Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

This week's Lineup:

Note: some of these topics are based upon recruiting questions from listeners. But coaches of all ages should listen, because if you know what makes a recruitable college player it will help you develop players that are better at any age.

• Warmup Segment
• Travel impact of conference changes (@1:55)
• Listener question: How excited should a player be when invited to a prospect camp? (@10:16)
• What positions usually get recruited first? (@19:02)
• Traits that college coaches are looking for in recruits (@26:39)
• Understand Quality at Bats (@35:21)

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Today's discussion is whether coaches should implement a policy of emphasizing academics by requiring certain standards. Academics and outside activities have always been a conflict and parents have had to balance them out. What should the coaches role be? 

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This week's Lineup:

• Warmup Segment
• Girls who play sports become women who lead (@02:28)
• Listener Question: What should a runner at second  do in various situations? (@19:18)
• Update on paying college players (@29:08)
• Top things that college coaches are looking for (@42:52)
• Coaches should deliver what they are promising (@48:04)

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Players and coaches should not have a predisposition that a batter should always stand in the same spot in the batter's box. We preach "make adjustments" and that should apply to the stance. Good advice for players and coaches in the types of adjustments that can be made.

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This week's Lineup

• Warmup Segment
• Go watch some fall ball (@2:55)
• Listener Question: Why are men's and women's pitching styles so different? (@12:02)
• Review of Recruiting Calendar (@18:15)
• Daddy Ball (@22:34)
• Slow pitching is not a valid excuse to not hitting (@35:25)

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We discussed in the last Everything Fastpitch podcast that a great number of teams continue advertising that they need pitchers. One of the solutions to this problem is for sanctioning bodies to implement pitching restrictions. This would require teams to develop more pitchers and they could not utilize one pitcher the majority of the time. One of the reasons that pitchers give up on pitching is that they don't get to pitch while developing. Pitching limitations would require coaches to use more pitchers in games and would also make the teams more competitive because teams could not rely on one stud pitcher. Listen to this in-depth discussion before forming an opinion.

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This week's Lineup

• Warmup Section
• How many college softball programs? (@2:39)
• Listener Question: Bad or good strategy in allowing the catchers and pitchers call pitches? (@9:52)
• There are not enough pitchers (@17:15)
• The final segment in separating college programs using professional baseball structure (@26:35)
• Coaching is a position that requires continuing education (@34:11)

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This episode discusses the impact the pitch count has on a hitter's success.

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This week's Lineup

• Warmup Segment
• Listener Question: My daughter wants to study medicine, will that limit the schools that she can play softball? (@11:56)
• How the additional scholarships will affect colleges (@17:35)
• Further breakdown of College Athletics using the baseball model (@28:27)
• A question every coach should ask themselves (@42:33)

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Straight line running is a skill and everyone can get better. Players are at many different levels when it comes to speed. Coaches need to educate themselves or get someone with track experience and incorporate running drills into their practice plans.

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