Most pitchers are constantly trying to improve their pitching and improve their pitching speed. Many pitchers practice pitching a lot to get better, but there are other ways to improve as a pitcher, especially when it comes to throwing more heat.

I’m talking about this because I was just browsing around on facebook when I saw this status update by the King of Core himself, Barry Lovelace…

Every time I hear testimonies from softball players that work with Barry (especially pitchers), one thing stands out is they all talk about how they see results FAST! Just about every one mentions that, after just a few sessions and workouts with Barry, they can already see and feel a difference in there softball performance.  What other kind of training does that?

Barry uses lots of core power training, functional training, and sport specific training when working with softball players.  He’s designed some great softball training programs that can help you (or your team) step up your game and do it quick! Best of all, you can do his Barry’s softball training programs during season or off season, any time you want or need it!

Learn more about how you can ramp up your softball performance quick and do it for far less than you’d spend for a personal softball trainer or gym membership => SoftballTeamTraining.com.

I have to admit. I see this all the time at youth softball practices. Coaches who are more concerned with the outcome of a play in practice vs the process.

Example? Trying watching a youth softball team practice turning a double play. More often than not you’ll probably see coaches satisfied when the ball is fielded sure handedly, thrown to 2nd, thrown to 1st, then thrown back home.

As long as the ball makes it through all those stages and back to the catcher everything is good and the coach is happy.

But what about how the ball was fielded? Did that person do a good job with footwork while fielding and throwing? Did they transition the ball well and get it to 2nd as quickly as they could? Did they make the catch as easy as possible for the person covering 2nd? Or did they use poor fielding and throwing technique and footwork? Did they make the catch and “turn” at 2nd difficult?

What about the “turn” at 2nd? Did the person covering 2nd approach the bag properly? Were they set up on the base right? Did they use the most efficient and effective footwork to get the out and quickly get rid of the ball to 1st base?

Then there’s the first baseman or the person covering 1st. Did they stretch to the ball correctly?

Was there good communication between the players on the play?

…and so on and so on and so on.

Too many coaches disregard all these components of a good double play.  Their only concerns are that the hit ball is not missed and that the thrown balls are not thrown wildly away. All they care about is that the bases were touched and the ball makes it back home – in other words, the result.

But what is that teaching the players? Are they practicing it right? Are they practicing it right consistently? Are they even close to getting both outs? Are there things they could do better? Or are they just practicing how to turn a double play incorrectly and inefficiently?

None of these things get addressed most times I watch a practice.

I know, I know. Taking the time to correct and refine ALL of that would take so long. Yes, it’s true that you may only get about half the amount of double play reps if you take the time to actually coach all that.  So what?! I’d much rather have 10 quality reps than 20 poorly or incorrectly done reps!

I also see this “Results over Process” mistake with hard throwing players. By the time I get to coach players they are 14, 15, 16 years old. Many have been playing since they were 8 or younger. They’ve been throwing the way they throw for a long time, and yet I see many, especially the hard throwing ones, who have poor throwing mechanics. They don’t get the most out of their body with the throwing motion they use. Most barely use their legs and rely on just their arm.

Since hard throwing players have a these nice strong throws, it seems most coaches during their youth ignored the fact that they weren’t throwing with the best mechanics. Coaches see a nice hard throw and which ends up in the catching vicinity of the person receiving the ball and that’s all they care about. The end result of the throw was good, so why “fix” anything?

Why? Because that’s your job as a coach! To help players get better even if they are already the best on their team or the best in the league for that matter.  There is always room for improvement.  You do your players a great disservice of you don’t help them get better despite how “good” they already are.

Allowing hard throwing players to continue using poor mechanics…

• wastes a players energy. Proper throwing mechanics are efficient allowing for maximum output with minimal effort. This is super important on long tournament weekends or over the course of a long season!
• makes them slower defensively than those who use efficient mechanics. The point on defense is to get the ball to your target in the shortest possible time frame (not with the highest possible velocity) in order to get more outs.
• puts unnecessary strain on their arm.
• reduces their arm’s effectiveness over the course of the season.
• shaves time off the longevity of this cannon arm over the course of this player’s career.

Like I said…disservice.

Focus on process over results – how they threw the ball, not where it ended up or how fast it was going when it got there – and you will avoid this issue.

Process Over Results
It’s not whether you get the ball here or not, it’s HOW you made the throw.
It’s not whether you came to practice or not, it’s HOW you trained while you were there.
It’s not whether you ran your sprints or not, it’s HOW you ran them.

Is the point simply to complete the task or complete it well?

It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s HOW you play the game.

You cannot always control the outcome of a performance. You can choose a good pitch and hit a ball well, but you cannot completely control whether you get hit or not. Someone on the other end may make an unbelievable catch and steal your hit. It doesn’t mean you did a bad job. You just couldn’t control the outcome of your good hit. All you can control is your performance.

• Did you give it your all?
• Did you do your best on that given day?
• Did you do what you trained to do to the best of your ability?

Have you ever walked away from a win with a less than satisfied feeling? Have you ever walked away from a win disappointed and bothered by your personal performance in it?

In contrast, have you ever walked away after a loss without anything to be ashamed? Have you ever walked away from a loss feeling proud that you did all you could do and simply came up short on that day against a worthy opponent? Have you ever come away from a loss more deeply respected by your teammates, your opponent, your coach, your family and your fans?

Was it the score or the result of the game that allowed you to hold your head high after a loss vs stew with dissatisfaction after a win?

The score or the result of the game is ultimately NOT the most important factor in how positive the experience was for you. It was about the PROCESS!

Funny thing is, mistakenly emphasizing results, results, results typially don’t get you to the results you want.

Focus on quality process, on best effort in the process, on best attitude about/in/regarding the process…that’s what usually gets you results you want.

Good results are a BYPRODUCT of excellence in your process (in your HOW)!

Good results are not “the point” – good results are what happen when you really truly get the point.

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! 

As I talked about in the Finish It post, this can often wear off as the season moves along…and that’s probably 100% normal.

But you know what’s really annoying as a coach and former player?  When players seem to lose all appreciation for the opportunity they have to participate in this game.  They simply look like that don’t want to be there, like practice is a bother to them, and they much rather be doing something else.  Now, I understand that it’s not easy to come out month after month, day after day adn keep the same level of enthusiasm, BUT if you come to the field and really are not into it, then what’s the point of continuing to put you through softball skills and drills?  There comes a point when you’re probably doing more harm than good because you start mindlessly going through the motions of your drills.  You start being lazy, sloppiness takes over, and bad habits start forming.  NOT GOOD!

You know what I like to do in times like these?  Something that not every coach agrees with or likes to do. I admit, there are probably other equally effective ways to do accomplish the same goal.  But when I run into a group of players who have seemingly lost most of their appreciation for what they are doing and begin doing more harm than good in skill drills, then I say…let’s forget practicing “softball” for a day…or maybe even just ONE hour. You’re really not getting much out of it anyway if you’re not doing it right.

Instead let’s do an hour of “mindless” non-softball training…running…conditioning…workouts…exercises!  You’ll all get a good workout.  You’ll all be challenged (which almost always makes you stronger in one way or another).  We’ll all break a sweat together…and, chances are, when all is said and done, you will probably be more than happy to pick up a ball and glove and do softball stuff again.   Not only that, the sense of accomplishment you feel after a particularly tough workout is pretty cool – especially when you go through it with your teammates! (and with your coach if your coach is as crazy as me )

Often times when coaches want you to run through the base better, they make you run farther than 60 feet. But that may not be the best idea.

You see, it doesn’t really matter if your coach makes you run 80 feet instead of 60 feet. If you always train to slow down at the end, you will ALWAYS slow down before your target no matter how far or close it is.

Excellence is a habit – so get in the habit of sprinting THROUGH any marker, goal, base or cone that is set for you, whether it’s 6 feet away or 60 feet away.

This habit is what will help you “get through the bag” more consistently at 1st base, put more pressure on the defense and get safe more often!

If you’re a coach, instead of making your players run farther, try shortening the distance and challenge them to run all the way through. After all, if they can’t consistently “run through the bag” at 30 feet, how do they expect to do it at 60 feet? Often times pointing this out to them is enough to get them focused on doing it right.

As they get better and better running all the way through the shorter distance, start adding more distance until they are running through any target you give them.

Always expect your player’s best speed all the way through ANY sprint you do, whether it’s a short spring or a longer spring, whether it’s their first sprint or their last sprint of the day.  Notice I didn’t say “fastest” because the more your work them, they slower they may get, but they should always be giving their best – whatever it is they have at that time.  Make them do it again if they don’t do it right. Help them create the good habit of going hard and giving their best ALL the way through to the end and beyond, just like you want them to do in a game – not only for baserunning but in every area of play!

So here are some basic tips and guidelines on using ice and/or heat for your softball injury:

1. For Acute Injuries, where you feel pain shortly after the injury (sprain, fall, collision etc) – cold therapy with ice is the best immediate treatment to use.
2. For Acute Injuries ice helps to reduce bleeding into tissue, reduce pain, reduce muscle spasms, reduce or prevent swelling
3. For Chronic Injuries, ice is the best choice after a workout
4. Do not use heat on acute injuries or on injuries that have inflammation or swelling because it can make imflammation and/or swelling worse
5. Heat is good for sore, stiff, or nagging muscle/joint pain/injuries that do not have inflammation or swelling
6. Heat is good to use on chronic injuries or pain before your workout/exercise
7. It’s better NOT to ice a chronic injury before exercise
8. Ice should be used on injuries less than 24 hours old or on injuries that continue to cause swelling
9. Moist heat is the best (heating pads/moist towels) – make sure there are enough layers between your heating source and your skin
10. Ice using something that conforms to your body (ice wraps, ice packs, frozen bag of veggies, etc)
11. Do not put ice packs directly on skin
12. Do not fall asleep with a heating pad on your injury!  Apply for no more than 30 minutes.
13. You can ice an acute injury several times a day for up to 3 days
14. There is little benefit to icing for longer than 20-30 minutes so do not leave ice on any longer than that
15. Ice is also helpful when you re-aggravate a chronic injury
16. If you are going to re-apply ice or heat, wait until your skin is completely back to normal in appearance
17. When icing, check skin color after about 5 minutes.  If skin is bright pink or red, remove the ice pack!  If not, you can continue icing for another 5-10 minutes.

So, this poll (leave a comment below to vote) is about how often you practice hitting.

In what percentage of your practices per week would you say you practice hitting?

• Is it every practice? (you do some kind of hitting drill at every practice)
• Is it only half? (you practice hitting in about half the practices you have each week)
• Is it less more than half?
• Less than half? (you focus more on defense or other skills)

How often do you hit in practice?

Leave a comment below to vote in this poll.  Can’t wait to see what you have to say!

Did you ever stop to think that maybe your shoes are the reason you don’t run well? Or that they could even be causing injury???

I know I never did.

Two things came to mind when I saw this article on shoes:
1) one day I let my daughter run on grass without her shoes – her running form was soooo much better than usual (hmmm…maybe the article has a point)

2) I remember one of my coaches saying that your equipment can hinder your performance if it’s not the best equipment for you (i.e. wrong size bat, glove doesn’t fit well, shoes no longer have grip, etc)

Unfortunately I don’t know what ANY softball cleat is designed to encourage proper sprint technique, but you can definitely do something about your equipment and the other issues mentioned above.

Make sure that your equipment works best for you!

If you want to read the article that talked about how shoes could possibly be CAUSING injury and encouraging incorrect running technique, CLICK HERE.

Little to none!

How do I know?

1. Partially from what I saw during break
2. Partially from what I read on Facebook during winter break
3. But mostly because of what I read on Facebook now that they are back in school and training has again begun (they both admit that they probably should’ve done a bit more while they were on break)

I’m not saying all college freshman do this, but it’s a very easy mistake to make.  You’ve just finished up your first college semester ever.  It’s been crazy, busy, and hectic.  There have been lots of adjustments to make, time away from friends, and time away from family.  When you get to go home for Winter Break, it’s very easy to:

• Do nothing but party with all the friends you haven’t seen in a while
• Do nothing but spend time with and enjoy the company of your family
• Do absolutely nothing because it’s the first time in months you don’t HAVE TO do anything

Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to enjoy your time at home.  I’m certainly not saying it’s wrong to spend time with family, nor is it wrong to take a little bit of a breather and relax a bit.  I actually think breaks or changes of pace are a good thing.  However, as a college student-athlete, when you go back to school (especially for softball) you WILL go back to training.  You’ve already worked so hard for months!  Why take a 4 week break from everything and “throw away” any of what you’ve gained during your 1st semester?  I’m not saying you have to keep up the same intensity and you don’t even need to do the same exact drills or exercises that you do in college, but at least do “something” to maintain the fitness level you’ve built up for yourself.

Some think that one “small” break won’t make much of a difference. Let me tell you, when you have a team of players who’ve been training for months then there’s a break then you all come back to train…it is VERY OBVIOUS who took a break and did nothing and who kept their conditioning up.  Right now we’re going through conditioning with our team at the high school age level.  It’s just pre-season, we aren’t really “allowed” to make conditioning “mandatory” and over break there are various reasons why student-athletes say they can’t make practice.  Fine.  But as a coach, even if a student-athlete has only missed just ONE week of practice, our coaching staff can tell, it is very obvious, which players have been diligent with their attendance and been there on a regular basis and which players have missed conditioning sessions.

So if you want to make the best impression possible on your coach, stay on top of your fitness level!

———————————————————-

Got a late start with conditioning?  Not sure what to do or where to start?  Try this simple 21 Day Express Shape Up Program.

Help yourself and enjoy the benefits of:

• Throwing harder
• Hitting the ball farther
• Stealing more bases
• Exploding out of the batter’s box
• Running down more balls in the field
• Reacting faster
• Staying healthy
• Avoiding Injury
• and so much more!

Start your 21-Day Express Shape Up Program today and enjoy more speed and power during your season!

———————————————————-

There are 3 main things I love about this TCB ball…

3.  This ball cuts down on hitting/pre-game time and space needed – this means more reps in a shorter period of time

2.  This ball gives instant feedback - any time your players can see for themselves what they are doing wrong without you having to tell them just makes your life as a coach/parent easier and less stressful.  One problem with today’s bats and hitting off pitching machines or hitting regular balls off live toss is that a player can hit a ball badly and it may still look and “feel” just fine.  Then as a coach, when you try to correct, it you may get some resistance from your player because their end result was “good” and they felt no negative feedback during the swing or hit.  With this ball, unless you hit it right, it doesn’t look and it doesn’t feel right.  You instantly see that your hit wasn’t a solid one.  This leads me to the #1 thing I like about this ball…

1.  This ball is addicting - I was able to get in the cage and take some swings at this ball.  Because of the instant feedback, whenever I didn’t hit the ball well, the competitive “player” inside me just wanted to try again.  Then when I did hit it well it was just something I wanted to keep doing over and over and over again since the “good” hits look and feel so much better than your “bad” ones.  Seeing it happen right was cool!  Seeing it come off your bat poorly, just makes you want to have another chance.  So, the player in me liked it.  It was addicting.  I just wanted to keep trying to hit that ball and hit it well.

In my book, anything that…

• cuts down on time
• makes your practice more efficient
• gives players immediate feedback
• AND is something players enjoy and want to do…

that’s a pretty great thing.

So if you’d like to learn more about this hitting aid or buy some for your team/player, check out Total Control Sports OR if you are in California or Hawaii, call your sales rep directly (Howard) at (714) 293-3088.

That just sounds like so much more fun than a “lets-hit-the-weight-room” workout.  Plus, you may not have easy access to a weight room or gym for softball training.  However, you probably do have access to a local playground.

No time?  No money?  No equipment?  No problem.

In Marc’s Softball Playground Workout video, you’ll discover how you can get stronger, faster, and more powerful using innovative, yet simple exercises that you can do in minutes (for FREE) at your local playground!

Right now this 3-part video is included as part of the 12 cutting edge products Marc is offering at 77% off.  But he has less than 100 bundles left (out of 200).  Make sure you go over and grab yours today!

It’s not like I have a “Deal of the Week” every week, but I heard about this one and had to tell you about it TODAY.  Like I said, I’ll explain why later.  Anyway, the thing is Marc over at Softball Performance is having a Crazy Super Softball Sale.

I’m not going to bore you with a lot of hype.  I’m just going to tell you what you get and why I had to tell you today.

What You Get

In a nutshell, you’re getting 12 of Marc’s Hot, Brand New, Cutting-Edge, Never-Released Before Products at 77% off including:

Yeah, that’s a lot of stuff!

Why I Had to Tell You Today

Marc is only giving all these products at the Super Softball Sale Price to 200 people.  His rules, not mine.  I know, that may sound like a lot, but I got an e-mail from Marc on Saturday letting me know that he’s more than half way through is “sale” inventory.  That’s right, over 100 people have already grabbed this packed bundle of softball peak performance goodies.  If you want to take advantage of this limited offer, Click Here before it’s gone.

Here they are in no particular order – all the specials that are ending soon

1.  Fastpitch Assistant at 41% off: get 6 months of weekly practice tips and ideas to make planning practice easier on you!  CLICK HERE to save big before the special ends tomorrow.

2.  Free Mental Game Help: Dr. Tom Hanson is GIVING you a number of awesome resources sharing success secrets of the best in the game of baseball.  Plus he’s answering some of the most pressing questions real players, parent, and coaches have about the mental game.  Learn more HERE.

3.  Workouts for Baseball/Softball: Brand new workout DVD from Coach Dan of BaseballStrength.com and you get it for “Shipping Only.” No additional costs for the workout DVD that will help you easily incorporate an effective fitness/training component to your practices or training routine.  Limited number of DVDs available, so get yours today.

4.  New Workout Video for Softball Pitchers: learn from the pros and use the exact exercises they are using to get same day results.  Barry Lovelace (the King of Core) got together some of the softball players he trains and he is going to show you the exercises they use to increase strength and pitching speed…all for just $9.  Obviously that’s a great deal that won’t last long.  Get your pitching workout HERE.

5.  Coming Soon: I think I heard Marc Dagenais mention that he’s going to be doing this personalized programs again.  I don’t have the details yet, but will let you know if and when that is available.

Whew!  That’s a lot of stuff, but it’s likely that there’s only ONE that you “really” need right now (and will put to use immediately if you get it).  Don’t go all crazy just because you can’t resist a good deal.  Just get the one program or resource that is going to help you the most right now. IF there is more than one that will help you immediately, then go for it, but I don’t want to see you spending money on something you’ll never use.  If you want the most for your dollar and you KNOW you will need/use it – then by all means, take advantage of these deals before they’re gone.

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

Crazy guy only told me at the last minute that he’s offering this brand new workout video for fastpitch softball pitchers at just $9 until Tuesday!  Ummmm, doesn’t he know that softball people are usually BUSY over the weekend and no one checks e-mail or reads blogs (especially on a holiday weekend)?  So no one is really going to know about this, except you, since you ARE here still looking for ways to improve your game over a holiday weekend.  That’s the kind of dedication it takes to be the best.  So, for you, since you’re here when most people are out cruisin’ on the weekend, you WILL get the chance to grab this new workout for fastpitch softball pitchers before the special introductory price ends.  Get it HERE.

• So you can fuel your body with better stuff
• So you can shed some of those stubborn unwanted lbs you’ve been hanging on to
• So you can feel better and have more energy during your busy days
• So you can improve your health
• So you can performance better on the field!

This 21-day food challenge is only for people who are serious about making some changes. It’s going to be tough, but I’ll be with you every step of the way an it won’t cost you a thing. All I ask is that you leave some comments here on the blog when the challenge is officially launched on Tuesday…and let us know how you’re doing along the way. That’s it.

I’ll be back in a few days with the exact details of the challenge and what you’re in for if you take it on.

Now, I have to say, I’ve never done the P90X program and I’ve never even really seen all the workouts included in the program so I can’t personally recommend it at this time. However, one day when I was working out using some of the exercises from Barry’s Core Power programs, I had someone ask me if all the stuff I do is from P90X.  So I do know that there is some overlap.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend the workout to everybody because it is an “extreme” program (thus the name).  However, if you are in good shape and do want to train like some college players are training, you may be interested in learning more about it.  Definitely do your research before you try anything.  All I know right now is…

1. Some of my family members tried it and loved it (and they weren’t even “elite” athletes) and

2.  There ARE college players out there who are using it

Of course, price wise, P90X is not cheap.  Barry’s Core Power program is certainly less costly and I think, for younger age levels especially, I would simply go with that. I don’t think it’s necessary to spend huge dollars on a workout program at the 10U/12U age level.  Even if you are at a more elite level remember that Barry does also work with a few NPF players, so it’s not as if his programs are only for beginners.  I also have personal experience with Barry’s Core Power workouts and I do think they are awesome!

But if you’re looking for more training ideas (so training doesn’t get boring) or a more “extreme” challenge, I’ll be checking out P90X soon.  I’ll let you know what I think after I’ve had a chance to see it in action myself.

If you’ve had experience with P90X what do you think of it as a training program for softball players?

• You can print this flyer and hand it out to your team or anyone you know who may be interested
• You can save the flyer to your computer and forward it to others via e-mail.
• You can also just forward the link to the flyer to others via e-mail also.

If you’ve already turned in registration, PLEASE CONTACT ME (contact info on the flyer) to confirm that I received your information.

If you haven’t turned in your registration yet, there’s still time and there’s still room. Please call me as soon as possible to let you know you’re planning to attend so that I have an idea of how many athletes will be coming.

Remember, this clinic is good for baseball players and volleyball players as well as softball players. So if you know anyone playing those sports, let them know about the clinic.

I know there were some parents who were worried about cost – this clinic is only $5. It doesn’t get much better than that. You can’t go wrong!

If you have any questions whatsoever, please feel free to give me a call. I look forward to seeing you there. It’s gonna be a lot of fun!