Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

This weeks lineup:

• Warmup segment
• Listener question: My daughter says she wants to play high level college ball but doesn't realize the work ethic needed. (@11:24)
• Paige's Power Play (@16:16)
• How do you handle Sportsmanship questions when you run rule a team. (@23:40)
• Grab bag of questions (@33:38)
• Signals - Don't overdo it (@44:12)

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The verb "Try" means to attempt something. The verb "Do" means to achieve or complete something. Try has a built in level of failure. If we attempt to do something and don't make it we can always say we tried. It makes it too easy to quit. If we attempt to do something with the attitude that we will "do it", we will keep trying until we achieve it. Trying is just one of the steps to doing something, not the goal. Simple things like this can alter our player's mindset and help them perform at a higher level.

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This weeks lineup:

• Warm up Segment
• Listener Question:  My daughter is a super freshman and her coach never gives her a chance to play. During the recruiting process she was told she would be a starter. Do you have any advice? And should she transfer? (@12:20)
  • Here is a link to an article describing what the coaches were talking about.  
  • Some Quotes from the article:
    • “Coming in I knew I had to compete,” Brito said. “We’re at a collegiate level now that everybody is good. Coming in I didn’t really have any goals such as that, but I said to myself compete every day, give everything I’ve got every practice and every day. Competing constantly.”
    • “She brings a great energy to our team and we have seen it in practice,” center fielder Haley Cruse said.
    • “I think my hard work and dedicating myself a lot to getting better every day has helped me over the years and I’ve tried to carry that into college and do the best that I can each game and put everything out there,” Brito said. “I want to go in there and be aggressive and also make that at-bat as tough as possible on the pitcher, that’s challenging them. Just try to pass the bat to my teammates and get something going
• Paige's Power Play (@25:30)
• Amazing Plays are practiced and are different at every level. (@32:14)
• Team Chemistry (@45:13)
• Coaches being prepared for all the stuff that can go wrong. (@56.34)

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It is still winter although we want to treat softball practice like its spring.  Indoor practices are the only option for a lot of the country due to weather conditions. With the right attitude indoor practices can be very beneficial and can give us the opportunity to work on things from a different perspective. And sometimes these can make improvements better than out on a field.

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This weeks lineup:

• Lead off segment
• Listener Question: Coach is putting together his summer schedule. A lot of doubts about what will happen.  Wants coaches opinion of what they think about how to put the schedule together.  (@12:10)
• Paige's Power Play (@17:51)
• Recap of College Softball Kickoff (@25:50)
• Phenomenon of college coaches coaching teams at recruiting camps (@40:38)
• Throwing and Catching: Fundamental skills that players are not doing on their own.  (@52:03)

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All teams have players at different skill levels. Could the difference between winning at the end of the season be how much you players with the lessor skills have advanced? You have weaker hitters and fielders with weaker skills. If your practice plans push those players as well as your top players they will close the gap. Often starters or the best players receive the most reps because we view them as the key to winning. We want you to think about if my weaker players can contribute more how much that will affect winning. If you reduce the fallout between the top of the batting order and the bottom you can keep that rally alive. If they make more defensive plays you get more outs.  Coaches, it's up to you to make your team better, not just the top players.

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This weeks lineup:

• Warmup Segment
• Listener Question: Getting a pitcher in better shape (@10:51)
• Paige's Power Play (@16:33)
• Coaching staff and how to use them more effectively (@26:21)
• Getting players ready for college ball (@49:43)
• Quality outfield practice (@54:32)

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We have all seen it. You have an athlete that doesn't think they have to abide by the same standards as the other players. Many times it is a very talented player who thinks they are better than other players and should have special privileges. Sometimes this is a home problem and sometimes it is a coaching problem. We have seen where an athlete was a difference maker on a team and the parents exploit that for special privileges. And sometimes the coaches create the problem because they fear losing the player to another team.

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This weeks lineup:

• Warm-up Segment
• Listener Question: Is it okay for players to miss practice to pick up with other teams? (@12:04)
• Paige's Power Play (@17:39)
• When a hitter struggles we see something and immediately think that is the problem. Often that is a symptom caused by the real problem.  @(25:20)
•  College Softball is on the horizon. (@39:22)
• Speed and Agility: good investment of our time? (@54:40)

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In this episode we discuss the importance of coaches knowing the rules and teaching them to your players. Your credibility is at stake if during a game it becomes obvious that you don't know a rule.  We have all witnessed a train wreck when a situation happens and everyone is confused. Also it is imperative that when you go to a tournament that you know any specific rules that are different from what you have been playing.

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