Marc Dagenais talked story with pitching great Taryne Mowatt.  In this interview Taryne discusses:

• How she got started in softball
• Her experience at the University of Arizona
• Mike Candrea as a coach
• Playing in the WCWS
• Tips for young softball players who want to play in college
• Life after college including what it's like to be a pro softball player
• The biggest challenges she faced in softball
• Her Upcoming Appearance at Softball Cruise Clinic II
• …and a whole bunch more!

Click on the player below to listen to this interview now.

Make sure to comment below!

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Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog

Had an interesting experience with tryouts this year, and I doubt it's an isolated incident. In fact, it seems to be something that's indicative of our society as a whole, as it's not the first time I've heard of something like this.

Here's the basic situation: we had a girl try out for catcher, but then got a note saying she had decided to play for another team. That in and of itself is fine — you should play for whomever you want.

But it was the reason that really stuck with me. Apparently during the tryouts, her dad saw that she clearly was not the best catcher trying out. I then heard through the grapevine he talked to someone affiliated with this other team who promised she'd be number one there, and the decision was made.

I find that rather disturbing. Instead of looking at where his daughter might receive the best training or best competition, he based his decision on the instant gratification of a guaranteed starting spot. It makes me sad, not only for society but for that kid and all the others like her.

It's now Day 11 of the 10th Anniversary Softball Performance Tour and I have a very useful free resource for you:

College Recruiting Tips for making it to the next level.

These articles are all free and they will give you some insight into the very exciting, yet sometimes overwhelming journey of the college recruiting process.

Read the free articles HERE.

I also received word that some of you didn't receive the message for Day 10 of the tour. Day 10 covered a fun coaching resource called Softball Coaching Essentials from A to Z.

It's a free 18 page report that shares 26 (A to Z) tips for softball coaches.

Download it at no cost HERE.

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Previous Stops Along the Softball Performance 10th Anniversary Tour

Did I leave anything out?

You've probably seen games before where mental errors cost a team dearly. Just about every coach and player would like to reduce mental mistakes to increase their chance of success on the field.

Well, there's actually a very simple thing you can do…

Stay hydrated

Yup - that's it and it works! Did you know that your brain is comprised of water more than anything else? And did you know that your brain's function becomes impaired and/or reacts slower when you are dehydrated?

Impaired brain function is not a good thing when you need to make the right decisions quick or when you need to think on your feet during a play.  Keeping your brain working at 100% by staying hydrated can help you reduce your chances of making costly mistakes.

As you can imagine, just a fraction of a second can be a big deal! It can be the difference between a safe call and an out call. It can be the difference between scoring and being gunned down at the plate. It can be the difference between getting a hit or not getting a hit. You get the idea…

It's Day 5 of the Softball Performance 10th Anniversary Tour and today we're going to give you a peek into a cool event where you can see Marc Dagenais and a bunch of other great softball people live and in person!

It's the 2011 Softball Cruise Clinic and you still have a chance to get your spot on board. Watch this video from Fastpitch.tv featuring Angela Tincher to learn more about the event!

Enjoy…

Previous Stops Along the Softball Performance 10th Anniversary Tour…
Day 4 - Your Chance to Win some Very Cool Ringor Gear
Day 3 - Free Report for Softball Coaches on Reducing Parent Conflict
Day 2 - SoftballTeamTraining.com: simplest way to train your entire team on the field with little or no exercise equipment
Day 1 - SoftballTools.com: revolutionary softball training aids to raise your game

Leave me a comment below to share your thoughts with me.

Training for Softball – A Kettlebell Approach
by Justin Qualler

To train for sports, in general, train movement patterns with resistance (e.g. squat, deadlift, press above head, push up, row) and train the actual movements from the sport, as well.

Training for Softball

Kettlebell Swings – trains all the muscles of the back side of the body and your stomach in one movement. Coordinates your muscles to work in unison while displaying strength. Helps you improve the coordination of your strength so you can access more of your muscle potential.

Develops your endurance so you can last longer and have more pep for quick-burst situations. Develops your grip for getting a batter handle on the bat. Passing the kettlebell from hand to hand and flipping it can develop your concentration and hand eye coordination.

Kettlebell swings build your hamstring and help you reduce the risk of a hamstring pull.

Kettlebell Snatches – Great for building stamina and total body explosiveness. Makes your tendons stronger. Teaches you how to flex your entire body in wave so you can express yourself in a whip-like fashion to generate more power in things like throwing, punching, sprinting, etc.

Thanks for joining us in this 10th Anniversary Tour of Softball Performance!

Today is Day 2 of the Tour and we'll be looking at a great new resource for coaches (and parents too). If you're a coach that wants to raise the performance of your team by increasing speed, agility, strength, power, and endurance, Softball Team Training is something you'll want to see.

• Maybe you don't have access to a gym
• Maybe you know how great core training is, but aren't sure how to go about implementing it with your team
• Maybe the only time you have to train your players is at practice on the field

Whatever the case may be, Softball Team Training can help you. It is the best (and simplest) way to train your entire team on the field without the need for a gym or lots of expensive equipment.

Not a coach? That's okay. The Softball Team Training program will show you how you can set up effective softball workouts right at home in your own backyard!

You may not realize it, but this year is SoftballPerformance.com's 10th Anniversary! So much has happened and changed over the past 10 years and Softball Performance is no longer just a single website, but rather a full network of useful softball websites designed to help you raise your game to the next level!

Over the past few months we have been working very hard to put together even more quality resources for you. Because the network has expanded and changed so much, and because we have recently added a number of new things, for the next few weeks, we are going to take you by the hand and give you a tour of the latest and greatest resources available to you in the Softball Performance Network.

Whether you are ready to make use of the new tools right now or not, you'll at least have a good idea what's there for you when the time comes.

Today will begin the first stop on our tour. It's actually a brand new site that I really think you'll like.

Many people don't even realize that men play fastpitch softball, but they do! If you've never seen it before, there's a chance that you can catch some online this week when the ISC Softball World Tournament starts on Friday.

Fastpitch softball enthusiasts from around the globe will be watching the 63rd annual International Softball Congress World Tournament when play starts Friday at Midland’s Emerson Park.

“We began audio streaming games over the Internet in 2001 and added video streaming in 2005,” ISC Executive Director Ken Hackmeister said.

“We’ve had an outstanding response to it, particularly overseas. We take e-mails from viewers and listeners and it’s amazing to see how they come from the different corners of the world. New Zealand, Argentina, Europe, Australia … they are from everywhere.

The event will include:

• lots of softball (up to 6 games going on at once)
• free clinics for boys up to 18 years old
• a Special Olympics
• an exhibition game
• vendors
• and more…

Read the full story and get more information HERE.

What's your next move, after having read this post?

Is this a good or bad softball drill? This is a question I get asked all the time. A player or parent will tell me about a drill their daughter's high school, travel, rec league or other coach had the players do, and then ask if it's a good or bad drill.

While there definitely are some bad drills, and some terrific drills, I find that most fall somewhere in between. Because the truth is it's not the drill itself most of the time; it's how you use it.

Take this hitting drill for example. A coach kneels in front of a player and soft tosses small objects at her. Could be wiffle golf balls, or corn kernels, or kidney beans, or some other small object. Is that a good or bad drill? Depends.

You see, if the hitter has good mechanics and uses them while executing it, it's a good drill. It can be very helpful in developing hand/eye coordination. But if the hitter has poor mechanics, trying to hit small objects will probably just make them worse.