Manifesting Your Goals in Softball

Manifesting Your Goals. What the heck does that even mean? Is that some kind of new age music group? Read on to find out.

Most of us, whether player, coach, parent or fan want to be successful. We have all heard it from parents, teachers, bosses, gurus for the longest time. But what does it mean to be successful?

Here is a long worded definition that really hits it on the head.
Progressive realization of a worthy goal.


To become a Successful Softball player you must have goals. To become successful as a person in life you must have a worthy goal.

What are worthy goals for Softball?

Well, that is really up to you. You need to decide what it is that you consider to be worthy. For some it would be an ultimate goal of playing softball in the Olympics. With the sport being removed from the games that might be a lofty goal, but a worthy one all the same.


Perhaps your goal is to play college softball. Perhaps to play in the Womens College World Series. Perhaps to become a coach of a college softball program. Perhaps even a professional softball career.

Those are all worthy goals to most players. Maybe your goals in life are little different. Maybe you want to play for your high school team and become a letter winner. Maybe your goal is to help your competitive team win Nationals. Maybe you want to be a starter on your competitive and high school softball teams. Those too are all very worthy goals for softball players.

How do you attain these goals?

Start by picking an Ultimate Goal - say the Olympic dream. Then work backwards in time until you get to today.

Then ask yourself what do I need to do to get there. You will probably need to play very well on a college team. Perhaps maybe a very good Gold level comp team might get you noticed.

I found this cool way of attaining your goals by just watching movies every day.

You will have to go to Olympic tryouts and make the team.
Do this by practicing and playing and leaving everything you have on the field. Learn as much as you can about the game, your positions.

Play and perform well enough to be noticed by college coaches.
Again, practice and learn. You must keep your academics up also. Good grades get you good spots. One of my college professors knowing I was a hunter told me "To get the Big Bucks, you have to do your homework". That made sense - big bucks meant a big deer and big money. You have to do your homework in life to get the things you want. To learn the game of fastpitch softball you have to do your homework.

Ok, so keep working backwards until you get to today.
Today, at home I need to practice my hitting and fielding. I had a few errors on 3rd or I dropped a ball in the outfield. I need to learn how to be better at those things.


Then tomorrow at team practice I need to listen well and use the team time wisely. No messing around. Learn from the coaches and ask questions.

So think of some goals.

Maybe just work on goals for this season until you get the hang of goals and making them work. Then put some longer term goals on paper and work towards them in the same manner.

Think about your goals every day. Think of the joy that goal will bring you. If a negative thought creeps in, stop and then think again of your goal and how much fun it is to play softball.

If you keep your goals in mind and think about them every day, they will happen.
Make today's goal happen and enjoy the good feeling. Then make tomorrow's goal happen, and then this week's goal, this month's goal. The complete season goal.

Just remember to look at your goal every day and think about it.

This is a link to a long video but very good stuff about goals.

Defense Counts in Fastpitch Softball

In Fastpitch Softball a game can come down to 1-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning. Your defense has held them all game. It's 90 degrees out and you are sweating and about out of gas. Then your pitcher loses grip from the sweat and floats one over the inside corner of the plate at thigh level. Here it comes right into that 5-6 hole. Are you ready for it? Where are the runners? How many outs? Is your outfield gonna back up the play? Do I have any gas left to make the stop and the throw over to 1st?

These are all questions running through your head in a situation like that. Your coach is thinking the same things. Hopefully you were paying attention at practice and you all know what to do and how each other is going to react in this situation.

To get to a situation like this you had to play nearly perfect defense all day. Good Defense is the key to winning in today's game of Fastpitch Softball. Pitchers are becoming great, hitters are becoming great and you have to be a great defensive player to stop them.

Here is a link to a good article I think you'll like.
Sea's success a true glove story

That High School team knows the value of getting your softball glove dirty and knowing how to use it. They spend most of their practice time working on defensive drills and strategies. The players understand that to win at a high level it takes perfect practice, every time.

A lot of times with the excellent pitching on most travel and competitive teams, the defense gets a little lazy. It's understandable when you go 3 or 4 innings with nothing more than a bunt or a blooper pop up for an out.

Then comes that hard hit grounder or line drive right at your head. You gotta be ready. To be ready you have to know What to do and How to do it. That comes from practice and doing your drills at home before practice.

When that high floating fly ball to the outfield comes unexpectedly you better have your glove and your legs ready to go. As an outfielder you know you are the last line of defense and the team is counting on you. That's why your coach puts some of her best athletes out there. All those drills chasing fly balls way over your head now seem to make sense to you. You know How to get to that ball and make the play to save the game.

Just Keepin' it real...

Softball Positions - Should You Have Just One?

I was watching some TV the other day and a show about kids and softball came on so it caught my attention and I watched it. Oh and by the way Jennie Finch just happened to be on there too. Ok, she caught my attention too...

These kids really knew a lot about baseball, they were mostly boys but a couple of girls were there too. They were young, probably under 9 years old but into the game.

Jennie was interviewed by a boy and a girl. They asked her all kinds of different questions about her playing in the Olympics and the fastpitch softball WCWS and things like that. She was asked if there was a difference in how to throw a curve in baseball and in softball. There is by the way. It's quite different.

Then she was asked if she played anything besides pitcher because most baseball players seem to only play one position. Her answer was a good one I thought.

She said that she played several positions other than pitcher. She is just most famous for pitching in the world series and the Olympics. She told them that she played first base, shortstop and some outfield when she was younger. She went on to say that she feels it is important for every kid to play as many positions as possible. Helps them to learn the game better.



I have to agree completely with Miss Jennie
. I have always been an advocate of kids playing several positions. Over the years the kids that play several different positions become better overall players than those that stick to just one spot on the field.

I have been around coaches that believe a kid should be pigeon holed into a single spot and left there. The thinking there is that the kid will learn that position better and be the best at that spot. I don't agree with that line of thinking and here is why.

When you are stuck in one spot on the field whether it is pitcher, catcher, outfield or wherever, you begin to get tunnel vision. By tunnel vision I mean you only see the game from one angle - from your position.

Tunnel vision keeps you from understanding how the play develops. You have a hard time understanding when to backup a throw and more importantly - why to back up a throw. You will have a hard time understanding why the other players don't catch your throws or why you don't catch their throws to you.

Playing other positions will give you a "view" of the game from a different angle. You will get a different feel for it. Maybe you should be trying to move to a slightly different angle to make a catch across the infield at your regular position, maybe you need to learn to use a 4 seam grip to throw across the infield to 1st to keep the ball from tailing off just as it gets to the 1st baseman. If you never play shortstop or 3rd or outfield you may never know why that ball does that to you. If you never play 1st you may never understand that you are making bad throws over to 1st. It's kind of like the old saying - "The shoe feels different on the other foot".

When it comes to bracket play and your team really needs to win, then maybe the coach should put the best players at the positions. I agree with that completely, but if the players have not experienced the game from those other spots when it comes down to make or break time, your team just might break down.

Now, most players are not gonna be able to cut it at all positions, maybe 2 or 3 different spots. There are a few kids that can play any spot on the field as well as anyone and they should be given the chance to do it. Even those kids will have a best spot. I feel that coaches shouldn't pressure players into a single position until college days or beyond. I will concede that there are some kids that will only be suited for a single position. If they are happy playing one spot and taking the bench a lot that is fine. I always wanted to be on the field myself.

So, if you are in a single spot situation ask your coach to let you try some other spots just to get a feel of how the game looks from the other side of the field. Coaches, give it a shot and try it out in practice first then maybe in a couple of pool games switch the positions up and see what happens (I would not suggest moving everyone at the same time though).

Just keepin' it real...

Softball Coaches First Aid Kit - Top 10 Items

Every time we go out to the softball field whether for practice or for games we take the chance of someone getting hurt. I hate to have to worry about this but that is the reality.

How do we deal with this? We start by being prepared. Guess that comes from being an Eagle Boy Scout. That bodes well for all aspects of life too.

A First Aid Kit is probably the one thing that every one know we need to have on hand. It is also the thing we forget to bring the most.

Here is a short list of the 10 most needed things to have in a First Aid Kit.

(these are just suggestions and you can add or remove based on your experience)

1. Ice or chemical ice bags, or plastic bags to hold ice.
2. Band-Aids: Lots of them in all sizes
3. Adhesive Tape: the athletic type
4. Gauze
5. Scissors
6. Antibiotic Ointment
7. Ace type Bandage: for wrapping ice bags etc
8. Towel or cloth
9. Cotton Swabs
10. Medical Release forms

Now obviously there can be many more things added to this list. You should bring as much as you can fit into your first aid kit and know how and when to use them.

Remember the RICE too!

The R-I-C-E principles for injuries and treating injuries.

R- Rest: stop the activity as soon as the pain or injury is noticed.
I- Ice: apply an ice pack immediately to a new injury. Never directly on the skin. Apply for intervals of 20 minutes until swelling stops.
C- Compression: Start with a wet wrap then add an ace bandage later. Start farthest from the injury and wrap towards the heart. If the swelling is severe, loosen the wrap until it subsides.
E- Elevation: elevate the injured part so that it is higher than the heart. Keep elevated until swelling stops or you see the doctor.

I'm not a doctor, I don't even play one on TV so if your child is injured use the RICE and get them to the doctor if needed.

Fastpitch Softball Video Pitching Machines - Cool!

Ok, we all know we need do some hitting practice. Whether we use a tee in the driveway or take some soft toss from Dad or actual batting practice off a live pitcher it is all great stuff and we can learn a lot. If we take it serious and work on good solid mechanics.

In the last few years there has been some really cool technology brought into the softball and baseball arena. We all know about radar guns, the spin monitoring devices like the Rev Fire and others.

Some of the coolest, although expensive things to come out is the video pitching machines. These machines actually have a video of a real pitcher winding up and throwing the pitch. The ball actually comes from a standard pitching machine inside the box, but they are really cool. It takes some time to get used to them.

I recently came across one I think the fans of Fastpitch Softball Talk will appreciate. It is an LED version of the famous Japanese phenom Yukikko Ueno. I think we all remember her unraveling of our Team USA in the Olympics.
Below is a link to a video of that machine. From the looks of it, she is even better at striking out batters as a video machine.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm6Sx0fgDiA&feature=player_embedded

I haven't seen any of these around yet, but there are several baseball versions. They will probably start to show up soon though.

Get out and get some hitting practice in, and do it at home or with your teammates. Be ready for practice. Remember to Practice Before Practice...

Keepin' it Real...

Practice Softball Before Softball Practice

Ok, I can already here all you fastpitch players saying that I am nuts. Well, I think we already know that to be true but read on young all stars and maybe you will become a nut as well!!

You already know that to become a great fastpitch softball player you have to practice. You not only have to practice but you have to practice perfectly. I mean that you have to do it correct at practice or you are just forming bad habits and "muscle memory" that is really hard to overcome later.

But what the heck are you talking about - Practice Before Practice? What I am talking about is the same thing you have been told at the end of just about every practice you have been to be it softball, basketball, football, band, debate, cheerleading, etc. Your coach always reminds you to work on things at home.

In other words your coach told you to Practice Before Practice, right? So why don't we do more of that? During the school year you have so many things that take up your "Practice" time like homework, eating dinner, taking a bath, and the most important seems to be ...texting and facebooking with your friends.

We all agree the homework and eating are very important and I myself take a bath at least once a month whether I need it or not. I have a little trouble with the last two items on that list. So let's try to lay off them a little.

To become a good softball player you need to put in some quality time doing some hitting off the tee, throwing into a blanket or wall or with your Dad, taking some grounders and just playing catch. If you spend 30 minutes a day doing these you will become a good softball player.

**Serious Gloves for Serious Players at BuyFastpitchGloves.com**

To become a great softball player you need to add some focus into that thirty minutes every day, and maybe up it to 45 minutes. By focus I mean concentrate on hitting one day, pitching another, fielding, throwing another.

Work on specific hitting concepts like hitting low tee, high tee, inside, outside. Work on hitting the inside seam every time trying to make the ball come straight off the tee. If you have a hitting coach - work on what she tells you to do.

Throwing needs to be worked on for specific weaknesses you may have. Every player has a weakness - just watch them throw and you will agree. Maybe you have started side-arming again, or your back leg is kicking up, or you aren't finishing the throw across your body. Ask your coaches to give you some things to work on. Just make certain you are using correct throwing mechanics and throw 100-200 throws perfectly.

Fielding - work on soft hands techniques if your an infielder. Practice the ponytail flop to help keep your head down and watch the ball all the way into your glove. Practice receiving the ball and using a rounding motion to get back into transition and throwing position. Work on proper mechanics, work on quick release.
If you don't have a partner maybe you can use a tennis ball and throw against the wall or garage door - caution:ask parents first(from experience, ask first).

Pitchers need lots of practice. Try to get in about 100-200 pitches every day or at least 3 days a week. You can work on hitting or fielding the other days. Just be sure you make each pitch perfect.

To become great at anything you have to practice that craft. You can't just show up to the stage and be a great actress. You can't design a new switch mode fly-back power supply without practice. You can't be a great person without practice. So remember to work on your craft and skills every day.

Practice Before Practice to become a great fastpitch softball player and an even greater person.

Keepin' it real...

Are You an Elite Softball Player?

I bet that is a question that you ask yourself a lot, or at least once anyway. I know I used to think so myself, back in the day. Little did we know back then of all the advanced training necessary to be an elite athlete.

Training like an Elite softball player is hard work but not that far off from what most of you are doing now. I don't claim to be an expert in the field, I'll leave that to guys like Marc Dagenais and Barry Lovelace;you can find out from those guys more of what you need to do.

Some things that the Elite Softball players do is use elite softball gear. They use the best softball gloves, the best bats, the best training gear and the best mental training they can get.

The best athletes, in any sport understand they need to begin with dynamic warmups to get the body warm and stretched. This gets the muscles moving and the nervous system firing early. There are many studies that show static stretching to be detrimental to an athletes performance if done before performance. It actually takes an hour or two for your muscles and nervous system to get back into form after static stretching. This is why elite athletes use dynamic warmup routines specific to their sport. Stretching is to be done after the workout or game, and at home.

Advanced softball players use advanced workout routines. They spend a lot of time building and strengthening the core of the body. You have to build your foundation first to have a strong house (your body is your house).

Muscle Endurance is another aspect of elite softball players. This ties in with the strong core - you have to be balanced. Build a strong balance on both sides of your body, don't train just one side. Pitchers must have exceptional balance, otherwise they won't throw consistent and they will hurt themselves. I see so many girls with sore or pulled muscles in the back and shoulders of the non-throwing side. This comes from being so strong on the throwing side and not training the other side that you try to balance yourself with untrained muscles and bones on the opposite side.

Fastpitch Softball is a very dynamic, quick twitch sport. There is not a lot of long distance running. Pitchers need to have explosive power and endurance to last 7 innings or so. Fielders need to be able to react to hot hit balls in the blink of an eye and continue doing so for several games in a row at times.

Work on one leg, one arm at a time strength exercises. Use free weights to do one leg bent over rows. This really strengthens the legs. Remember to do both sides.

Do pushups on those big exercise balls to work your stabilizer muscle groups in the shoulders and upper body. Try also pushups with your feet on the ball for a different set of muscles.

Explosive strength exercises such as squats, plyometrics, clean and jerk with weights are all great for elite softball play.

Advance hitting specific strength drills with a stick such as the hammer drill.

Work on speed and agility but focus on how to move more efficiently so you don't waste energy getting from place to place.

There are lots of things that elite softball players do to stay at the top of the game. They are coming up with new exercises all the time, but the emphasis is still on balance and core.

Now, if you want to know if you have the DNA to be an elite softball player check out this company - Atlas Sports Genetics - that does DNA testing of young kids to determine which sport they are best suited, genetically speaking, for. I don't know about you but this sounds like something out of the old cold war Russian programs.
There may be something to this, its up to you to decide.

Keepin' it Real...