Conditioning

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

With all the crazy parent stuff that goes on these days, many teams and programs have adopted the so-called "24 hour" rule. With it, parents are not allowed to talk to coaches about something that happens in a game, or playing time, or any other issue until 24 hours after a game.

Yet often the same coaches who want parents to take 24 hours to cool down forget they can use a little cooldown time too, especially after a poor performance by the team. That can be a huge mistake for a couple of reasons.

One is that it's tough to objectively assess the facts of a game in the heat of battle or directly thereafter. What seems like a horrible game at the time may not look as bad when it's a little further in the rear view mirror.

The other is that you may say something to blow off steam at the time that comes back to bite you in the behind later. Any experienced coach can tell stories about things that were said that could never be unsaid. It can lead to all kinds of trouble.

Written by Stacie Mahoe

Most coaches have fears, worries, or anxiety about something. In fact, I'm not sure I know any coaches who don't.  It's pretty normal, when you really care about something greatly, to have concerns or worries about it.

However there is one softball coaching fear in particular that I see get in the way of good coaching time after time.

Can you guess what it is?

It's the fear of what others will think about you. I've heard advisers in other areas of life say that if you really want to be successful, you have to stop caring what other people think of you and your choices.

I believe that holds true for coaching softball too.

It's an easy trap to fall into. You and I both know how many critics there are of any softball coach. It comes with the territory. It's tough not to take things personally. Sure we all intellectually know that we shouldn't, but that's not always easy.  You're not the only coach who finds challenge in not allowing whispers (for shouts for that matter) from the outside impact what you do and the choices you make as a coach.

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

With fastpitch softball being as competitive as it is these days, most of us spend 100% of our time looking forward. We see the goals, they're out in the distance, and we're always looking to move ourselves closer to them.

But with the new year upon us, it might be a good time to take a look back, even just for a moment, to see how far you've come. I find that is often one of the most inspirational things you can do, and a good way to recharge the ol' enthusiasm for the journey ahead.

I've done this with a few of my students lately, especially the new ones. I ask them to think back to when we started back in August and September, and what things were like for them. I then go through a quick review of what we've worked on since then, capping it off with a count of the months we've been working on it.

For example, with a high school pitcher we might look back to find we've rebuilt her mechanics so they are more consistent and allow her to throw both harder and more accurately. We'll see she is throwing a change-up, and starting on a drop ball.

Keeping What You See in Perspective
Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog

Softball fanatics love evaluating what those at high levels of play are doing. We may even watch the mechanics of some of the top players in Major League Baseball. As fanatics, we love to study those mechanics and try to learn from them in order to help our players, or our own children (male and female) become the best they can be.

There is a danger in all of this, however. Namely an inability to keep what you see in context.

While the mechanics of some of these great hitters make a good model and a good goal, it's important to be realistic in your expectations. Because like it or not, there is a huge difference between a 28 year old MLB player and a 12 year old girl.

Let's start with the obvious: a grown man is much stronger than a young girl. Not just in the upper body, but in every aspect. Take the strongest 12 year old girl you've ever seen and put her in a cage match with a 28 year old male professional athlete, and the girl is going to lose. Badly. So expecting a 12 year old girl to have the exact same swing mechanics, including the explosiveness, of a 28 year old MLB player is not very realistic.

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

Over the weekend I was working with Erin, one of my former players (who is still a student) on her baserunning skills. Actually, that's a misnomer.

We weren't really working on skills. We were working on the mental side instead — knowing what to do, and working on her opening up her game on the bases.

You see, she has legitimate speed. Not sure where she is now, but I know she was 3.0 home to first a year ago, and probably faster than that now.

Yet once she got on base, she tended to shrink into a shell. Most of the time she would think station to station instead of realizing just what her speed could do on the rest of the bases, so we went out on a field to try and change that thinking.

A big part of her "conservative" running was a fear of making an out. She'd take the easy base, but was reluctant to push the envelope even a little bit despite my encouraging everyone on the team to always "think two bases" when running.

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

If the movies have taught us anything, it's the importance of the pre-game pep talk. Whether it's Knute Rockne telling the boys to win one for the Gipper (played by former President Ronald Reagan, by the way, in his second most famous role) or Herb Brooks telling the US Olympic hockey team they could beat the Soviet Union in 1980, we see that the big, inspirational speech is the key to victory.

Or is it? That kind of rah-rah speech may work in football or hockey, where you pretty much have to get yourself amped up to a fever pitch in order to take and dish out the hits, but in fastpitch softball it may not be such a good idea.

Softball is a game of precision more than adrenaline. Getting over-amped can cause you to rush, break down your mechanics and actually under-perform. It can cause your heart to race and your breathing to get more rapid, taking away the calm sports psychologists recommend for most precision activities.

I love teaching girls how to sacrifice bunt. I mean I LOVE it. Partly because of the importance in the game, but more importantly because sacrifice is such an important part of life. Which is why it absolutely breaks my heart that in this game I love I see so much incredible sacrifice from parents, and so little from the players.

Performing a sacrifice bunt actually requires very little skill. The only true requirement is a simple desire to sacrifice ones self for another. The ability to bunt or not bunt, is a simple indicator of where the players heart is at. Because at the end of the day, at the end of the season, the most important things are not what can the team or coach do to help you. They are: “Where is your heart?” and “What are you willing to do to help the team?” Because those are the things that will carry you through the rest of your life.

Here's a free softball workout just for you.  It's fun, short and sweet, and will really get your heart pumping if you do it right (that means go as hard as YOU can!)

• you don't need any equipment
• you can do it in a relatively small amount space
• you can do it with friends or teammates all at the same time

Remember, just because you don't have access to a gym doesn't mean you can't get a good softball workout in (Softball Team Training is proof of that).  But I'm going to show you once again that you CAN improve your strength, power, and fitness for softball even if you don't have a track, gym, or weight lifting equipment.

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

I am a big believer in taking some downtime after the season to just unwind, relax, and heal both physically and mentally. While that might seem like heretical to some people, it really is important. Even Marc Dagenais says so.

Some people don't like the idea of shutting down for a while. They're afraid their players/daughters will lose all the gains they've made, or will fall behind the others if they take even a couple of weeks off. Poppycock! (How often do you get to use THAT word in a sentence these days?)

The softball season can be a long grind, especially for high school-age players, many of whom start in March with tryouts for school and don't finish until the end of July/beginning of August. That's five months of softball practice or games nearly every day, including a summer filled with tournaments.

No matter how much you love the game, that type of schedule can become mind-numbing after a while. To jump from there immediately into prep for the next season, when you'll do it all over again, really isn't good for anyone.

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

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!

A concerned softball parent posted this pitching question on the blog and we have an answer that you may also find helpful!

Question:
My daughter is a Pitcher and i am realizing that her throwing arm is becoming stronger than her other arm do you know of any workouts to help strengthen her other arm and shoulder muscles she is pitching all he time for her team and practicing so it becomes stronger fairly quickly.

plzz help :/

Marc's Answer: This is a very common thing in softball pitchers - almost all pitchers have that characteristic. Muscular imbalances can lead to physical problems over time. It is very important than your daughter do some fitness training to try to minimize the differences.

The keys are:

1. When you do upper body work, only use as much weight as your non-dominant can handle for both sides
2. Do good upper body exercises like push-ups, db press, shoulder press, lat pull-down, db rows.
3. Strength training should take place at least 2 times a week for 15-20 minutes during the off-season.
4. Always make sure that the non-dominant hand works extremely hard.

In this softball podcast, Coach Marc shares key softball tips to help softball players recover faster. Specifically, he explains why you MUST take time off after the end of the competitive season (it's called a transition period), how long it should be and what you should do during that transition period.  You'll also why it's dangerous to skip it.

 

 Softball Tips - Importance of Transition Period: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (595)

By Stacie Mahoe

I received an e-mail about softball training from a softball dad. He wanted to know…

What are some exercises and lifts that a 17 yr. old can do working towards playing college ball? Mostly weight training to get stronger.

Great question! Here was my response…

Thanks for writing. Most of the weight training I did IN college was your basic:

• shoulder press
• bicep curls
• triceps extensions
• flys
• bench press
• upright rows
• power cleans
• squats
• calf raises
• leg press
• leg extensions
• leg curls
• etc etc etc

However, I find that Core Training requires less equipment, is much more "useful" as far as translating to on-the-field performance, and is excellent for building a strong foundation to move on to more muscle specific training if you wish to do that later.

Weight training is great and you can definitely gain strength doing it, but I now lean more toward doing exercises that don't isolate muscles since that is not the way your muscles are used on the field. Plus, there is SOOOOOOO much you can do with your own body weight. I also feel that the more you learn to work with and control your own body and it's movements, the better your agility and reaction will be on the field.

In this softball podcast, Coach Marc discusses why static stretching shouldn't be usually included in softball warm-ups but also explains how and when it may be included when players or teams feels like they really  need to do some static stretching as part of their warm-up without hurting their game too much.

 

 Static Stretching in Softball Warm-ups [8:16m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (791)

One simple way to improve your softball speed is to PRACTICE it when you have the chance. I know, that doesn't really sound like a tip does it? It also sounds quite obvious doesn't it? And yet I see many softball players missing out on opportunities to work on their speed during practice. Like a pal of mine always says, "You get faster by running fast.  You aren't going to get faster by running slow." In other words, you aren't going to get faster and improve your speed if you NEVER go 100% in practice.

Most coaches I know do some kind of baserunning or sprints in practice and many times players do not take these opportunities to really, truly, practice running fast. If you're a coach, just try this one practice - bust out a stop watch during baserunning drills and observe what happens. Chances are players are suddenly going to change their approach to the drill. They're going to start taking it a bit more seriously instead of just going through the motions. Unfortunately, only rarely do I see players take this kind of approach without the stopwatch motivation (or some other form of motivation).

[caption id="attachment_1278" align="alignleft" width="275" caption="Static stretching in warm-ups - DO NOT!"][/caption]

This morning, like I do every month,  I was perusing the latest edition of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

It's the gold standard when it comes to stay on top of the latest scientific advances in strength and conditioning. All the best research in the field are published in this peer-reviewed scientific journal.

In nutshell, it tells what's effective and what's not.

While I was perusing the latest edition, I came across YET ANOTHER study that CLEARLY shows that static stretching done as part of a warm-up DECREASES performance.

Definition of static stretching: A type of stretching in which a relaxed position is held without moving for a significant period of time. As opposed to dynamic stretching in which the limb is moved vigorously to stretch.

Softball is a speed and power sport. Doing static stretching as part of a softball warm-up turns off your nervous system and decreases performance.

You see, the nervous system is responsible firing up your muscle fibers when you need speed and power. If it's turned off - it will not firing up these muscles fibers quickly and effectively!

Yesterday we talked a bit about core training and why it's beneficial for softball players.  Today I just wanted to share a sample core training exercise you can try.  This exercise is excellent for strengthening your core and improving power in your throw and swing!

For more great core power exercises, get the full core power workout program from Barry HERE.

~ 3-Day Core Power Program Special ~

Since so many people have been asking about core training, since Marc knows how great it is for you AND since Barry has one of the best core workout programs available for softball players…

Marc was able to get Barry to give you a special deal on this core training program for 3 days only! No waiting, no shipping, start training your core today!

Get it Today