Category Archives: Pitching
The Pitcher Who Threw the Golden Softball
Why high performers don’t always perform at a high level by the end of the season.
Stop me if you’ve seen this scenario before. You have a pitcher who has been performing at a high level from the beginning of the spring (or high school) season all the way through the summer.
Yet now, as you’re getting to the most important part of the year, i.e., those big 4th of July tournaments and the Whatever Nationals, she’s suddenly starting to struggle. The speed is a little down, but worse the pinpoint accuracy she used to display has gone away, replaced with pitches in the dirt, over the catcher’s head, and/or wide of the plate.
Her movement pitches have lost their sharp movement, her knee-buckling changeup looks more like an easier-to-hit version of her fastball, and all the while her Ks are going down as her Ws are going up.
You wonder how could this be happening? What could have caused Ms. Ace to be replaced by someone who looks like her but definitely doesn’t throw like her?
There could be a few causes, but one that few people think about (or are willing to admit) is just plain fatigue. She’s still giving all the effort she always has, but at this point there’s not a whole lot left in the tank.
It’s a lot like the fable of the goose who laid the golden egg. Let’s take a high schooler because it’s the most extreme example.
For those who play in the spring, high school softball probably started sometime in February or at the latest the beginning or March. During that time she either pitched bullpens or in games six days a week for at least three months, possibly more if her team did well in the state tournament.
Her high school coach may have tried to split the work between Ms. Ace and one or two others, but let’s face it: everybody loves to win. So if Ms. Ace was the most reliable path to winning, her innings started to increase as the season wore on.
Once it got to conference championships and the State playoffs, the workload increased even more. She probably threw every inning of every game – even the ones that went 12 or more innings – because at that point if you lose you’re done, and no one wants to be done if they don’t have to be.
She may have been hurting, or tired, or feeling like her arm was going to fall off or her legs had turned into Jell-O, but she sucked it up and pitched anyway in a valiant effort to attain glory for the school with a State championship.
Then one way or the other the high school season finished. And did she get a chance to rest?
Nope. She no sooner turned in her high school uniform than she was putting on her travel team uniform. Heck, she might have done that in the locker room at her school.
And then came the grind of the summer. She probably got some breaks early on, as the coach split the time between different pitchers.
In the meantime, the summer got hotter and more humid. Those turf fields that make it easier to get in games when the weather is colder and wetter have suddenly turned into a hot box from a WWII movie, with temperatures running anywhere from 100 degrees to 130 or more (or so I’ve been told; never measured it myself).
And just about the time the hot weather really set in, the tournaments got more serious. Again, the situation started turning into win or go home on a big stage, and Ms. Ace was called upon more and more to lead the team to victory, keep the team in games until the offense catches up, or close out a close game by pitching another inning or two.
Throw in a college camp or a showcase event where she’s trying to look her best for her dream school, or any qualifying school for that matter, and/or maybe a tryout for next year here or there, and it’s a lot. Especially when the schedule doesn’t allow for any days off.
You see where this is headed. All that work all that practice, all that heat, all that everything begins to take a toll Not just physically but mentally.
Even if Ms. Ace is feeling ok physically, she may be mentally exhausted after putting so much energy into softball-critical situations, game after game, weekend after weekend.
At some point she’s like that mobile phone that you keep throwing on the charger when the battery indicator shows red and taking off as soon as the low battery goes off. She may have a little more energy than she did, but it’s really not enough to carry the team like she could a few weeks – or a few months – ago.
And that, my friends, is why her performance may be suffering a bit at the end of the season. It’s not that her mechanics are off, or that she’s not trying, or that she’s forgotten how to pitch.
She just may be exhausted and running on fumes, still doing all she can to help the team win, even if she’s no longer at her best.
So don’t be too quick to hit the panic button if Ms. Ace isn’t quite looking like herself. With a little rest, even if it’s just a couple of days in a row off, she’ll power back up, and before you know it she’ll be kicking butt and taking names again.
Hopefully in time for a nice run at Nationals.
What Fastpitch Pitchers Can Learn from Pro Wrestling
NOTE: What I’m about to describe can be used by any player. But since pitchers are usually the ones who are most directly targeted, I’m going to focus on them.
The other day I was working with a pitching student who had played against a team she used to be on. She and her mom told me she pitched fairly well, but that she had gotten a little upset when the other team started doing a lot of sing-songy chants directed at her with the purpose of trying to rattle her.
This was in 12U travel ball by the way. First of all, I personally believe there is no place in the game for directing insulting chants or remarks at an opposing player.
Trying to ruin a teen or pre-teen’s confidence by saying insulting things to her is just plain classless. There’s enough of that on social media already.
It’s also a comment on the other team’s ability. If that’s what it takes for them to win maybe they’d better go back to the drawing board and work on their own skills.
But if you’re the pitcher who has that stuff being directed at you, there isn’t much you can do to prevent it from happening. You have no control over how the other team acts (and apparently neither do their coaches or parents).
People will tell a pitcher to just ignore it, but that can be difficult to do. In my experience young females are far more likely to listen to the bad things said about them than the good things anyway.
I have another solution that I told my pitching student about, and she seemed to like the idea. It comes from the world of professional wrestling, i.e., WWE, AEW, NWA, etc. and basically involves steering into the insults rather than trying to tune them out.
In pro wrestling there are “Faces” and “Heels.” Faces are the heroes, the ones you’re supposed to admire and root for, essentially the good guys, who represent Mom, apple pie, and all of that.
The Heels, on the other hand, are the ones you’re supposed to root against. They are demeaning to the audience and other wrestlers, cheat by doing dirty things to their opponents when the ref is looking the other way, hit opponents with chairs, and otherwise act outside the bounds of human decency.
When the Faces are introduced, everyone is supposed to cheer (and usually does). They’re there to see that justice is done and the forces of good prevail.
When the Heels are introduced, though, everyone is supposed to boo (and most usually do, although they have their fans too). It’s what the Heels do when they’re booed, though, that is the point of our story today.
They don’t act shocked, or hurt, or look like someone just ran over their dogs. Instead, they steer into the boos, drinking them up like they’re refreshing water. They strut around the ring and motion for the fans to give them more of it with a look of satisfaction or even pleasure on their faces.
That’s the attitude I think pitchers should adopt. When the insulting cheers come on, don’t sink into a shell; embrace them!
Pitchers can start by pretending they can’t quite hear the cheers and signaling to the opposing bench to say them louder by holding a hand to their ears. If they continue, pitchers can smile and walk around in the circle waving their arms as if to ask for more.
By showing it not only doesn’t bother them (even if it secretly does) but the pitchers are apparently enjoying hearing it, they can essentially take all the fun out of it for their opponents. The more the pitchers look like they are loving the insults – and that the only effect they’re having is pumping up the pitchers even more – the less likely the other team is to continue.
After all, why would you continue a behavior that seems to be helping the opposing pitcher instead of hurting her? Seems kind of counter-productive to me.
The thing pitchers need to keep in mind is that in most cases the other team wouldn’t be doing all of this if they thought they could easily win the game without it. No, they’re going to do it when they’re worried they might lose.
And even if that’s how they treat all pitchers regardless of skill level, showing you’re not only not intimidated but actually are enjoying the attention is a quick way to neutralize the other team’s behavior.
The only other X factor in all of this is how the umpire reacts to this little Heel performance. But if he/she says anything to the pitcher, she (or her coach) should just say, “You get them to stop with the negative cheers and I’ll stop what I’m doing.”
Nothing like a little self-awareness to put it all in perspective.
We often say the first step in being confident is to act like you already are confident – even if you’re not. Putting on a little Heel performance when the negative cheers or comments start to fly is a great way to get into the right mindset and help pitchers overcome the risk of their opponents getting in their heads.
And of course, the irony is by acting like a pro wrestling Heel, the pitchers actually present themselves as the heroes of the story who are standing up for themselves and all that is good and right in the world. Not a bad place to be!
Things Pitchers Can’t Help
Let’s start today’s post with this simple fact: pitching is hard. In fact, it’s not just hard, it’s incredibly hard.
And I’m not talking about the physical toll only, either, that results from having to bring great energy to every single play of every game they’re pitching. There’s also the mental toll of what happens when things don’t go right, as often happens – even at the highest levels of the game as we’re seeing on TV as they say.
All of that is compounded by the type of personality that says yes, give me the ball, give me the responsibility for initiating every play, and have every single person on the field, in the dugout, in the stands, and in the bad parent section of the outfield watch me intensely every time I step onto the pitcher’s plate o throw a pitch. What kind of normal human being volunteers for that type of pressure?
So with all that said, it’s no surprise that pitchers often accept not only their rightful share of the blame when things go wrong; they often take on all of it, whether that’s warranted or not. And most of the time it’s not.
So for all you pitchers, coaches, and pitcher parents who are living and dying on every pitch and every play, I’ve put together this little guide for which responsibilities actually lie with the pitcher and which do not. If you have a pitcher who is suffering through a crisis of confidence because she isn’t perfect all the time, show this list to her and let her know hey – it’s not all on you.
#1 – The Plague of Dropped Third Strikes (D3Ks)
We see this one a lot. The pitcher is pitching effectively, getting hitters to swing and miss on borderline strikes or even balls that look like strikes, but then – the catcher drops the pitch or even misses it completely. Once or twice in a game you can understand that – things happen, even to good catchers.
But when it becomes a pattern, like, say, happening two or three times in an inning, that becomes a problem. If the affected hitters reach base you not only lose an out you should have had; you have a potential run on base that should never have had the chance to score.
When pitchers – especially younger ones – see this, their tendency is to think they have to do something to fix it and cut down on the D3Ks. The usual solution is to try to throw pitches that are easier for the catcher to catch.
The problem with that is those pitches are also easier to hit. Unless hitters are swinging at pitches way over their heads, or way off the plate to the point the catcher can’t reach them without ordinary or even good effort, those D3Ks are not the pitcher’s problem to solve.
She’s doing her job. The problem needs to be solved by the catcher, her coaches (train her up, even if you have to stay after practice to do it), her parents (work with her on non-practice/game days and/or get her catching lessons), or even the catcher herself asking her teammates or friends to give her extra practice.
If I’m advising the pitcher, I’m telling her to keep doing what she’s doing, and maybe even try to get the pitch out a little more so she’s developing herself to compete against better hitters. Maybe if enough runners reach base someone will take one of the actions above and try to fix it – at which point everyone (including the catcher herself) benefits.
#2 – Errors in the Field
Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not the pitcher’s job to strike out every hitter. Sure, strike outs are nice, and they’re definitely helpful because they take some variables out of the play. They also show well for bragging rights.
But they are not a pitcher’s main job. Instead, the pitcher’s main job is to get outs any way she can. If that means inducing hitters to continually hit weak ground balls and easy pop-ups instead of striking them out, so be it.
I’ve known and coached a lot of successful pitchers who didn’t rack up a huge number of Ks, yet somehow they won a lot of ballgames because they made it easy for the 7 fielders behind them to do their jobs. There’s nothing like a 5-pitching inning on a hot and humid day to keep your team fresh and ready to keep playing. (I’m looking at you, Katie Wirtz.)
But for that strategy to be successful, the fielders do have to do their jobs – catch the ball, throw the ball, get the easy out.
If they’re not doing that pitchers can be tempted to try to take on too much and force strikeouts. That’s usually when they start over-throwing the ball instead of pitching with solid mechanics, causing them to get wild and start tossing the ball all over the place.
Errors in the field aren’t the pitcher’s responsibility unless she’s making them herself. Instead it’s again up to the field players, their parents, and the coaches to help them get better so they cut down on the errors to give their team a better chance of winning.
#3 – A High ERA
Ok, this one is conditional, as I will get to in a minute. But these days stats are pretty easy to obtain thanks to apps such as GameChanger, so it’s tempting for a pitcher to go in, look at her stats, and compare herself to other pitchers on the team, or on other teams. Not to mention for other pitchers to repeat what they heard their parents say about them.
Yet the viability of most stats is directly dependent on the quality of the person scoring the game. God bless anyone willing to keep the book, but there’s a huge difference between someone who knows the ins and outs (no pun intended) of scoring a game and someone who is just doing their best to mark something down out of the goodness of their hearts.
ERA is a stat that is dependent on whether a runner reached base as the result of a clean hit or an error. A scorekeeper who marks every ball that’s put in play as a hit, even if there was an obvious error, is going to cause ERAs to go sky high.
Now, I will say a lot of scorekeepers will mark the most obvious errors, such as Little Suzy (poor Suzy, always getting picked on) dropping a pop-up that’s hit right to her or fumbling a weak ground ball or fielding it cleanly and then throwing it into the parking lot. But there are a lot more possibilities for errors.
The definition of an error is basically the failure to successfully get the out on a play that required ordinary effort. So if an outfielder runs up to a fly ball, stops, and lets the ball hit the ground, that’s an error even though she didn’t touch it. If a shortstop stands like a statue as a medium ground ball goes by her two feet to her left, that’s an error.
Then there are the cases where scorekeepers cook the books a little. They mark an error a hit in one case and not in another not because they don’t know better but because they’re actively trying to help one pitcher look better than another.
I don’t think that happens often, but it definitely does happen.
No matter the reason, if a pitcher has a high ERA because she’s throwing meatballs all day to hitters that’s on her. If it’s because errors are being marked as hits for whatever reason, it’s not.
#4 – A Low Strike/High Walk Percentage
Again, this one is conditional. If a pitcher is throwing the ball into the dirt, wide of the batter’s box, over the backstop, etc., that’s on her and she needs to own it.
But there are other cases where that’s not true. An umpire with an inconsistent strike zone can make it difficult for a pitcher to know where to throw the ball to get a strike.
Same with an umpire with an inappropriately small strike zone for the age group. As we mentioned earlier, pitching is already difficult enough without making the strike zone the size of a shoebox.
Now, that said, if that’s the case the pitcher does have a responsibility to adjust to wherever the umpire is calling strikes. But that can be difficult for pitchers with only a year or two’s worth of experience.
And if they are successful in finding that zone, don’t be surprised if they start getting pummeled. Hitters aren’t stupid, and their job gets a whole lot easier if they only really have to worry about swinging at one location – even if it’s their weakest location.
#5 – Being Overmatched
This can happen too, especially at the younger ages.
Sometimes the coach figures the best chance of winning is to put his/her Ace up against a really strong team, only to realize about 10 minutes in that the Ace isn’t up to the task yet. Sometimes the coach chooses to enter a tournament based on dates and location rather than level of competition and ends up learning the hard way that a little more research can sometimes save a lot of heartache.
Sometimes the coach sees improvement in his/her team and consciously decides to test them against a higher level of competition, only to discover they’re not ready yet. And sometimes the coach takes the old axiom about iron forging iron a little too seriously and I guess figures a weekend of good old fashioned buttkicking is just what the team needs to get better.
Whatever the reason, when a pitcher finds herself in that situation all she can do is do the best she can, learn what she can from it, and keep working with a goal of making a better showing the next time she sees a team or group of teams like that.
The Realities
There are times when pitchers need to step up and take responsibility for their shortcomings in a game. They have to control their controllables and do everything they can to get themselves ready each and every time they step into the circle.
But there are also a whole lot of other factors they can’t control, and if they try to take responsibility for those too they’re going to end up hating the position – and we don’t want to see that.
Helping your favorite pitcher(s) understand the differences between the two is a great way to help avoid unwarranted unhappiness and keep them on a path of learning, and growth. Hopefully this little guide will help.
Lead photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Keep Your Pitcher’s Strengths In Mind When Calling Pitches
Todays’ headline may seem like a blinding glimpse of the obvious in theory, but from the stories I’m hearing from my students and from other pitching coaches it doesn’t seem to be so obvious in practice.
I know there are all kinds of charts you can keep and stats/heatmaps you can purchase on the Interweb and printed guides (including this one) to help you as a coach determine which pitches to call to attack a hitter’s weaknesses. But before you go diving down that particular rabbit hole it’s important to ask yourself one simple question: what pitches do my pitchers throw well?
For example, in theory a riseball seems like a great choice against a hitter who drops her hands. But if your pitcher has a 50-50 chance of throwing her riseball flat you may want to re-think that strategy so you don’t end up watching Ms. Dream Seam leave the yard.
It gets even more complex when you realize you need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of several pitchers on a staff. Your Ace may have a killer dropball that she can throw on command. But if she has to come out of the game for some reason and your next pitcher up tends to throw all her drops in the dirt, you’d better be ready to change your strategy accordingly. Especially if your catcher isn’t too adept at blocking.
Which pitches your pitchers throw well (or at least Have the most confidence in) is important information you should be gathering well ahead of that pitcher going into the game. Ideally that would be in the pre-season, but if not today is the second best choice.
If you have a great memory (bordering on eidetic) and know your pitchers well you can keep that information in your head and adjust on the fly. If your brain organizes information the way a typical teenager organizes her bedroom floor, you’ll want to write it down and probably laminate the card(s).
Either way, you want to have that information handy before you send any pitcher out to the circle. It’s important for any situation, but critical if you’re using one of those arm band systems with the numbers to call pitches.
You should have a card that is customized for every pitcher you would ever consider sending into a game, whether you plan to today or not. Things happen, and those who don’t plan for the unexpected end up getting beaten by it.
Sending one pitcher out to the circle with the card of another in the hopes you can “work around it” is probably not going to turn out well for anyone. Except the opposing team.
So how do you determine which pitches are your pitchers’ strengths? There are a few things you can do:
- Ask them That’s a great place to start. Your pitchers know which pitches they’ve been working on, and while it’s possible they may have an overblown sense of what they do well, they will certainly know which pitches scare them Find that out and you can avoid calling a good “theory” pitch that causes the pitcher’s body to shudder at the thought of throwing it in that situation. It will also give you an idea of what you can expect from those pitches. If a 10U or 12U pitcher tells you she has 6 pitches, you can pretty much assume all 6 are basically bullet spin fastballs.
- Observe them – and take notes. Whether you’re coaching a 10U team or a Division 1 college team, your pitchers should be working on their games during organized practice activities – whether that’s during practice, before or after practice, or on a different day. While that’s happening, whoever will be doing the pitch calling should be watching closely to see what actually works and what doesn’t. The pitcher may think she has a great changeup, but if all you see is a pitch that comes in looking like a bad fastball or that she has to slow her arm down to take speed off the ball, you’ll know not to throw it in a situation that matters.
- Test them. Ok, so they have their riseball working now. Once you learn a pitch it isn’t that hard to execute it when you’re throwing a bunch in a row and you have the ability to determine when you want to throw it. So test them during bullpen sessions by calling the pitch and watching what happens. Then call a different pitch, then another different pitch. See if they can throw what you’re calling on command versus needing five shots to get it right. This isn’t just for different pitches either. You can do the same with locations to see which they can hit on command and which need more work. Knowing that will help you avoid situations where you call an outside pitch to attack a hitter’s weakness only to watch that pitch go to the inside, which is the hitter’s strength, and then out of the yard..
- Consult with them. Once you’ve gathered your information, tell your pitchers what you’ve learned. Show them the chart you’ve made detailing their strengths and what they need to work on. We all like to work on strengths so we can feel good about ourselves, but that’s not how you get better. The Japanese principle of Kaizen (continuous improvement) applies here. It will be a lot easier for them to become the pitchers you want them to be if you’re telling them where they need to improve. But don’t just tell them what to do – tell them why it will help them become better at their craft. People in general, and young people in particular, generally will work harder on an issue when they understand how it will help them.
- Rinse and repeat. This is not a one-time process you do in the preseason or at the beginning of the season. You should be updating this information constantly to ensure you’re using all your pitchers to the best of their abilities. If you told a pitcher she needs to hit the low outside spot with her fastball or needs to increase the RPMs and spin direction on her riseball, check back frequently to see if they’re making those improvements. Then update your information about them accordingly so when gametime comes you’re taking advantage of everything your pitchers are able to do – and avoiding those things that don’t work so well.
Again, in theory it’s important to attack hitters’ weaknesses whenever you can. But you don’t want to attack weakness with weakness; in most cases you’ll probably be better off attacking a hitter’s strength with your own pitcher’s strength (unless it’s a total mismatch, in which case good luck!) because the odds in softball always favor the defense.
By taking the time to really learn the strengths of every pitcher on your staff, you’ll be in a position to make better decisions come gametime and help not only the pitchers themselves but the entire team succeed more often.
To Get Power, Blow Out the Candle
Fastpitch softball players sometimes struggle with how to get that extra burst of power at the moment it matters the most. Whether it’s whipping the arm into release for pitchers, or accelerating the bat before contact for hitters, or some other skill requiring a ballistic final movement, instead of looking powerful they look anemic.
One of the biggest reasons for this, of course, is the fear of failure. Pitchers focused only on throwing strikes or not walking anyone will slow down when they should be speeding up.
Hitters focused on not striking out or just making contact will do the same. Catchers focused on throwing to the base rather than doing all they can to get the runner out will do it, and so on.
You can try telling them they need to be more energetic in their movements, but while they will nod their heads they will often not really understand what you mean. So here’s a quick way to explain what you’re going for.
Ask them “how do you blow out a candle?” If they give you a blank stare offer them two options: do you do it with a gentle letting out of air, like you’re trying to cool a spoonful of hot soup, or in one quick burst.
Since they’ve probably been blowing out birthday candles since the age of two or three they will tell you in one quick burst. Then ask them why they do it that way. (You can even have them demonstrate both to you, which will force them to demonstrate the principle to themselves.)
They will tell you because without the burst nothing much happens. The flame may dance a little with a reverse sip of air, but it won’t go out.
You can then explain that’s what power does. That one quick burst concentrates the air so it has an effect on the candle.
It’s the same with that final, critical movement in softball. Without that one quick, focused final burst of energy you can’t throw hard or hit hard.
While it may seem obvious to you, you’d be surprised at what isn’t so obvious to your players. Even experienced ones sometimes.
The focus on not failing, usually based on someone else’s description of what failure is, rather than succeeding or excelling, As long as they’re in that mindset it will cause them to hold back from becoming the best versions of themselves on the field.
Use the candle analogy to help them understand the importance of getting that final, powerful concentration of energy and you just may help them unleash the larger beast within them.
Birthday party photo by Alexander Mass on Pexels.com
You Can Never Break the (Kinetic) Chain
A term that has grown in popularity lately in the fastpitch softball world is the “kinetic chain.” If you’ve seen any of the many “how-to” posts or videos on Facebook groups, Instagram, Tik Tok, or other social media outlets you’ve no doubt come across the term.
You may have even nodded along as the creators talked about the importance of maintaining the kinetic chain even though you weren’t actually sure what it is. If you’re nodding along with this one you’re in luck because we’re going to define it before we get into the meat of today’s topic. You’re welcome.
Basically, the kinetic chain is an instance where the body’s muscles, joints, and nerves all work together as interconnected links to produce a complex movement. Each link works with the others to transfer energy through the body, creating a multiplying effect that improves the result of the final, intended action, such as swinging a bat or throwing a ball.
The key here is that each link in the chain has to work with the others in the context of the overall movement, and it has to do its job at the right time, i.e., in the proper sequence. If any link in the chain acts independently, or at the wrong time, it reduces instead of enhances the overall outcome.
Ok, I know that was a little complex and abstract, but I think it’s important to establish the science first so this isn’t just one of the many millions of random opinions out there masquerading as fact. Now let’s get to the fun stuff – how it applies practically to fastpitch softball.
The kinetic chain and hitting
The basic kinetic chain for quality hitting involves moving the hips first (using the big muscles in the core, the abdominals, etc.), followed by the shoulders, and finishing with the arms to deliver the bat to the ball.
Yet what you see many young and even some older hitters doing is initiating the swing with their arms and then yanking on the bat for all they’re worth to try to hit the ball hard. That works off the tee, and can even work in games at times if the hitter is reasonably strong.
But when you do that, you’re basically putting the cart before the horse. The arms are supplying the bulk (if not all) of the energy that is going into the ball, essentially choking off any energy the big muscles in the legs and torso are trying to produce.
Rather than moving a lot of energy up through the chain, that arms-based swing is limiting how much of that energy can be used – by a lot. It also reduces the body’s ability to adjust to the pitch as it’s coming in because the arms are creating an early path that gathers momentum as the bat moves forward.
It’s like firing an arrow and then trying to aim the bow. It just doesn’t work.
By keeping the kinetic chain intact the hitter has time to see the ball while she’s generating larger energy than she can with her arms alone, gathering information about where the ball is headed, and is then in a better position to direct that energy when the ball gets to her.
The same limiting factor comes into play when hitters spin their back leg in place (the old “squish the bug” cue) rather than engaging the hips. While it may appear to the naked eye that some high-level hitters do that, if you look at high-speed video you’ll see that they actually turn the hips into the ball then fall back into the “turned” position after contact.
Honestly, I’ve been fooled by that before myself, thinking that a hitter didn’t use her hips enough. But a quick video shows she actually did what she was supposed to – it just happened so quickly it was difficult to see in real time.
The kinetic chain in pitching
There are a lot of similarities between hitting and pitching as far as the kinetic chain goes. You are still doing a ground-up movement, with a firing order that moves from the hips to the shoulders to the arms.
The difference here, though, is that you’re focused on one arm, and that arm has two pieces that need to fire in order to maximize the transfer of energy (and thus ball speed). So the full sequence is hips-shoulders-upper arm-forearm.
Notice I didn’t say anything about the wrist. It does contribute to the overall pitch, but not forcefully as some people still believe.
The wrist is more of a “let it happen” than a “make it happen” contributor on most pitches. The exception, in my opinion, is the curve ball, where it does have to do a little bit of work to put the hand under the ball properly to achieve the correct spin.
After that, though, it’s still more of a “let it happen.”
What trips up many pitchers trying to achieve speed is muscling up at the shoulder, or forearm, or trying to do a hard snap upward with the wrist. Those actions may feel powerful, but not only do they not add anything to the energy transfer to the ball, they actually take away from it.
When you muscle up on any of the downstream segments it chokes off at least a part of the flow of energy. Less energy into the ball = reduced speed.
What you want instead is to allow the joints to move freely in a quick acceleration/deceleration sequence that moves the energy from one segment to another until it reaches the ball. Muscling up slows the individual piece that’s being used down, which means it has less energy to pass along to the next one.
This relaxed flow of energy is especially true for what happens with the arm. Once the hips and shoulders have stabilized (stopped turning forward), the upper arm uses the energy from the body to begin accelerating toward release.
This movement will happen much faster if it’s allowed to happen rather than the pitcher trying to force it to happen by consciously muscling the arm downward. Just accept the energy and direct it downward until the upper arm comes into contact with the ribcage.
If that happens, the sudden stop of the upper arm transfers the energy down into the lower arm, causing the forearm to accelerate suddenly until it reaches brush contact/brush trigger – the light contact of the forearm (not the elbow!) against the hip. This action causes the forearm to decelerate suddenly, delivering all that energy that was created throughout every phase of the pitch and transferring it into the ball through the fingers.
Again, any attempt to force these movements by muscling up will have the opposite effect to what is desired – it will break the kinetic chain and reduce the speed.
You see this reduction a lot with pitchers who are trying to force strikes. They slow their arms down to get the ball over the plate and then can’t figure out why they’re not throwing faster.
Then, of course, they try to muscle up the finish and not only are they throwing slower, they’re now less accurate as well. It’s a vicious circle.
By the way, all of these principles apply to overhead throwing as well, although in a slightly different manner. The concept is the same though – if you want to throw hard, you have to let the chain happen instead of trying to force movements.
Better by design
The human body is an entire system designed for one primary purpose: to keep us safe. Each movement has a particular purpose that was developed to work in concert with other movements to create the optimal whole.
So you can see why breaking the kinetic chain by imposing unnatural movements on it isn’t a great idea. Let the body work the way it’s designed to work and you’ll achieve much better results – with less wasted effort to boot!
Coaches: Stop Throwing Pitchers Into Games Cold
This is another one of those posts that you would think should generate a collective “duh” from the fastpitch softball world, but based on what I keep hearing it’s not quite as obvious as it would seem. So let me say this loudly for the people in the back:
Coaches, you need to stop putting pitchers into games without adequate time to warm up before they take the circle.
That’s true even of pitchers who warmed up before the game started. If you’re now in the second, third, fourth, or later innings, those pitchers still need some time before they go in to get themselves ready.
And the longer it’s been since they initially warmed up, the more important it is to give them time to go through the process again. Because it takes a certain amount of preparation to get ready physically and mentally, to get the feel of various pitches, the complex timing required, and to switch their heads from field player (or sitting on the bench) to being game-ready.
Look, I know sometimes your pitchers make it look easy when they step into the circle at the beginning of the game. They’re bringing good velo, they have command of their pitches, they’re ripping through batting orders like tissue paper.
As a result, you may think that it’s a switch they can throw and instantly turn into SuperStud. Trust me, it’s not.
It takes time to get ready. And there’s a “use it or lose it” factor built into it.
A pitcher who warms up before the game starts to cool with each passing minute if she’s not pitching in the game. To all of a sudden pull her in from left field or first base or wherever she’s playing currently and expect her to perform at her peak is not only unrealistic. It’s self-sabotaging.
Think about the situation. You wouldn’t be suddenly pulling her in from another position (or the bench) if things were going well for the team.
You’re pulling her in because they’re not, and you’re hoping she can put out the fire. Only she’s really not ready to perform at her peak, so there’s a pretty good chance that instead of making things better she’ll either keep them the same or make them worse.
Sure, you might get lucky and get the out you need to end the inning. But that’s probably going to be the exception.
The more likely scenario is you’ll get a walk, or a hit by pitch, or she’ll give up a meatball that goes sailing to or over the fence as she’s trying to find her groove.
The consequences of that decision may not just affect that game either. You may shake that pitcher’s confidence, especially if you get angry that she didn’t save you from your own bad decision, causing her to be overly cautious the next time out so as not to let you and the team down again.
More importantly, putting a pitcher into a game without adequate warm-up and then expecting her to perform at her highest level is a recipe for an injury – possibly one that is season-ending. No one wants that.
You would never see a Major League Baseball manager or a P4 head softball coach put a pitcher into a game without warming him/her up thoroughly first. Why would you think a younger or even high school-aged player could do it?
Ok, now that we’ve established that concept, the natural follow-up question is “how much time does that additional warm-up require?” After, all, the pitcher did spend some time before the game getting ready, so it shouldn’t be too much, right? Right?
The reality is it depends entirely on the pitcher. Some can warm up quickly, and maybe just need a little tune up before going into the game. They can probably get by with 10 minutes or less.
Others have a lengthy process they must follow in order to feel ready. It could take them 20 minutes or more to go through all their pitches to make sure they’re working properly.
As the person making the decision of when to put them in, you need to be aware of what each pitcher requires and then try to plan ahead so they’re ready to go when you need them. Just don’t wait until you’re already in trouble before you get them up and throwing.
If you think there’s any chance you’ll need a pitcher out of the bullpen/off the bench, get them warming up after 2-3 innings, just to be safe. If you’ll need to pull in a pitcher who’s already playing in the field, send in a sub, even if it’s mid-inning.
Better to have her ready and not need her than need her and not have her ready.
Coming in to pitch mid-game is often tougher on pitchers than starting one. Especially if the wheels are already coming off the wagon.
Giving your relievers enough time to warm up according to their individual needs will save you all a lot of heartaches, as well as give you a better chance of winning more games. It will also help prevent the type of injuries that can ruin a season.
Why Fastpitch Softball Pitching Is So Danged Difficult
You hear it all the time from coaches, parents, and others sitting safely on the sidelines at fastpitch softball games: Just throw strikes! As if that idea hadn’t occurred to the poor pitcher while she’s sweating out a delightful inning of walks and hit by pitches.
Ah, if only it were that easy. I mean, it doesn’t look that difficult from the outside.
You step or jump or ninja leap your way forward, swing your arm over your head, bring it down, and let go of the ball. What could be more basic than that?
Plenty, to be honest. Because pitching in fastpitch is like a fine Swiss watch.
On the surface, you see the hands going around a disk. But underneath, there’s a complex set of gears creating individual movements that all have to be perfectly in synch to keep the correct time.
Let one little piece of a gear wear down, or get knocked askew, or take on a spec of dirt that slows it down by a microsecond, and suddenly the whole operation is no longer functioning properly.
Think I’m exaggerating? Take a good look at any video or sensor-based analysis of the pitching motion.
You have to be concerned about how the legs work in relation to the arms at launch. You have to look at where the body goes when it drives out – is it relatively straight or going off line?
When the arms go back on a backswing or forward on the first phase of the pitch are they working together and moving toward the plate in an efficient manner or are the wandering all over the place, creating timing and balance issues?
What’s happening with the muscles underneath? Are they loose and flexible the way they need to be in order to move quickly, or are they stiff and locked out?
What’s happening in the shoulder as the arm goes over the top? How is the upper arm positioned relative to the shoulder and the lower arm?
Where is the upper arm positioned when the front foot lands? What is the hand doing at this point?
As the pitcher goes into delivery are her shoulders stable and locked into position or are they swinging around like one of those carnival rides? Does she have good, upright posture, or is she collapsing like a cheap folding chair?
There’s more to consider but you get the idea. Lots of moving parts that all have to work properly, and in synch, in order to “just throw strikes.”
Now add in the idea that this sport is called FASTpitch. So it’s not enough to get the movements correct.
You have to do it while putting every ounce of energy you have into every pitch. All in the space of a couple of seconds start to finish, with a lot of the critical movements occurring in a matter of milliseconds before the pitcher has to move on to the next one.
Anything in that process gets slightly off and suddenly the ball is heading into the dirt, or into the backstop, or into the side of the hitter. And when that happens, the pitcher has to know how to make a micro-adjustment here or there to get everything back on track in an effort to make sure it doesn’t happen again on the next pitch.
What usually happens, especially with younger or beginning pitchers, is that they over-correct instead of understanding they should just relax, trust their training, and allow the gears to get back in line. That’s why one pitch goes into the dirt and the next one hits the field number sign at the top of the backstop.
When you see that issue occurring, the worst thing you can yell is “just throw strikes.” That’s what she’s trying to do.
But a gear has slipped and she’s probably not sure which one or how to fix it. Telling her to “just throw strikes” will only encourage her to try to force the ball over the plate, abandoning all mechanics.
That would be like trying to fix your watch by hitting it with a hammer. You might get lucky, and get it running again, but the odds are you’re just going to ruin the watch.
A better approach is to call time if you can and go out and talk to her. Remind her to trust the work she’s put in and let her body do what it does best, focusing on the process instead of the outcome.
In other words, let her get all her gears back in order. And if that still doesn’t work, tell her it’s just not her day and you’re going to give someone else a try now, and you’ll come back to her another game.
If you’re a non-coaching parent and can’t go out for that circle visit, just be encouraging and supportive. I know it’s difficult to watch your daughter struggle – I’ve been there – but she’ll be able to handle the adversity a lot better if she knows you’ve got her back instead of thinking you are judging or criticizing her in the moment.
If she’s not able to correct things on her own, the time for those corrections is in her next practice session, not under pressure in the middle of a game. Trying to do it in-game will likely only make it worse.
Yes, pitchers like Tegan Kavan, Nijaree Canady, Sam Landry, Emma Lemley, and so many others you see on TV or at live games often make fastpitch pitching look easy.. But it’s anything but – even for them.
Understanding just how complex the individual movements are, and how intricate the timing of each movement is in relationship to all the others, should help you cut your pitcher(s) a little slack when things aren’t going quite the way you or she wants. It ain’t easy.
But like that fine Swiss watch, it’s a thing of beauty when you get it all working the way it should.
Pitching Coach Bill Hillhouse Extraordinaire Could Use Your Help
Yesterday Jay Bolden and I had the privilege of talking with pitching coach Bill Hillhouse for an upcoming From the Coach’s Mouth podcast. If you’re not familiar with him, Bill was the youngest pitcher ever to play for the Team USA Men’s National Team when he joined it in 1993, and was an outstanding player who competed all over the world, winning wherever he went.
(If you’re interested in learning more about his softball resume, I’ve included more facts below.)
Bill then started giving lessons, mostly to female players, as his playing career was winding down. He saw the terrible hello elbow mechanics that were being taught widely at the time and became a very vocal advocate for learning to pitch the way the body moves naturally and the way all the top-level pitchers actually threw – what we today call internal rotation, although he’s not a fan of that description either for various reasons.
He named his business the House of Pitching, and he put out a series of DVDs to help spread his teachings more broadly than he could one-on-one. My guess is thousands of pitchers benefitted from the work he did in explaining everything from basic to advanced pitching mechanics in his lessons, clinics, and DVDs.
It was a business that again took him all over the world and afforded him a comfortable although not lavish living. He was also a columnist for Softball Magazine at the same time I was, which is where we met and became friends.
Then in July of 2025 Bill got the news no one wants to hear: he was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. In typical Bill fashion he didn’t make a big deal about it, not wanting to burden others with his issues, but as we all know getting sick here in the good ol’ USA isn’t cheap.
Suddenly, not only did he have all these medicals bills but he was also cut off from his only source of income – giving lessons.
Which brings me to the point of today’s post. After all the years of helping others (including many who were indirectly assisted by his influence on other pitching coaches like me), Bill could use a little help himself.
His girlfriend set up a GoFundMe page to help him with his expenses while he does his best to battle this disease. He knows it’s not a winnable fight – there is no “cure” for pancreatic cancer – but as a competitor he’s not just sitting around waiting for the inevitable.
In fact, he told us he’s been giving lessons again on a limited basis, and while it’s bringing in some revenue it’s less than he needs to live a normal life. So here’s my ask today.
I know times are tough right now, but if you can please go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bill-hillhouse-through-his-cancer-battle and leave a donation. Even $5 or $10 will help, especially if a lot of people choose to do it.
So maybe instead of your morning Starbuck’s or those McDonald’s Diet Cokes you enjoy, take one day and dedicate that money to Bill. The big corporations won’t miss it, but it will sure make a difference to a guy who has made a difference to so many of us in the fastpitch softball world – including many who don’t even know it.
Thanks for considering it. And keep an eye out for our conversation with Bill coming up in a couple of weeks over at the From the Coach’s Mouth podcast. It was a lot of fun and I’m sure you will enjoy it.
Bill Hillhouse Mini-Bio
Bill Hillhouse was a star pitcher in international men’s softball, playing all over the world including eight seasons competing in New Zealand. He was not only a two-time member of the USA Men’s National Team but was the youngest pitcher ever to play for that team when he joined it in 1993. Among his accomplishments are being named the Pan American Games M-V-P, winning the Men’s Major National Championship three times, earning a gold medal at the U-S Olympic Festival, and being inducted into the USA Softball of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2022.
Bill’s coaching career is equally stellar. After stints as a pitching coach consultant for division 1 Drexel University and the University of Georgia, in 2018 he joined the staff at Providence College in Rhode Island. A strong advocate of men’s fastpitch, he also served the sport as a commissioner for the International Softball Congress from 1997 to 2013.
He is probably best known, however, as a private coach. Operating under the House of Pitching moniker, Bill gave individual lessons and conducted group clinics all over the US and the world. While he coached many high-level softball pitchers to successful college careers, including 2025 WCWS winner Tegan Kavan, he never really publicized his association with any of them. As he told Jay and me, “Their accomplishments were theirs, not mine, the result of a lot of hard work and dedication. I teach everyone the same things but get varying results, so the difference is really in them.”
Product Review: Portolite Signature Spiked Practice Mat
Having a good-quality practice mat for indoor pitching practice is an essential to me. It helps cut down on “gym stepping” (taking a step forward with the pivot foot before launch) and gives some good feedback about the direction the pitcher is going and distance the she is covering in the drive phase of the pitch.
For years I have used a mat designed for use on turf. It was good for two of the facilities I work at, both of which have very low-pile, carpet-like turf. But at the third, which has turf that is a little more grass-like, I found that the mat would slide forward and turn toward the throwing hand-side after two or three pitches for all but the smallest girls. Which meant that I would have to stop the lesson and readjust the mat pretty frequently.
The solution I came up with was to turn the mat backwards so the pitcher could use the pitching rubber to push off of but would then land on the regular turf. It solved the problem of the turning mat, but made it kind of pointless to have an 8 foot long mat since most of the mat would be in the opposite direction to which she was going.
Finally, I decided to do what we all do in these frustrating situations – search the Internet for a solution. I finally found one I thought would work: the Portolite Signature Spiked Practice Mat. I have used and liked Portolite products before, so it definitely caught my interest.
But the cost was a little high, which caused me to hesitate before pulling the trigger (more on that later). Finally, I saw a Black Friday sale and decided to roll the dice.
I’m glad I did, because it is definitely up to the task of staying in place on higher turf, even with the biggest/strongest/heaviest pitchers. No more turning, no more sliding forward, no more resetting the mat every few pitches.
You just lay it down wherever you want it and it stays there for hours or even days without having to touch it. Here’s a little more in-depth look.
(NOTE: There are no promotional considerations for this review. I purchased the mat as a consumer and am not being paid to write this review. Just thought you should know.)
Basic construction
The mat definitely features high-quality construction. The turf side is thick and built to hold up to heavy use, and the back side appears to be made of heavy-duty rubber. The two are attached seamlessly and look like they will hold up for years without splitting apart.
(For contrast, the turf and backing on my Jennie Finch mats began separating at the front edge shortly after I got them, and I occasionally have to glue them back together to reduce the chances of them coming apart completely or having a pitcher trip over them.)
The pitching rubber isn’t just glued to the mat – it is bolted on with four bolt and nut combinations that are incorporated somehow into the rubber then stick out of the bottom.
I don’t think that pitching rubber is going anywhere. This construction also means (according to the manufacturer) that you can replace the pitching rubber at a later date if it gets too worn or damaged.
The overall length of the mat is 3 feet wide by 11 feet long, with 8 feet from the rubber to the end of the mat. That should be sufficient for most pitchers, while also leaving a generous 3 feet on the back side so both feet can start on the mat, even with a deep drop back.
The lines appear to be deeply sublimated or otherwise embedded into the turf so I don’t think you I have to worry about them wearing away any time soon. I wish there was a center line instead of (or in addition to) the two lines extending down either side from the pitching rubber, since I think that makes a good reference for pitchers.
But it’s not a deal-breaker, and I suppose I’ll get used to it. You can also order the mat with no lines if you prefer.
The turf comes in three colors – green, red, and clay – so you can choose the one that suits you best. I’ve always had and liked green mats so that’s what I went with. It’s a bright green right now, but we’ll see how it holds up after hundreds of shoes have slid across it.
I can’t speak to the durability yet since I’ve only been using it a few weeks. But it looks like it ought to hold up for years.
One other thing that takes a little getting used to is that it feels a little spongier than the other mats when you walk or land on it. That’s probably good for young backs and knees versus landing on hard concrete with just a thin piece of carpet over it.
The Spiked Side
Here’s where the real magic happens, at least for me. As I said, the whole reason I purchased the mat was to try to solve the problem of the mat slipping on the turf. It has definitely done that.
The key is the 1,200 little spikes on the bottom side. They are molded as a part of the heavy-duty rubber backing, creating a plethora of individual grip points.
As pitching people know, the goal is to land into the front foot like an airplane rather than on top of it like a helicopter. That momentum is what can cause the mat to twist or slide forward.
With the Portolite mat, though, all those little spikes distribute the landing load throughout the mat so it stays in place easily. I have yet to have to make any adjustments, other than to change the distance for different age pitchers.
But once it’s down, it’s down until you pick it up and move it. So yes, total success for the goal I had.
And in case you were wondering, while it does leave a pattern of little indentations when you first pull it up to move it or put it away, those indentations go away quickly, leaving the base turf looking like it did before you laid the mat down. That’s important if you’re in a shared space like I am.
Heavy weight
Another reason I think it stays in place so well is that the mat itself is heavy – probably due to the molded rubber backing. It weighs 30 lbs., which is roughly 50% more than my other mats that clock in at 23 lbs.
That’s great for functional use, but it can be a challenge if you have to carry the mat for any distance. I’m a pretty big guy so I can handle it, but it’s definitely something to consider if you are on the smaller side or not particularly strong. It will give you a workout.
I wish it came with a little carrying pouch like other brands do, which I think would make it easier to transport. Then again, because of the construction the Portolite mat doesn’t roll up as tight without great effort so maybe it would be difficult to get one in an appropriate size.
Either way, right now I have to roll it up and grab it by either end to move it around the facility, It’s the one time when I miss the other mat.
The cost
Earlier on I mentioned that it’s not cheap. The current price on the Portolite website (as of January, 2026) is $999 USD.
When I first saw that I decided to roll the dice and see if there might be a Black Friday sale since it was getting close to the holidays. My gamble was rewarded, and I was able to purchase it for $799.. Add in the tax and shipping and it was $935 out the door – still expensive but every little bit helps.
Assuming it lasts for several years (as it appears it will), it’s not so bad. For example, at 5 years of use that $935 works out to $187 per year. Add in the savings on chiropractors for not having to constantly bend over to reset the mat and it’s a pretty good bargain.
More options
Portolite has some other mat options in addition to the one I purchased, including a shorter throw-down mat for $299 and their Pro Spiked Game Mat for $1,899. The short mat would be great, I suppose, if you don’t need the full length for your pitcher to land on (or you don’t want to carry a 40 lb. mat around).
The game mat is similar to the practice mat but I believe the turf is even heavier duty, it includes 1,700 spikes (versus 1,200 for the practice mat), and it weighs 60 lbs. Clearly it is made to hold up to heavy use and abuse, even on outdoor surfaces.
I know of at least one program that is planning to purchase a couple to use on dirt to try to eliminate the dreaded “pitcher’s trough” that happens after multiple games in a day.
The bottom line
When I was first looking at this mat I was concerned because it was a lot of money to pay for something that I wasn’t 100% sure would solve the issue. But I am happy to report that it did solve the sliding/turning problem, and my pitchers like using it.
So if you’re having similar issues, know that you can purchase this pitching mat with confidence. Time will tell how well it holds up (maybe I’ll share a report on that sometime in the future) but I can definitely recommend it as a solution for the immediate need.
Life in the Fastpitch Lane 