Learning spins with the TightSpin Trainer
A little while ago I received a very interesting product — the TightSpin Trainer from Spintech. It looks like a softball on the end of the handle of a paint roller handle, but it’s a lot more than that. There is actually a braking wheel that allows you to adjust the tension to go from free spinning to very difficult to turn.
The manufacturer says that the TightSpin Trainer was originally developed to help pitchers build wrist strength. I can see where it would. The idea is you turn the ball 20 times in a row, quickly and powerfully. As the pitcher finds it easier to turn, you increase the tension. In that aspect it’s like any other weight lifting program. In conversations with George at Spintech, he says a pitcher can add 3-4 mph by training regularly with it.
I have not been able to confirm that part yet. But what I have discovered is that it’s excellent for helping pitchers learn the wrist snap for the curve ball. I have used it with several pitchers, and every single one was able to improve the spin on the ball after 10-20 turns of the unit.
This is important because true curve ball spin can be difficult to learn (as detailed in my post Getting Proper Spin on the Curveball). You have to be able to get the hand under the ball, palm up and fingers pointed to the side. And you have to be able to snap the wrist sharply from side to side rather than upwards as with a fastball or peel drop.
When pitchers are struggling with the curve ball, both of those aspects become a problem. The TightSpin Trainer helps them learn it quickly. Here’s how to make it happen.
Start by having a coach, parent or friend hold the handle straight up and down, with the ball at the bottom. The pitcher then grasps the ball palm-up. Don’t worry about getting the proper grip relative to the seams. Any grip will do. Then instruct the pitcher to snap the wrist quickly. Odds are she will turn it slowly and/or just a little bit. Encourage her to snap it quickly. Watch out for the elbow flying out — make sure it stays tucked in. Once she has the feel of turning it properly, go back to pitching. 
The TightSpin Trainer can also be very effective for training the rollover drop. It is another pitch that requires the wrist to move in a direction that is other than the standard up-snap.
One of the nice things with the TightSpin Trainer is that it comes with an instructional DVD if you catch it at the right time. Otherwise the DVD is $14.95. The DVD is helpful for learning how to use it — especially for me, who thought it should always spin freely.
Cost for the TightSpin Trainer is $39.95. In my opinion it’s well worth the price. Especially with its “guarantee with teeth” — if you haven’t increased your strikeouts in 90 days after following the program, call them and you’ll get your money back. Can’t beat that.
If you’re looking to improve the spin of various pitches, or just want to increase wrist strength, check out the TightSpin Trainer.
Motionview! video analysis software
This is a reprint of a product review I wrote last year for Softball Magazine. The product is definitely worth checking out, so I thought I would post the review up here. Hope you find it helpful.
One of the best and most popular tools for helping player development is video. With a simple camera and playback device (such as a TV), players have the opportunity to see themselves in action and perhaps gain a better understanding of what their coaches mean. After all, it’s one thing for a coach to say “you’re dropping your elbow when you throw.” The player may think the coach means the elbow is dropping to a point just above the shoulder. But when watching the video, he/she can see the coach means it’s dropping to a point just above the bottom of the rib cage.
The camera/TV combination is fine for basic viewing, but it makes it difficult to really get into the topic. Downloading the video to a computer and watching it on Windows Media Player, Apple QuickTime, or RealPlayer is somewhat of an improvement, but those applications are still very limited in their ability to show and explain exactly what’s happening.
Recently I downloaded such a product. It is called MotionView!, a software application from AllSportsSystems. It is a feature-packed program that allows a coach to provide a thorough, multi-point analysis of a student’s performance, either from live or previously captured video.
The version I downloaded is called MotionView! Coach. It is their mid-level product, but it provides everything I (and most coaches or parents) will need.
The drawing toolbar is robust but easy to use. The basic drawing tools include the ability to draw lines, circles, and squares. An extended toolbar adds the ability to draw angles, arrows, freehand shapes and more. You can choose from six different colors, and even change the thickness of the lines as needed.
One interesting tool, especially when working with pitchers, is the ability to add an analog clock face. When you’re telling a pitcher that the hand should be between 10 and 11 o’clock when the stride foot toe touches it helps to be able to draw that clock. Keep in mind a lot of kids these days rely solely on digital clocks, which means they aren’t really sure where 11 o’clock is. But they’ll never tell you. They’ll just nod as if they understand. 
Another handy tool is called the “kite tail.” This one is a bit more complicated because it first requires you to carve out a brief section (called a canister) of your video. Once you have the small clip, though, you can mark each point of a moving object to create a continuous line. MotionView! advances the frames for you automatically. Once all the frames have been marked and you hit the “play” button, the video traces the line, showing the motion. For example, if you mark the tip of the bat during a swing, you can see the whole path the bat takes. The only problem is it doesn’t give you the smooth curving line that’s shown on the Web site. It’s more of a polygon – a series of straight lines that create a shape, Still, you can gain a lot of insight regarding the path of moving object with this tool.
There’s more to MotionView! than drawing tools, though. You can run the video backward and forward, adjusting the speed from regular to slow to frame-by-frame. You can also reverse the view, turning a left hander into a right hander or vice versa. You can open two videos at once for side-by-side comparison, say between your student and a top-level player or a before-and-after comparison, and even synch them together. With the Coach version you can overlay one video on top of another, and export still shots to pass along to the students.
Sounds like a lot for just $85 (with the online coupon). But as they say on all the Popeil commercials, wait! There’s more! There is a built-in timer that shows the elapsed time in the video. You can convert a section of the video into a film strip so you can see the entire movement at once. You can zoom in on sections of the video and adjust the display to different sizes – including full screen mode. You can even type in titles or instructions that can then be exported along with the video.
The download itself is a little kluge. No matter what version you want, you have to start by downloading the free “Lite” version. Once you have done that, if you have purchased a higher level version you have to send an e-mail or go online to request the code to unlock your version. AllSportsSystems is pretty responsive but you still may have to wait a few hours to get your key code depending on the day and time you make your purchase. After I did the download the application started looking for a file that didn’t exist, and would give me an error message. But an e-mail to AllSportsSystems solved the problem quickly. They responded within 12 hours on a weekend, so I give them an A for customer service.
This is an outstanding, feature-packed application that allows you to perform an unbelievable variety of analysis. If you’re a coach looking for a better way to show students what they’re doing, or a knowledgeable player who wants to improve his/her game, check out the MotionView! family of products. You won’t be disappointed.
Getting proper spin on the curve ball
The basics of pitching dictate that there are two things that make a ball move — the direction of the spin and the speed of the spin. In other words the ball has to be spinning in the right direction to move as it’s supposed to, and it has to be spinning fast enough for the Magnus effect to work in order for the ball to change directions.
The fastpitch curve ball presents a particular challenge in both aspects because it requires the wrist to move in a way that’s different from other pitches — especially the core fastball and peel drop. Rather than snapping up, it has to snap sideways. It’s often described as sliding the back of the hand across a table. While I’m not a believer in the muscle-driven wrist snap on the fastball/peel drop — I see it as more of the end of a chain of events than event in and of itself — with the curve, you do have to make a strong and powerful snap across.
Easier said than done, however. It can be challenging to get under the ball and snap the wrist sideways. Here are a few tips to make it happen:
- The throwing side shoulder has to get lower than the glove side shoulder. That’s an absolute. If the throwing side shoulder comes up, you’ll have a tendency to pull over the ball rather than snap under it.
- Try to bring the throwing side elbow to your bellybutton. You probably won’t actually get it that far forward, but it’s a definite destination. The reason is if the elbow gets far forward, it will cause the arm to snap across toward the outside corner rather than straight forward. It will also make it easier to get underneath the ball.
- Keep the ball in the fingers and use the fingers to propel the ball forward as well as sideways. I just discovered this explanation tonight. I had a pitcher who was having trouble getting the spin right, so we went all the way back to the basic spin, just popping it up into her glove. What we found was she was getting it out too soon, which resulted in a riseball back spin instead of a side spin. By keeping it in her fingers a little longer she was able to get the side spin.
- Start cupping you hand under the ball just past the top of the circle. If you wait until the bottom of the circle you will likely be late, and will wind up snapping the wrist up instead of sideways.
Remember, just because you have a curve ball grip doesn’t mean you have a curve ball. If it ain’t got that spin, it ain’t a curve ball.
It doesn’t matter where you start the race…
…only where you finish. That’s something players need to remember, especially in the preseason or the early part of the season. Sometimes they get all worked up over who is getting the most press, or who the coach likes the best, or who is #1 on the depth chart to start. It’s important to know where you stand, of course. But if you perform well these things have a way of working out.
Case in point. One of my former pitching students came home from college at Winter Break very unhappy. Despite having hit pretty well during fall ball, she was told by her college coach not to bother working on hitting because she wouldn’t be seeing many plate appearances. If she was going to pitch, he wanted her focused on that. She loves to hit and was going to miss that part of the game.
Well, when the first games of the season rolled around, she was allowed to hit for herself, both when she played first and when she pitched. She started off on the low half of the batting order, but in the last few games she’s been hitting cleanup — and doing quite well there.
So despite the early word, she kept working and proved herself. That’s a great lesson for all of us. Not just in softball but in life. It really doesn’t matter where you start out. Only where you finish. So if things aren’t going your way right now, hang in there. Keep working hard, and be ready when your opportunity comes. If you can do the job, your coach will want you in there.
About that global warming
Today is the first day of Spring, and the weather report calls for an inch of snow today, plus four to six inches tomorrow here in the Chicago area where I live. So much for global warming.
My advice, if you ever want to see high school ball played this year, is for everyone to get in their cars right now and start driving around. Also find any old aerosol cans you have and start spraying. Let’s do what we can to break down that ozone layer and get some warmth going so the snow stops and the fields can dry out.
Just one man’s opinion.
Understanding the weight shift
Back when I first started getting into all of this, there were two distinct schools of hitting — weight shift and rotational. There were all kinds of debates and arguments over which was better, with many heated flame wars erupting.
These days, thanks to high speed video, the two schools have converged. The current state of the art starts with a weight shift, setting a new center point ahead of the center in the stance, then goes into a rotational movement with the hips leading the hands.
We’ll talk about the latter part some other time. Right now I want to go a bit into the initial weight shift. It starts from the stance, goes into a negative (backward/loading) movement, and then into the forward movement that ends when the front toe touches down.
Sometimes players have a hard time grasping this weight shifting. They might push back a little at the start, but only come back to center. Or they may move very mechanically. Neither really accomplishes what you want.
The movement has to be more flud, like a dance movement. It’s a little push back of the hips (toward the catcher) that rebounds like a slingshot and then goes forward.
The object is not to move the front foot forward. It’s to move the center of gravity — the balance point — forward. Generally speaking the center of gravity resides in the butt, or between the hips. If you think of a little circle with a plus sign in it, it sits in the pelvis. You should see it move forward of where it started. Otherwise you’re not getting the full benefit of momentum into the pitch.
This is very different than the old school of the sport. We used to teach that the stride should be short and soft. Not anymore. That’s not to say you should stomp forward and get all your weight over your front foot. Instead, you should move that center of gravity forward, landing on the toes/ball of the front foot, then drop the heel to initiate rotation.
Hopefully I can upload some video stills or video to illustrate this point soon. In the meantime, hopefully this description will suffice.
Protecting the catcher’s throwing hand
There are all kinds of risks for catchers. Most will show their bruises, knots, and scrapes with pride.
One area you don’t want to mess around with, however, is the throwing hand. It’s important to protect it from foul tips, balls in the dirt, and general wild pitches.
That’s why I’m amazed sometimes to see how exposed many of them still leave it. Some will set it on their legs, some will let it hang down to the side, some will even let it hang over between their legs. Any of those positions is vulnerable.
The way to assure the hand is protected is to take the thumb and pull it across the palm of the hand and fold the fingers over it. Then take the hand and hide it behind the shin guard on that side. This position protects both the hand and thumb, yet leaves the hand available to make a throw.
Be sure you keep the hand protected and you’ll keep your catcher in business a lot longer.
Willing and able
Not too long ago I saw an article in Bobby Simpson’s Higher Groundnewsletter recommending a book called Small Unit Leadership, written by Col. Dandridge (Mike) Malone, U.S. Army (ret.). Although it’s really written to help sergeants, lieutenants and captains learn how to lead military units, there are a lot of great lessons in there for coaches too.
One of them is understanding the makeup of players on a team. Col. Malone breaks them into four grorups based on two criteria — the willingness of players to learn skills, and the ability of players to execute those skills. Essentially the groups are:
Willing and able
Willing and unable
Unwilling but able
Unwilling and unable
Obviously the group you want to have the most players in is the willing and able. They are enthusiastic about learning and getting better, and they have the skills you need to excel. Your job as coach for them is to encourage them to keep growing, and enjoy the ride. They are also your potential team leaders.
The second most desireable group in my mind are the willing and unable. They want to learn, they just haven’t acquired the skillset yet. Your job as coach is pretty obvious — teach them how as quickly as they can handle it. The difference between this group and the first group is probably experience. Even the willing and able need training to improve their games. But they already have a basic skillset, where this group is more raw. In softball it also tends to be younger.
The third group is the unwilling but able. Now we start getting into the negatives. This group of players has the skills and talent to play, but they are unmotivated to work hard or raise their game to a higher level. They may also be in it more for themselves than for the team. Your job as coach is to try to move them into the willing and able category. That’s a tough row to hoe, but it can be done. Doubtless it’s going to take more of your time than you’d like, and there’s no guaranteed outcome. But if you can do it you’ll have valuable players you can count on.
The final group is the unwilling and unable. Or as I like to put it, the “what are you doing here?” group. Maybe their parents signed them up for softball as a babysitting service while they work out at the health club or watch Oprah. Maybe they thought their daughters needed some exercise or a team experience whereas the daughters would rather go to the mall. Maybe they’re just kids with negative attitudes. Whatever the case, this group is going to take the greatest part of your time, and provide the least return on investment. Look how much time they’re taking in this post. Try to save them if you can, but realize it may be a futile effort, and that you may just have to cut your losses. Even Col. Malone tells military officers that the best strategy with this group is get them out of there as quickly as possible. This group can be a cancer on the team. Not only won’t they contribute much, but they’re likely to take other players down with them. Group 3 is vulnerable, but so is Group 2, and you’d really hate to lose them. Group 4 can ruin a season faster than bad weather, so recognize the risk and deal with it accordingly.
Now that you understand the groups a little, here’s an exercise you can do. Take the chart below and write the last name of each person on your team where you think they fit along the two parameters of willingness and ability. Hopefully you wind up with lots of players in the upper right, and none in the lower left. If not, you’ll at least know what you’re working with and can adjust your plans accordingly.
Good luck. And if you do pursue this activity, let me know what you found out. Post a comment. I think we’ll all find it interesting and helpful.
Chasing scholarships
There was an interesting article in the New York Times today about athletic scholarships in college. Just in case the link goes dead I will try to summarize it.
Essentially it talks about how coaches of minor sports (including softball) don’t have nearly as much money to spend on scholarships as everyone thinks. While the money sports like football and basketball have tons of money to spend, sports like softball are challenged to try to make the money go as far as they can.
Here’s a quote from one college baseball coach:
“It’s like we have a salary cap from the professional sports model,” said Godri, whose baseball program can dole out the equivalent of six full scholarships across four years. “Except we’re dealing in thousands, not millions, and we have to stretch it across 25 or 30 kids.”
Imagine that. Six full scholarships across four years being stretched across 25 to 30 kids. That’s not a lot of money available. Sure, some schools have bigger softball budgets, but they also have their picks of the talent available too. From the article, it looks like there’s not that much money available in most schools. That lines up with what I’ve read and heard from college coaches, who talk about splitting scholarships.
What does that mean to the average softball parent? For one thing, if you’re paying for lessons in the belief that your investment will cover your daughter’s college expenses you could be in for a surprise. Even if she gets an athletic scholarship it may not be enough to cover the difference, say, between a private and a state school. The truth is, if you’re looking for college money you’d be a lot better off investing the money in savings bonds. Or maybe Lottery tickets.
A better reason to invest in lessons is to help your daughter maximize her potential and have the best possible experience she can have. Success tends to breed success as they say, and being successful on the softball field can lead to success in other parts of life. It will also give her great memories that will last for years.
All is not lost in the college department, however. While you may not get all the money you hoped for, being an athlete can help you get into the college of your choice. Assuming you have the grades, if the softball coach wants you at the school he/she will walk your application in to the admissions department. He/she may also be able to help you get grants, academic scholarships, and other assistance.
The point is don’t count on scholarships. Look on them more as found money. Instead, invest in your daughter for her own sake. It will pay off for sure.
Time to put away the squishy bugs and weight back
It’s funny how some things seem to go on and on, despite the evidence to the contrary. One of those is the old notions on how to hit.
Back in the day, the standard way of describing how to go into the launch phase of hitting was to reach the foot forward softly, keep the weight back, squish the bug and swing. If you’re still teaching that, stop. Stop right now. It’s not how good hitters hit, either in baseball or softball.
Here’s an example from a couple of years ago. It’s Kristie Fox of Arizona hitting a home run.
If you slow it down and watch step-by-step, you will see the first thing she does is shift her weight forward, onto her front foot. She establishes a new center point ahead of where she started, and then rotates around it. She is still leaning back a bit with her upper body, but that could be due to the type of pitch.
That’s just one example. Since we’re heading into the college softball season, set your DVR for some Division I games, especially out of the PAC 10. As usual, they’re out ahead of it. But you’ll also see Michigan, Lousiana-Lafayette, and dozens of other schools doing the same thing. The same as major league baseball hitters.
Still not convinced? See what Mike Candrea has to say. You can preview the USA Softball video at SportSkool. Coach Candrea knows a lot about hitting. Between the U of A and the USA Olympic team he’s demonstrated his knowledge and ability to apply it. He used to teach soft stride and keep the weight back. He doesn’t anymore, because he found it wasn’t true or necessary.
Again, if you’re still teaching hitters to keep their weight back because that’s what you were taught when you played (softball or baseball) it’s time to do some homework. High speed video has allowed us to see what hitters really do instead of what we think they do. The best in the game don’t squish the bug or keep their weight back. They drive their weight into the pitch, establish a new center point, and rotate around it.
Life in the Fastpitch Lane 