Monthly Archives: December 2006
Coach’s Club at Sports Authority
Got this note yesterday from Mike Hanscom, the 10U coach from the Mundelein Thunder and an all-around good guy. He made this discovery over the weekend and was kind enough to pass it along to the rest of the Thunder coaches, so I thought I’d pass it along as well. Mike is a regular reader of Life in the Fastpitch Lane so if you want to pass along your thanks to him you can always leave a comment. Here is Mike’s e-mail:
“FYI – I just returned from Sports Authority where I found out you can join their Coach’s Club. They gave me a form to fill out (which I took home to do) and a packet of coupons. There are 20 sheets of general coupons to give one out to each girl. These coupons are 10% off of gloves, cleats, bats, bags and accessories and 20% off of apparel. There are 2 other general coupons for $10 off of a purchase above $25 for the coaches. Then there are coupons to be given out as Team Player Awards that are good for $5 off any purchase. All coupons are good through 2007.
Just thought you all might be interested as the coupons are free and pretty good deals. I believe the form will grant us email offers for deals (but I got the coupons without having to commit so you don’t have to sign-up them if you don’t want to).
Thanks,
Mike ”
Yes-yes-yes-no
This is not a new thought by any means, but it’s surprising how many hitters (and coaches) don’t know about the way you should approach each pitch at the plate.
Ask many hitters what they’re looking for when the pitch is delivered, and they will tell you they’re looking to see if it’s a strike. If it is, then they swing at it.
Problem is, if the pitcher has any kind of speed at all, by the time you look, recognize the pitch, make the decision, and start the swing, the pitch is often by you, or almost by you. This reactive mode doesn’t work too well, no matter what type of talent you have or hitting mechanics you’re using.
The proper way to approach each pitch is to assume it’s going to be a strike, and then hold up if it’s not. This is made easier if you use rotational mechanics, where the hips start the body turning and the hands come through last. You should plan on hitting each pitch, and then hold back if it’s not a good pitch to hit. In other words, you’re thinking yes-yes-yes-no.
ASA auction on eBay
Got an e-mail the other day from the ASA notifying me about an auction they’re running on eBay. The e-mail showed a list of items you can buy that “will make that perfect Christmas gift.”
Some of the items are the usual stuff you’d expect — autographed balls, posters, a trading card set, and some 8×10 glossy photos. But there were a few other items of interest that just beg for comment:
* Autographed used cleats from Stacey Nuveman, Jennie Finch, and Jessica Mendoza. Oh boy, just what every kid wants. Somebody else’s used shoes. Funny, my brother looked forward to the day he could get his own new shoes.
* An autographed #8 replica jersey signed by Cat Osterman. A replica jersey? A replica jersey? You mean with all the money they charge for membership those cheap screws at the ASA couldn’t spring for the extra few bucks for a real jersey for her to autograph? Here’s a hint guys — you don’t actually have to pay retail for your own merchandise.
* Autographed shorts Jessica Mendoza wore in the 2004 Olympics. Hope somebody washed them first.
* Autographed World Cup program. No specifications on which one or who signed it. It’s sort of a grab bag gift. You might get Cat, Natsha Watley, and Crystal. Or you might get a couple of hot dog vendors. Isn’t this fun?
* Stacey Nuveman chest protector from the 2004 Olympics. Ok, I kind of get the cleats and the glove. But a chest protector? Wouldn’t a nice painting look better on the living room wall?
Good to know the money is going to a good cause, though. It’s to help support the Olympic team in their quest for Gold in 2008. And here I thought they were going to waste it on something stupid like kids with cancer.
Great drill for learning the backhand change
This post is somewhat of an excerpt from my latest Softball Magazine column. I say somewhat because while the general information is the same it’s a rewrite for this format.
One of the keys to learning how to throw the backhand change is making sure the ball/hand hits a stopping point before the ball comes out. That momentary hesitation in the ball’s forward progress allows you to maintain arm speed throughout the motion, yet still get a roughly 15 mph drop in speed.
Consider it this way. Suppose I tie a 30 foot rope around your waist and tell you to start running as fast as you can. If I let go after you’ve run 10 feet nothing will happen. You’ll keep running. But if I hold it until you reach 30 feet, let it tighten momentarily, then let go, you will stumble forward slowly.
In order to achieve that momentary hesitation the arm has to reach an end point. That means keeping your front shoulder in until after release, because if the shoulder flies out the hand will keep moving as you release and you won’t take off enough speed. Getting the feel of it can be tough, though, so here’s a drill to learn to get the feel.
Have a partner stand facing you. Stick your glove arm out toward him/her and have the partner grab your wrist. Then bring your arm down and throw underneath your glove arm with a normal motion. Having the partner hold your wrist will keep the front shoulder in, helping you achieve the stop of the hand’s forward progress.
As the next step you can do the drill without the partner, just holding your arm out yourself. It won’t be long until you get the feel and can throw a great change from the regular pitching position.
Editor’s note: The drill is still valid, but this is a really old picture. Both of the kids are in their mid-to-late 20s now. Kind of fun to bring it back.
Being creative
There’s often a lot of talk about there being more than one way to perform various skills. But what many coaches miss is that there’s also more than one way to teach the same skills.
This is something I learned when I started teaching private lessons, and I keep re-learning it every day. For example, last night I was working with a pitcher who is starting to learn how to throw a change-up. I explained the technique, used some examples that had helped other pitchers in the past, and she still didn’t get it. So I had to find a new way to explain it yet again.
Everybody learns differently. Some need to see an example. Others need to hear an explanation. Some need to feel it.
Coaching is often like the old stereotype of trying to speak to someone who doesn’t understand your language. Shouting louder doesn’t help. You have to find another way to communicate. It’s what keeps it fresh and challenging. And fun.
Ken
Changes to ASA rules at 10U
At the ASA meeting last Sunday one of the topics covered was a change in the rules for the 10U “A” level. If you haven’t heard, this level will now be playing by the same rules as the older levels. In other words, stealing home, unlimited stealing of bases, and dropped third strike are now legal. (They are not legal at the “B” level.)
I can’t imagine why the ASA would want to make this change. Well, yes I can. My guess is it was driven by the southern California teams. Out in SoCal they can play year-round, and they’re generally ahead of the rest of the country. Maybe they feel the existing 10U rules are too restricting. I can tell you around here in Chicago, though, where the season runs from April to July, it’s going to be a disaster. As one fellow from the Orland Sparks who was sitting next to me said, “A walk is now a run.”
I think we can expect scores that resemble football games more than softball games. Runners will steal second on the first pitch and third on the second pitch, same as usual. They’ll then be able to score on any passed ball or wild pitch.
What this is probably going to do around here is set pitchers back a couple of years. They will be so worried about letting in the runner on third that all mechanics will break down and it will be difficult to focus on learning to pitch the right way.
This is a bad idea. I hope after a year the ASA recognizes the error of its ways and goes back to more 10 year old-friendly rules.
What you put into it
Bill Hillhouse has a great article up on his Web site about pitchers and pitching coaches. One of the important points he makes is that there are players who want to say they go to “so-and-so” pitching coach, but they never put in the work to learn how to actually learn how to pitch.
While it’s important to go to a good, knowledgeable coach, it’s not enough. You have to be willing to put in the work and do what the coach tells you, because you’re the one who will be in the circle when the pressure is on. In other words, it doesn’t matter how much the coach knows. It only matters if you follow what he/she says. Even the best pitching coaches can’t do it for you.
Parents have a part in this too. If you’re paying good money for a pitching coach, make sure you get the value out of it. Listen to what he/she says and make sure your player is following that advice and working at the right things. Otherwise you’re just throwing your money and time away.
Must be rough!
Check out this post from Stacie over at All About Softball. She is based in Hawaii. Not only is the weather warm enough to practice in December, but it actually stays light there until 6:30 PM.
All this plus she gets to live in Hawaii with all its other features. As a lifelong Chicagoan it’s hard to imagine. As I write this it is current 7 degrees. Wow!
Willingness to change
One of the biggest challenges facing any player trying to improve his/her game is getting out of the comfort zone in order to change what they’re doing. Before that can happen, though, first the player has to be willing to change.
I just saw this with one of my pitchers this week. She’d been struggling with getting the hang of staying loose and following through at release, due in no small part to a horrible “pitching coach” she’d had before who apparently didn’t know anything about pitching. She was pretty much stuck in one place. So I had to have “the talk” with her about working on what I wanted her to do. I told her no pitching at all in the next week, instead focus just on getting the arm to do what we’re trying to get it to do.
Lo and behold, this week she came back and had it nailed! I was so excited for her, and she was pretty pleased with herself too. And as promised, with the strong follow-through she had both speed and accuracy.
The key was that she was willing to make the change, and worked hard at it. Without that willingness, we’d still be stuck.
So I guess the point is you (if you’re a player) or your students (if you’re a coach) not only have to understand what to do but also have the mindset to go after it like a lioness hunting for food for her young.
Ken
Getting started
Hello and welcome to Life in the Fastpitch Lane. This blog is dedicated to all sorts of thoughts and ideas about fastpitch softball.
I hope to stimulate a lot of discussion, help a few people, and learn a lot myself. Comments are open, but please keep them clean and nice. Thanks!
Ken
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