If you know the reason, or would like to take a guess, leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win a FREE Softball Performance DVD.  Winner will choose from one of the following…

• 4-Minute Dumbbell Workouts for Softball
• The Pitching Velocity System
• Breakthrough Speed and Agility for Softball
• Power Training for Softball
• Dynamic Warm-Up for Softball
• Bat Speed and Hitting Power System
• Softball Playground Workout

Hurry.  You must leave a comment with your guess today because I’m giving you the answer tomorrow.  Good luck! 

In case you haven’t seen this video, here’s the most popular softball video on my YouTube channel for 2010.  It’s about hitting and something I think too many coaches teach as a “must do” when it’s not something that you actually must do when hitting.

Let me know what you think…

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk7_xQJNwao

In fact, once I got the hang of it, I actually ended up preferring outside pitches over inside pitches!  Maybe it’s because you have just a tad bit more time to see the ball.  I’m not exactly sure why, but whatever the case…

I was super lucky that my softball hitting weakness on the outside didn’t hurt me too much growing up.  But it seems like now-days you get eaten up as a hitter if you have such a glaring weakness.  So, just because I could get away with it and didn’t need to deal with it until college, doesn’t mean that you should follow suit.

In fact, I highly suggest you don’t.  If playing softball is something you like to do, and playing rather than sitting on the bench is something that’s important to you, then you need to be the best hitter you can be.

As a coach, I can tell you that MOST coaches will find a place for you in the lineup if you can HIT!  Being able to hit can go a long way in making you a more valuable player.  Coaches want players that can hit so don’t ignore the things you need to work on.  Too often players go through their hitting drills and only take reps on pitches/spots that they can hit well.  How are you going to improve your hitting weakness if you never practice it?

Do whatever you need to do to get help with your hitting weakness and work on it!

Lucky for you I have something that can help. If you’re like me and struggle with the outside pitch, here is a free softball hitting video dedicated to the topic of hitting the outside pitch.

Enjoy!

Click Here to watch the free softball hitting video now

If you missed it on TV for whatever reason…here’s the bottom of the 7th of the UH vs Alabama game.  Gotta love YouTube!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJvYE6oLgxc

Of course, we didn’t have time until after we had done all our running around on this crazy hectic day, so the lighting isn’t the best, but here’s their first try at these crazy pushups, plus some other family fun push-up stuff.

Before this year I had no idea so many different kinds of push-ups existed.  These are one of the coolest I’ve seen (not the ones with multiple people…the ones shown with just one person in the picture).

httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlHex_CK9xU

One of my favorites is the one I just added on fielding (from sportskool).

Some of you may know how I feel about doing the “alligator.” The long and short of it is that I don’t care for it. The reason is because of the very issue Mike Candrea warns against in the video – improper positioning of the throwing hand.
I’ve seen TOO many young player jam their throwing hand fingers because they aren’t getting their hand into the correct position for this technique.

Of course, after voicing my opinion and saying that I use a different technique, I’ve had people ask me what the alternative is. Needless to say, it’s not always easy to put softball techniques into words. Sooooo, the reason I like this video is because it shows the “other” technique which is the one I, personally, prefer. It’s not more “right” it’s just my preference. Like I said, I just see too many not using the proper hand positioning for “securing the ball” with the “alligator.” Many players DO use this technique with success (as you will see in this video I’ve added to Fastpitch World), but if you do use it, or if you do teach it – make sure to emphasize proper positioning of the throwing hand!!!!

Actually, if you look at the picture I found to include here – this is an example of the fielder who is NOT doing the “alligator.” Her hands do not form the top and bottom jaw of an “alligator” getting ready to chomp on the ball.

If you want to learn about how to run bases or learn about how to teach baserunning. This is a video you have to see.

Baserunning is such a tough skill to teach. A good baserunner is such an asset to the team. In this video, Mike Candrea explains that you don’t necessarily have to be the quickest on the team to be a good baserunner. Knowing what to do in different situations and how to properly maneuver around the bases, though, are very important.

Of course, the cool thing about this video is being able to see demonstrations!

Watch the baserunning video here…