Category Archives: General Thoughts
Happy birthday to Life in the Fastpitch Lane
This isn’t much of any importance, but Life in the Fastpitch Lane is now one year old. In fact, it was a year old as of December 7.
Considering how many blogs get started and don’t hang around for long, it’s somewhat of an accomplishment. Thanks to all who stop by now and then, whether it’s to learn something, voice an opinion, or just kill time at work.
Ok, enough self-congratulation. The next post will be on an actual softball topic again.
Considering how many blogs get started and don’t hang around for long, it’s somewhat of an accomplishment. Thanks to all who stop by now and then, whether it’s to learn something, voice an opinion, or just kill time at work.
Ok, enough self-congratulation. The next post will be on an actual softball topic again.
States banning aluminum bats
Thanks to Mike Hanscom for alerting me to this issue. He received an e-mail from Little League baseball that talked about a ban that has been placed on aluminum bats by the New York City council. LL is concerned that a similar ban could make its way to other states.
I am quite certain that the ban on bats is well-intentioned. No doubt the idea is to minimize risk and injuries, especially to pitchers when balls come off the bat. There’s little doubt aluminum bat technology has improved over the past few years and that bats are hotter than they used to be. But the fact is sports have inherent risks, and you simply can’t legislate that out of them.
If these government bodies really want to prevent injuries, they should ban football outright at all levels. Far more players suffer far more injuries playing football — including serious injuries such as paralysis, not to mention death — than they do being struck by a ball coming off an aluminum bat.
But why stop there? Ice skates are sharpened to razor-sharp edges, both for ice hockey and for figure skating. Why not ban skate sharpening so no one gets cut? And checking in hockey for that matter.
When basketball players go at it, sometimes they work up such a sweat that the sweat falls on the gym floor. If enough pools there, another player could slip on it, fall backwards, and crack their heads open. Perhaps they should ban sweating during basketball.
You get the point. You simply can’t legislate sports to the point where they’re safe.
What was most interesting about the message from LL is that the NYC ban on aluminum bats isn’t only for organized games and leagues. It also applies to pickup games. In his note, Steve Keener of Little League says:
“What concerns me most is that this bill in Illinois would fine children playing with a non-wood bat $250 for a first offense and $500 for a second offense. This would even include if a child played in a pick-up sandlot game.”
That’s unbelievable. It is comforting to know, though, that we have solved the problems of rape, murder, child abduction, drug abuse, burglary, etc. to the point where our police now have the time to go out and issue citations to kids playing baseball or softball at the park. Once again, your tax dollars at work.
One thing you can do is join a coaltion of Little League officials, parents, coaches and bat makers to stop this idiocy before it gets out of hand. Go to www.DTMBA.com if you’re interested.
Understand that I grew up in the wood bat era. I never used an aluminum bat until I was an adult, and I still miss the crack of wood on ball. Still, this legislation makes no sense, especially with all the money parents have invested in high tech bats over the last few years. Our politicians need to find better things to do with their time and our money. Solve the crack problem first. Then worry about bats.
I am quite certain that the ban on bats is well-intentioned. No doubt the idea is to minimize risk and injuries, especially to pitchers when balls come off the bat. There’s little doubt aluminum bat technology has improved over the past few years and that bats are hotter than they used to be. But the fact is sports have inherent risks, and you simply can’t legislate that out of them.
If these government bodies really want to prevent injuries, they should ban football outright at all levels. Far more players suffer far more injuries playing football — including serious injuries such as paralysis, not to mention death — than they do being struck by a ball coming off an aluminum bat.
But why stop there? Ice skates are sharpened to razor-sharp edges, both for ice hockey and for figure skating. Why not ban skate sharpening so no one gets cut? And checking in hockey for that matter.
When basketball players go at it, sometimes they work up such a sweat that the sweat falls on the gym floor. If enough pools there, another player could slip on it, fall backwards, and crack their heads open. Perhaps they should ban sweating during basketball.
You get the point. You simply can’t legislate sports to the point where they’re safe.
What was most interesting about the message from LL is that the NYC ban on aluminum bats isn’t only for organized games and leagues. It also applies to pickup games. In his note, Steve Keener of Little League says:
“What concerns me most is that this bill in Illinois would fine children playing with a non-wood bat $250 for a first offense and $500 for a second offense. This would even include if a child played in a pick-up sandlot game.”
That’s unbelievable. It is comforting to know, though, that we have solved the problems of rape, murder, child abduction, drug abuse, burglary, etc. to the point where our police now have the time to go out and issue citations to kids playing baseball or softball at the park. Once again, your tax dollars at work.
One thing you can do is join a coaltion of Little League officials, parents, coaches and bat makers to stop this idiocy before it gets out of hand. Go to www.DTMBA.com if you’re interested.
Understand that I grew up in the wood bat era. I never used an aluminum bat until I was an adult, and I still miss the crack of wood on ball. Still, this legislation makes no sense, especially with all the money parents have invested in high tech bats over the last few years. Our politicians need to find better things to do with their time and our money. Solve the crack problem first. Then worry about bats.
How legends get formed
Heard this one the other day and I just had to share. My friend and fellow coach Rich was talking to someone he knows the other day, and that person was telling him about their top pitcher. He was talking about how well she is doing, and in particular how she is throwing 63 mph.
Rich found that amusing as did I, because the pitcher being referred to is one of my students, and I had just gunned her with my Jugs gun around 54-56 consistently. She hit 57 once if I recall correctly. I’ve done this long enough to know that pitchers don’t increase speed by seven mph in a week, no matter how pumped up they are.
I actually spoke to the girl and her dad about it and found out where the 63 mph figure came from. It was off a Glove Radar. I think those are great little devices — I used to own one before the part that holds the lacing in place broke — if used properly. They’re good for getting approximate readings, and for comparing against itself. But you can’t take it for gospel.
It’s very easy to get a false reading, especially if you move the glove toward the ball as it comes in. Like any Doppler radar, it depends on sending out a signal, having the signal bounce back, and comparing the times. If you move the glove toward the ball you close the distance the ball has to travel and change the timing.
The dad and the girl laughed when they heard the story. They hadn’t put much stock in the reading at the time, and still don’t. But obviously others do.
Rich theorizes that people like to have their kids associated with top-level players, so saying your daughter plays on a team with a pitcher throwing 63 mph certainly fits that bill. There’s nothing nasty about it. It’s more a case of being willing to believe in something you want to believe. But the more these things get repeated, the more they become legend.
Hopefully it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. She certainly has the ability and the desire to get there. But she’s not quite there yet. Still, it’s funny to see how legends get started.
Rich found that amusing as did I, because the pitcher being referred to is one of my students, and I had just gunned her with my Jugs gun around 54-56 consistently. She hit 57 once if I recall correctly. I’ve done this long enough to know that pitchers don’t increase speed by seven mph in a week, no matter how pumped up they are.
I actually spoke to the girl and her dad about it and found out where the 63 mph figure came from. It was off a Glove Radar. I think those are great little devices — I used to own one before the part that holds the lacing in place broke — if used properly. They’re good for getting approximate readings, and for comparing against itself. But you can’t take it for gospel.
It’s very easy to get a false reading, especially if you move the glove toward the ball as it comes in. Like any Doppler radar, it depends on sending out a signal, having the signal bounce back, and comparing the times. If you move the glove toward the ball you close the distance the ball has to travel and change the timing.
The dad and the girl laughed when they heard the story. They hadn’t put much stock in the reading at the time, and still don’t. But obviously others do.
Rich theorizes that people like to have their kids associated with top-level players, so saying your daughter plays on a team with a pitcher throwing 63 mph certainly fits that bill. There’s nothing nasty about it. It’s more a case of being willing to believe in something you want to believe. But the more these things get repeated, the more they become legend.
Hopefully it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. She certainly has the ability and the desire to get there. But she’s not quite there yet. Still, it’s funny to see how legends get started.
Good things take time
Saw something in Bobby Simpson’s Thoughts for Tuesday e-mail yesterday that I just had to share. Bobby is the owner of Higher Ground, and has served as a baseball and softball coach, most recently with the National team in Great Britain. He is also a fellow columnist in Softball Magazine.
In any case, Bobby likes to send out short e-mails on a variety of topics. Some are technical, but most are more of the inspirational or “think about this” type. Fair warning: Bobby is a religious sort and that definitely comes through in many of his materials. But he’s not obnoxious about it, so even if that kind of thing bothers you it shouldn’t get in the way of taking advantage of his knowledge.
This week he told the following story. I think it’s a tremendous perspective on what it takes to be successful, brilliant in its simplicity. Here it is:
“Our interim pastor told a terrific story a week ago and I want to share it with you because it applies to softball, baseball, other sports, business, math classes, and life in general. He said that a little boy in the western part of Africa gave a very beautiful shell to a missionary as an offering. Knowing that the shell came from a beach quite far from the village, the missionary said, ‘You had to walk 15-20 miles roundtrip to the beach to get this shell. That’s a very long walk.’ The little boy replied, ‘Long walk part of gift.’
“Too often, we want to get something valuable and not pay the price. We want ‘something for nothing.’ We want the free lunch, the magic pill, the drive-through, microwave, zappable success. We must realize that success normally comes from a sacrificial, long-walk journey and not from some instantized magic. Part of the talent or so-called gift that we see in skilled performance is the long walk to get there.”
That is unquestionably true. Every softball team goes into every season, every tournament, with the wish or “goal” of winning it all. But how many are willing to put in the long hours of boring, repetitious work to get there? How many coaches want their teams to win, but aren’t willing to invest the time to keep up with new developments in the sport, so they’re sure that what they’re teaching is what will take the team where it says it wants to go?
On some levels fastpitch softball is a complex, difficult to learn sport. But at its core it’s not that tough. If you can field a ground ball with 99.999% certainty of doing it cleanly and successfully you will be successful. If everyone on the team can do their jobs equally well, the team will be successful. What you have to know is that 99.999% certainty can only be achieved one way — through a focused effort to get there. It’s never a short jaunt. It’s a 15-20 mile walk. But in the end, you give yourself and your team a beautiful gift that will last a lifetime.
If you’d like to subscribe to Bobby Simpson’s newsletter, go to http://highergroundsoftball.com/newslet.php. I highly recommend it.
Expert, textpert, keep it simple
For the past few days I’ve been e-mailing back and forth with Ken Van Bogaert, a hitting guru of some note. He has produced some of the best hitting videoson the market. More importantly, he is not content to stand pat with what he knew, and is always seeking to improve the programs. We were talking about a couple of finer points of hitting, things we have discovered produce results. I’ll get to some of that in a later post. But as we e-mailed, the discussion turned to many of the online experts and the maxim of KISS — keep it simple, stupid.
It is amazing to me how complicated some people make hitting, pitching, and other athletic movements. They get all caught up in the most minute details, pointing out every little movement they see (or think they see) made by top-level players. For the sake of this post we’ll refer to hitting since that’s what Ken and I discussed, but it applies elsewhere as well.
What you see a lot of is scientific or pseudo-scientific jargon that I suppose is meant to make the person saying or typing it sound smarter than everyone else. I suppose if you’re doing a scientific treatment breaking down all the elements of hitting it makes sense. But if your purpose is to learn how to teach someone how to hit, it’s very possible that all that extraneous information will just get in the way.
One of my favorites is the focus on “scapula loading.” It is often touted as an essential element of having a high-level swing. I find that amusing. I’ve taught a lot of hitters to be successful (within their willingness to work hard) and have never once used the term or concerned myself with scapula loading. To be honest, every time I try to think it through I have to look up where the scapula even is.
Hitters, especially youth players, have enough trouble just grasping the basic concepts of what you want them to do. The more complex you make it, the more difficult you make it to achieve the results you want. Ken and I agree that there are certain basic things you teach, and there are a whole lot of other things that just happen as a result of doing those basic things correctly and enthusiastically.
I use a basic three-step instruction to teach hitting: step-turn-swing. Those are the most core elements to a good swing. Do them in the right order and you’ll be well on your way to success. Within each of those steps there are other instructions, of course. For example, just prior to taking the step it helps to make a negative movement backwards. Once a student has the core ideas down, we add the negative movement in there as an enhancement. If I understand correctly, that’s when scapula loading would occur. But if they make a good negative movement — one that is designed to help them move into rotation faster and more powerfully — they’re going to load the scapula as a result of trying to make a quicker, more powerful movement.
Coaches who really want to help their players improve should make an effort to separate the necessary from the superfluous. The further you get from the concept of swinging the bat in a manner that allows it to make hard contact with the ball — and in language that simple — the more difficult you make it for your players to execute the skill under pressure.
In his book The Science of Hitting, Ted Williams provided a very practical method of talking about hitting. He didn’t get caught up in a lot of biological jargon or equations. He simply said “make these movements.” And Ted knew as much about hitting, even back then, as anyone ever has. We would all be wise to learn from his example, and keep it simple.
It is amazing to me how complicated some people make hitting, pitching, and other athletic movements. They get all caught up in the most minute details, pointing out every little movement they see (or think they see) made by top-level players. For the sake of this post we’ll refer to hitting since that’s what Ken and I discussed, but it applies elsewhere as well.
What you see a lot of is scientific or pseudo-scientific jargon that I suppose is meant to make the person saying or typing it sound smarter than everyone else. I suppose if you’re doing a scientific treatment breaking down all the elements of hitting it makes sense. But if your purpose is to learn how to teach someone how to hit, it’s very possible that all that extraneous information will just get in the way.
One of my favorites is the focus on “scapula loading.” It is often touted as an essential element of having a high-level swing. I find that amusing. I’ve taught a lot of hitters to be successful (within their willingness to work hard) and have never once used the term or concerned myself with scapula loading. To be honest, every time I try to think it through I have to look up where the scapula even is.
Hitters, especially youth players, have enough trouble just grasping the basic concepts of what you want them to do. The more complex you make it, the more difficult you make it to achieve the results you want. Ken and I agree that there are certain basic things you teach, and there are a whole lot of other things that just happen as a result of doing those basic things correctly and enthusiastically.
I use a basic three-step instruction to teach hitting: step-turn-swing. Those are the most core elements to a good swing. Do them in the right order and you’ll be well on your way to success. Within each of those steps there are other instructions, of course. For example, just prior to taking the step it helps to make a negative movement backwards. Once a student has the core ideas down, we add the negative movement in there as an enhancement. If I understand correctly, that’s when scapula loading would occur. But if they make a good negative movement — one that is designed to help them move into rotation faster and more powerfully — they’re going to load the scapula as a result of trying to make a quicker, more powerful movement.
Coaches who really want to help their players improve should make an effort to separate the necessary from the superfluous. The further you get from the concept of swinging the bat in a manner that allows it to make hard contact with the ball — and in language that simple — the more difficult you make it for your players to execute the skill under pressure.
In his book The Science of Hitting, Ted Williams provided a very practical method of talking about hitting. He didn’t get caught up in a lot of biological jargon or equations. He simply said “make these movements.” And Ted knew as much about hitting, even back then, as anyone ever has. We would all be wise to learn from his example, and keep it simple.
The difference a caring coach can make.
This story actually goes back a number of years ago. And for once it’s not about me.
Up until the time my son Adam hit high school (he’s 21 now) he was kind of a shy, quiet kid. He didn’t make friends easily, and he was definitely “his own person” meaning he didn’t try to conform to the norm. As such, when he would get onto sports teams where he didn’t know anyone he would tend to easy not to notice. He had some athletic ability — not a stud by any means but certainly not a complete incompetent either — but most times the coaches wouldn’t know, because they were focused on the kids who were more aggressive and seemed more interested.
This went on until the day he got on an AYSO soccer team coached by the father of his friend Kris. Kris’ dad Jim Bauernsmith had worked with the AYSO organization for a long time, and really believed in the principles they espoused. He also knew Adam from his hanging around the house, which helped.
From the first practice on, Jim brought Adam out of his shell, gave him confidence, and set expectations for him. Adam had more fun the three years he played for Jim than he had in a long time. And it spilled over into his other activities, including playing baseball.
Adam played a year of soccer in high school, but didn’t much care for it. He had no interest in playing baseball so we figured his sports career was over. His sophomore year, however, he discovered lacrosse and eventually went on to become a starter on his high school’s first-ever varsity lacrosse team. He played hard and played well, and was the kind of kid the coach wanted on the field all the time. That was a huge change for him.
I don’t think any of it would’ve happened without Jim, though. Jim’s taking a little extra time to work with a kid who just needed some encouragement had a huge impact on his life. Adam is now in ROTC at EIU and is in the Illinois National Guard. He is a self-assured, confident young man with both a good sense of humor and a sense of purpose.
How many times do coaches give up early on a kid because they think it will be too hard to make it work? There are all kinds of diamonds in the rough out there. But you have to be willing to look for them, and to bend down to pick them up, if you’re ever going to find them. Take a look at your own teams and see who needs that extra pat on the back or someone to believe in them. You never know how it will turn out for you.
Up until the time my son Adam hit high school (he’s 21 now) he was kind of a shy, quiet kid. He didn’t make friends easily, and he was definitely “his own person” meaning he didn’t try to conform to the norm. As such, when he would get onto sports teams where he didn’t know anyone he would tend to easy not to notice. He had some athletic ability — not a stud by any means but certainly not a complete incompetent either — but most times the coaches wouldn’t know, because they were focused on the kids who were more aggressive and seemed more interested.
This went on until the day he got on an AYSO soccer team coached by the father of his friend Kris. Kris’ dad Jim Bauernsmith had worked with the AYSO organization for a long time, and really believed in the principles they espoused. He also knew Adam from his hanging around the house, which helped.
From the first practice on, Jim brought Adam out of his shell, gave him confidence, and set expectations for him. Adam had more fun the three years he played for Jim than he had in a long time. And it spilled over into his other activities, including playing baseball.
Adam played a year of soccer in high school, but didn’t much care for it. He had no interest in playing baseball so we figured his sports career was over. His sophomore year, however, he discovered lacrosse and eventually went on to become a starter on his high school’s first-ever varsity lacrosse team. He played hard and played well, and was the kind of kid the coach wanted on the field all the time. That was a huge change for him.
I don’t think any of it would’ve happened without Jim, though. Jim’s taking a little extra time to work with a kid who just needed some encouragement had a huge impact on his life. Adam is now in ROTC at EIU and is in the Illinois National Guard. He is a self-assured, confident young man with both a good sense of humor and a sense of purpose.
How many times do coaches give up early on a kid because they think it will be too hard to make it work? There are all kinds of diamonds in the rough out there. But you have to be willing to look for them, and to bend down to pick them up, if you’re ever going to find them. Take a look at your own teams and see who needs that extra pat on the back or someone to believe in them. You never know how it will turn out for you.
A touching moment
We finally had our team party for the 2007 season today. Long story on why so late.
In any case, at one point I was talking with the parents of one of the girls from the team. She had to make a tough decision this year — essentially whether to play basketball or softball. Her first love is basketball, so that’s the way she opted. I was sorry to hear that, of course, but each person must follow their own hearts.
The parents stopped to thank me for all I had done for their daughter. You see, when she first joined the team she was struggling a bit athletically. Her parents were well aware that her fine motor skills were not the best, and it’s likely she wasn’t exactly a standout in sports generally. I suppose a lot of coaches would’ve given up on her long ago, or played her whatever the minimum was. But I always saw something in her.
More than anything it was her determination. She always came out and worked hard. Sometimes she’d get frustrated when she couldn’t perform to her expectations. But she’d never quit. Over the years she got better, and has turned into an excellent catcher.
Her defining moment came during a tournament in 2006. With one catcher missing and another injured, we were down to one. On a hot, humid weekend she caught every game Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. We came in second that weekend. The following weekend she caught all but two innings across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, again in the heat.
Today her parents told me that while they appreciated what I had taught her about softball, their real gratitude was for the self-confidence I had instilled in her. She had gone from a shy girl with a lot of self-doubt to a young lady who believes in herself.
It’s always fun to win tournaments and trophies. But in the big picture, the job of coach is really about impacting lives in a positive manner. It was gratifying to hear I’d actually done that.
In any case, at one point I was talking with the parents of one of the girls from the team. She had to make a tough decision this year — essentially whether to play basketball or softball. Her first love is basketball, so that’s the way she opted. I was sorry to hear that, of course, but each person must follow their own hearts.
The parents stopped to thank me for all I had done for their daughter. You see, when she first joined the team she was struggling a bit athletically. Her parents were well aware that her fine motor skills were not the best, and it’s likely she wasn’t exactly a standout in sports generally. I suppose a lot of coaches would’ve given up on her long ago, or played her whatever the minimum was. But I always saw something in her.
More than anything it was her determination. She always came out and worked hard. Sometimes she’d get frustrated when she couldn’t perform to her expectations. But she’d never quit. Over the years she got better, and has turned into an excellent catcher.
Her defining moment came during a tournament in 2006. With one catcher missing and another injured, we were down to one. On a hot, humid weekend she caught every game Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. We came in second that weekend. The following weekend she caught all but two innings across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, again in the heat.
Today her parents told me that while they appreciated what I had taught her about softball, their real gratitude was for the self-confidence I had instilled in her. She had gone from a shy girl with a lot of self-doubt to a young lady who believes in herself.
It’s always fun to win tournaments and trophies. But in the big picture, the job of coach is really about impacting lives in a positive manner. It was gratifying to hear I’d actually done that.
What you teach
There are definitely those in our sport who believe in flaunting the rules. They teach baserunners to leave the base early to “gain and advantage.” They teach hitters to intentionally interfere with the catcher’s throw when a baserunner is stealing a base. They teach fielders to stand in the baseline or on the base to slow down runners.
In each case the rationale is that the umpires rarely call it. In other words, get away with as much as you can because you’re unlikely to get caught. “If you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t trying” they like to say.
The problem with that line of thinking is they never take it to its logical conclusion. They don’t see where it could lead. So allow me to late it out for you.
Coaches who teach those things shouldn’t be surprised when their players lie to them about their schoolwork, their whereabouts during the last practice, or what time they went to sleep before the tournament games. After all, they thought they could get away with it.
Coaches who teach those things shouldn’t be surprised when their star athlete gets caught cheating during an exam. They were just trying to get an edge in order to “win.”
Coaches who teach those things shouldn’t be surprised when their players are arrested for underage drinking or drugs. They figured they wouldn’t be caught, so it was ok. After all, that’s what the coach taught them.
What we teach impacts our players much more than in their on-field conducted. Many have trouble separating the two. As coaches, we need to make sure we’re holding our players to a higher standard, not a lower one. It’s the right thing to do. And if you can’t win without cheating, maybe you’re not the coach you thought you were.
In each case the rationale is that the umpires rarely call it. In other words, get away with as much as you can because you’re unlikely to get caught. “If you ain’t cheatin’ you ain’t trying” they like to say.
The problem with that line of thinking is they never take it to its logical conclusion. They don’t see where it could lead. So allow me to late it out for you.
Coaches who teach those things shouldn’t be surprised when their players lie to them about their schoolwork, their whereabouts during the last practice, or what time they went to sleep before the tournament games. After all, they thought they could get away with it.
Coaches who teach those things shouldn’t be surprised when their star athlete gets caught cheating during an exam. They were just trying to get an edge in order to “win.”
Coaches who teach those things shouldn’t be surprised when their players are arrested for underage drinking or drugs. They figured they wouldn’t be caught, so it was ok. After all, that’s what the coach taught them.
What we teach impacts our players much more than in their on-field conducted. Many have trouble separating the two. As coaches, we need to make sure we’re holding our players to a higher standard, not a lower one. It’s the right thing to do. And if you can’t win without cheating, maybe you’re not the coach you thought you were.
Visit to Eastern Illinois University
Last weekend was Family Weekend at EIU. Since my wife and I have two sons attending that school we were down there for a visit.
Sometimes fate smiles upon you. Their dorms are close to the women’s softball field, so naturally we had to go take a peek at what was happening. We saw what appeared to be a practice and stopped to watch for a few minutes. We then had to run to the campus bookstore to leave even more of our money there in exchange for a couple of t-shirts, and to take care of a couple of other things.
When that was all done, though, we had some time to kill so I casually suggested we stop by the field again, as it looked like there was a game going on. When we got there I realized it was an intrasquad scrimmage, probably so the parents of those players could see where their money was going.
It was fun to watch. The facility is fairly small with some “box seats” close to the plate, so we were very close to the action. Part of the time I sat and just watched as a fan of fastpitch softball. And part of the time, I have to admit, I watched more analytically, trying to guess what pitch would be called next or see if I could pick up some tips.
One thing both my wife and I noticed was how much each hitter committed to their swings. There was no hesitation, no worry about whether they were swinging at the right pitch or not. When they swung, man, they swung. As a result, when they hit the ball it really jumped off the bat. Overall it seemed like a quality team filled with quality individuals.
One funny thing I recall happening during the game was a particular ball/strike call. One of the coaches was umping from behind the pitcher. When what I assume the #1 pitcher was pitching, there was a 2-2 count. The next pitch came in, and it looked like it would be strike three. The coach hesitated momentarily, then called it a ball. I’m pretty sure she knew it was a strike but decided the pitcher needed to work through pressure situations. I believe the next pitch resulted in a batted out. I guess coaches are coaches no matter what the level.
Sometimes fate smiles upon you. Their dorms are close to the women’s softball field, so naturally we had to go take a peek at what was happening. We saw what appeared to be a practice and stopped to watch for a few minutes. We then had to run to the campus bookstore to leave even more of our money there in exchange for a couple of t-shirts, and to take care of a couple of other things.
When that was all done, though, we had some time to kill so I casually suggested we stop by the field again, as it looked like there was a game going on. When we got there I realized it was an intrasquad scrimmage, probably so the parents of those players could see where their money was going.
It was fun to watch. The facility is fairly small with some “box seats” close to the plate, so we were very close to the action. Part of the time I sat and just watched as a fan of fastpitch softball. And part of the time, I have to admit, I watched more analytically, trying to guess what pitch would be called next or see if I could pick up some tips.
One thing both my wife and I noticed was how much each hitter committed to their swings. There was no hesitation, no worry about whether they were swinging at the right pitch or not. When they swung, man, they swung. As a result, when they hit the ball it really jumped off the bat. Overall it seemed like a quality team filled with quality individuals.
One funny thing I recall happening during the game was a particular ball/strike call. One of the coaches was umping from behind the pitcher. When what I assume the #1 pitcher was pitching, there was a 2-2 count. The next pitch came in, and it looked like it would be strike three. The coach hesitated momentarily, then called it a ball. I’m pretty sure she knew it was a strike but decided the pitcher needed to work through pressure situations. I believe the next pitch resulted in a batted out. I guess coaches are coaches no matter what the level.
Choosing a private instructor
Right about now is the time of year when serious players (and/or serious parents) are getting involved in private instruction. Or at least they should be. It’s a lot easier to make permanent changes when you don’t have the pressure to perform of the regular season. After all, when you’re in-season there’s a tendency to do what works no matter whether it’s good or bad for you. In the off-season you can take a step or two back before you make a leap forward.
Of course, one of the big factors in private instruction is the instructor him/herself. In many areas there is no lack of instructors around. The problem is some are good, and some are not. It’s often difficult to tell the difference, especially if your knowledge base about the particular skill is limited. In other words, if you don’t know much about pitching, it can be tough to pick a pitching coach. Same with hitting. If you don’t understand the mechanics of hitting, just about anything said with confidence sounds good.
So how do you determine whether a particular coach will be good or bad for you/your child? One thing you can do is use the Internet to read up on the skill you’re looking to learn. Not the forums so much, where anyone with an opinion and an Internet connection can post whatever they want, but Web sites of top-level coaches and players. Someone like Michele Smith, Bill Hillhouse, or Cindy Bristow is a great place to start. They’ve been there and done that, but just as important they’ve spent a fair amount of time teaching it to others. You may need to purchase a book or DVD or two, but when you consider the cost of lessons it’s well worth $19.95 or $29.95 to make sure the thousands you’re investing are being well-spent.
Once you at least have a general idea of what should be being taught, it’s time to get out and check out instructors. Listen to what they’re teaching someone else, and compare it to what you’ve learned. If it seems to line up you’re ready to take the next step. If not, you may want to go elsewhere. Or at least ask a few questions to determine why it’s not lining up.
Often times you’ll hear that you should look at how much success the instructor’s students have had. That’s true to an extent, but you have to be realistic. There are some players who are just flat out more gifted than others, and some who just have an extraordinary will and dedication to succeed. Then there are others who show up to lessons but make no effort to apply what they’re being taught. They never practice, and they never progress despite the instructor’s best efforts. If that sounds like you/your child, private lessons are really not a good investment. Although Woody Allen once said “90 percent of life is just showing up” when it comes to lessons showing up is more like 10 percent.
I really think you need to honestly look at yourself/your child and see where she fits on that scale. The scale itself is a steep bell curve, with the majority falling somewhere in the middle. Unless you know yourself/your child to be one of the extremes, you’re probably best off knocking off the results of the top students and the bottom students, and then evaluating the success of the rest. That will probably give you a better approximation as to what you can expect. I once commented to Ernie Parker that it must be nice to be him, where you only attract the top-level, dedicated students. His reply? “I wish that were true.” (Pardon me while I pick up that name off the floor.)
Another criterion people like to use is how successful the instructor was as a player. Again, that can be misleading. Some formerly great players become great instructors. Others do not. In fact, if you look at the general coaching world it seems like the best players rarely become the most successful instructors. The best guess I’ve seen on that is that great players are largely instinctive or gifted. Things come more easily to them than they do to the average player, so they don’t have to put the same kind of work in to learn the skills. This is not to say they don’t work hard — they probably work harder than anyone. But they work on certain subtleties that allow them to become elite players. Often they have trouble understanding why a player can’t “just do it.” If you can find a top-level player who has become an excellent instructor you’ve really hit the jackpot. But I wouldn’t make the instructor’s playing record the main decision point. Very few Hall of Fame coaches in any sport were also Hall of Fame players. Most were journeymen who worked hard just to stay on the team.
One last aspect to consider is personality. Everyone is different, and a coach who has a great rapport with other students may not have it with you/your player. In order for learning to take place the student has to feel comfortable with the instructor. If there’s no chemistry there, and lessons are dreaded like a trip to the dentist, that instructor is not a good fit no matter what his/her other qualifications may be.
When it comes to choosing an instructor the old rule of “caveat emptor” (buyer beware) definitely applies. A little due diligence up front can save you a lot of wasted time and money in the long run. It will also help make sure you achieve the results you want when gametime rolls around.
Of course, one of the big factors in private instruction is the instructor him/herself. In many areas there is no lack of instructors around. The problem is some are good, and some are not. It’s often difficult to tell the difference, especially if your knowledge base about the particular skill is limited. In other words, if you don’t know much about pitching, it can be tough to pick a pitching coach. Same with hitting. If you don’t understand the mechanics of hitting, just about anything said with confidence sounds good.
So how do you determine whether a particular coach will be good or bad for you/your child? One thing you can do is use the Internet to read up on the skill you’re looking to learn. Not the forums so much, where anyone with an opinion and an Internet connection can post whatever they want, but Web sites of top-level coaches and players. Someone like Michele Smith, Bill Hillhouse, or Cindy Bristow is a great place to start. They’ve been there and done that, but just as important they’ve spent a fair amount of time teaching it to others. You may need to purchase a book or DVD or two, but when you consider the cost of lessons it’s well worth $19.95 or $29.95 to make sure the thousands you’re investing are being well-spent.
Once you at least have a general idea of what should be being taught, it’s time to get out and check out instructors. Listen to what they’re teaching someone else, and compare it to what you’ve learned. If it seems to line up you’re ready to take the next step. If not, you may want to go elsewhere. Or at least ask a few questions to determine why it’s not lining up.
Often times you’ll hear that you should look at how much success the instructor’s students have had. That’s true to an extent, but you have to be realistic. There are some players who are just flat out more gifted than others, and some who just have an extraordinary will and dedication to succeed. Then there are others who show up to lessons but make no effort to apply what they’re being taught. They never practice, and they never progress despite the instructor’s best efforts. If that sounds like you/your child, private lessons are really not a good investment. Although Woody Allen once said “90 percent of life is just showing up” when it comes to lessons showing up is more like 10 percent.
I really think you need to honestly look at yourself/your child and see where she fits on that scale. The scale itself is a steep bell curve, with the majority falling somewhere in the middle. Unless you know yourself/your child to be one of the extremes, you’re probably best off knocking off the results of the top students and the bottom students, and then evaluating the success of the rest. That will probably give you a better approximation as to what you can expect. I once commented to Ernie Parker that it must be nice to be him, where you only attract the top-level, dedicated students. His reply? “I wish that were true.” (Pardon me while I pick up that name off the floor.)
Another criterion people like to use is how successful the instructor was as a player. Again, that can be misleading. Some formerly great players become great instructors. Others do not. In fact, if you look at the general coaching world it seems like the best players rarely become the most successful instructors. The best guess I’ve seen on that is that great players are largely instinctive or gifted. Things come more easily to them than they do to the average player, so they don’t have to put the same kind of work in to learn the skills. This is not to say they don’t work hard — they probably work harder than anyone. But they work on certain subtleties that allow them to become elite players. Often they have trouble understanding why a player can’t “just do it.” If you can find a top-level player who has become an excellent instructor you’ve really hit the jackpot. But I wouldn’t make the instructor’s playing record the main decision point. Very few Hall of Fame coaches in any sport were also Hall of Fame players. Most were journeymen who worked hard just to stay on the team.
One last aspect to consider is personality. Everyone is different, and a coach who has a great rapport with other students may not have it with you/your player. In order for learning to take place the student has to feel comfortable with the instructor. If there’s no chemistry there, and lessons are dreaded like a trip to the dentist, that instructor is not a good fit no matter what his/her other qualifications may be.
When it comes to choosing an instructor the old rule of “caveat emptor” (buyer beware) definitely applies. A little due diligence up front can save you a lot of wasted time and money in the long run. It will also help make sure you achieve the results you want when gametime rolls around.
Life in the Fastpitch Lane 