About a week and a half ago, one of the all-time coaching legends, former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, passed away. He was known both for his success — 10 Division One college championships — and the class with which he conducted himself.
One other thing he was known for was his focus on doing the little things right. That's a lesson that cuts across all sports at all times.
In our sport, attention to the little things is critical because so much of it is mental, and so much of it has such fine detail. Softball is often called a game of inches; that makes every little detail important.
Think about softball hitting. There's only a fraction of an inch between a line drive and a pop-up, a hard-hit ground ball through the infield and a soft roller back to the pitcher.
For pitchers it's just as fine. The plate is only 17 inches wide. If you're trying to catch the edge of it, an inch here or there is the difference between a ball and a strike.
One thing I am always impressed with when I watch NCAA Div I post season play is the speed of some players. One thing I noticed this year is how many players credited things they learned from running track to really helping them up their speed for softball too. Running track is an excellent way to get faster. Not only because you simply practice running fast so much, but because most track coaches will also work on running technique every single day.
Learning HOW TO run more efficiently and more effectively WILL help you run faster! It's just like throwing or hitting - the better your technique, the better you can perform the skill. Sprinting is no different. Improve your running technique and you'll improve your softball running speed.
Here are some common things softball players do incorrectly when they run:
Poor Knee Lift - knees get nowhere near hip level during a sprint results in shorter strides which means a player is covering less ground with each turnover of the leg
Heels First - when you sprint your heels are not even supposed to touch the ground! And yet many players will run heel-toe when sprinting around the bases or sprinting to fly balls.
Late last week I got an email from a parent asking me if I could help his daughter with her softball hitting. He told me she’s been struggling with the low pitch. Sure, I said, and arranged a time to get together.
His daughter is very tall – at least six feet tall, and she just graduated eighth grade – so I had a pretty good idea of what was likely happening.
On the appointed day we got together, I set up a tee about knee high and had her swing. She proceeded to take several swings, all of which weakly went on the ground to the backstop, and I had her stop.
The problem she had, which many girls of all sizes have, is she was pulling her head and shoulders up as she would swing – essentially standing up as she got to contact. She was also dropping her hands pretty far down to reach the ball, essentially winding up with very little bat angle, i.e. it was pretty close to parallel to the ground despite the ball being low.
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.
This awesome video has been viewed 2,970,505 (maybe even more by the time you see it) and it shows "No Excuses, No Complaints" personified.
This video says it all.
Watch it, then think about what you've been "crying" about, what you've been blaming, the excuses you've been using.
The other thing holding you back from achieving more is YOU. You are placing too much focus on the wrong things, on the negative things (not, can't, don't, but!). How often are those words in the sentences you speak? The thoughts you think?
Not enough focus on the positive - what you do have, what you can do - and being thankful for and focused on those things! Sometimes, in order to improve your life, all that's really needed, is a small shift in your thinking. A small shift in your mindset. A small shift in the perspective from which you view your world. In order words, an attitude adjustment. It doesn't take much, and that's something YOU are fully in control of.
Watch this video, think about it, then share your thoughts below!
As a follow up to this post about approaching the ball and proper footwork when receiving a ball, here is a video that shows some examples, both correct and incorrect, for approach a slow roller when playing outfield.
Guest Post by Don McKay, Softball Editor for Bellaonline.
I was watching Game 2 of the UCLA/Florida game yesterday on ESPNU and was kind of blown away by some of the commentary by Michelle Smith and Pam Ward. Because the game had controversy (6 illegal pitches by Florida by the end of the 3rd inning) and was quickly out of hand (UCLA won 16-3), there was plenty of opportunity to discuss that game and the state of College Softball in general. It started with a discussion of the illegal pitches (here’s my article discussing how Smith and Ward got it all wrong on illegal pitches: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art67136), but then moved to the amount of offense in the College Game today.
Understand from the start that Michelle Smith was one of the best pitchers in softball history, and so she has a certain pitching-centric perspective on the game. She stated during the telecast that, while Softball used to be too dominated by pitchers, in her opinion the pendulum has swung too far and now the batters have too much of an advantage. She postulates that all the illegal pitching rules and advancement of composite bat technology has distorted the game into something that isn’t really Softball. According to Smith, there are times when the batter is fooled and does not put a good swing on the ball, yet still hits one out of the park.
This very basic softball fielding concept is something that many players and coaches tend to overlook. Most players know which foot to step toward the ball with when they are receiving a throw. If you aren't sure, the title of this post gives you a hint. That's right, it's your glove foot.
When you are catching a thrown ball, ideally you step to the ball with your glove foot as you catch (foot should actually land just before the ball enters your glove). However, if you watch carefully enough, you'll probably see many players fail to do this on a regular basis on the most routine plays. This is something that can and should be corrected. Yes, it's a little thing but it can also mean the difference between getting an out and not getting an out and anything that can help you get outs should be addressed.
Most of us come to resources such as the Discuss Fastpitch Forum because we're looking to improve our understanding of the skills and strategies of the game.
One thing you'll find along your journey, though, is some people are extremely, uh, passionate about what they think is the best way to hit, throw and catch a softball. Not only will they make statements about techniques as if they are facts instead of opinions, they will dismiss any contrary opinions as if they are the work of heretics. It can get mighty uncomfortable to read at times as vastly differing ideas go head to head.
What you need to keep in mind is either side could be right — or wrong. The only fact in the debate is that we don't really know the absolute optimum way to execute any given skill. No one does. A lot of people think they do, but not a one would bet their house on it. And for good reason.
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Offense Wins Games. Defense Wins Championships." But how much do you agree or disagree with that statement for softball. After all, to win a softball game you need to score runs and softball defenses cannot score. If your defense cannot score and you need runs to win, is your defense really what wins championships?
So there is some debate about what really wins softball championships.
Often times I hear people say, whoever makes the least amount of mistakes will win. And yet, in many games I see the team that makes MORE errors win the game. I see teams with supposedly "weaker" defenses win games. Then people will say that you need pitching and yet I see teams with "weaker" pitching win as well. I see teams with pitchers who strike out more than 2 batters per inning lose these games.
So really, what is it? What wins softball championships? Maybe you need everything? Maybe things just need to fall into place?
About a week and a half ago, one of the all-time coaching legends, former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, passed away. He was known both for his success — 10 Division One college championships — and the class with which he conducted himself.
One thing I am always impressed with when I watch NCAA Div I post season play is the speed of some players. One thing I noticed this year is how many players credited things they learned from running track to really helping them up their speed for softball too. Running track is an excellent way to get faster. Not only because you simply practice running fast so much, but because most track coaches will also work on running technique every single day.
Late last week I got an email from a parent asking me if I could help his daughter with her 
I was watching Game 2 of the UCLA/Florida game yesterday on ESPNU and was kind of blown away by some of the commentary by Michelle Smith and Pam Ward. Because the game had controversy (6 illegal pitches by Florida by the end of the 3rd inning) and was quickly out of hand (UCLA won 16-3), there was plenty of opportunity to discuss that game and the state of College Softball in general. It started with a discussion of the illegal pitches (here’s my article discussing how Smith and Ward got it all wrong on illegal pitches: 
I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Offense Wins Games. Defense Wins Championships." But how much do you agree or disagree with that statement for softball. After all, to win a softball game you need to score runs and softball defenses cannot score. If your defense cannot score and you need runs to win, is your defense really what wins championships?
