
Throwing hand plastered to the webbing of the glove as if the glove is too hard to close with one hand

That's just a sampling. There are more, too, but space prohibits me listing everything.

All of the above are likely to create errors -- errors that can cost you runs, and even games. There's no need for that to happen.

Instead of letting your players warm up by chucking balls to a partner any which way while they talk to each other (and you talk to the parents or other coaches), make that time about quality catch. Spend hours if you have to in order to make the point, but give your players instruction and teach them the proper way to throw and catch. Based on what I've seen recently, it will be a huge advantage for your team, and one that doesn't require any special talent to accomplish.

Remember, the fewer runs you allow, the fewer runs you have to score to win. It all starts with quality throwing and catching skills.

Your body can lie to you

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:29:00 GMT

While it's important for athletes to listen to their bodies to receive feedback on how they're doing, it's also possible for your body to lie to you. Specifically I'm talking about what "feels" strong and powerful versus what is strong and powerful.

Young pitchers and hitters are especially prone to this paradox. They will tense up their muscles when they go to throw or swing the bat because it feels strong. Their muscles are working hard, so they must be generating a lot of power, right?

Actually, that's wrong. Tense or tight muscles are slow muscles, and slow muscles reduce the amount of power you can generate. Instead, you want to keep your muscles loose and relaxed so they can fire quickly and accelerate through the critical zone.

Don't believe it? Try this.

Hold your hand up in front of your face, tense up your wrist muscles, then try to fan yourself using only the wrist muscles to move the hand as fast as you can. You won't get much air, and if you do it long enough it will probably start to hurt.

Now relax the wrist muscles and use your forearm to make your hand move. You'll feel a distinct breeze because your hand is moving much faster. That's the power of loose muscles.

Another great benefit, as you may have already seen, is that loose muscles don't tire as easily as tight ones. Loose muscles also help you keep your head from getting in the way, because the more relaxed you are the more confident you'll feel -- and the more likely you are to find a groove that makes a good motion repeatable.

The only caution is don't equate loose with slow. You still want to be quick in your approach, attacking a pitch or swing with the intent to give it all you've got. Once you find the way to do both you'll be well on your way to reaching your potential.

So while you want to listen to your body when it comes to things like pain and overuse, remember it can also lie to you. Take Frankie's advice and relax. You'll do much better.

The heavy ball reveals all

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:23:00 GMT

As I may have mentioned in the past, this year I have made overload/underload training with over- and under-weighted balls a regular part of pitching instruction. This was not a decision I came to lightly. I have used them sparingly in the past, but have been a little reluctant to go fully into them since I'd seen objections that they could lead to injury. Critics of weighted balls would say you can do the same with long toss. But since the facilities where I teach don't really have the kind of distance required for worthwhile long toss, that wasn't an option. Neither was going outside given that I live in the Chicago area.

I was finally convinced by two things. One was the endorsement by people such as Cheir Kempf of ClubK and Marc Dagenais of Softball Performance. Both know what they're talking about, believe in weighted balls, and include workouts for them in their materials. The other was a summary of anarticle on injury prevention in softball pitchers that appeared in Marc's blog. The article originally in a magazine for professional trainers, and said overload/underload training with weighted balls not only helps increase speed; it also helps prevent injury. Sold!

What I've come to find, though, is there is another less obvious benefit, which I call "The weighted ball reveals all." (Hence the title of this post.)

When pitchers throw the heavier ball (it's an 8 oz. ball, which is the most I will go over), any flaws in their technique or any letup as they throw is rewarded by seeing the ball immediately go into the ~~dirt~~ floor. In a previous post I talked about the upper arm being pulled down by the shoulder muscles, and the hand being pulled through release by the forearm muscles. It's the latter where a lack of effort shows up mostly.

The added weight of the ball requires pitchers to give a little more effort to propel the ball forward. It also lets pitchers feel a letup at any point through the circle. So far I am seeing very good results not only in strength increases but improvement in technique.

It's something to keep in mind, especially if you feel a pitcher is not accelerating through release. Again, though, I'd caution to go only 1 oz. above a normal ball, and be sure to use a lighter ball (6 oz.) to maximize the benefit.

Choosing tournaments that are appropriate

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:43:00 GMT

As I write this it is early January, and all over North America travel ball coaches are starting to look at tournament listings to decide where they'll be playing in the spring and summer. There are lots of considerations to take into account, not the least of which is budget in this economy.

Of course, one of the major decisions that has to be made is what level to play. If you're a top-level team that's easy. You go into the best tournaments and try for a bid to whatever National tournament floats your boat. For others, though, it's not so simple. Those are the folks who need to carefully consider more than a "desire to be and play the best," and really think about what will best suit their players.

Let's face it. Every coach wants to think he/she is coaching an A level team, or at least a team that's on the verge of being A level. But there's a reason most sanctioning organizations offer a B level, too. There is no shame in playing a B level schedule if that's the team you have, and you may find it's better for your team's long-term satisfaction.

There's an old saw that says "to be the best you have to play the best." That's true to some extent. Yes, there are definitely things you can learn by playing teams that are better than yours. But there's also a law of diminishing returns to that. If you are consistently playing tournaments where you team is getting run ruled in the minimum amount of time, and being driven out in the minimum number of games, about all you're players will learn is they're not very good. It's tough to learn much about playing the game when you're only playing three innings at a time. You would be better served to maybe stretch in one tournament, then go into the rest where the level of competition will allow you to get more innings and games in.

Some coaches worry about getting their kids college exposure. They want to play in the big tournaments so their kids have an opportunity to play in college. I don't claim to be an expert in this area, but from everyone I've spoken to it doesn't work that way.

Your chances of being "discovered" out of the blue at a college exposure are about the same as actresses being discovered hanging around the corner drugstore in Hollywood. Yes, it has happened. Yes, it still happens every now and then. But if you want to increase your chances of being a successful actress you need to take classes, get an agent, and audition like crazy.

The same goes for softball players. Their best best for playing college ball is to contact coaches directly, send a DVD, participate in their camps, and otherwise be proactive. (I know some recruiting experts read this blog, so please feel free to add more advice and your contact info in the comments section.) If your players aren't doing that, you don't need to worry about appearing in exposure tournaments.

Then there's the player/parent perspective. Some coaches will feel they need to play in A level tournaments to please the parents, or show them their kids are in a top-flight program. But the parents are there and watching the games, and they can see what's going on. Truth is, if you ask them whether they'd rather go to high-level tournaments and see their kids get the stuffing kicked out of them or lower-level tournaments where the team stands a chance of winning some hardware, most would opt for the latter. The ones who don't probably won't be coming back next year anyway, as they will seek a team that can be more competitive when it plays. And the rest will get discouraged and leave too since it isn't much fun to get a butt kicking weekend after weekend.

So far, I've mostly talked about playing B instead of A. But there's the other side of the coin too. If your team is consistently in the top two in every tournament it plays, you're probably not seeking out good enough competition. Winning a tournament should be an accomplishment, not business as usual. If you're always clearly the best team in every tournament, it's time to seek out a level of competition that will stretch your players' ability and help them grow. Just as no one learns much by getting run ruled all the time, no one learns much by run ruling the competition all the time either.

When it comes to choosing tournaments, use the diamond theory -- you can't make a diamond out of lump of coal without pressure, but if you add too much pressure too soon your lump of coal will turn to dust. Seek out the competitive level that will challenge your team without overwhelming it and your players will gain all the benefits you're hoping to give them.

Batting cages

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 03:53:00 GMT

Apparently there is a requirement that batting cages be located in an area that's difficult to find. I'm not sure but I think it's a law.

Defining failure

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:23:00 GMT

One of my all-time favorite quotes comes from old-time actress Mary Pickford, who said, "This thing called 'failure' is not falling down, but staying down."

How true is that? In my mind it's one of the big things that separates the successful fastpitch softball players from the wanna-bes. As I've said many times (and it's not an original thought to me), fastpitch softball is a game designed to break your heart. Failure is built into its very fabric.

In most sports, you're either successful or you come out neutral. For example, in basketball or soccer you can run around and work hard, guard your opponent or handle the ball without negative consequences. But in our sport, the opportunity to fail is all over the place. One bad bounce, one poor umpire call, one swing and miss and you've failed. Then you have to go out and do it again!

Some kids today can't handle that. They've been told their whole lives by their parents that they can do anything. Their support system is designed to allow them to experience success after success. So when the outcome isn't what they want they aren't ready for it and have trouble handling it.

But that's not failure. That's life. Failure, as Ms. Pickford said, is not falling down but staying down. That is one of the most important lessons fastpitch softball can teach. It's all about your perspective.

A few years ago I read a story about three-time Olympic gold medalist Lisa Fernandez. She said the first game she pitched, around the age of eight, she hit 20 batters and walked another 20. She cried and was ready to give up pitching. But her mother wouldn't let her. She set a new goal for Lisa, telling her next time hit 19 and walk 19. She didn't ask her daughter to be perfect, just to try again and work on doing a little better. She got back up and the rest, as they say, is history.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky had a great failure quote too -- "You will always miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." How true.

Whether you're a parent or coach, be sure to help your player(s) understand what failure really is, and what it's not. They'll find they enjoy the game a whole lot more, and they'll carry the lesson with them the rest of their lives.

Sometimes the toughest thing is keeping your mouth shut

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:56:00 GMT

About a week ago, I was hanging out at North Shore Baseball Academy with some time on my hands. My 6:30 lesson had cancelled at the last minute due to illness, so I was just sort of strolling around trying to keep myself occupied for the next half hour.

In one cage was a high school age boy hitting off a pitching machine. I started chatting with his father, just some general stuff. But as we were talking I was also watching the boy. He was popping up a lot, although every now and then he'd hit a good one. I could see why -- he was dropping his back shoulder before rotating -- and that created a dilemma for me. I so much wanted to offer to help him out, but I wasn't sure that my recommendations would be all that welcome. After all, who was I to tell them anything?

Ultimately I decided not to say anything. It was probably the toughest thing I had to do all night.

Once you really get into coaching it's hard to turn it back off. I can't even watch a movie where they're playing softball without analyzing the technique. (I can tell you with utmost certainty that softball is not Hillary Duff's game.)

So how about you? Have you ever been walking around a field or indoor facility, seen some bad technique or bad instruction, and wanted to say something? Did you, or did you keep your mouth shut too?

Using the curve and screw effectively

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:27:00 GMT

One of the things I find fascinating when I read discussion boards is how many people -- especially the old-time pitchers -- seem to have a bias against the curve and the screw. Their basic premise is you should only be throwing pitches that move up or down, i.e. the rise and the drop, because they're harder to hit than a ball that stays flat.

It makes me wonder what their expectations are or experience is with the curve and screw. I've found them both to be very effective pitches when thrown correctly and under the right circumstances.

First of all, the curve and screw don't have to be flat pitches. A screw that goes up as well as in can be tough to hit (more on that later). The curve will tend to be flatter, but will still have some tendency to drop in most cases.

But the real advantage is in location. I think too often the people who don't like the curve or screw tend to throw them or see them thrown for strikes. That's not necessarily what you want to do.

I like a curve that starts out as a strike, out on the outer third of the plate. Then, a couple of feet before the plate it breaks off and is essentially a ball. The thing is, the hitter made her decision to swing before the ball broke, so she's essentially swinging at a ball. If she does hit it, she likely won't hit it very hard. But the odds are she will swing and miss, chasing a pitch that's too far outside to hit. That's a great 0-2 pitch. If she doesn't go for that outside pitch, come back with a pitch on the outside corner that doesn't break laterally. If she laid off once she'll likely lay off again, only this time it is a strike.

If you can throw a back door curve on the other hand, you're throwing a pitch that looks like it will plunk the hitter in the ribs. She backs off, and the ball goes across the plate for a strike. As long as the blue is watching the pitch the entire way you get an easy strike.

On the screw, there are a couple of strategies that make it effective. To simplify the description, we'll assume a right-handed pitcher (RHP). Her pitch will break in toward a right-handed hitter and away from a lefty.

Assuming you can get actual break and not just angle, the screw can be very effective against a big hitter. It starts out looking all fat, around the middle of the plate, then breaks in on the hands. The bigger hitter who was planning on crushing the middle of the plate pitch has to pull in her hands and hit with alligator arms. If she does catch it in time, odds are you're going to see a long foul ball down the left field line, which looks spectactular but is still a strike, same as a ball popped back into the screen.

With less talented hitters, a ball darting up and in toward their hands or face masks can be pretty intimidating. They back off, the ball stays on the plate, again you get an easy strike. One of the beauties here is that there usually aren't many kids around who throw a good screw, so if you can the hitter has fewer reference points to use in recognizing it. If one happens to get away and plunk someone, so much the better. The others will think twice before digging in.

For lefties, the screw can be used the same as a curve for righties -- a pitch that breaks off the plate. You can also have lefty slappers chasing what looks like a good pitch to slap -- providing you can adjust the break point to the front of the batter's box. Otherwise, the slapper will catch it before it breaks. Since slappers are taught to swing down, they may wind up getting the bat too low too early, swinging under the pitch because it's not where they thought it would be. No need to throw it for a strike; it only has to look like it will be a strike when the hitter makes her decision, which is usually about halfway between the plate and the pitchers rubber.

The objective with pitching is to get hitters to swing at pitches that they thought would be good but turn out not to be. The curve and the screw can both qualify if you use them correctly.

Help the British National team compete in the ISF Worlds

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:11:00 GMT

Receive the message below from Bobby Simpson today and wanted to pass it along. The message is pretty much self-explanatory but I wanted to add a few thoughts anyway. Just call me Mike Brady.

The US isn't the only country who is suffering with the IOC's decision to remove softball from the Olympics. As you'll see, that action has caused the removal of funding for the British National team, which means that despite qualifying for the ISF Worlds in the summer of 2010, they won't be able to attend unless they get some help. That would be a shame, especially as we claim that softball is world sport, not just a US sport.

I've never been real big on those petition that go around, although I do sign them too. But they're pretty easy to ignore, as the IOC does. But participating in this vote has the potential to actually result in something. I just did it and it took about two minutes.

One little trick once you get there: if you have a Facebook account you don't have to sign up for anything else. You can just use that login to get to the actual voting area.

Without further ado, here's the message. Please take the time to help the Brits participate on the International stage.

During 2001-2004, I was honored to serve as the Head Coach of the British Women's National Team. This past summer, they qualified for the 2010 ISF World Championships, but they receive no public funding since softball has been deleted from the Olympics and it is VERY difficult to raise the type funds that they will need. They have entered a British Airways program and have been shortlisted to possibly receive 16 free flights. They need your help. Please read the item below from Bob Fromer, a man who has truly given his heart to helping this program for many. many years. Then, PLEASE VOTE NOW (contest ends in about a week) and notify others so they can help. These are very deserving people and this could make the difference for them. THANKS for your help. Bobby Simpson

YOUR ONLINE VOTE CAN HELP THE GREAT BRITAIN WOMEN'S
SOFTBALL TEAM GET TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!

The Great Britain Women's Fastpitch Softball Team earned a place in the 2010 Softball World Championships by finishing second in European Championships this past summer, the team's highest-ever European placing.

But the team receives no public funding because softball is no longer an Olympic sport. Players and staff had to pay their own way to compete for their country at the European Championships, but the cost of competing in the World Championships, which will probably be held in North America, is beyond what the players and their families can afford. So the team has entered a British Airways contest called “Great Britons”, where the prize could be 16 desperately-needed free flights that can get the players and staff to the World Championships. Now the team has now been shortlisted along with seven other entries, and the winner will be determined by public vote.

So please go online to http://www.greatbritons.ba.com/shortlists and cast your vote for the GB Women's Team entry submitted by first base player MORGAN PARKERSON.

Just click on Morgan's name on the Judges' Shortlist and then hit the VOTE NOW button under Morgan's photo. You'll need to do a quick registration, and then you can vote. And then please get everyone you know and everyone you can reach by way of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc to vote as well!

Winning this contest could make all the difference between the GB Women's Softball Team being able to go to the World Championships and having to turn down its place.

Thanks very much for your help!

Bob Fromer
GB Softball Team Manager

More on the so-called natural softball pitching motion

coachken@softballsuccess.com (Ken Krause) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:55:00 GMT

Had this thought earlier today and just had to share.

Everyone talks about how the softball pitching motion is a "natural" motion. If that was true, parents wouldn't pay thousands of dollars for their kids to learn how to pitch.