Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

Discussion of how the relationship between umpires and coaches and players and umpires. Support the show

This weeks episode:Shoutout Segment Listener Question - The worst things that a prospective athlete can do that can derail recruiting. (@ 8:07)Paige's Power Play (@ 13:25)Lists and rankings. Making sense of them. ( 20:13)Where should I take my team for a end of season tournament? (@ 37:47) How coaches should handle criticism. (@ 47:55)Support the show

Every player deserves to have a consistent dialog with their coach as to their strengths and weaknesses. They need to have a clear understanding of what they specifically need to work on to become the best that they can become. As we are heading into the off-season, a conversation with each player should be mandatory to give them goals and objectives to work on.Support the show

This weeks lineup:ShoutoutPaige's Power Play (@ 9:00)Discussion of the difference between a "ball player" and someone who just wants to play ball. (@ 17:45)A listener asks - What am I paying for when I pay my travel ball dues/payments? We discuss the basics and the types of things that could be in the costs. (@ 35:03)Another listener question - I have coached 3 sons through their baseball careers and now going to coach my daughter's softball team. What differences can I expect? (@ 51:50)Support the show

Catching is a very important position. What are you doing in practice to make your catchers better? What drills are you giving them? How much of practice time is designed to make them better? We often see catchers spend most of their time catching balls thrown in and then tossing them to the coach to hit another one to the infield. Your catcher will handle many more balls in a game than the infielder, they need practice as much as the infielders. Coach them UP!Support the show

This weeks lineup:Shoutout SegmentPaige's Power PlayHow long should pitcher's warm-up?Discussion of coaching stylesCoachable and un-coachable playersWhy do teams play better behind some pitchers?Support the show

All players are not the same athletically and as they grow and get older their bodies are continuously changing. Your practices shouldn't be a one size fits all, but drills and stations need to be individualized to the capabilities of each player. Your goal is for each one of them to become the best that they can become.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Shoutout segmentPaige's Power PlayListener Question: Why does my daughter hit so much better in practice than in a game?Interview with Danielle Rubin a pitching instructor that not only does in person lessons but has mastered giving instruction online.Discussion on why players should consider junior colleges.Coaches set the tone for the team. As the coach goes so does the team.Support the show

Most games are lost because we do little things poorly. What are little things? Listen as the coaches talk about just a fraction of the little things and you realize there is no end to the little things that a player can do to improve the odds of winning. Support the show

This weeks lineup:The shoutout segmentPaige's Power PlayListener question - the pros and cons of knee saversHow to handle discontent on a team and a mutiny is not the way to go.Know the differences between cut-offs and relays.Support the show

Coaches, in a game, we get in the habit of watching the ball instead of watching the whole field. It is like watching the game on TV. The camera follows the ball. In the game, every player has a role on every play and pitch. If we are surprised that a player did not back up a certain play, do you know if that was just one incident or have they not been moving all game. If you can't answer that question, you have probably been following the ball instead of watching the entire field and the movement of everyone.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Listener Question: Is it okay to let my catcher practice with a pitching machine?More games are lost than won. Be the team that wins by paying attention to the little things.Pitchers: Attack the ZoneDon't let the inequities of who does the work to support the team cause friction on the team. Think of all of the tasks that have to be done like cleaning up the dugout, carrying equipment to the warm-up area, etc. Assign duties and spread the work out over the whole team.Support the show

Playing softball successfully requires mastering certain skills. It is a game of skills. An athletic player can be successful by relying on their athleticism up to a certain point. Sooner or later the speed of the game catches up with their athleticism. Each player has a ceiling as to what they can achieve and we should be requiring all of them to acquire the skills to take them as far as possible. It is possible for a less athletic player to surpass an athletic player if they work on their skills harder. Coaches have to have the same expectations for every player.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Shout our segment.Discussion of catchers backing up first base. This is prompted by comments from a post on the same topic. The coaches are pretty adamant that a catcher's job is to back up first.15 skills that are learned by playing on a team that are important and are carried over to real life.Unwritten rules that are being carried over from baseball to softball. There are not good reasons for some of these and we shouldn't feel bad by doing what's best for the team and players.Discussion  of coaches taking it personally when a player leave a team. There are a lot of times that it is a good decision by the player and a coach should see it as a positive and not feel bad. Support the show

Some players have the opportunity to play for a team, such as a school team, that has lessor skilled players than their travel ball team and is not near as competitive. This is especially true with middle school teams. We hear complaints all the time about I can't hit slow pitching, they make more mistakes, etc. This is not something to complain about, but a great opportunity to grow as a player.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Listener question on developing competitiveness in a team. A team should always be performing at their best no matter what the score or circumstances.Interview with InnerPro Sports. They offer an app that allows an athlete to train wherever they are. It generates an individualized program for strength and conditioning, mental performance and nutrition.Fall recruiting in these strange times. Signals and offensive strategy. For instance, you call a steal. What do you expect the batter to do. And does the batter know what you expect.Support the show

Everyone does not learn the same way and most learn better with a mix of methods. When you are coaching a team there is going to be a mixture of learning types. You can't go out there and teach just one way and impact all of your players. You have to understand how they learn and how to teach so that they all understand. In this podcast we discuss how people learn and how to apply that to teaching softball skills.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Shout out segmentListener question: Moving up in bat size? Length and weight, length only or weight only.Many COVID changes this week in the college world. Any player that is looking at being recruited needs to understand that the recruiting process has changed. They and their parents have to adapt and they will have to do more to advance their chances.Listener question: What type of shoes? We discuss the pros and cons of Turf Shoes, Molded Cleats and Spikes.Support the show

These week we discuss that there has to be some fun built into practices, especially for the younger ages. We want our players to want to come to practice not have to. We can make it fun and enjoyable and accomplish what we are trying to achieve by adding some new twists to our drills. It takes working on your practice plan and modifying it to add competitiveness and enjoyable aspects. Listen for some ideas.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Usual Shout Out topics.Listener question about punishment for mistakes. Mistakes need to be categorized between lack of a skill and effort. If some sort of punishment needs to be handed out we don't believe in running as a punishment. A complete athlete is well conditioned, so any form of conditioning should not be viewed as punishment.It's Tryout Season. We discuss how a player and her parents should approach the tryouts for a new team. It is almost like getting recruited for college, but on a smaller scale. Some of the same steps apply.Corona Update. Trying to keep up with the changes being caused by COVID-19 and all of the changes filtering down to the younger age groups.An honest discussion on Favoritism. We can't deny that we have favorites. But we need to have a system that everyone knows how we determine positions and lineups so favoritism doesn't play a part.Support the show