Category Archives: Coaching
You just never know
We live in a society that expects instant results. Often there is very little patience or willingness to hang in there while players find themselves.
I’ve certainly seen that with teaching pitching and hitting. Some kids (and/or their parents) will take a couple of lessons and expect that somehow, magically, the player will instantly become better. Well, it doesn’t work that way. Improvement comes in increments. Some learn faster than others, just like some learn math or a foreign language faster than others. But it’s not instant.
And sometimes it can take a long time. I have had pitching students who just couldn’t seem to get the feeling of attacking the pitch. They’d go through the motions, but without that intent to throw hard. Then one day, the lightbulb comes on and bang! They get a significant speed jump.
What is interesting to me in those cases is the parents who see it and DO have the patience to wait until their child comes out of the gate. It can’t be easy. You’re paying for lessons, and while there is some general improvement it’s not really the kind of results you’d hope for. But rather than giving up, they stick with it, and their patience is rewarded.
Now, if the kid really doesn’t want to be there it’s never going to happen. I’ve had a couple of those, but fortunately only a couple. In those cases I do try to tell the parents it’s not working. But if the player is enthused about the lessons, I’ll keep going as long as she wants to because I know what we’re doing will work when the time is right.
Quite frankly, as a coach I wish every kid could get things instantly. It would be easier on everyone. But that’s not the case. As the song (and the Bible verse on which it’s based) says, there is a time to every purpose under Heaven. Sometimes that time isn’t right away. But if what you’re doing is the right way to go about it, and you put in the effort, sooner or later it will take hold.
I am probably proudest of the students for whom it didn’t come easy — the ones who hung in there until the lightbulb came on. Because when it does, it’s a bigger deal than it was for the kids who were able to do it right away. I’m also confident that they have acquired a skill that will serve them well their entire lives — the skill of persistence.
It’s easy to think if it doesn’t happen right away that it never will. But you just never know. And remember — it doesn’t matter where you start the race. Only where you finish it.
Lesson cost (a bit of humor)
Don’t know what made me think of this tonight, but I was thinking about the sign you often see in auto repair shops that list the “rates” for fixing your car. Here’s my take on it:
Pitching Lessons Price List
- $40 per hour
- $50 per hour if you want to offer suggestions
- $60 per hour if you tried to teach her first
Well, I thought it was funny anyway.
Love the breakthroughs
Tonight I was working with one of my students, a girl named Brigid. (Yes, that’s the correct spelling. I confirmed it with her a while back.)
Brigid had done some pitching a couple of years ago, but a wrist problem stopped her career. She decided to give it a try again this year, and a couple of changes we made earlier has made it possible for her to pitch without pain.
She has had one persistent problem, though: she keeps throwing inside. It’s a habit she’s had a tough time breaking. We were able to figure out that there are a couple of different causes, but one of the main ones has been her arm circle. She tends to let it wander behind her, so at release it has to go out to her right to avoid slamming into her hip.
We’ve tried a few things over the past weeks to try and fix it, but none have had much lasting success. Tonight, though, I think we had a breakthrough.
One of the main causes of her circle problems has been pulling the ball behind her on her backswing. That motion forces her arm out and away, which creates an off-center circle. So tonight we switched her to a barrel roll start. The barrel roll forces her to start with her arms in the center of her body and keep them there until the ball gets overhead. In other words, it completely eliminates one of the main causes.
It wasn’t perfect — she also has a tendency to pull her shoulders up and out at times — but it made a big dent in it. One of the biggest benefits was a rise in her confidence level. She was excited and smiling by the end of the lesson, and inspired to go forward.
Hopefully it will have a lasting effect. Stay tuned.
Attitude may not be everything…
…but it sure is a lot. Last night I was teaching some pitching lessons at one of the local facilities. In the next couple of cages there were girls from an 18U travel team working on their hitting, with a couple of their coaches in attendance.
As my student was retrieving the ball her dad/catcher had thrown away on the return, I was distracted by something happening two cages over. A hitter was hitting off a machine that was being fed by the female coach. The coach noticed something in the girl’s swing — I didn’t get it all, but it sounded like she was over-coiling or doing something else that was causing her problems — and she pointed it out. The player’s response was “That’s how I swing.” And she said it with one of those “end of discussion” tones.
I have never understood that type of attitude. I don’t know what the player was doing or if the coach was right or wrong about it. But it sounded like the coach had some idea of what she was doing, and she was trying to help the player. But apparently the player (whom I do not remember being on the USA National Team or anything like that) wasn’t interested in any help. She was content right where she was.
What’s interesting is when you read stories about actual National Team players from any country, or MLB players, or most pro athletes in general, they’re some of the easiest players to work with. They’re always looking for an edge, and willing to try anything to get it. Many times they’re more open to new ideas, in fact, than youth players.
I know people who have worked with players at that level many times and they confirm that elite players tend to be very coachable. It’s probably what sets them apart from kids with equal talent but not equal accomplishment.
It’s a shame. I felt bad for the coach. She called over the other coach, a guy, to take a look and it sounded like there was more resistance. I didn’t really key in on it since 1) I had to focus on my lesson and 2) it wasn’t my business in any case. But that’s the kind of thing that can keep a player and a team from reaching its goals.
If you’re not willing to try new things or change what you’re doing, you’ll never be more than you are today. You don’t necessarily have to stick with it, but you should at least give it a try. You never know when some coach on a cold night January might be trying to hand you the keys to the kingdom.
NFCC class – day three
Back at home now after completing the class. We finished up this morning with some interesting discussions, some of which strayed from strategy and got more into becoming a better coach. For example, there was discussion about the roles of a first and third base coach, giving signs, picking opponents’ signs, and becoming a credible coach.
Lots of discussion with these sessions, along with a couple of interactive activities. We finished up with a little Q&A session with the instructors, where they listed some of their favorite books (coaching and general leadership) among others. Everyone was a little tired after three days, but it was still very valuable.
One suggestion I will make if you’re thinking about attending a future class (and I definitely recommend it) is to stay in the recommended hotel. Not only did I have a great room at a relative bargain price, but got to eat breakfast with Jay Miller and Scott Centala on Saturday and Sunday. We had some nice off-line discussions about all sorts of things, not just softball. I think we all found that the coaches are very down-to-earth people.
One other funny thing. One of the students talked about challenges he faces with his players, and said the instructors probably don’t have to deal with things like that, but the rest of us do. Carol Bruggeman was the first to pipe up “Don’t kid yourself. We face all the same challenges you do,” including players not being mentally into the game, discipline issues, and unhappy parents. The others agreed.
Tomorrow it’s back to work, in my real job. But it was definitely fun to talk offensive strategies with so many great people.
NFCC class day two
Gotta make this a quick one tonight. It’s after 11:30 PM and I have to be up and in class again tomorrow at 8:00 AM. But it was worth it — Rich and I had dinner with a high school buddy I haven’t seen in 20+ years: Dave Rutkowski. We’ve kept in touch via e-mail, but since I was in the area we got together for some good Tex-Mex. It doesn’t hurt that he’s CFO of the company!
Anyway, this was another good class today. We talked about making up a lineup, and how to develop a game plan based on statistics. Now, that’s probably pretty useless to us travel coaches because most of the time we don’t have any idea how the opponent is doing, or even who the opponent is half the time. But it was still interesting to learn how it’s done.
We spent some valuable time on the mental side of hitting as well. Scott talked about Ken Ravizza’s book Heads Up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time and some of the principles in there, as well as some of his own principles. He seems like a very positive-focused coach. He also has a resume that crosses both softball and professional baseball so he has a wide range of reference and experience.
Jay Miller led a discussion about the DP and Flex. I was glad to see I wasn’t the only one in the class who finds that whole thing confusing. Pretty much everyone does. It’s one reason I rarely use it. (The other is I like the kids to hit for themselves since I think it’s the most fun part of the game.) He also showed us how you can essentially have two DPs in the game. Let’s just say it involves an illegal substitution and the fact that hardly anyone pays any attention to which defensive players are in the game. Even Carol and Scott seemed shocked to hear he does this. Given that his wife is Lacy Lee Baker, executive director of the NFCA and a former NCAA employee, it seems really surprising that he’d out and out flout the rules. But there you go.
After taking this class, I am beginning to see the value in pushing the envelope as far as when your baserunners leave the bag — in other words leave a little early. The general philosophy is you have two choices on a steal — be safe or be called for leaving early. I’ve always been against it on principle but maybe I’m being parochial about it. In any case, it’s gotten me thinking that our baserunners may be leaving late in an effort to be on time. It’s something to check on next chance we get.
There was more on baserunning and manufacturing runs. Much of it was a repeat of things I already knew, but good to hear them reinforced again. The game is changing so fast these days it’s good to make sure what you’re doing isn’t outdated.
They also do a good job of distinguishing between a play — something you call in a specific situation — and a philosophy, such as take two bases unless something holds you up. Knowing your philosophy going in, and making sure your players know it, helps cut down on some of the delays that lead to mistakes.
One more half day to go tomorrow. Then it’s fly back home, take the test, and earn my second star in the Master Coach program. Wonder if anyone has shovelled the snow off the driveway? I’m not counting on it unless they couldn’t get their cars out!
And oh, by the way. Today it was much colder. So much for the sweet Dallas weather. Tomorrow should be closer to 60 so maybe it’ll make for a nice drive to the airport.
And oh yeah…
I forgot to add this in my last post. Today it was snowing back home in the Chicago area. But it was sunny and near 80 here in Texas. One more good reason to attend the class!
NFCC coaching class on offensive strategies – Day One
Greetings from Denton, Texas, where I am participating in the NFCA’s coaching college class on offensive strategies. So far it’s been a lot of fun. This particular group has been very open about sharing ideas and discussing strategies. I also think the instructors — Jay Miller, Carol Bruggeman, and Scott Centala are particularly adept at getting the discussions going.
This is a class I’ve wanted to take for a couple of years, so I’m glad to be able to do it this year. I feel strong on the technical aspects of the game, but have always felt I could use some improvement in the area of strategy. I’ve gotten better over the years through some effort, but I still felt there was more work to be done to become the coach I aspire to be.
In any case, the class has been very interesting. One of my favorites was the idea of using a fake bunt/slap to help a runner on second steal third. Covering a steal of third can be challenging for the defense under ordinary circumstances. Do they leave the third baseman back to cover third, thereby leaving themselves more vulnerable to a bunt (especially if their pitcher is not a particularly good fielder)? Do they have shortstop cover third, creating a foot race to the bag with the runner?
As an offensive coach you can take advantage of that. The fake bunt part will likely get the third baseman to come in another step or two at minimum, pulling her further away from the bag making it harder for her to cover. Showing slap will likely freeze the shortstop for a step or two, giving your runner more time to win the foot race. The beauty is the hitter doesn’t have to get the slap down. In fact, you can have her miss on purpose. You give up a strike, but advance the runner 60 feet. Sounds like a good idea, especially if your runner on second doesn’t have the speed to win the race outright. And you never know — it might create enough confusion to get a mishandle on the throw and score the runner.
One other thing they encouraged was taking more chances on the bases. For example, going for two bases instead of one whenever possible. Part of that depends on the speed of the runner of course. No sense being stupid about it. Another emphasis was on keeping the trailing runner running. If your hitter slashes a single to the outfield with a runner on first and no outs, your runner should be thinking of going to third instead of cruising into second. If she does, the batter/runner should be heading to second base, not watching the play from first. Even if the first runner is out, you’ll still have a runner in scoring position. And if she’s safe, you have two runners in scoring position with no outs, giving you a lot of options while putting pressure on the defense. Miller said you have to be willing to have runners thrown out now and then; if you’re risk-averse you’ll never create those opportunities. Lord knows I’ve had enough runners thrown out going for the extra base, so with a little smarter approach we should benefit.
Obviously there’s lots more to it. But those are a few highlights. If you have the means and opportunity to take this course, by all means do it. Makes me wish we had a game coming up (instead of more snow to shovel).
Oh, and one last thing. We went to dinner with a bunch of the other coaches and had some great conversations. The type of coaches who would take a class like this are pretty cool, as a rule!
Get quicker earlier
There is pretty much always more than one reason why pitches go wild in one direction or another. Some are obvious and easy to spot, others not so much.
Here’s one for pitches going high. Check to make sure that the pitcher is accelerating her arm circle at the right time. There can be a tendency sometimes for pitchers to wait too long to start accelerating their arm. Instead of speeding up from the top of the circle to the bottom, they wait until they hit the bottom of the circle, then start accelerating.
The phrase I like is get quicker earlier. In other words, start accelerating as soon as you pass the top. If you do that, and use a long, loose arm, you’ll feel the proper release point at the bottom of the circle, and have the proper timing. It’ll help you throw harder, too.
Lighting a spark
This is one of those stories that again reminds me why I like coaching so much. It’s for those little breakthrough moments that crop up now and then.
I was getting ready to start a pitching last night with a girl named Ashlee. Her catcher didn’t show up so I told her I would catch for her. We did some warm-ups and she started pitching.
Now, Ashlee has developed a habit of stepping forward (off the pitching rubber) as she goes to launch. We’ve been working on correcting it for a while now, but nothing we tried seemed to work. She takes a very aggressive stride and as part of it would tend to shift her weight forward early. Her foot would move, then she’d plant and launch. The problem went from small to severe in various stages. And it is a problem for two reasons: 1) it’s illegal and 2) she loses drive and therefore speed (even though she feels strong doing it).
I came up to work with her on it, saying it was a good night to do it since her catcher wasn’t there, and she agreed. As I stood there, a sudden idea hit me. All this time we’d been trying to get her pivot foot to stay in place instead of moving forward. Whatever we’d tried just didn’t process with her.
So this time, I suggested that she start with her pivot foot well forward, with just the heel barely touching the pitching rubber. She would then go to her negative move like that. But as she brought her hands down below her waist, and before she made her positive move, pull the foot backwards so the pivot foot would wind up in the spot most pitchers start from (ball of the foot touching the rubber). That seemed to do it, at least last night. It helped her gather her energy more effectively, and transfer her weight with better timing. We walked through it a few times so she could get the feel of it, then started trying to go more aggressively off of it — none of this with the ball. You could see the light bulb come on for her.
As we stood there, she looked at me and asked, “Did you just come up with that right now?” I paused for a moment to think if I’d heard it anywhere, but couldn’t come up with a source offhand so I said yes. She got a little smile on her face, raised her hand and said, “Give me a high five on that one.”
Ashlee is not the sort who does that lightly, so it was pretty rewarding to have her feel that way. After the lesson she said, “We had a breakthrough tonight.” Of course, only time will tell if it sticks, but I think it will. I asked her to practice just that movement during the week and she said she would. I believed her too, because she seemed to like it. It felt “right” to her where previous ideas we’d tried just didn’t.
So yes, fixing the problem (we hope) was satisfying. But more satisfying, to me, was the reaction. I think Ashlee felt good that I’d come up with something specifically for her, and something she could buy into. Her high five gesture wasn’t a huge one. But it was very sincere. If I can help one pitcher make one breakthrough on one night, it’s a pretty darned good night.
Life in the Fastpitch Lane 