softball

A couple of days ago, I sent an email where I discuss the fact that you shouldn't focus on your batting average but on your on-base percentage.

In my opinion, this is a much better indication of your overall performance at the plate.  Reaching a base on an error or a walk is a good as getting a hit.

I received an interesting reply from Coach Andy Collins who commented by saying:

"I just wanted to add a point of clarification.  Getting on with an error does not raise your on base percentage.  It doesn't mean you shouldn't be trying to hit it hard to create an error, if it doesn't go through the gaps and it doesn't negate your point about getting on is more important than being concerned with batting average, but it just doesn't raise the OBA.  Another important thing to focus on is taking the extra base, raising the slugging percentage, which is why many people feel the OPS (OBA + Slugging Pct) is the most accurate indicator of the value of a hitter (at least for simple formulas)".

You probably remember that a couple of weeks  ago I told you about a great core training program  called Core Power for Baseball.

Core Power for Baseball

This sport-specific core training program was created by my good friend Barry Lovelace who's also known as the  "King of Core" in the sports conditioning circles for his  extensive expertise in core training.

I just spoke with my him and he told me that he after receiving a ton of request to put his program on a hard copy DVD that he finally did it and it is now available.

If you have not checked this product yet, you definitely should. As you probably know by now, the core is your  center of power and this DVD shows you exactly how to train
it using very sport-specific exercises.

Barry knows our game and not too many trainers do. He has  worked with a lot of softball players over the last few years  including the players of the Philadelphia Force of the National Pro Fastpitch League.

The best thing is that for next 2 days, you get the DVD at no cost for the next 30 days to try it.

I received the following email from one of our subscribers:

"Marc,

Quick question please:

Have you noticed an excess number of shoulder injuries and shoulder surgeries?

I was in OKC to watch the WCWS (4th year attending)  and talked with another coach from Mississippi that  told me he sees the same thing.  An awful lot of  players with shoulder injuries.

If so, what do you attribute to this?   50+ weeks a year work and overuse?? Improper stretching along with improper throwing mechanics?

One thing is for sure,  this needs to be addressed at  a national level and coaches need to be educated to  ensure our young female athletes are not damaging  their shoulders and requiring surgery as an expected  part of playing softball!

I did like the note ref Jaeger's Long Toss, Arm Circles  and J Bands warmups before throwing.  I'll have to get  quite a few coaches to tell me they are already using
this type warmup before throwing, as I'm sure my coaches will be reluctant to change unless its well known  in the community.

Jim"

Here is my answer:

Yes, there is an increase in the number of shoulder injuries in our sport.

Core training is currently a hot topic in sports and for a reason - it can really help your game if you train it well or it can really hurt it if it is weak or not trained properly.

My good friend Barry Lovelace is known as the "King of Core" because of his unbelievable knowledge of core training and how innovative he is with it. He is the creator of Core Power for Baseball system (yes, it's good for softball too! I have checked it and I love it!).

As a softball peak performance coach, I get asked training questions all the time and many of them are about core training.  So, I thought I would asked the most frequently asked questions about core training to Barry so you could hear from someone else who know a lot of that topic.

Barry kindly took the time to answer my questions. Here are his answer to the most F.A.Q. about core training:

Barry also decided to give all of you a special deal on his best-seller Core Power for Baseball.  Just click on the link and you'll get a great deal!  However, the deal is only good until Sunday May 17th!

Not long ago, I wrote a post about why running speed doesn't matter in softball.  In a nutshell, I was explaining why linear speed (or running fast in a straight line) isn't that important for softball and I made the point that what really matters in our sport is acceleration (starting speed), multi-directional quickness and lateral agility because of the nature of our game.

A friend of mine, Doug Parry, just sent me a link to a great video that shows a great drill on how to improve lateral agility for softball. This is one of my favorite drills to teach players lateral agility, quick change of directions, and quick feet.

Here is a quick and interesting video where Cat Osterman provide a few softball pitching tips and discusses finger placement on the ball.

Today was our first official outing of the season.

We went 1-2 for the day.

There was a fair bit of nervousness, rust, and lack of cohesion on the field during the first two games.

We certainly didn't play up to our potential in the first two games making several mental, baserunning, and defensive
errors.

But, you know what, that's alright with me and you will read why below.

We did finish with a strong showing during our last game, had a decisive win against a pretty solid team and I saw
more of what I consider to be my "real team".

In the mean time, each game allowed me to remind the girls of important lessons on their path to excellence.

Here are the three lessons of the day:

Lesson #1 - Every loss, bad performance, or mistake is an opportunity to learn and get better.

You have to analyse what you did, ask yourself how you can do things differently, and improve for next time.

That's how elite athletes get better. They get a little better each day.

Yesterday, the younger daughter of my assistant coach was playing her first game of the season on a her travel team. He told me she was all excited but nervous at the same time.  She had pre-game jitters.

The girls on my team are feeling the same way about our first tournament this weekend. And I do anticipate they'll have  pre-game jitters saturday morning.

Are pre-game jitters good or bad?

In this video below, Dr. Patrick Cohn, renowned sports psychologist,  answers this question and explains how you should handle them.

Next week, we are officially starting our 2009 summer season with our first tournament.

I can tell you I am really excited and the girls are too.

It's my first season with this 16U team. Last time I coached at this level was almost 11 years ago.

I've spent the last decade working mostly with  elite players at the college level, with the Canadian National Team and with elite 18U, 23U, and women's major teams.

So, it's quite a change for me.

It's different and can be challenging at times but I really do like it.

There is so much to teach these young ladies besides just the game of softball.

I have to teach them the game of life.

Almost on a daily basis, I will talk about…

• Emotional control
• Dealing with adversity
• Understanding the learning process
• Focusing on the controllables
• Dealing with stress
• Team work and respecting each other
• Leadership
• Being open-minded and coachable
• That talent alone isn't enough anymore
• Working hard and getting out of their comfort zone
• Etc.

It's challenging but rewarding at the same time.

Coaches use softball hitting drills at almost every practice.

However, humans are creatures of habits and we do the same thing the same way all the time.

Coaches are no different; we tend to use the same drills over and over. That's especially true with softball hitting drills.

That can get pretty boring for the players and they don't get as much as out of it.

Variety is not only important for motivation but also to throw a different learning stimulus to your athletes. They need to be challenged in order to improve.

To help you spice up your hitting practices, here are the softball hitting drills for you:

Pepper Game

To develop bat control and short, quick swing. Stand approximately 22 feet away from the three fielders who position themselves two feet apart. Hit the ball using a short, quick, downward stroke. Hit the ball sharply with one or two hops (ground balls) to the fielders.  A fielder fields the ball and quickly tosses a half to three quarter speed pitch back to be hit.  Hit the ball where it is pitched. Preferably use four players in this drill and not more than five. Hit the inside pitch to the fielder to your left (for a right handed batter). Hit the pitch in the middle to the fielder directly in front of you. Hit the outside pitch to the fielder to your right (for a right handed batter). To make the drill more difficult, use two softballs at once, keeping the hitter constantly ready to swing and fielders always head-up.

Last night I held an information session for the coaches, players, and parents of my association.

The purpose of the seminar was to educate them about college softball. I talked about the reality of college softball, the recrutment process, the academic requirements, what coaches are looking for, and so on.

I also spent time explaining to the young athletes that were present that besides refining their softball skills and having the best marks possible in school, they have to pay attention to the little things.

I told them that college coaches are often looking at these little things to give them an idea of the personality of the player. They want serious and committed athletes and want to avoid potential slackers or trouble makers.

Here's a sample of the little things they might be looking at…

• How do you respond to your coaches and teammates?
• How respectful are you with everybody?
• How do you treat your parents?  <— Mike Candrea told me that one!
• Do you hustle like running on and off the field?
• Do you look professional like having your shirt tucked in?
• Is her stuff neatly organized or you're always looking for your glove?

For months now, I've been hinting about several new products and new websites that I've been working on.

These new products and these 2 new websites are almost ready and will be coming out very soon.

In the next few weeks and coming months, I want to spend all my time focusing on these new resources.

To do so, I've decided to phase out or completely take off the market 3 of my best-selling products:

- Super Hitting Bundle
- Super Pitching Bundle
- Super Coaching Bundle.

That's why I'm holding a 1-weeks super garage sale to get rid  of my inventory and make room for these new products.

I'm offering a whopping 50% discount on all 3 bundles!

These bundles are already a great deal at their regular low price because they are bundles… imagine with an extra 50% off!

See for yourself:

Super Garage Sale - Everything at 50%!

Once this super garage sale is over, these best-selling bundles are going to be completely off the market and NOT available anymore.

That's why you need to take advantage of this super garage sale now to get the right bundle for your needs!

I just came across a very interesting research study that compared hitting and pitching records and career lengths of 312 sets of brothers who become major league baseball players.

Researchers found out that older siblings at non-pitching positions had signficantly higher batting averages and longer career than their younger siblings. However, the differences for pitchers were not statistically signifiant.

These results corroborates other studies that have shown that first borns are more likely than later born siblings to be higher achievers.

In the case of pitching, the authors think that many different factors may be operative for pitchers.

I would be really curious to learn more about the reasons why first borns are more likely to be dominant players and have longer careers.

Any ideas? Feel free to comment below.

Reference:

Abel EL, Kruger ML. Performance of older versus younger brothers: data from major league baseball. Percept Mot Skills. 2007 Dec:105(3 Pt 2):1117-8.

We've been practicing outside for 3 weeks now. Our first game is in 2 weeks and very much forward looking to it. It's about time after almost 6 months of off-season softball training.

I have to admit - I'm excited!!!

Even though I've been coaching softball for 20 years, I still get excited at the beginning of each season. This is a good thing. It  means I still love coaching this game and helping players.

Now, what do I most of my time doing in practice currently?

I practice what matters.

You see, softball is a game of errors and that are often won or  lost by one or two runs.

You've got to minimize errors as much and as you can and execute all the fundamentals very well.

In a nutshell, What matters most in softball:

1) Make good contact with the ball
2) Field groundballs cleanly (in front, on your right, on your left)
3) Use proper footwork and quick transition
4) Accurate throws
5) Get the bunts down
6) Make good decisions at the plate
7) Catch all "catchable" flyballs
8 ) Run bases properly
9) Communication
10) Pitch around strike zone, deceive batters and have control.

I've got a bit of ranting to do today.

There is a key principle that we use extensively in sport-  the principle of specificity.

Basically, it means that the more specific to game conditions your preparation is (in training or in warm-ups), the more you'll be ready to compete at the highest level.

In other words, it's important that your preparation mimics as closely as possible what you'll have to do in competition.

Easy principle to understand.

We all know that softball hitting is difficult and challenging. Therefore, it's even more important that you pay attention at how you prepare for it.

What does a hitter has to do in a game to do well?

It has to track the ball coming from the pitcher's mound and adjust to variable speed, location and movement.

Your preparation MUST reflect that.

Now, I see all kinds of crazy stuff being done by done by teams before game that are far from warming up the tracking and adjusting ability of hitters. Some of these things are:

1) Use of a pitching machine - the worst! It doesn't train your batters to adjust to variable speed, location or movements.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="336" caption="Reese Witherspoon plays softball with her daughter Ava"][/caption]

A few days ago, famous actress and star of  the comedy "Legally Blonde", Reese Witherspoon enjoyed a little softball with her daugther AVA at UCLA.

What is most surprising is that before starting throwing and fielding balls, she tossed on a softball face mask. It's the same kind pitchers and corners use to protect themselves on the field. That probably says a lot about her softball skills!

She seemed to enjoyed her softball session. She recently revealed that she didn't like to go to the gym. So, I guess softball is the next best thing!

To change things a little, I have decided to run a fun contest - a softball poems contest. I'm appealing to your creative side!

The Softball Poems Contest

Write a short poem about the game of softball and submit it to us by email at: support <at> softballperformance.com

Make sure to include your name as the author.

Submission Deadline: Wednesday, April 15th

Prize: $75 Gift Certificate on any of our products* for the winner.

*We have several new products coming out in the next few weeks. We will have products to help you increase your speed and agility, you hitting power and bat speed, your pitching velocity, your coaching effectiveness, your arm strength and throwing power, and more.

We will choose the best softball poems and post them up on our website with the proper credits to the author of course.

The winner of the prize will be announced in the few days after the submission deadline.

Let your creative juice flow!

I'm looking forward to read them all.

Marc
"Your Softball Peak Performance Coach"

I read a lot of stuff to stay up to date with current trends and latest research findings in softball, strength and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition, sports injuries and so on.

In one of its latest publication, the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) has a great article on the importance of core training for softball pitchers.

In a nutshell, the authors are explaining that:

1) Instability occurs in the softball pitching motion due to the re-distribution of weight and this can create mechanical problems for pitchers.

At the beginning of the pitch all the weight is on the back leg. Once the lead foot hits the ground the weight shifts and most of it is distributed to the front leg. A weak core will not be able to withstand the pressure and that leads to bad mechanics.

The job of the core muscles is to be strong enough to support the pressure and keep the body stable during the pitching motion and counteract the instability produced by the weight re-distribution producing an efficient and fluid motion.

2) The core is responsible for creating rotational power. A well-trained core allows to put force and power behind each pitch.

We are almost sold-out on the Express 4-minute Workouts for Softball 2-DVD set.

Why so many people have taken advantage of this special?

It's a great deal.

It's the perfect solution to stay or get fit quickly when
you have no time!

Because you get all these benefits when you do the workouts:

- Pitch faster and throw harder
- Swing the bat harder and hit the ball further
- Steal more bases
- Get better jumps off the bases
- Explode out of the batter's box
- Run down more balls in the field
- Be mentally tougher
- Get more extra bases when running
- Develop an athletic body
- And much more…

There are only 11 left right now. They are going fast. So,
you've got to hurry to get your copy!

Express 4-Minute Workouts 2-DVD Set Sale

I've decided to sweeten the deal a bit and also include a
few cool bonuses...

1. In-Season Conditioning Audio Coaching Program

2. How to Deal with Injuries Audio Coaching Program

3. Abs of Steel Workout - great workout to help build
a strong core and abs of steel!

4. Upper Body Power Workout -great workout to help you
build power for hitting and throwing!

WARNING - The Season is around the corner and that's why I've got this super deal for you…

No Time? No Equipment? No Space? No Money? No Problems!

"Give Me 4 Minutes of Your Time Twice A Week and I'll Get You In Great Shape For This Season!"

STOP Making Excuses and Get It Done Quickly and Easily!

** Fast forward to the 5-minute mark to get the scoop on this super deal! **

Express 4-Minute Workouts for Softball - 2 DVD-set!

*Super Deal!*

Get your hands on these 2 amazing DVDs - each DVD features ten express 4-minute workouts (a total of 20 different workouts) using no equipment whatsoever or only a pair of Dummbells!

Can be done anywhere and anytime!

Get in shape and…

1. Pitch faster and throw harder
2. Swing the bat harder and hit the ball further
3. Steal more bases
4. Get better jumps off the bases
5. Explode out of the batter's box
6. Run down more balls in the field
7. Be mentally tougher
8. Get more extra bases when running
9. Develop an athletic body
10. And much more…