Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast: Recent Episodes
Tory Acheson & Don McKinlay
Everything Fastpitch is a podcast hosted by Coach Tory Acheson and Coach Don McKinlay. Tory and Don are former college coaches that are now full time instructors and travel ball coaches. Since retiring form active collegiate coaching they have committed themselves to providing educational materials to the fastpitch community. This podcast is one of the resources they are providing. Their website has 500+ blog posts and they have a YouTube channel. All of these cover fastpitch softball from coaching and training beginner athletes up through college athletes. It is a great resource for players, parents and coaches. Whether it be training tips, mental aspects, coaching methods, recruiting etc. it is all covered, hence the name Everything Fastpitch.
Today we highlight the USA Women’s National Team and Elite Team competing in the International Cup in Oklahoma City, noting Japan’s strength, Patty Gasso’s difficult roster choices, and the positive impact of the pro league on U.S. players. The City of the Week is Racine, Wisconsin, with a connection to "A League of Their Own". They address a listener’s concern about 8U rec softball prioritizing winning over teaching and equal participation. In the leadoff segment they discuss recurring scandals of bending or breaking rules in youth sports and the lessons it teaches kids. In the cleanup segment they react to a court injunction granting an extra year of college eligibility to a group of athletes, creating roster and scholarship uncertainty. The coaching tip argues player development primarily comes from practice reps, with games serving as tests rather than the main development tool.
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In episode 431 of Everything Fastpitch, Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the AUSL Championship Series and note professional softball’s first network broadcast on ABC, plus observations about the strike zone and the league’s evolving formats. They name Chattanooga, Tennessee as City of the Week and answer a listener question about whether high school softball should be played in spring versus fall, weighing development, weather, burnout, and injury concerns. In the leadoff segment, they praise Little League softball’s ESPN coverage and urge fans not to disparage it, mentioning Danielle Lawrie broadcasting her daughter’s qualifying game and noting an eligibility scandal for later discussion. They also stress expanding recruiting searches across many college levels and offer a coaching tip: when teams struggle, consider rest and fun instead of working harder.
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In episode 430 of Everything Fastpitch, Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the AUSL heading into playoffs (with Chicago and Utah battling for the top seed) and the league’s growth, and name Sacramento, California as City of the Week. They address a listener rant about the rain-impacted Legacy Tournament in Atlanta, noting the challenges of massive “super tournaments,” field conditions, and umpire shortages, and debating refunds and contingency plans. In the main interview, recruiting expert Greg Dees of Empowered Analytical Sports Recruiting explains the NCAA Division I “five-for-five” eligibility rule starting with the 2027 class, its limited exceptions, transitional impact on 2026s, tighter roster spots causing decommitments, and advice to broaden target schools and consider D2/D3 or transfer pathways, including graduate-degree benefits. The coaching tip argues against making 12U athletes “pitcher only,” emphasizing development, injury realities, and two-way skills.
Greg Dees Recruiting Questions
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Coach Tory and Coach Don welcome you to Episode 429 of Everything Fastpitch. They share a Did You Know? noting over $9 million in NIL deals have been denied, seeking listener clarification. A listener asks how to keep defenders engaged behind a dominant strikeout pitcher; the hosts suggest emphasizing communication, positioning, backup responsibilities, and practicing game-speed defensive reps. In an interview, Gosia Betancourt describes her son Joshua’s transition from intense elite gymnastics to elite diving, the family’s emotional adjustment, and the importance of listening to children; she also discusses managing perfectionism, injuries, coach communication, and using online schooling for academic rigor and flexibility. The coaching tip urges travel-ball coaches to align tryout advertising with realistic commitments, especially claims about player development versus heavy tournament schedules.
Crimson Global Academy
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 428 with segments including a Did You Know?, equipment tip, listener question, and an interview with Alan Vanhook, plus a coaching tip on practicing all game situations. They highlight the Professional Softball League (WPSL) as another strong women’s pro option alongside AUSL, noting six teams (including Atlanta Smoke) and urging support for pro opportunities to grow the sport and benefit future Olympic teams. The equipment tip spotlights Rempro Sports defensive face masks. A listener question asks what parents should understand; they stress honoring commitments and recognizing how hard softball is. In the interview, Alan Vanhook shares his daughter Jordyn's Arizona State journey, transfer portal experience, returning as a walk-on, the importance of being a great teammate, mental health, and earning opportunities that led to degrees and a GA role. The coaching tip emphasizes practicing every situation—especially in limited travel-ball practice time—rather than overfocusing on conditioning or talking instead of doing.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the NCAA’s new Division I “5-for-5” age-based eligibility model (five years to play five seasons, with limited exemptions), including potential recruiting impacts that may favor transfers and junior colleges. City of the Week is Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A listener prompt compares Oklahoma softball missing the Women’s College World Series while Oklahoma baseball won it all, noting baseball’s unpredictability versus softball’s more predictable contenders. In the main interview, Shellee Howard of College Ready explains planning early (ideally middle school), the importance of GPA, fit (academic/social/athletic/financial), FAFSA timing and errors, scholarship strategies, private vs public cost realities, and negotiating aid; she shares resources, books, and contact info. The Coaching Tip addresses players who excel in practice but struggle in games, emphasizing mental training, confidence, and game-like pressure in practice.
Shellee's web site : https://collegereadyplan.com/
FastpitchPrep: https://fastpitchprep.com/
Patreon
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Coach Tory and Coach Don open Episode 426 by previewing the show, promoting Patreon, and naming Kansas City, Missouri as City of the Week. They discuss the AUSL’s strong ratings and attendance with the new home-site format, while raising concerns about converted baseball fields and teams missing star players still playing in Japan. A listener question reports an umpire saying the entire ball must be over the plate for a strike, prompting discussion of how that shrinks the effective zone, increases walks and home runs, and the possibility of electronic strike calling. In the featured interview, Morgan Stuart (former Washington player and 2009 national champion, author, and defensive instructor) describes her path from Southern California travel ball to college, why she chose athlete development over college coaching, and her view that recruitment still requires being “the best,” often via top travel teams. She explains softball’s unique speed and limited reaction time, argues most teams under-train defense, and emphasizes daily catching/throwing, quality reps, glove “pocket awareness,” pre-pitch timing and 18-second between-pitch routines, plus celebrating defensive process, not just errors. She shares resources including The Roadmap I Never Had, the Black Book of Drills, Instagram accounts, lessons in Anaheim, clinics, camps, and a $20/month Defense Club. The episode closes with a Father’s Day coaching tip thanking dads and parent-coaches and reminders to support sponsors and submit questions.]
Check out Morgan - morgan-stuart.com/
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Coach Tory and Coach Don open by covering a good news/bad news “Did You Know”: the passing of renowned short-game coach Larry Ray, and the June 9 start of the AUSL season with many televised games, plus discussion of intentional walks to star hitter Megan Grant. The city of the week is Omaha, Nebraska. They answer a listener question about whether Texas Tech is leaning into a “heel” persona amid NIL/transfer-portal moves and a football gambling-eligibility controversy. The main interview features mental performance coach Breanne Smedley (The Elite Competitor), who shares her athlete journey, her team’s championship success, and a plug-and-play mental training model including weekly 15-minute lessons, a 5–7 minute “3,2,1 Brave” routine, and a “snapback” reset routine for pressure and failure-based sports. The coaching tip focuses on keeping practices fresh with competitive, skill-based fun and reading when practice becomes unproductive.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 424 of Everything Fastpitch, recap the Women’s College World Series (Texas repeats as Division I champion behind Teagan Cavan; record-setting attendance in Oklahoma City), and discuss the irony of all-time great pitchers (Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, NiJaree Cannady) not winning national titles. They compare Texas Tech’s transfer/NIL-built roster to a “wrestling heel” that heightened fan attention, name Oklahoma City as City of the Week, promote Square Cuts training discs, and answer a listener question about softball spending (top budgets cited at $4–$6M excluding hard-to-track NIL) and SEC athletic donations led by Texas. In the lead-off segment, Monica Abbott reflects on her Tennessee records, WCWS competitiveness, pitcher development into the pros, strike-zone issues, two-way pitchers, and her MA14 Spin Trainer. The coaching tip addresses players receiving conflicting outside instruction and the need for a consistent personal plan.
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In episode 423 of Everything Fastpitch, Coach Tory and Coach Don preview segments and encourage Patreon support, then share a Did You Know about UCLA’s Megan Grant hitting 40+ home runs to crush a record held since 1995 despite playing about 20 fewer games, with Grant also having been part of UCLA’s national-championship women’s basketball team. City of the Week is Oklahoma City, reflecting a download spike during the Women’s College World Series, and they briefly plug Square Cuts training discs. A listener asks about the best D1 home-field advantage; they highlight Alabama’s Rhodes House, plus Nebraska’s record crowds and Arkansas’s intense atmosphere, noting big attendance as a major factor. In the interview, Chip Pugh (a former strength coach who shifted into leadership/character development and now serves as the Tennessee Titans’ director of team development) explains his book Made to Win, built around six practices, encouraging people to believe they were made to win by maximizing potential through serving others and, from his faith perspective, modeling Jesus; he recommends buying in bulk via the publisher site. They also debate practice attendance impacting playing time, emphasizing preseason expectations, communication, and consequences for repeated no-shows, and conclude that gadgets can help teach specific concepts but shouldn’t be overused. Book links: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Made+to+Win+Chip+Pugh https://oakspress.com
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 422 of Everything Fastpitch, including a “Did You Know” and City of the Week Las Vegas. They answer a listener question about measuring improvement beyond stats, emphasizing observation, confidence, quality at-bats, and long-term development over instant results. Tory interviews former UAB coach Marla Townsend about her Compete mental performance system (12 key ingredients, journal with QR-code audio coaching, parent playbook, and Performance Hub), available at marlatownsend.com with a discount code "VIP". In the cleanup segment, Robbie Brogdon discusses launching an Atlanta-area collegiate summer league at Heritage Park in McDonough with doubleheaders, streaming/stats, camps, and support for transfer-portal players. The coaching tip covers ways to get a team out of a rut by adding variety and redefining success metrics.
Marla Townsend Compete Program-marlatownsend.com
Collegiate Summer League (Robbie Brogdon - 229-376-8591, robbiebrogdon@gmail.com)
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Everything Fastpitch episode 421 with Coach Tory and Coach Don previews warm-up segments and features an interview with social media instructor Megan Rembielak. They recap early NCAA Division I regional results and notable games, including Oregon’s elimination by Mississippi State amid pitching injuries, seeded teams advancing (Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia), Florida State’s loss to Stetson and matchup with UCF, and Texas Tech’s comeback win over Ole Miss; they emphasize the value of smaller-conference teams in the tournament. City of the Week is Bloomington, Indiana. Listener Danielle asks about handling coaching decision regret; they advise accountability, grace, and focusing on process over outcomes. In the interview, Rembielak (megremsoftball.com) shares her playing/coaching path, content-creation motivations, views on criticism, key teaching points (timing in hitting, staying in motion on defense), the importance of live reps and softball IQ, and launching RemProSports (remprosports.com) equipment. Coaching tip addresses managing a 12U player who over-corrects teammates by setting guidelines and channeling leadership appropriately.
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Coach Torrey and Coach Don preview episode 420 of Everything Fastpitch, beginning with “good news, bad news”: UCLA’s Megan Grant sets the single-season home run record with 38, but a Big Ten Network replay skipped the record-breaking at-bat in favor of injury and replay footage. They answer a listener question about a $50 travel-ball tryout fee, agreeing the biggest issue is not disclosing it upfront. They break down the newly announced NCAA Division I tournament bracket, noting SEC strength, mid-majors benefiting from SEC teams missing the .500 threshold, and storyline-heavy potential matchups (e.g., Oregon–Oklahoma, Texas–Texas A&M, Alabama–LSU). In cleanup, they encourage players to watch how elite athletes handle mistakes and teamwork, then argue the sport has a shrinking strike zone, citing 1,600 more home runs than last year. They close by questioning in-game iPad video coaching for 12U players, favoring postgame review, and thank sponsors and patrons.
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Coach Torrey hosts Episode 419 solo outlining warm-up items, a hitting proverb discussion, a Division I postseason preview, and a coaching “confession.” He notes an NCAA Division I proposal to shift eligibility from five years to play four seasons to a five-year window allowing five seasons. The city of the week is Columbia, South Carolina, and the equipment tip spotlights Fastpitch Prep’s Square Cuts training discs designed to help hitters learn what “squaring up” the ball means. A listener question addresses the “blame game,” urging players and parents to take ownership rather than blame umpires, coaches, teammates, or conditions. Torrey contrasts “problem-solver” hitting coaches with teaching hitters to understand and self-correct. He previews conference tournaments, seeding implications, and possible top-eight hosts, and argues coaches do have favorites—typically the hardest-working, most reliable team-first players.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don host Everything Fast Pitch open with thanking patrons and previewing segments. They discuss the SEC’s plan to make Madison, Alabama’s Toyota Field the permanent home of the SEC softball tournament from 2027–2030, replacing rotating campus sites, and note Lexington, Kentucky is the last on-campus host through 2030. The city spotlight is Oklahoma City. A listener prompts discussion about multi-sport athletes versus early specialization. In an interview, Bill Hoopes (coach, PGF Florida state director, tournament director, author) covers his background, high school vs travel ball purposes, recruiting changes, finding the right college fit, and his books/workbooks and “60 for me” content. The coaching tip emphasizes balancing quality instruction with reps so repetitions reinforce correct mechanics.
Bill Hoopes Link - https://www.leadyourjourney.com/
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Coach Tory and Coach Don record Everything Fast Pitch episode 417 via Zoom from Canada, previewing segments and thanking Patreon supporters. They note the NCAA’s Division I softball transfer portal window will open the Monday after the Women’s College World Series and last 15 days, aiming to tighten timing and discuss how the portal changes recruiting without eliminating opportunities, especially noting elite freshmen still impact top programs. City of the Week is Salt Lake City, and the equipment tip promotes Square Cuts training discs. Listener Alan asks whether the portal is “ruining recruiting,” prompting discussion of shifting opportunities and roster voids. The lead-off segment critiques negative fans and “super fans,” especially those who harass opponents. The cleanup segment condemns bashing underpaid school-ball coaches and emphasizes their developmental value. The coaching tip urges better situational decision-making focused on securing outs and winning games.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don record episode 416 and preview segments on pickup player etiquette, baseball vs. softball fielding, and coaching styles In “Did You Know,” Tory argues the Division I strike zone has become overly hitter-friendly, citing 185 hitters over .400 late in the season, and says it hurts pitchers despite consistent umpiring; Don notes pros and cons and the sport’s evolution. City of the week is Fayetteville, Arkansas. A JV coach asks how to keep a struggling team engaged; they suggest removing scoreboard focus, setting small in-game goals, and celebrating incremental wins with team leaders. They discuss green/yellow/red guidelines for guest players and warn against using pickups to replace roster players. They also advise being open-minded about a former MLB player changing defensive instruction and say coaching energy should match both coach nature and team needs.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 415, thank patrons, and highlight Nebraska hosting UCLA with over 8,000 fans as a possible true home-field regular-season attendance record, noting softball’s growth. The city of the week is Bloomington, Indiana, and they promote Square Cuts training discs and sponsors EAS and Elite Sporting Goods. A listener reports Tennessee varsity games canceled due to a severe umpire shortage; they discuss poor treatment of officials and encouraging more people to umpire. In the lead-off segment, they debate year-round softball, risks of burnout and injury, and advocate balancing commitment with multi-sport participation. They explain the “Rule of Thirds” for great, average, and terrible days and emphasize performing through adversity using goals. The coaching tip stresses pitchers practicing fielding, overhand throwing, and situational awareness, including a two-ball drill. Tory also criticizes an overly small TV strike zone in college games and its effects on pitchers, offense, and record comparisons.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 414, thank Patreon supporters, and share a “good news, bad news” did-you-know: pitching coach Bill Hillhouse has died after battling cancer, while Oklahoma pitching coach Jennifer Rocha has returned to the dugout after her own cancer fight, alongside encouragement to support cancer research. The City of the Week is Oxford, Mississippi. A recruiting listener question challenges “Division I or bust,” emphasizing academics and that playing college softball at any level is an accomplishment. Tory then discusses unrealistic expectations for young players transitioning from tee ball/coach pitch to kid pitch and travel ball, stressing long-term development over quick fixes. The cleanup segment reviews a popular Atlanta-area Banana Ball-style tournament, praising the fun while noting safety and skill concerns for young players. The coaching tip argues coaches must clearly communicate team rules and reasons for discipline/benching and enforce rules consistently.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 413 of Everything Fast Pitch, thank Patreon supporters, and highlight “Did You Know” that Florida State’s Isa Torres set an NCAA Division I record with 16 consecutive hits. The city of the week is Houston, Texas. They answer a listener question about the best way to request clarification from an umpire, emphasizing calm, specific, rule-based questions rather than emotional confrontation. In the leadoff segment they reflect on how dramatically women’s athletics and technology have changed since the 1960s–1990s, citing growth in size, skill, and athleticism in sports like basketball and softball. The cleanup topic urges stopping “crack or scratch” bat posts and accepting that composite bats inevitably crack and break. The coaching tip stresses practicing and prioritizing defensive communication to avoid missed popups and injuries, and they tease a future interview on body language and the mental game.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 412, thank patrons, and share USA Softball Hall of Fame news honoring Monica Abbott and the Raybestos Brakettes. City of the Week is Madison, Wisconsin, and a Player of the Week recognized for work ethic and leadership. Tory answers a listener question about 10U players ignoring instructions, discussing accountability, consequences, and today’s team-hopping culture. The main segment is an interview with Tiffany Deering (former Michigan national champion) about Athletic Placement Services (APS), a new app-based recruiting hub that matches athletes with schools, streamlines emailing from personal Gmail, integrates YouTube/X, provides engagement analytics, camp searches, and roster/portal data, with a free promo through August. The coaching tip emphasizes modeling, practicing, and rewarding positive body language.
If people want to take advantage of the Promo from APS going on until end of August they can: 1- Go to apsrecruits.com 2- create an account using email or google auth 3- if prompted, authorize email 4- promo code Launch2026 5- begin building profile- sync x and YouTube 6- they can then download the app. Tutorials are available once they log in. They can follow on Facebook and Instagram @apsrecruits.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview episode 411 and note that UCLA’s Kelly Inouye-Perez has become the winningest coach in UCLA softball history. City of the week is Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A listener asks why Liberty isn’t ranked in the D1 softball poll; they explain Liberty is still a mid-major, has played a very tough early schedule, and may rise later. Part two of an interview with Ken Krause and Jay Bolden (From the Coach’s Mouth) covers a pitching/catching shortage driven by too many teams, limited work ethic, overuse of top young pitchers, and parent expectations, emphasizing practice over excessive games and overuse injuries. The cleanup segment critiques time-limit games and wasted time from huddles, celebrations, and arguing. The coaching tip promotes a head coach self-evaluation tool across key categories.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don open episode 410 with a show rundown. Tory issues corrections: when last week’s undefeated Power Four teams segment released, North Carolina and Grand Canyon were also unbeaten. This week’s City of the Week is Spartanburg, South Carolina, citing USC Upstate, nearby JUCOs, and the Tiger River softball complex. Player of the Week is a player recognized for commitment and rapid improvement despite little prior experience. Listener question asks how long pitchers should warm up; they stress that “ready” means able to locate every expected pitch (not just feeling loose), that travel-ball uncertainty can tempt corner-cutting, and that pitcher plans and honest fatigue communication help. The lead-off segment begins with part one of an interview with Ken Krause and Jay Bolden of the “From the Coach’s Mouth” podcast: Ken coached travel ball ~15 years, shifted to full-time lessons; Jay is an educator who entered softball via a JV opening, played men’s fastpitch, coached travel/high school, and has coached college while teaching pitching/hitting. They describe a guest-interview format plus occasional topic episodes Key takeaways include lifelong learning, coaching the person first, and hearing elite coaches’ doubts and growth journeys. They highlight Bill Hillhouse’s influence on pitching mechanics and Rick Pauly’s mentorship and and discuss increased crossover from men’s fastpitch into women’s programs. In cleanup, Coach Tory and Coach Don address travel-ball organizations pushing “D1 or bust,” arguing it’s often marketing that discounts strong D2/NAIA options, overlooks playing time realities, and ignores that any college roster spot signifies a high-level player; they also note NIL/transfer portal dynamics. The coaching tip emphasizes written practice plans, “everyday drills,” targeting weaknesses with data, better staff coordination, and using past plans to prevent recurring problems.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don preview and record Everything Fast Pitch episode 409 via Zoom, highlighting a listener-driven show and thanking supporters on patreon.com/everythingfastpitch. In the warmup “Did You Know,” they note three Division I undefeated teams at the time of recording—Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama—and discuss SEC strength and ongoing top-team dominance. The city of the week is Huntsville, Alabama, with mention of strong softball in the area, UAH’s Division II success, and local universities. Player of the week is Bronwyn Conroy (College of Charleston), recognized as rookie of the week after a standout week including five runs, nine hits, three RBIs, and multiple stolen bases; they share Don’s prior familiarity with her and invite more nominations via email. The equipment tip promotes Square Cuts training discs (FastPitchPrep.com), priced at $49.95 per dozen, with YouTube demos and varied uses beyond hitting. A listener question asks how transfers, extra eligibility, and NIL may shift Division I recruiting; they agree programs increasingly prioritize proven portal players while still pursuing elite high school recruits, and discuss pressure to win, scholarship changes, and financial strains on athletic departments. In the leadoff segment, they debate travel ball teams advertising “non-parent coaches,” arguing it doesn’t guarantee fairness or quality and that many parent coaches are highly committed, while paid non-parent coaches can still have biases. In the cleanup segment, they address an 8U team rotating players every inning, supporting multi-position development but recommending more consistent innings/roles so players can learn from mistakes. The coaching tip focuses on helping players choose the right bat (length/weight), discouraging gimmicky sizing formulas and knee-jerk changes based on short-term results, and recommending the longest/heaviest bat a player can swing with good bat speed and control, while noting the cost and rapid outgrowing of expensive bats.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don welcome you to Episode 408 of Everything Fast Pitch. In “Did You Know,” they cover an NCAA rule change allowing all institutional staff in baseball/softball to provide technical and tactical instruction through the end of the current season, noting it may widen the gap between well-funded “super schools” and smaller programs. A listener question addresses a Sports Illustrated article about Texas Tech and the Matador Club, explaining NIL/tampering loopholes where collectives can contact players even when coaches cannot, and discussing how agents and NIL have changed recruiting. The lead-off segment is Part 2 of Tory’s interview with former Georgia standout and pro player Sara Mosley, who recounts her determination to play at Georgia, a showcase moment after being doubted by Coach Tony, her high school adversity (broken hips, two knee surgeries, and her father Bob Mosley’s death junior year), and how those experiences reshaped her purpose. She describes COVID-era disruptions at Georgia, the team’s run to the Women’s College World Series after a difficult SEC season, and excitement about Georgia’s new facility. Sarah discusses the challenging transition from college to pro softball (including playing in Chattanooga and with the Vibe), her Four in One Sports Christian-themed batting gloves and matching glove, and her move into coaching travel ball and taking a coaching job at her high school. In the cleanup segment, Tory and Don note early Division I trends. Several mid-majors earning big wins , and they identify four teams separating themselves early—Texas Tech, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma—citing depth and pitching staffs. They also mention strong senior pitching across D1 and early struggles by some lower-half SEC teams, plus Nebraska as dangerous but with early losses that could affect seeding. The coaching tip addresses creating live batting practice without overusing team pitchers, suggesting scrimmage variations, front toss, small-group games, using older/guest pitchers or paid pitchers appropriately by age and timing, and balancing challenge with confidence.
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In this action-packed episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don cover multiple topics. They introduce the City of the Week and Player of the Week and discuss the feedback from a listener about the importance of prioritizing player development over playing games. In their lead-off segment, they highlight the Professional Softball League's new minor league system. The episode features part one of an interview with Sara Mosley, a former All American at Georgia, who now plays professionally. Sara discusses influential people in her life. The cleanup segment includes an insightful chat with Anna Nickel, Senior Marketing Manager from Game Changer, who explains the numerous new features enhancing the app, such as game insights, replay capabilities, and lineup recommendations. The coaching tip of the week emphasizes the need for players to practice hitting the difficult pitches they are likely to face in games.
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In episode 406 of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don delve into several listener-driven topics and provide insights into effective softball coaching and team management strategies.
The lead-off segment tackles a query from a high school coach looking to improve his pitching coaching skills. The hosts advise taking advantage of online resources, developing a collaborative relationship with players, and maintaining a positive coaching attitude even if expertise isn't fully developed.
In the cleanup segment, they address whether it's acceptable for players to skip team practices to play in other tournaments. Both coaches stress the importance of team practices for skill development and team cohesion, highlighting that skipping practices undermines team performance and individual growth.
The coaching tip of the week focuses on ensuring players consistently back up plays during games. The coaches share strategies for making this a habit, including the importance of drills, practice, and possibly benching players who fail to fulfill their responsibilities on the field.
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This episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep features Coach Tory and Coach Don discussing several engaging segments. They cover the 'Did You Know' with preseason D1 softball rankings and emphasize the dominance of teams like Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Texas. The episode also highlights Houston, Mississippi as the City of the Week and a Player of the Week. The equipment tip focuses on the Square Cuts Training Discs. A listener question addresses college camp challenges for a player who is both a utility player and a pitcher. The main segment is an interview with Samarra and Rob Dalrymple about their new podcast, DSPN Softball Central Podcast, focusing on recruiting, player development, and insights from various guests. The coaching tip of the week stresses the importance of modeling good behavior after several troubling incidents involving parents and coaches in youth sports.
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In this week's episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coaches Tory and Don record their 404th episode, packed with insightful content. The warmup segment reveals news about AUSL professional softball team locations, including the Durham Blaze, Portland Cascade, Chicago Bandits, Utah Talents, Texas Volts, and Oklahoma City Spark. Additionally, they celebrate Ames, Iowa, as the City of the Week and a Player of the Week. The equipment tip of the week highlights the square cuts training discs, praised for their ability to provide immediate feedback to players. The listener question addresses whether coaches are truly bad or just not meeting parental expectations, emphasizing the importance of aligning expectations with reality. In the lead-off segment, part two of Tory's interview with Justin McLeod from D1 Softball dives deep into the upcoming 2026 Division 1 season, discussing potential breakout teams, strong conferences, and the impact of key transfers, including Texas Tech's new additions. They also explore predictions for the Women's College World Series, naming Oklahoma, Texas, Nebraska, Tennessee, and others as top contenders. Finally, the coaching tip of the week advises coaches to avoid self-blame when player effort doesn't match the hard work put into coaching, acknowledging that player dedication is crucial to achieving goals. This episode is rich with previews, tips, and celebratory acknowledgments, serving as an essential listen for softball enthusiasts.
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In this episode of 'Everything Fast Pitch' by Fast Pitch Prep, Coaches Tory and Don discuss a variety of topics. They begin with a warmup segment that includes 'Did You Know?', city of the week, player of the week, equipment tip of the week, and a listener question that dives into the rise of elite Division I pitchers. The main segment features part one of an interview with Justin McLeod from D1 Softball, focusing on the upcoming college softball season and the state of professional softball. The discussion covers both Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) and the Professional Softball League (PSL), detailing their impacts and recent developments. Further segments include a talk on the recruiting evaluation period and a coaching tip on prioritizing team practices when practice time is limited.
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In this week's episode of Everything Fast Pitch, Coach Tory and Coach Don connect to record episode 402, marking the beginning of the 2026 season. The discussion covers several key segments, including the warmup segment featuring City of the Week (Charlotte, NC), Player of the Week and an equipment tip about Square Cuts training discs, and an intriguing listener question. The lead-off segment focuses on players' preparation for the spring season, stressing the importance of self-care and conditioning. The clean-up topic addresses how a listener can get started in umpiring. The coaching tip of the week emphasizes coaching players to achieve their goals rather than focusing on avoiding mistakes.
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In this New Year's Week mini episode of 'Everything Fast Pitch' by Fast Pitch Prep, the focus is on the outlook for 2026 in college softball. Coach Tory reflects on the growing viewership and success of the Women's College World Series and other softball events in the past year, questioning how much bigger the sport can get. Topics discussed include the impact of financial investment by schools, particularly around facilities and name, image, and likeness (NIL) money, on competing for championships. Speculation on how the escalation in spending correlates with success, mirroring trends in college football. Additionally, the episode covers the proliferation of softball games accessible via ESPN platforms, the role of podcasts like 'In the Circle' in keeping fans informed, and the influence of social media algorithms in disseminating softball-related content. Lastly, Coach Tory encourages listeners to support college softball at various levels and to engage with the sport through live games and practices.
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In this week's Christmas edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, the host reflects on the past year and expresses gratitude for the progress in women's sports coverage. The episode highlights significant improvements in the visibility of women's sports on major networks like ESPN. The host recalls personal experiences from 2007 and discusses challenges from earlier periods, emphasizing the importance of continued support for women's sports. Additionally, the host thanks Stan for his production efforts, acknowledges the audience's support, and looks forward to an exciting 2026.
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In this week's edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don celebrate their 401st episode and reflect on the significant milestone of having 700 total podcast episodes including mini-pods and prediction shows. They express gratitude to listeners, patrons, and contributors, particularly during the busy holiday season. The program highlights include 'Did You Know' on upcoming city announcements by AU Softball League, 'City of the Week' Las Vegas, 'Player of the Week', and a question on whether it's worthwhile to get a glove re-laced. Key segments include an interview with Steve Dickey from Better Ballgame, who discusses the complexities and challenges of youth sports, particularly in fast pitch softball, with topics like long-term development, the importance of having strong female role models, and the crucial role parents play. The episode concludes with the Action Coach coaching tip of the week, emphasizing the importance of involving players in charitable activities to help those less fortunate and foster better team unity.
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In the 400th episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don celebrate their milestone and discuss a variety of topics. They highlight NiJaree Canady’s inclusion in Forbes' 30 under 30 list, celebrate Chicago, Illinois as the City of the Week, and recognize a Player of the Week. They provide an equipment tip for Christmas, answer a listener's question on coping with faster pitching, and discuss the challenges and solutions for long-term coaches contemplating retirement. They also emphasize the importance of helping players improve their overall athleticism and stress the value of punctuality with the core principle, 'If you're early, you're on time; if you're on time, you're late.' The episode includes thanks to their patrons and a call for continued support, player nominations, and listener engagement.
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This episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, hosted by Coach Tory and Coach Don, covers various segments including City of the Week, Player of the Week, and Equipment Tip of the Week. The lead-off segment discusses recent incidents of athletes' misconduct and the impact it has on sports. The cleanup segment addresses considerations for switching teams, providing advice for players and their families. Finally, the action coach coaching tip emphasizes the importance of positive coaching over fear-based coaching.
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In episode 398 of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss various topics via Zoom, as Coach Don is in Canada. The warmup segment includes a 'Did You Know' about record-setting TV ratings for softball events, Valdosta, GA as the city of the week, and a player of the week. Equipment tips include recommendations for holiday gifts for softball players, such as bats, gloves, and training aids. The listener question discusses the impact of financial investment on college sports success. In the lead-off segment, the show continues an interview with Scott Thomas from Gulf Coast State College, who talks about potential rule changes for junior college transfers and the overall state of college softball. The cleanup segment focuses on recommended holiday gifts for players and coaches. The action coach tip of the week addresses the importance of balancing physical and mental preparation in softball. The episode concludes with expressing gratitude towards patrons and urging listeners to spread the word about the podcast.
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In this week's edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory discusses the podcast agenda for episode 397, including segments such as 'Did You Know,' City of the Week, player of the week, equipment tip, and a listener question about the value of line drive hitters in recruiting. He and Don interview Scott Thomas, head coach at Gulf Coast State College, about the competitiveness and academic opportunities in junior college softball, as well as insights into his team and their fall season performance against top Division I programs. The episode also features a two-part Mount Rushmore project, listing the top softball players from both the past and present and concludes with a coaching tip on using technology in softball training.
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In this episode of 'Everything Fast Pitch' by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss various segments including the warm-up section with the 'Did You Know?' fact featuring the Georgia Dugout Club's Senior All-Star Games at Truist Park, City of the Week, Player of the Week, and an equipment tip focusing on Square Cuts training discs. They address a listener's concern about a coach showcasing player versatility at the cost of playing primary positions during showcases. The episode also highlights the Mount Rushmore of influential fast-pitch coaches with separate lists for old school and new school coaches. In the cleanup topic, they discuss whether players should be made to finish the season even when unhappy and explore the growing importance of mental health in sports. Finally, they offer coaching tips on using video effectively without overwhelming players.
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In this episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don prepare for their 395th episode. The warmup segment includes City of the Week, Player of the Week, an equipment tip, and an intriguing listener question. A listener had some feedback about using stats from pool play to set the lineup in bracket play. The lead-off segment covers significant news about the AUSL announcing a three-year deal with ESPN and expanding to six teams. The cleanup segment emphasizes the importance of respecting and maintaining softball fields, using examples of parks becoming rundown. Finally, the action coaching tip focuses on managing difficult parent relationships in youth softball and the challenges volunteer coaches face.
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In this week's edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Don cover a variety of topics in episode 394. The show starts with a warmup segment featuring the City of the Week, Player of the Week, equipment tip, and an interesting listener question about large strike zones in youth leagues. A key highlight includes the story of a Dodger player demonstrating sportsmanship by cleaning the dugout. The cleanup segment introduces the 'Healthy Sports Parents' site, emphasizing the importance of fun over winning in youth sports. The episode concludes with a discussion on the value of requiring players to report their training activities and how it can impact team dynamics and individual development.
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In this episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss several segments, including the City of the Week, Player of the Week, and an Equipment Tip of the Week. They address a listener's question about improving a 10U team's performance in games compared to their practices. They provide strategies such as using older players to pitch to younger ones for practice. The episode also highlights a continuing conversation on high school sports' longest winning streaks, focusing on a Wisconsin team's 108-game streak. In the Action Coach Coaching Tip of the Week, they explore a quote from Geno Auriemma of UConn Women's Basketball on demanding more from players to discover their true limits. They wrap up with details on their Mount Rushmore project for impactful fast-pitch college players and coaches, alongside encouraging listener engagement and Patreon support.
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Welcome to this week's edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep with Coach Tory and Coach Don. The episode covers various segments, including highlights like 'Did You Know?', which discusses the rapid changes in collegiate sports, specifically pointing out the firing of Penn State's James Franklin. The 'City of the Week' is Kansas City, Missouri, recognized for its active support in fast pitch softball. In the 'Player of the Week' segment, a team is highlighted for their teamwork and resilience. The equipment tip focuses on the benefits of Square Cuts training discs for better hitting efficiency. A listener question sparks a discussion on the importance of practicing hitting despite time constraints. The segment transitions into managing feedback from multiple coaches and instructors. An 'old softball dad' shares nostalgic insights on how travel ball has evolved, emphasizing that serious teams traditionally end their seasons in non-vacation spots. The 'Action Coach Coaching Tip of the Week' stresses the importance of treating practices and training sessions as preparation for 'test day' in games.
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In this week's edition of 'Everything Fast Pitch' by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don cover a variety of compelling topics. The episode opens with updates on the Milwaukee Brewers' playoff status, delving into the legacy of Bob Uecker. Pittsburgh, PA is highlighted as the city of the week, and the Fort Worth Cats are celebrated as the team of the week with recognition to their dedicated players. Equipment tips feature the practical usage of Square Cuts training discs, emphasizing their importance in hitting training. The listener question segment addresses high school softball's longest winning streaks, the financial landscape of women's sports, and the critical need for post-game stretching to prevent injuries. Further discussion includes the challenges and strategies associated with being a lower-tier pitcher on a top-tier team, and effective bunting techniques. The episode wraps up with personalized coaching tips stressing the importance of genuine commitment to practice fundamental skills like bunting, and insights about maintaining communication and ensuring players are prepared for high-pressure situations.
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In this week's edition of 'Everything Fast Pitch' by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory flies solo as he records episode 390. The episode covers several segments: a warmup discussing the upcoming Mary Nutter Classic featuring the Japanese Olympic team, highlights Houston, Texas as the City of the Week, and celebrates a Player of the Week for her dedication and success in softball. An equipment tip highlights the Square Cuts Training Discs, and a listener questions the balance between encouraging multi-sport athletes and the practicality within the demands of travel ball. In the cleanup segment, Coach Tory addresses how to measure player development beyond traditional statistics. The action coach coaching tip discusses the difference between coaching to win versus coaching not to lose, drawing parallels between football strategies and fast pitch softball.
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In this episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss various topics, starting with a historical segment about renowned softball pitcher Eddie Feigner. The episode highlights Duluth, Minnesota as the City of the Week and celebrates a Player of the Week for her dedication to improving her skills. An equipment tip featuring Square Cuts training discs is shared. Two listener questions are addressed: one about the importance of post-practice cool down routines and another offering advice on nurturing a young catcher's enthusiasm despite the challenges. Tory also shares his frustrations with coaching two talented but stubborn players, seeking Don's advice on how to help them progress. The episode concludes with a discussion on the drawbacks of relying solely on statistics for determining game lineups, urging coaches to take a more comprehensive approach.
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In this week's edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory record episode 388. The show covers various segments, including 'Did You Know,' 'City of the Week,' 'Player of the Week,' 'Equipment Tip of the Week,' and a 'Listener Question.' Key topics discussed are strategies for handling adversity inspired by Amanda Scarborough, the issue of 'gentle sports parents,' and the importance of celebrating and documenting achievements in softball. The episode also features a segment on the importance of proactive practice in various challenging conditions.
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In episode 387 of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tori and Coach Don cover a wide range of topics including player highlights, equipment tips, and listener questions. They start with the 'Did You Know' segment featuring Megan Wiggins, a former Georgia softball star now playing for the Savannah Bananas' opponent team, the Tailgaters. San Francisco is named City of the Week due to its historical significance in fast pitch softball. Player of the Week honors go to a player from Burlington, Iowa for her exceptional teamwork and leadership. The show discusses the utility of various hitting tools and gadgets, providing insights into their effectiveness for both novice and experienced players. They also address a listener's frustration with tournament scheduling inefficiencies and offer practical advice for coping with challenging schedules. Finally, the importance of taking teams to watch college games as a learning tool is highlighted, with an emphasis on the value of exposure to high-level play.
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In episode 386 of 'Everything Fast Pitch' by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss various segments including 'Did You Know,' featuring a debate on regional terminology for skin abrasions. The City of the Week is Jacksonville, Florida, and the Player of the Week is recognized for her resilience. Equipment Tip of the Week highlights Square Cuts Training Discs. Listener questions address concerns about the safety of C Flaps versus full cages on batting helmets and guidance on selecting appropriate tournaments for a travel ball team. The show also explores coaching strategies for making tough lineup decisions and the evolving balance between mental and physical aspects of hitting as players progress.
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In this episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss various topics related to softball, including new NCAA rules for seeding the top 32 teams starting in 2026 and recognizing Clearwater, Florida as the City of the Week. They highlight the Fast Pitch Prep player of the week and the importance of strength training for high school athletes. The coaches discuss strategies for building a new high school softball program, including engaging younger players and diversifying practice drills to accommodate different skill levels. Lastly, the importance of CPR and first aid training at all levels of the sport is emphasized, drawing from personal experiences and the necessity of being prepared for emergencies. The episode concludes with a light-hearted quest to determine the regional terminology for 'raspberry' or 'strawberry' injuries in the softball community.
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This episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep with Coach Tory and Coach Don discussing various topics related to fast-pitch softball. This week's warmup segments include 'Did You Know,' City of the Week, Player of the Week, and the Equipment Tip of the Week. Highlighted topics include the rising popularity of softball as evidenced by the viewership of the Little League Softball World Series, the recognition of Madison, Wisconsin as the City of the Week, and the Player of the Week. The lead-off segment discusses the new Youth Athlete of the Year Award by Sports Illustrated and the V Foundation, focusing on its popularity-driven selection process. In the cleanup segment, the focus shifts to recent substantial changes in recruiting due to the transfer portal, the growing influence of junior colleges, and NIL opportunities, emphasizing the need for a wider and more open-minded approach in the recruiting strategy. Finally, the Action Coach Coaching Tip encourages coaches to bring in experts to cover areas where they might lack expertise.
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In episode 383 of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss various ways to enhance softball practices, including how to make situational drills more efficient and game-like using tools like the 'two ball drill.' They explore the phenomenon of top-tier teams collecting talented pitchers and the implications for player development and recruitment. The episode also emphasizes the importance of understanding and practicing the infield fly rule, using examples from recent games to illustrate its significance. Additional segments cover the city and player of the week, listener questions, and a call for community support via Patreon.
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In episode 382 of Everything Fastpitch by Fastpitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss various topics pertinent to fastpitch softball. They highlight the end of the inaugural AUSL team season, featuring the Talons as champions, and debate the unconventional naming of these teams. Albuquerque, New Mexico, is celebrated as the City of the Week, and Kania Anderson of the Mississippi Aces is honored as the Player of the Week for her outstanding performance. They address a listener's question on utilizing the count to a hitter's advantage. They also tackle the challenge of managing input from different coaches during school and travel ball seasons. A segment is dedicated to debating whether it's better for a player to be a benchwarmer on varsity or get significant playing time on JV. The podcast concludes with an Action Coach tip on improving outfield practice and maximizing its benefits.
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In this week's edition of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coaches Tory and Don as hosts. This episode promises a fun and informative lineup, including a 'Did You Know' segment on Little League Softball TV coverage, recognition for Irvine, California as 'City of the Week', and Payton Harris from Mediapolis, Iowa as 'Player of the Week'. They also address a listener's question about NIL money allocation in college sports. In the 'Lead Off' segment, they delve into the increased TV coverage for softball and its impact. The 'Clean Up' segment tackles the difficult topic of handling the situation when a player doesn’t make a desired team. Finally, in the 'Action Coach' segment, they highlight the importance of a player's role in their development, emphasizing that while instruction is a guide, the athlete’s innate ability, work ethic, and determination ultimately determine their growth.
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In this episode of Everything Fastpitch by Fastpitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss several important topics through their warmup, lead off, and coaching segments. They begin with updates on the AUSL's strong growth and potential future changes, advocating for a merger with other professional fast pitch entities and the establishment of city-affiliated teams. The listener segments answer questions on optimizing player experience in travel teams and crucial steps for navigating the recruitment process, highlighting the importance of skill development and realistic goal-setting. Additionally, the episode includes the Player of the Week nomination. Emphasis is also placed on players developing self-awareness of their performance to better self-correct and improve their game.
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In this week's episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Tory and Coach Don dive into various topics related to softball. Episode 379 features segments including 'Did You Know,' focusing on enjoying the end-of-season championships, and 'City of the Week,' spotlighting Seattle, Washington. They discuss the ongoing struggle to get Player of the Week nominations, emphasizing the importance of recognizing hard-working players. The equipment tip highlights the usefulness of Square Cuts training discs. A listener's question addresses the challenge of knowing when to pull a struggling pitcher. The lead-off segment critiques the watered-down state of modern travel softball compared to the past, questioning the abundance of travel teams and their impact. They also discuss the importance of attending recruiting camps, particularly those of targeted schools. The episode concludes with a coaching tip, comparing hitting practice to studying for a challenging test, stressing the need for practicing weaknesses to prepare for high-level game situations.
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In this week's episode of Everything Fast Pitch by Fast Pitch Prep, Coach Don and Coach Tory discuss various topics including the transformation of Colorado into the epicenter for travel softball, the importance of attending these major events, and recognizing a repeat Player of the Week for her efforts in a faith-based softball camp in Montana. The podcast also delves into a listener question about the optimal number of players to use in a hitting lineup during tournaments, examining both the evidence and challenges of shorter game formats. (@14:14) They feature an in-depth part two of an interview with Dr. Matt Wilson, discussing the impacts of the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) agreements and the transfer portal on college sports, with a focus on softball. (@24:58) A pivotal question is addressed in the clean-up segment: How can players push themselves to be the best they can be? (@53:47) Finally, they address the ongoing debate between old school and new school coaching methods, emphasizing a balanced approach to effective player development while highlighting how traditional elements can still be incredibly valuable. (@01:01:03)
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In this edition of Everything Fastpitch by FastpitchPrep, the hosts are back together via Zoom. Key segments in this episode include discussions on the training of Team USA Softball in Oklahoma City, the recognition of Albany, New York as the City of the Week, and a call for more Player of the Week nominations. The interview segment features Dr. Matt Wilson, who provides insights into the shifting dynamics of college sports, focusing on the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policies and their implications along with the changes from the House settlement. The hosts also discuss the culture of 'trophy hunting' in tournaments, where teams are grouped into multiple brackets for wider chances of winning. And finally, they emphasize the importance of honest and constructive feedback in coaching and instruction for young athletes.
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In this edition of Everything Fastpitch by Fastpitch Prep, Coach Tory shares the news that the podcast will return to its regular format next week. This week's mini pod includes the announcement of Kerrigan Welch as the Player of the Week, praises her achievements both on and off the field, and highlights the importance of listener nominations for this recognition. Tory also discusses the increased popularity of the Women's College World Series and the SEC's consideration of a permanent tournament location. Additionally, the podcast touches on the structure and future of professional fast-pitch leagues like AUSL. Finally, Tory's weekly rant addresses the issue of unfair accusations against young players based on their physical maturity and the negative impact such incidents can have on them. The episode concludes with a reminder to support the podcast through Patreon and to visit FastPitchPrep.com for additional resources.
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This show is going to discuss the impact that Texas Tech has had on college softball. We have had a lot of feedback from our discussions of the college world series. Texas Tech has done an excellent job in what they have done. But have they created a template for other teams going forward?
Tampering has been going on for a long time.
Does a super team always lead to success?
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Coach Tory talks about the just finished College World Series. There were things that we can use to help our players improve.
Some things need to be changed to help the flow of the game.
Impact of former men's fastpitch players becoming coaches.
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Colleges are having to make tough choices regarding sports. Some just don't have the money to invest in all sports so they may have to eliminate some sports to keep competitive.
Will the use of NIL and the transfer portal create a new way to have success quickly?
More former players are entering the coaching profession, we wonder if that is reaching far enough into youth teams.
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This week the main discussion revolves around the College World Series regionals and super regionals an looking forward to the World Series.
Tory also observed something that needs to be addressed in a high school age game.
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We will be on a small hiatus from our podcast, Everything Fastpitch. A key member of our crew, our producer, had a little health scare, and he won't be able to produce for a little while. Meanwhile! We will be uploading mini podcasts throughout the time he is away! And once Elizabeth gets comfortable enough with editing, we will be back to Everything Fastpitch the big podcasts!
All of us at Fastpitch Prep thank you for your support, your patience, and your dedication to us! We appreciate you so much more than you know!
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Help with finding the right size bat (@14:35)
- Never ending discussion on travel players playing rec ball (@19:14)
- How much enthusiasm is too much? (@30:29)
- Eliminate I hate slow pitching excuse (@35:12)
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Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Does a player have to be a super star to be recruited? (@12:22)
- Mad Dad Syndrome (@20:34)
- Coaches communicate properly (@31:29)
- Teach Sliding (@35:18)
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Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can we save college sports? (@10:55)
- High School Politics (@18:29)
- Rec and travel issues (@27:41)
- Greatest coaches of all time (@35:19)
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Comments about lack of pitchers (@8:24)
- Feedback about travel ball players participating in Rec Leagues (@16:12)
- Why so many California players in college (@24:25)
- Have a pre-game routine (@30:22)
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Statement: Mental training for players and psychological intervention for parents (@12:57)
- Transitioning from the 11 inch ball to the 12 inch ball (@21:47)
- What's happened to Rec ball (@32:34)
- Plan for all player's needs not an isolated one (@44:36)
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What impact will all the new NCAA changes on the horizon have? (@18:35)
- Great hitting mechanics, but fails in a game (@30:51)
- Managing parents to parents politics (@45:08)
- Rundown disasters (@56:01)
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Coach Tory shares a situation where he had to listen to a coach go into a tirade with his team. This is not how to coach especially early in the season. Listen as the coaches discuss this type of behavior.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Age cutoff changes may be affecting tryout situation (@14:44)
- College season observations (@24:00)
- Spend your money wisely (@38:29)
- Teach skills correctly from the beginning (@45:43)
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In today's environment in the travel ball world, it is imperative that a coach have a strategy/plan on handling their lineup. And it needs to be communicated to the players and parents and be adhered to if you want to have to a better experience.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Fallout from trying out for next year's team already this year (@16:04)
- Stanford playing in football stadium (@27:57)
- Eating better at tournaments (@38:30)
- Communicating with language, phrases and vocabulary that matches your player's level (@44:39)
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Coaches - You must have a player to player communication system, practice it and make sure it is implemented.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Taking a called first strike? (@12:58)
- Cool development in college softball (@24:08)
- Observations at the ball park and glove care (@39:03)
- Teaching pitchers to attack the zone (@41:41)
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We teach our players to wipe off/forget a mistake and not let it affect our performance in the game. But we don't really want them to forget it, because mistakes are how we learn and identify what we need to practice. The discussion today is how to handle this dilemma.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Could the SEC have all 8 teams at the CWS? (@13:27)
- Reaction to the question Does any player chose to be a pitcher only? (@21:15)
- Helping catchers to improve their throwing (@30:12)
- Art of patience (@38:01)
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Especially early in the season our pitchers need practice against hitters and hitters need to see some live pitching. The coaches discuss the need and some options to make this happen.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Feedback from "praise loudly, criticize quietly" (@17:11)
- Pitcher's are hitting (@28:56)
- Follow up to reverse daddy ball (@29:58)
- What is a bracket ready pitcher? (@46:57)
- Compete with yourself (@56:23)
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All fields have to be maintained. A lot of players think that it just happens and don't understand the things that have to be done to keep the field playable. By teaching and having them perform some field maintenance they will have more respect for the facilities and lessen the impact of damage during play. And a lot of school ball settings require them to do field work.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Are 2 different pro leagues good or bad? (@8:30)
- How to win the right way (@14:02)
- Make use of limited practice time (@20:39)
- Create environment where it's save to make a mistake (@29:24)
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There are many different ways to be ready to play a defensive position. We have to teach our players how to move to ready so they are not stationary. A lot of players, especially younger players do not understand this concept.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Unusual situation with player handling the pressure of playing for dad coach(@8:20)
- Recruiting Questions (@16:05)
- Kickoff to the college season (@21:47)
- Learning by watching (@28:13)
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Where does working on pickoff and trick plays fit into practice? Coaches need to evaluate the skill level of their players and make a determination how much time they should devote to these type of drills.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What is most important in college recruiting?(@12:04)
- School ball team has no pitchers, advice on forcing a player to be a pitcher. (@21:08)
- General hitting advice (@30:00)
- Coaching check list (@40:45)
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Coaches need to always be working on improving themselves. Clinics are are great way to meet other coaches and share knowledge.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Do any women's sports actually make any money for their school? (@14:50)
- Correlation between team rankings and player recognition (@23:09)
- Feedback from listeners on the issue of not enough pitchers (@31:24)
- Know the rules if you are going to argue (@53:43)
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How a coach is going to use stats in making game decisions is unique for each coach. But how important they are and the impact on decision making must be communicated to your players. Otherwise discontent and questioning will occur.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Saw top 25 list, what do you think about the SEC dominating the list? (@11:42)
- Interview with Valerie Alston, mental coach, speaker, author and podcaster (@19:29)
- Pitch calling guidance (@49:07)
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The more efficient we are the less likely we get picked off a base and more likely to be able to advance a base. Baserunning practice has to drill down to the small details of footwork to be the more efficient. It's not just take your lead and turn around to come back, but how.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What's more important, what my team does well or what my opponent might do? (@15:31)
- Sorting out the process of trying out for a team (@20:40)
- Most unhittable pitcher in softball (@30:53)
- Importance of coaching at a young age (@38:13)
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How a quote from Catherine the Great can be applied to coaching softball.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What impact will the change allowing Junior College players 4 years of NCAA eligibility have? (@11:36)
- Advice for players and teams for playing in cold weather (@21:50)
- Discussion on the number of social media posts from teams needing pitchers (@31:05)
- Advice for a former baseball player in coaching softball (@44:39)
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We tell players to wipe off mistakes, mishaps or other negative events to perform at their optimum. Today we challenge coaches to wipe the slate clean and start the new year with no preconceived thoughts and evaluate our team and players with a fresh attitude.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Team folded and need advice on finding a new team that is more stable (@12:46)
- When a player has to give up the game (@22:03)
- Feedback from Managers vs Coaches (@30:56)
- Improving Speed (@40:48)
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Things happen. Players get hurt, sick or for other reasons miss games or have to be substituted for in a game. Coaches shouldn't scramble to get a player ready to step in and fill a position, but have a philosophy to stay ready by having players adept at that position already.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Will we see colleges players transferring during the season?(@15:16)
- Response to importance of pitcher/catcher relationship (@23:09)
- Paying to get players (@33:49)
- Master one pitch before adding another one (@43:40)
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You can't have confidence and anxiety. The job of coaches and parents is to reduce anxiety and open the door to confidence.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Why do we see more players being recruited than the stats say there should be? (@10:01)
- Arm care guidelines (@15:21)
- Coach Pat Summitt's Definite Dozen (@24:52)
- Change our line drive drills (@29:56)
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Be aware of recruiting periods to better inform your players. Coach Tory gives you some pointers.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What is holding my player back? Everything seems to be okay but she struggles breaking thru in big moments. (@7:41)
- Things that hold us back. (@11:42)
- Adults should model their behavior that we want our players to follow. (@15:56)
- Coaches be curious and always try to learn. (@19:26)
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The coaches discuss the importance of the relationship between pitchers and catchers. Coaches need to understand this and promote the relationship and use it to their and the team's success.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Value of being on a team with former college players as coaches? (@08:45)
- Helping a team break through the ceiling to success (@14:25)
- Dealing with concussions (@21:13)
- Is adjustment just a work that coaches use when they they don't have a solution? (@29:35)
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The coaches challenge you to pick a coaching skill that you want to improve on and double your knowledge in an offseason.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Advice on working with players with ADHD or a similar issue (@13:37)
- Guideline for creating rules for team decorum (@19:45)
- What age is it appropriate for players to specialize on a position? (@32:14)
- The difference between training and training with a purpose (@36:35)
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The coaches discus the delayed steal. Our players need to understand the delayed steal defensively and offensively. One complements the other in using the delayed steal and preventing others from using it on us.
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This week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: More on creating good relations with college coaches (@11:51)
- Play some game without time limits (@20:14)
- Give your pitchers experience in a big game (@29:12)
- When do you decide that your team is not competitive at the level you expected? @(34:07)
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A discussion on a thought from Greg Olsen's podcast on youth sports. Coaches need to have a goal that each player keeps getting better. And successful coaches keep players getting better the longest.
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This week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Do's and do not's for building relationships with college coaches (@10:59)
- Should players have their name on the back of their jersey? (@19:26)
- Fall vs spring high school softball (@24:24)
- Self scouting for coaches, players and parents (@34:50)
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A listener ask us for advice when a team was consistently obstructing their base runners. We can't teach the specific rules of obstruction and interference. But we can teach them to know when they have the right of way and when they need to get out of the way.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Do stats at a younger age predict later success? (@10:45)
- Coaching staffs need practice too (@13:43)
- End of season equipment cleaning (@17:49)
- Incorporate Live Pitching in practice (@23:09)
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As players advance in their skills, we need to teach them that there are ways to anticipate where a ball may be hit. This will allow them to make plays that they wouldn't make otherwise.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter's teammates are getting offers but she is being recruited but no offers. How can I keep her spirits up? (@07:49)
- Don't complain about playing time, work harder. (@11:58)
- Impact of social media posts on recruiting (@18:26)
- Parents and coaches use safety equipment (@23:03)
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This week the topic revolves around when you have a choice between a player who is good offensively and weak defensively or good defensively and weak offensively. Which one can you have the most impact on that gives you the best team?
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What expectations should a player have when playing in college? (@10:10)
- Forbes Magazine article: More Money equals More Problems (@16:33)
- What college coaches look for in players (@26:33)
- Travel coaches putting together a schedule (@30:48)
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There are time in a game where a player is in a clutch situation. Pressure is on. Coaches need to help the players prepare for these situations.
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This week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is hitting in the 9th spot a sign that the coach thinks I am the worse hitter on the team? (@8:39)
- Etiquette at the ballpark (@:14:03)
- Things that college coaches look for Part 3 (@22:07)
- Getting the most out of home training (@28:29)
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Some players are just hard to coach. They have bad attitudes for a lot of different reasons. How much can you do as a coach with players that bring a lot of baggage with them. We discuss that coaches have an opportunity to change lives and give some tips on reaching these types of players.
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This week's Lineup:
Note: some of these topics are based upon recruiting questions from listeners. But coaches of all ages should listen, because if you know what makes a recruitable college player it will help you develop players that are better at any age.
- Warmup Segment
- Travel impact of conference changes (@1:55)
- Listener question: How excited should a player be when invited to a prospect camp? (@10:16)
- What positions usually get recruited first? (@19:02)
- Traits that college coaches are looking for in recruits (@26:39)
- Understand Quality at Bats (@35:21)
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Today's discussion is whether coaches should implement a policy of emphasizing academics by requiring certain standards. Academics and outside activities have always been a conflict and parents have had to balance them out. What should the coaches role be?
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This week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Girls who play sports become women who lead (@02:28)
- Listener Question: What should a runner at second do in various situations? (@19:18)
- Update on paying college players (@29:08)
- Top things that college coaches are looking for (@42:52)
- Coaches should deliver what they are promising (@48:04)
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Players and coaches should not have a predisposition that a batter should always stand in the same spot in the batter's box. We preach "make adjustments" and that should apply to the stance. Good advice for players and coaches in the types of adjustments that can be made.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Go watch some fall ball (@2:55)
- Listener Question: Why are men's and women's pitching styles so different? (@12:02)
- Review of Recruiting Calendar (@18:15)
- Daddy Ball (@22:34)
- Slow pitching is not a valid excuse to not hitting (@35:25)
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We discussed in the last Everything Fastpitch podcast that a great number of teams continue advertising that they need pitchers. One of the solutions to this problem is for sanctioning bodies to implement pitching restrictions. This would require teams to develop more pitchers and they could not utilize one pitcher the majority of the time. One of the reasons that pitchers give up on pitching is that they don't get to pitch while developing. Pitching limitations would require coaches to use more pitchers in games and would also make the teams more competitive because teams could not rely on one stud pitcher. Listen to this in-depth discussion before forming an opinion.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Section
- How many college softball programs? (@2:39)
- Listener Question: Bad or good strategy in allowing the catchers and pitchers call pitches? (@9:52)
- There are not enough pitchers (@17:15)
- The final segment in separating college programs using professional baseball structure (@26:35)
- Coaching is a position that requires continuing education (@34:11)
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This episode discusses the impact the pitch count has on a hitter's success.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter wants to study medicine, will that limit the schools that she can play softball? (@11:56)
- How the additional scholarships will affect colleges (@17:35)
- Further breakdown of College Athletics using the baseball model (@28:27)
- A question every coach should ask themselves (@42:33)
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Straight line running is a skill and everyone can get better. Players are at many different levels when it comes to speed. Coaches need to educate themselves or get someone with track experience and incorporate running drills into their practice plans.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Softball Little League World Series (@2:39)
- Listener Question: How much do professional softball players make? (@14:46)
- Respect your glove (@22:17)
- Classifying college teams (@30:32
- Coaches can change lives (@38:39)
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In this episode we use a quote from Samuel Beckett about failing better. Failures are a major part of our game and we need to think about ways to handle them better.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What type of players should I be looking for to field a new 12U team? (@13:26)
- Travel Ball Silly Season. Teams switching organizations and players switching teams is out of control. (@20:11)
- Continuation of classifying college teams using professional baseball structure. (@33:40)
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This week the topic is the 0-2 pitch and what should the pitcher be trying to do.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Softball in the Olympics (@2:50)
- Listener Question: Future of the role of slapping (@9:45)
- Thoughts on a coach retiring (@15:50)
- Classifying colleges and conferences (@22:16)
- It's just a dream (@29:34)
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Some players have attributes you want but their skill level is not quite up to what is needed. It often happens that you keep that player with the hope that she might make it. Is it better to make the cut early or see what happens?
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Impact of increase in scholarship limits (@2:48)
- Listener Question: Advice on starting in the lesson business (@20:28)
- Comparing college athletics to structure of professional baseball (@28:05)
- Too much negative feedback is a problem (@37:18)
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We have all seen it or been a part of it. A team is beating a team that is better and should beat them or we make a big rally and go ahead in a game and LOSE. It is something that coaches have to work on and create that mindset of believing and we belong here. Don't get nervous and start hoping to win and become defensive. Sometimes you can just feel the tension and know it is not going to end well.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Defending first and third with runner on third and batter walked. (@22:08)
- Challenges of starting a new team (@31:28)
- Managing when your daughter wants to quit (@38:35)
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Make the correct decision as a runner on third when the ball is hit. Practice and drill into the player's minds,
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There is no way that rankings of travel ball players can be accurate. Too many teams and too many tournaments for anyone to know.
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Showcases or tournaments that require you to use specific lodging can create a serious problem with your families. If you are contemplating one of these events, you need to have serious conversations with the parents on your team. You have to know your families well enough to know that it won't be a problem for every family. Some want to attend, but the only way they can is to find more affordable housing.
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When we go to a showcase, we don't know if we are going to be scheduled to play at a satellite field. Sometimes these fields are some distance from the primary sites. When this happens it makes it more difficult for college coaches to see the players that they want to see. Players and coaches have to be prepared when this happens to figure out not only the game schedule, but when players are going to be playing and let the college coaches that they are interested in know when and where they are. The further removed you are from the primary fields, the harder you have to work.
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Relying on pick-up players to field a team is a sign of weakness and a problem with the basics of the team. Picking up a pitcher can make sense if we are down one. Using a pickup player as a means of trying out one, is a good strategy.
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The idea of a pitching staff vs. a pitching ace. You need to have a strategy on how and when to use that staff to have the best chances of winning at the end. You can't rely on just a pitching ace.
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Working the count and getting the pitch counts up is a strategy that works for baseball, but it isn't the same in softball.
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When we focus on walks and getting the pitch counts up, be ready and don't take a called third strikes.
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Using analytics is very helpful for our game, but we are seeing a trend with hitters trying to work the count. This results in them not being ready to hit the ball no matter what the count. They are missing some great pitches to hit.
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Sometimes we form an opinion of a player and keep it over time. Players develop and change as well as their mental game. The game changes, it keeps getting faster. Therefore we need to evaluate all players and what they are contributing on a continuing basis. They may not be performing at the level of our opinion or they would help the team in a different position.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is on a successful team with several pitchers. She is at recruiting age, should she change teams so that she gets more pitching time? (@12:34)
- 3 Costs of Leadership by Kirby Smart, Georgia's football coach (@19:18)
- Trend in college coaches leaving the sport (@27:38)
- Recruiting tip about behavior (@37:14)
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We discuss the possibility that a player who really wants to quit softball, might enter the portal as a way of stop playing without having to say I quit.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Family asks for suggestion of where to locate (@11:56)
- Paige's Power Play: Response to failure determines out success (@18:46)
- End of college season wrap up (@21:25)
- Keeping the fun in fundamentals (@42:52)
- Value of outfielders (@48:30)
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We have all seen it, an error is made fielding a ball or a throw is bad and the fielders become spectators. We have to teach and practice with our players that if something goes wrong their responsibilities change. They need to see what is happening and realize that the initial play is over and that a play is going to be made at a different base and their coverage or backup duties have changed and get in position.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Follow up to last week's question about entering the transfer portal (@13:09)
- Paige's Power Play: Failure Recovery Document (@18:21)
- Respect the fields you play on (@20:54)
- Why are team always looking for players? (@35:16)
- Action Coach Tip: Optimism (@40:25)
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We have to start at the younger ages to teach players the strategic importance of swapping runs for an out. The coaches use a game from the super regionals to show the importance. They stress that we have to train the players so when it becomes important they are prepared.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can you give me some advice on my daughter entering the transfer portal? (@11:42)
- Interview with Marty McDaniel, long time college coach (Part 1) (@16:57)
- Marty McDaniel has started softball at a college, coached at the highest level and will be coaching a professional team.
- Interview with Marty McDaniel, long time college coach (Part 2) (@42:40)
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It is summer time or close to it. Your player's and parent's lives are going to change. School won't be dictating a schedule and your players will be involved in additional activities. The family dynamics will change. You may have player's school years ending at different times, What has been the status quo is gone. It is up to you to adapt and embrace what you have and not be frustrated with what you don't have.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is it okay to use a bat weight in the on-deck circle? (@10:29)
- Paige's Power Play: Successful athletes and failure (@13:27)
- If you celebrate everything, how do you celebrate something special (@15:46)
- Instant Replay is out of control (@23:30)
- Practice coaching 3rd base (@30:32)
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This week the coaches discuss the need to teach players not to react to an umpires call and forget about what is going on in the game. We have seen it at the highest level, where a player starts protesting what they think is a bad call and the other runners keep on going.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Players are skipping high school ball, is this a thing? (@15:13)
- Paige's Power Play: Stats about confidence in girls (@24:34)
- Best time of the year to watch softball (@28:07)
- Summer camp season. How to pick the best option. (@35:18)
- Action Coach Tip: Game plans are important in games and business (@40:16)
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Coach Tory Acheson gives his review of the Division 1 NCAA Tournament Regionals. He breaks down each Region and predicts the winners. He also gives insight of the unseeded teams and which ones to watch out for.
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The coaches discuss situational coaching when we have a lead and just need outs. Coach Tory is watching a lot of softball while he is recuperating and he sees things that he just doesn't understand.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Daughter moved up to a stronger team, but now wants to quit. Any advice? (@11:42)
- Paige's Power Play: Stop hoping for a bounce back from a mistake, take action (@17:23)
- A lot of player's are ending their careers and we can learn from them and put things in perspective (@20:45)
- Pro Fastpitch is in trouble, how can we help? (@28:57)
- Action Coach Tip: Noisy workplaces(@32:33)
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The coaches discuss the need for better base running decisions. Even at the collegiate level there are too many mistakes being made. We have to drill the players until they understand the game situation and the do's and don't's.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How to build hitting lineup? (@9:25)
- Paige's Power Play (@13:58)
- Interview about the importance of CPR and first aid. (@16:40)
- How a quote from Geno Auriemma applies to softball (@36:03)
- Action Coach Tip (@43:03)
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When learning/practicing skills there needs to be a reflection pause between reps for the athlete to evaluate what was right and what was wrong. If we just speed through reps, improving the skill takes more time.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Why are fields that school ball and travel ball use in such bad condition? (@11:15)
- Paige's Power Play: Failure Recovery (@18:19)
- In some areas the school ball teams have a no-cut policy and the roster size is too large. What do we think? (@20:43)
- Traveling long distances to play when there isn't high level options available locally. (@28:09)
- Communication and clear directions (@34:12)
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Coaches, Instructors and Parents need to be consistent in the message they are sending to the players. A confused player is an inconsistent player. For the benefit of the player, everybody has to work together. The coaches discuss the relationship between players and coaches and instructors and parents.
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This week's Lineup
- Catchers must back up first base (@0:39)
- More games are lost than won (@13:49)
- Quit saying "My Bad" (@26:39)
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Players need to advance their skills by practicing skills that are out of their comfort zone but not into their panic zone. In this episode we discuss the three zones that people fall into when performing tasks. The comfort zone where we are totally comfortable. The stretch zone where we are being pushed beyond what we are comfortable with. And finally the panic zone where we are asked to perform a task that we are incapable of performing. The coaches give you advice on how to use this knowledge to make it easier to develop your players.
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A listener asks for some advice for bullying on a team whether this be physical, mental or isolating some players. This is a topic that all coaches should be on the watch for,
Training hitters for fast pitchers. Hitting is reaction time and there are some drills that we can do to help them.
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Hitting through the ball is a concept that a lot of players have trouble grasping. The coaches discuss what it means and some tips on how to improve your players hitting.
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This weeks lineup:
- Coaches who yell. Some advice to coaches and parents who scream and yell during games and practices.
- Too many travel teams. There are more players than ever and that is great, but we don't have enough pitchers to support the number of teams. Changes need to be made and the people putting these teams together need to be more realistic of how far up the food chain they can go.
- Look Good, Play Good
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This week we help coaches whose primary experience is in the baseball world understand the difference between communication required in softball as opposed to baseball.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Strengths of batting the entire lineup or nine hitters (@12:09)
- Paige's Power Play: Mental work helps confidence (@22:36)
- Moving players around at a young age (@25:28)
- College Softball observations (@33:17)
- Slumps (@44:54)
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We have all seen it, players cannot execute the very basics of playing catch but they are practicing run downs, relays, etc. No matter what level you coach at, but especially those with inexperienced players, you have to be able to throw and catch. It may be boring, you might have to divide your players into groups but you have to work on throwing and catching until the players are competent, before moving onto anything else involving throwing and catching.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What are ways to set up hitting stations for practices? (@12:00)
- Paige's Power Play: Getting Past Perfection (@15:58)
- Why do organizations advertise having national, premier or gold level teams.(@18:51)
- Lack of respect for stars in women's sports? (@27:34)
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We see this too often. In a game we are hitting with 100% effort, but in our training we don't practice at 100%. It doesn't make since to practice at a different level of effort than how we want to perform in a game. Make adjustments.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Are softball superstitions good or bad? (@13:24)
- Paige's Power Play: What visualization is like (@18:37)
- Importance of non-softball training (@25:47)
- Slow Pitching is not an excuse for hitting problems (@38:14)
- Be x Do = Have (@48:49)
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Our game has many different ways that a player can injure themselves. As coaches we can't prevent the freak accidents. Even professional athletes get hurt and they have expert coaching staffs. But we can be aware enough to help our players do things correctly and understand any current issues they have that must be taken into consideration with our plans.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Footwork for right handed first basemen (@14:05)
- Paige's Power Play: We can be too humble (@20:12)
- Why have we gotten so combative in games lately? (@23:29)
- Helping catcher's adapt to different pitchers (@31:43)
- Learn from your peers (@39:53)
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Newton's first law of motion states that “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion". This applies to softball and the coaches discuss how players should be moving into a ready state instead of reacting from a stationary position.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Batter/Runner and Catcher's obligation on a dropped 3rd strike? (@13:15)
- Paige's Power Play: Why taking a break is bad is a myth (@19:00)
- Interview with EAS recruiting service (@22:31)
- Please call the strike zone (@39:46)
- Work your A's off (@53:53)
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The coaches discuss the impact of equipment on the game of softball. Their decades of experience give them a unique perspective to the changes.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How much should my daughter warm up before each game? (@12:21)
- Paige's power Play: Free Parent Training (@19:05)
- Part 2 of Interview with Justin McLeod of D1Softball (@21:38)
- Observations from games I've seen at the beginning of the season (@42:25)
- Quote from Usain Bolt and how it applies today (@54:55)
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We often hear from students and former students that their coach wants everyone on the team to do something the same way. In this episode we discuss that all players are not physically and athletically the same and maximizing their performance may mean that having a set philosophy is not the best thing.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter was called out after being hit with a batted ball while standing on second base. Is this the correct call? (@8:39)
- Paige's Power Play: Free Parent Training (@12:21)
- Interview with Justin McLeod of D1 Softball (@15:17)
- Infield Fly Rule (@42:30)
- Action Coach Tip: Story telling (@50:48)
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This is a podcast that every coach and parent of a team should listen to. The financial situation of a family plays a part in the dynamics of a team. Coaches are not expected to investigate a family's financial situation, but they have to understand that a family commits to a team based upon the coach's plan during the formation of the team. Every team will have families with a diverse range of financial abilities and every one on the team needs to understand and respect that. It is the head coach's duty to stay within the financial boundaries set during the commitment time or have a plan to finance extras.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What is you reaction to this survey of parents on their expectation of playing softball? (@10:10)
- Paige's Power Play: How to stop worrying about what others think. (@17:50)
- "How do you coach in an environment where the players feel they owe you nothing and you owe them everything" Geno Auriemma (@21:21)
- Maximizing your coaching staff. Do everything or spread the responsibilities? (@33:05)
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Lots of teams talk about having team bonding activities. The coaches discuss whether these are important for teams and have a benefit. They talk about the challenges of planning them and the trade off with less practice time.
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This week's Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Parent is worried about statement a coach is making. (@10:18)
- Paige's Power Play: How to help your daughter play with boldness. (@18:43)
- College Camp Strategy for a catcher (@21:50)
- Discussion of statement "My job is to find someone better than you, your job is to make sure I can't"(@31:53)
- Community Service (@41:06)
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Head coaches have to be a manager and can't take responsibility for every task. This is especially true in games. You cannot keep your finger on the pulse of the game and try to look after everything else. You lose focus on the game if your worrying about the lineup, dugout, bullpens, substitutions, etc.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should paying team dues guarantee you a certain amount of playing time? (@13:00)
- Paige's Power Play: How to stop being her own worst enemy. (@15:53)
- College softball is an Equivalency sport. What does that mean? (@19:06)
- Suggestions to someone applying for a coaching position. A listener is applying for a high school coaching position and wanted some advice. (@30:00)
- Take time before the beginning of the season to have a plan for the seaason. (@35:24)
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Coaches, if you are working hard to get your team to perform and it isn't working we need to change something. We need to step back and take a look at what we are doing and make some adjustments. Our job is to determine why they aren't getting what we are teaching. It could be they just don't understand, don't have the skills or other factors. So, do something different.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Listener questions philosophy of not trying to hit ground balls. (@8:52)
- Paige's Power Play: Parent training (@22:25)
- Are we in a "changing of the guard" period in college sports? (@27:07)
- Should a player be comfortable when talking to the coach? (@41:01)
- People develop habits and their habits determine their success. (@47:34)
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To play the game successfully it takes practice and game experience. Coaches need to understand which skills are only learned in practice and skills that have to be learned in games. If we mix them up, players are going to be confused and make the wrong changes.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What is the role of a parent in determining the coachability of a player? (@11:02)
- Paige's Power Play: Parent Training (@15:13)
- Strong recommendation for a movie to help players. (@18:50)
- Aristotle Quote relating to sports: “Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, and intelligent execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives - choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” (@27:05)
- Goals and word of the year (@33:28)
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Coaches have a strategy for a game that involves lineups, pitching and playing positions. Sometimes it just isn't working. Be willing to break from your strategy to adapt for what is working today.
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Warmup Segment
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is it important to be part of a large organization? (@14:52)
- Paige's Power Play: Even dads understand that the mental game is important.(@23:38)
- Coach Tory and Coach Don take opposite sides on the major changes that have been made in the game of softball. (@27:27)
- Hitters need to understand the ingredients in a good swing and what is making them successful day after day. If they don't understand what, it will always remain a mystery. (@47:17)
- Benefits of reflection. (@54:35)
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We hear it all the time. Well team X is practicing even though the weather is atrocious, so we need to. Team X is playing in tournaments every weekend so we must. Just because other teams are doing something does not necessarily mean it is best for your team. Make decisions based upon what makes your team better at the end.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How much should a 10U team practice? (@9:28)
- Paige's Power Play: Prepare for a new year (@15:12)
- Is it important for teammates to be friends? (@18:25)
- Why is bunting rare now? (@28:03)
- Body language is important (@33:01)
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In our game we use items that can turn into weapons. Bats and balls can do serious damage to humans. Coaches have to have safety procedures that everyone knows and be willing to hand out consequences to individuals that do not adhere to them.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Group vs Individual Lessons (@8:25)
- Paige's Power Play: Creating a vision board (@15:30)
- NCAA proposal on paying athletes (@18:46)
- Another NCAA Recruiting Term (@33:58)
- Why we should enjoy coaching (@39:23)
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The coaches discuss how to tell if it is time to retire from the coaching ranks. There are several things to consider and a decision that all coaches at all levels have to make.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is it really beneficial to be the home team? (@20:08)
- Paige's Power Play; Vision Board Workshop (@24:20)
- Another NCAA Recruiting Period definition (@28:54)
- Pickup Players (@35:13)
- Coaches and Parents need to understand what a player is working on during lessons. (@47:43)
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This week we followup from our discussion last week about players playing multiple sports. Last week we primarily discussed the transition from season to season and the overlap. This week we discuss dealing with players that play other sports that coincide with softball and the problems that creates.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Coaches want a smaller player to use a 33" bat. Is this the right decision? (@14:52)
- Paige's Power Play: Don't be afraid to go first! (@22:13)
- Good player is not a good practice player. What can I do? (@27:06)
- Club Softball in College is a good option. (@39:13)
- Unseen leaders in softball and business (@46:29)
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Many softball players play other sports and seasons overlap now more than ever. We need to take this into consideration and plan activities for the individual player based upon what they are doing in another sport. You have to help them during transitions and overlaps to prevent injuries, fatigue and just being tired.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How much will allowing leaping change the game? (@12:38)
- Paige's Power Play: How to avoid having a mistake turning into a bad day.(@18:17)
- Are there any places that are softball dead spots? (@21:55)
- Coaches pay attention to changes in the game. (@30:27)
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To be properly prepared, a coach needs a master list of everything that needs to be covered in getting a team ready for the season. Then they need to keep a punch list of things that need to be improved. This helps in creating a practice plan and to keep things from falling through the cracks.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Why are college coaches not very interested in 16U teams now? (@13:51)
- Paige's Power Play: Benefits of a year's mentorship. (@19:43)
- NCAA terms explained (@24:18)
- Impact of negative comments (@32:14)
- Developing players and employees (@40:35)
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We need to understand a player's individual mental makeup and expectations. Their individual characteristics has to be considered in coaching and teaching players. We have to get them to understand the game fully and comprehend what is good and bad.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: On every team there are players that are prospects and some are suspects. Are they handled differently? (@13:57)
- Paige's Power Play: How to help you athlete feel empowered. (@19:01)
- D1 school adding Softball (@22:56)
- The game doesn't care about feelings. (@31:03)
- Problem players and parents and their impact. (@40:19)
Link to MagicMind Discount Code:" fastpitch20"
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Sometimes coaches spend a lot of time talking about how to improve a skill or handle a situation. Talking can be helpful if it paints a picture for the recipient so that they can visualize it, otherwise it is of minimal benefit. The message is - spend more time performing the skills than talking about them. And learn how to explain things better.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is it a waste of time at practice for outfielders to practice in the infield or vice versa?(@12:18)
- Paige's Power Play: Notes from an interview with a former collegiate soccer player. (@22:24)
- Interview with Tommy Moffitt, one of the nation's premier strength and conditioning coaches . Bio: @28:17)
- Doing better next time! (@1:20:06)
MagicMind
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A small physical adjustment sometimes is a useful tool to help a player that is struggling. The coaches discuss how to help players understand this concept.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What's the best way to announce a lineup? (@10:10)
- Paige's Power Play; Trust, Trust, Trust (@15:57)
- Second part of interview with Justin McLeod (@21:08)
- Fundamental changes in College Recruiting (@34:16)
- Keeping enthusiasm with a struggling team (@44:21)
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We have finished our tour around the field discussing coaching the different defensive positions. But we need to consider the importance of the DP/Flex and bench players and how we need to train them.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Once I have contacted a college coach, how long should I wait for a response? (@12:03)
- Paige's Power Play: Building trust in myself (@27:02)
- Interview with Justin McLeod (@30:17)
- The aging of umpires (@57:48)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with right field this week.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Key college player transfers after the fall season. What is your opinion? (@13:21)
- Paige's Power Play: Struggling mentally in the recruiting process (@19:33)
- Development of players has to be the main objective of coaches. (@23:52)
- Playing on more than one team. Is this a good idea? (@33:37)
- Trust the Process. What does it mean? (@41:31)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with center field this week.
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This week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How do you rebuild a players confidence? (@18:25)
- Paige's Power Play: Who I Am(@24:47)
- Rec League decision making;. (@28:28)
- High School Ball is important (@40:48)
- Networking (@49:16)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with left field this week.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is not in the best physical condition. Our team does a lot of conditioning exercises and my daughter takes it personally. Any tips for helping her out? (@09:41)
- Paige's Power Play: Preparing mentally is just as important as team warmups. (@24:42)
- Discussion about relationship between parents and their child's performance. (@27:58)
- Should cell phones be allowed at practice? (@36:53)
- How should a player handle different feedback they get from coaches? (@46:21)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with shortstop this week.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Playing Middle School ball and not getting much playing time. Schedule keeps us from lessons. Should we stay with the team or quit and go to her training? (@11:03)
- Paige's Power Play: Thoughts from my interview with Ashley Prange(@23:30)
- Team Camps at colleges (@28:41)
- The Movie "I Can" A softball based movie that we need to support. (@46:04)
- Time Management (@54:41)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with third base this week.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Suggestions for a pitching mat. (@12:35)
- Paige's Power Play: One little thing to help your daughter gain confidence. (@20:16)
- Some questions about recruiting. (@24:18)
- Is trying to play softball during the College World Series a good idea? (@34:04)
- Can I switch and become a slapper. Slapping is hard. (@41:34)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with second base this week.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should we be concerned with issues related to sanctioning bodies? (@15:25)
- Paige's Power Play: You don't have to be perfect. (@22:25)
- Questions from a parent of a freshman college player (@25:51)
- Study on pitching injuries (@40:48)
- We need to develop more pitchers (@51:46)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each of the positions with first base this week.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How to deal with extreme heat. (@10:48)
- Paige's Power Play: Visualization can create confidence. (@16:46)
- Review of softball injuries. (@19:25)
- NIL creating havoc in college athletics. (@30:37)
- Coaching is hard (@42:20)
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We continue our series on coaching defense for each position. This week we cover the catcher.
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This week's lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is a pitching machine a good investment? (@11:11)
- Paige's Power Play: The car ride home. (@18:35)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: Should I be concerned about my pitching daughter being overused? (@21:58)
- Interview with Jordan Dail(former collegiate player, professional player and college coach) This is a great interview for players to listen to as she tracks her career from rec ball through playing pro ball with the Texas Smoke. (@32:48)
- Helping players with timing pitches (@1:07:22)
- Action Coach Tip: (@1:23:10)
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This week we start a series on coaching defense for the individual positions. The first position we cover is the pitcher.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question : Quality of play at the Little League Softball World Series (@08:09)
- Paige's Power Play: Is your daughter playing for the wrong reasons? (@13:57)
- Should we limit how much a pitcher throws? (@17:36)
- Frustration with different styles of recruiting players. (@27:58)
- Handling players with questionable attitudes. (@40:06)
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Improving our skills is not just working harder. We also must work smart and sometimes we have to take a different approach. If we find ourselves working harder and harder but not improving we need to step back and take a look. We may need to do things differently to reach a new level. The coaches discuss these concepts in further detail.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can you give us some tips on outfield communication?(@14:40)
- Paige's Power Play: Confidence is a choice. (@29:27)
- Craziness in college athletics (@32:30)
- Transition into college ball (@50:48)
- Creating guidelines for your team. (@59:02)
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It is daunting to coach a team at the beginning level. You have players at many different skill levels. You could have players that have decent skills for their age group to kids that never have put on a glove or picked up a bat. Planning practices is very challenging to come up with drills that the experienced players won't hate or the beginners can't keep up. Listen as the coaches discuss coaching at this level.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Are items advertised on Social Media legitimate? (@9:54)
- Paige's Power Play: How to re-frame your nervous approach.(@13:27)
- Relationship between Parents and Players in sports (@16:49)
- What do comments in a game really mean to the umpire (@28:20)
- Strategic break for coaches and teams (@35:58)
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At the beginning of a new season it is imperative that we realize that we have players that are all coming from different situations. Odds are that your team is not all of the same players from the last season and your play just continued into the new season with no break. The players will be in different levels of condition depending upon how and when their last season ended. The ones that came from different teams or are rejoining your team after school ball may handle game situations entirely different from your philosophy. Listen as the coaches discuss handling starting a new season for things to think about.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter plays first base almost exclusively, should I buy her a first baseman's mitt? (@11:57)
- Paige's Power Play: Thoughts from interview with a Head Coach (@15:01)
- 2nd part of interview with Wayne Richey of the Carolina Patriot Collegiate League, in the American Collegiate League (@23:58)
- Coach loses a game intentionally, thoughts on this strategy (@36:46)
- Action Coach Tip: Thoughts on ASA/USA in the softball community (@45:29)
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Coaches, don't fall into the trap of coaching the way you always have. The game is evolving, new techniques are being developed and things we once thought were true are being proven to be incorrect. Continuing education is important for you and your players. Listen as the coaches discuss this topic.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What if you want to tryout for other teams after getting an offer? (@13:25)
- Paige's Power Play: Highlights from interview with Rylee Holtrof (@19:30)
- DR3 Fastpitch Question: Travel Ball vs. School Ball (@24:27)
- Interview with Wayne Richey of the Carolina Patriot Collegiate League, in the American Collegiate League (@35:06)
- Player Reactions to Team Building Activities (@52:38)
- Trap of offense built around running bases (@1:04:44)
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We see teams advertising tryouts for next season and they are still playing games this season. Can you really manage your current team and keep them focused while looking ahead to next year. It is a "keeping up with the Joneses" scenario. Listen to the coaches opinions. Remember you committed to coaching this team.
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This week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Suggestions for dealing with the stuff that goes on within travel teams. (@19:01)
- Paige's Power Play: Post game talk (@27:24)
- You must coordinate and share information with the coaches in your lives. All of the people involved in your recruiting efforts need to know everything that is transpiring. (@31:53)
- Thoughts on playing in indoor softball tournaments. (@38:07)
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Getting ready for the next level includes a whole bunch of things. Listen to the discussion where the coaches talk about what getting ready for the next level should include. When a team you are looking at is using that phrase, you really need to understand what that means to them and is it what you really need for yourself.
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(This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What is you opinion of the concept of live pitching during practice? (@13:11)
- Paige's Power Play Just saying belief in yourself is not enough (@23:55)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: Is the rule change on leaping by the NCAA a benefit for the pitcher? (@26:24)
- Instructors and coaches need to help players prepare for tryouts (@31:53)
- Where are the D1 college located? (@42:25)
- Action Coach tip of the week.: Don't barrage players with things not to do in a game. (@48:53)
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In this episode we discuss the style of catching with one knee on the ground. What are the benefits and what limitations does it place on the catcher in catching and blocking.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How important are game stats for recruiting? (@11:41)
- Paige's Power Play: Mental games at the WCWS (16:41)
- DR3 Fastpitch Question: Shoes for a pitcher (@20:05)
- Part 2 of interview with Justin McLeod of Extra Inning Softball - Changes in the future of the game (@25:55)
- Recruiting tips (@55:03)
- Recognize the time to win and the time to learn. (@1:02:39)
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Why do we enjoy the first slice of pizza more than the fifth? The first slice meets a need, while the fifth slice becomes overindulgence and will probably make us feel worse. This is the law of diminishing returns, which states that there comes a point when adding additional factors decreases the output. That first slice tastes so good, but with each additional slice we don't get the same sensation. The coaches discuss how the number of games a team plays can result in less enjoyment and effort.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Treatment of pickup players (@10:47)
- Paige's Power Play: Pain is necessary(@15:27)
- Season in review with Justin McLeod (@18:45)
- Reminders for showcases (@43:38)
- Dealing with part time effort (@51:34)
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Should I coach or instruct my own child? Some can and some can't. In this episode we discuss various things to think about if you are coaching your child's team or working with her at home. The coaches have seen 1000's of players and have seen the interaction between player and parent. This is a great episode if you are doing it or are thinking about it. Also some of it applies to just being a spectator.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What do teams mean when they say "Distance is not an issue"? (@11:06)
- Paige's Power Play: Respect (@16:09)
- Being great isn't the only thing. (@19:33)
- Reminders for Showcase Season (@32:09)
- Coaches make playing the outfield fun. (@39:00)
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It happens to all teams, we start a game flat or lose to a team we should have beaten easily. The coaches discuss this phenomenon and have some suggestions of how to avoid it and some possible causes.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is it a good or bad thing to have a team so dominant?(@10:24)
- Paige's Power Play; Let's stop gossip. (@19:04)
- DR3 Fastpitch Question: My daughter does not have much endurance. Please advise? (@22:29)
- Observations of the college season. (@38:16)
- Team Culture(@1:03:40)
- Loser's bracket is not as bad as you think, (@1:13:51)
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The coaches discuss the post game meeting. It takes discipline and planning to have an effective post game discussion. You have to be careful with emotions and not let them take over what you are trying to accomplish.
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Coach Tory recaps the D1 College World Series and Oklahoma winning another title. Listen to his insightful thoughts on the progress of national recognition of our sport and what we can expect in the future.
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Coach Tory's analysis of Oklahoma and Florida State heading into the CWS Finals. He uses the word relentless to characterize Oklahoma and systematic to characterize Florida State. Listen as he explains why he uses these terms and what we can expect.
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Most teams have a goal of playing in an event that is the culmination of their season. And they want to peak at this event. If we put pressure on ourselves to win every time out, then we hinder ourselves from doing some experimenting. Finding the best combination of players and positions requires trying different lineups. For example, you may have a shortstop that has great range and usually this allows her to make a play on one hit a game that no other player on your team can make. You have a center fielder that is capable of making the plays at shortstop except for that one hit. The range of the shortstop allows her to make 4 extra plays on balls hit to center field. You gain 3 outs by switching them. The only way you can know this is by trying and the best time is earlier in the season.
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This weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How many practices should you have each week? (@12:02)
- Paige's Power Play: Choices (@20:37)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: My daughter has developed a habit when she is pitching. Is this something that I should be worried about? (@28:14)
- Should players show emotion towards an official? (@39:08)
- Crazy Games (@50:44)
- If we haven't practiced it, don't do it. (@58:44)
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Coach Tory gives his thoughts to the just completed Super Regionals and some thoughts on the upcoming CWS.
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This episode highlights the need for players to use protective gear and coaches need to promote and require their players to use them.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Value in watching the CWS games. With limited professional players, these are the players that our players can look up to, emulate,have connection to, etc (@7:57)
- Listener Question: When people are considering players for awards, is it just on the field accomplishment or do other things get consideration? (@11:54)
- Paige's Power Play: The formula for confidence (@17:04)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: My daughter was hit in the shin with a line drive and it has affected her pitching. What can I do to help her? (@20:09)
- Coaching Female Athletes is significantly different. (@36:13)
- CWS Regional Surprises (@48:55)
- Action Coach Tip (@59:42)
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Coach Tory Acheson with his decades of Collegiate Softball experience gives you his breakdown of the D1 Regionals that were completed this past weekend. And then it's on to the Super Regionals.
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The coaches discuss a method of positive and negative distance to help players understand where they need to position themselves and be able to cover a base on a steal. Left on their own, they are usually to far or to close to the base. Practice methods are discussed for them to better visualize where they should be.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Salaries of top level college coaches. (@13:42)
- Paige's Power Play: Visualization (@20:30)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: Advice on a pitcher moving from the 11 inch ball to the 12 inch ball. (@23:56)
- Team exploited a rule to force interference. (@30:00)
- Ability to assemble a good team vs. coaching a team up. (@40:33)
- Awards are important to players. (@48:39)
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Coach Tory gives you his take on the selection committees choices of teams in this years CWS field.
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Coaches fall into different categories when it come to reacting to events that happen in a game or practice. From over reacting to under reacting. Evaluate yourself and see what really works with your players when bad things happen. Listen to hear our advice.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Let's talk about Catchers being overworked. (@15:43)
- Paige's Power Play: How to set your daughter up for success. (@24:30)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: Advice for a small 9 year old pitcher. (@26:41)
- A Little League Association answer to unruly parents. (@37:52)
- Interview with Justin McCleod of Extra Inning Softball. (@45:24)
- Action Coaching Tip: Teach the obstruction rule. (@1:18:09)
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A listener ask a question about how to defend delayed steals. The coaches discuss what delayed skills are, the types of situations where they occur and how to defend them.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How to balance skills with positions because of fear of injuries. (@10:12)
- Paige's Power Play: Don’t lose sight of the fun part of competing (@17:36)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: How to not let comments get in my head? (@22:33)
- Watching players who parents were high level athletes. (@35:39)
- Home stretch of the college season (@45:17)
- Action Coach (@54:56)
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Left on their own, most players will practice what they are good at. It is our jobs as coaches to communicate with our players on specific things that they need to work on when they are practicing outside of team practices. This episode discusses the need to communicate and proper communication.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is a pitcher and a catcher. She is being told that she must chose one or the other. What are your thoughts? (@12:36)
- Paige's Power Play: Stop thinking things are hard. (@18:05)
- DR3 Fastpitch pitching question: I am tall and when catching for my daughter my target is high. What advice can you give me to make it easier for my daughter? (@20:48)
- Wasting time in games with time limits. (@31:02)
- Listener response of why they think strikeouts are the highest priority because she doesn't trust the defense. (@46:45)
- Coaches use protective equipment. (@55:28)
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Calling pitches is a subject that has a lot of opinions. Some coaches understand that getting efficient outs is the primary objective. Some are looking for strikeouts. Some use the situation only. Whatever the pitch called and whoever called it, the foremost thought must be educating the pitchers and catchers on the art of calling pitches. If you want them to reach the higher levels of the game, they must understand why certain pitches should be thrown and at what time. The coaches discuss this and offer suggestions and opinions.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Thoughts on a team organized screaming at opposing pitcher. (@10:32)
- Paige's Power Play: Reframing Adversity (@17:35)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Corner: How can we convince our coach that he needs to develop a pitching staff not just use 1 or 2 pitchers? (@21:24)
- Instant Replay - Good or Bad (@34:58)
- Taking a 3-0 pitch ??? (@45:40)
- Action Coach Tip: Behavior styles and communication (@55:38)
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The discussion today revolves around the many benefits of playing to win as opposed to playing it safe and trying not to lose. It may cost you today to be aggressive, but in the long run can develop an attitude for your players that they are always in the game and to not let down.
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This weeks lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should my daughter be a utility player? (@12:29)
- Paige's Power Play: What does mental preparation look like? (@19:13)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: My daughter is 10 years old, how much time should she be practicing pitching? (@21:47)
- Incorporate fun activities into practice. Players of all ages like to have fun, set aside some practice time for something fun that also develops playing skills. (@31:07)
- The pitch clock is working for MLB, should we implement some changes to the fastpitch game to get more playing time per game? (@41:43)
- We plan practices ahead of time and them multiple players don't show up. This is disappointing. Don't show frustration for the players that are not there, focus on making it enjoyable for those that are there. (@54:53)
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Some players don't look the part, but are just winners. You may tryout a player or have a player recommended to you but at first glance just doesn't stand out. Look deeper and look for other assets that might make this player a difference maker.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How are national births awarded? (@08:10)
- Paige's Power Play: (@13:32)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: (@17:37)
- Challenge of Cutting a Player (@28:03)
- Both sides of a social media viral video (@36:19)
- An out is not always a mechanical problem (@43:02)
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Catchers should not stay in one position behind the batter. Unfortunately there are usually holes there because that's what a lot of catchers do. But the catcher has to position themselves based upon where the batter is standing and pitch selection. A good catcher can make a dig difference for the pitcher and has an opportunity to create more outs.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: I have players that also play on rec teams. I think they would be better off practicing with our travel team. What do you think? (@15:00)
- Paige's Power Play: What championship teams believe. (@22:25)
- DR3Fastpitch Pitching Question: Conflict with a coach on how to throw certain pitches. (@26:37)
- Body types and preconceived ideas (@46:19)
- 5 tips to consider if your dream is to play at the highest level by a D1 player (@57:32)
- Establish guidelines to determine who plays (@01:14:02)
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Major League Baseball has proven that moving defensive players around is very effective. While we don't have the resources to carry it to their level, it can give us a competitive advantage. Coach Tory gives you some advice and some things to think about to train coaches and players the art of defensive positioning.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What is the #1 absolute for a hitter? (@10:40)
- Paige's Power Play: Expectations (@14:11)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Corner: I have a smaller pitcher who does not throw hard (@18:16)
- It's not always the pitch callers fault (@35:03)
- What are other sports that compliment softball? (@44:37)
- Ground Balls are bad (@53:57)
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is there a downside to playing second base? (@11:05)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:05)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Question: Would you rather throw your best pitch no matter the hitter's strength or throw a weaker pitch to attack the hitter's weakness? (@21:42)
- Interview with Val Alston, author of "Confident, Calm, & Clutch: How to Build Confidence and Mental Toughness for Young Athletes Using Sports Psychology" She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology and a trained Health and Wellness Coach from the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA). (@35:19)
- Seeing more of the top college teams playing each other earlier in the season. The coaches discuss the challenges of creating a schedule, at any level, to balance your schedule for optimal season long performance. (@57:35)
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The coaches reminisce about their beginning days when things were a lot different. Sometimes they mention the white ball era and they wanted to explain to the listeners what they were talking about.
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This Weeks Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How do you know when it is time to move on to a new team? (@14:41)
- Paige's Power Play (@25:59)
- DR3Fastpitch Pitching Corner: Are their exercises that should be avoided in the weight room? (@28:47)
- Percentage of players that did not find a new team through the 2022 Transfer Portal (@43:30)
- Work on Visual Skills (@56:27)
- Action Coach (1:16:44)
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This weeks discussion revolves around that players today do not respect their equipment and take care of it appropriately. Most types of equipment is discussed and the basics of taking care of it properly. Encourage your players to listen to this and help them understand that it is their responsibility.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: His daughter has a choice to be a full time player on the JV team or a roll player on the varsity team. What do you think? (@19:14)
- Paige's Power Play (@29:19)
- DR3Fastpitch Pitching Corner - What do you feel about the start back vs step back approach to pitching? (@35:17)
- Spending time looking for pitchers tipping off pitches. (@44:02)
- Observations from a softball parent whose daughter is at the end of her career. (@58:09)
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The coaches discuss helping to prepare players for that pressure situation of the last out of a game. It shouldn't be any different than any other out, but it is. It takes a collective effort of the player, parents, coaches and spectators to maintain a demeanor that makes it easier.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How do you decide on which camps to attend? (@19:30)
- Paige's Power Play (@28:14)
- DR3Fastpitch Pitching Corner (@32:38)
- Tips for players going on college visits. Make it easier to compare them over an extended time. (@43:50)
- If playing college softball is in your future, an important consideration is your major at that school and can you major in that field and still play softball. At some schools is is almost impossible to play softball and have a major that has classes that conflict with practices and games. (@53:14)
- Action Coach (@1:04:43)
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Coaches all say they want motivated players. The discussion today revolves around the fact that motivation is not a constant. What we really want are disciplined players that practice and play at a constant level no matter their level of motivation on a particular day. It takes motivation to get started, but discipline to stay the course.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is a left-handed catcher. Is that a negative? (@14:23)
- Paige's Power Play (@23:03)
- DR3 Fastpitch Pitching Corner (@26:44)
- Importance of Small Ball (@36:42)
- Understanding runner interference. A coach asked for some strategies for his base runners to avoid interfering with the fielder. (@45:39)
- Action Coach (@55:52)
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As Yogi Berra said, "You Can Observe A Lot By Watching". From birth we develop by imitating what we see. If we teach our players how to really "watch" good players, they will become better players. They should be watching all of the subtle things going on with players not just following the ball. Seeing the total game is a skill that has to be learned and makes the game a classroom.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter was demoted to the outfield. What do I do?The coaches respond with reasons the outfield is not a demotion. (@21:04)
- Paige's Power Play (@30:07)
- Daniel Rubin and the DR3 Pitching Corner (@33:00)
- Exposing your players to different ways of doing things. (@44:41)
- Part 3 of the most influential women in softball. (@1:01:33)
- Action Coach (@1:10:33)
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Not every player on a team has aspirations to play in college. For a variety of reasons, college is just not in their future. They still are good players and enjoy playing the game. Accept that and make sure you are coaching them with the same enthusiasm as the potential college players. Your job is to make all of your players the best version of themselves no matter what is in their future.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is very young and wants to be a catcher. I am having trouble finding catching gear that fits. Any suggestions? (@13:42)
- Paige's Power Play (@19:07)
- Do large organizations make sense for travel teams? (@22:30)
- Part 2 of ground breaking women (@33:40)
- Action Coach (@48:00)
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It happens frequently, a core group of 3 or 4 players want to start a new team. The coaches make a point for you not to jump into the pool before you have really thought this out. You should have more players as a core than what you are going to have to recruit. And remember there are a lot of teams looking for pitchers and catchers especially.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- ListenerQuestion: My daughter is a pitcher and I am having trouble finding a good pitching tow. Do you have any advice? (@12:59)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:42)
- Part 2 of our interview with Justin McLeod of Extra Inning Softball. (@24:08)
- The coaches go through the first five from a list of women pioneers in softball. (@49:16)
- Action Coach (@1:04:45)
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The coaches discuss that we can't coach by a book and we have to be aware of the circumstances of the game and players. Sometimes it makes sense to do something that doesn't make sense "by the book". Everyone connected with the team needs to "buy in" to the way you coach and be prepared to execute and support the calls you make. Remember, it is easy to judge a decision based upon the outcome. But always playing it safe leads to a team not playing up to their potential.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Many of my players are starting to go to college camps. What advice should I give them to help them make a good first impression? (@10:25)
- Paige's Power Play (@13:51)
- Interview with Justin McLeod of Extra Inning Softball (@20:01)
- What to do when she says "I don't want to play college softball?" (@54:47)
- Action Coach (@1:06:34)
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We hear it at the ball park all the time. Coaches or parents yelling at a player to just make an adjustment. What does that mean? If you are going to say something, say something that is helpful. The player knows something isn't working.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is there a niche for players that have shown they are loyal?(@19:54)
- Paige's Power Play (@28:16)
- Difference between winning players and losing players. (@34:44)
- Define what is important in knowing what college to attend . (@50:46)
- Action Coach (@59:53)
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The coaches discuss the importance in always believing that you can do it and never quit.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: On the first and third defensive play, what do we do when the batter squares around to bunt? (@11:50)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:05)
- Players and coaches, now is the time to think about your goals for the coming year.(@24:34)
- What are you going to do in the next few weeks to get ready for the season and are you doing the correct things? (@37:59)
- Action Coach Tip (@57:08)
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We hear a lot of complaints in the fastpitch community about a lot of things. Short games, bad umpires, lack of facilities and on and on. If we are going to complain we have to be willing to pay to fix it or not complain.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Do college coaches allow a team or fans to come to a practice? (@10:23)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:33)
- A question from a listener wanting our opinion on the pros and cons of coaching a high school team and a travel team at the same time. (@17:47)
- Another question from a listener wanting our opinion of what the optimum number of players on a roster. (@25:36)
- Action Coach Tip of the Week (@36:54)
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Players don't care how much you know until they know how much you care is an old saying, but very true. The coaches discuss how to make this part of your coaching philosophy.
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This weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is it illegal to roll a bat? (@11:47)
- Paige's Power Play (@19:08)
- Listener questions about recruiting (@21:31)
- More great players, fewer great teams. (@41:12)
- Action Coach Tip (@51:55)
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When we are having tryouts or looking for an additional player use a list of questions to interview the prospect. We need to know more than just their skills. We need to know if they fit in and can become part of the team.
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This weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: A player left our team and now wants their money back. What are you thoughts? (@14:54)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:17)
- Interview with Tristan Hildebrandt of Anderson Bat Company (@28:47)
- Changing face of college athletics (@54:14)
- Action Coach by John Davis (@1:18:52)
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The proverb a stitch in time saves nine means that if one solves a problem while it is developing, one will save oneself time and work in the future. The coaches discuss how this applies to softball. If we make sure that a player is acquiring skills correctly from the beginning we save a lot of time, effort and frustration later on.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: A former coach of a new player reached out to me with a lot of negative information about her and her family. What do you think? (@15:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:26)
- Recruiting "Coach Speak" Sometimes we hear what we want to hear. Some guidance on things coaches say and do and how they should be understood. (@28:20)
- Are over the top celebrations for routine plays good for the game? (@48:37)
- Guidance on winter workouts. (@55:23)
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During the off-season coaches have the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques. There are many clinics and on-line resources available to keep up with the game. Also, this should be a time of reflection on how to better communicate with the players and help them reach their potential. Listen as the coaches discuss this topic.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can you give me some tips on a home batting cage? (@11:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:01)
- Some tournaments have started awarding prize money to the winner. The coaches discuss the pros and cons of this. (@24::13)
- In training we need to push players into practicing what they are not good at. Players, parents and coaches should accept that the player's performance will not be what they expect, but it is the only way to get better. (@35:56)
- Coaches need to answer their player's questions about why they are doing what they are doing. (@50:35)
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As we teach the skills of the game we break them down into steps for the player to learn. For example, we have to field the ball before we can throw it. But the long term objective is for each skill to flow to the next one in a fluid motion. Watch your players and see if the are being robotic and going through the steps one by one or are they nice and smooth in the transition from one step to the next.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What age / school year should you start focusing on recruiting? (@13:00)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:59)
- The Clearwater Invitational is not that far away and plan on attending if you can. (@27:06)
- Balance your time off with keeping your skills current and working on new things. (@35:25)
- Unfortunately we have to practice or play in cold weather. Be prepared and do everything you can to make it more comfortable. (@45:06)
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The coaches discuss some changes they would like to see to give the players more meaningful game situations.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: One of our parents want to donate a substantial amount of money. What are the possible problems with doing this? (@11:28)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:34)
- Make sure you enjoy the game now before it is over. (@21:39)
- Teach your players not to react poorly when someone is trying to encourage them. (@31:02)
- Parent's are up in revolt with trying to get white uniform pants clean. (@38:54)
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Branch Rickey, great baseball innovator, coined the phrase "addition by subtraction". The coaches discuss what this means and the necessity of doing it sometimes.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: I have seen enough of stalling tactics. How do the players feel? (@17:56)
- Paige's Power Play (@25:10)
- Players that are losing their love for the game. We need to recognize this early. (@28:26)
- Leadership models are changing. (@43:57)
- Safety tips to reinforce with our players to keep them safe. (@53:54)
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The coaches discuss words of wisdom from an ancient Greek Philosopher that apply to our learning to play the game better.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: What can I do for an immediate impact on making my daughter faster and quicker? She is very slow. (@20:37)
- Paige's Power Play (@28:28)
- Question from a listener. What do we do when a college coach comes to see me play? (@34:15)
- Coach Tory talks about things they have done to have a good time at Halloween as a team. (@44:36)
- The coaches discuss the need to teach players about the value of proper nutrition. (@48:58)
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The coaches discuss the situation where you have a team but no pitcher. This can happen in school ball, recreational leagues and sometimes in travel ball. What do we do?
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is 8, when should I spend money on a high end bat and glove? (@13:45)
- Paige's Power Play (@19:12)
- Thoughts on playing time with development type teams and different level teams. (@24:40)
- An event happened in a high school playoff game that was blatantly against the rules. But, some people say it is gamesmanship and others are adamant that it is cheating. (@39:14)
- Fall Showcase event was not anywhere close to how it was advertised. How can I prevent this? (@56:08)
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Coach Tory is not with us today due to a medical issue, but we are using some earlier published segments to fill in.
This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Paige's Power Play (@4:07)
- Help for beginning coaches. (@07:28)
- Quality at Bats. Define them and use them to measure performance. (@33:11)
- Interview (@43:25)
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This game can never be played perfectly. When you watch a player you can always find something wrong. We need to make sure we are not just emphasizing what they could do better. When they do something well we need to be positive and reinforce that they need to be excited about what they just accomplished.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: I was asked to help coach a team. Now I am seeing push back from my suggestions. (@16:25)
- Paige's Power Play (@23:50)
- We have certain instincts that are not conducive to playing softball. Fear of getting hit by the ball is natural, but to play the game we have to get over that fear. (@27:54)
- Discussion on the growth of coaches and how they will change methods over time. (@40:00)
- The cheering noise at a game should never be directed negatively towards the opponents. (@49:51)
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This is a topic to ponder on. There are thoughts that home runs can be detrimental in certain situations. Listen and tell us what you think.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What do you say to your pitcher when things are not going well?(@:16:05)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:00)
- There is a phenomenon of a really good player joining a travel team or organization and all of a sudden the team, their coaches and/or instructors start claiming that they are the reason that the player is good. A player becomes good over the years and with the help of many people and themselves. Don't take the credit away from the player or all of those who have helped. (@25:40)
- How to evaluate the player that is very good in all areas but not great in any one? She doesn't stand out in a tryout or showcase, but is more than solid in all areas. (@37:52)
- A lot of times the difference between winning and losing is communication. (@46:34)
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Coaches are often asked to write letters of recommendation for their players. The coaches discuss some of the do's and don'ts. Sometimes we are put in a tough situation when a player asks for a recommendation to a school that they have no chance of playing at. Great advice to coaches in fulfilling this request.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Outfielders first steps should be back, is this correct? (@13:30)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:37)
- People's perceptions of how much college coaches make. (@26:53)
- Some questions about recruiting. (@40:47)
- Tory's words of wisdom after his health scare. (@50:42)
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Using an old expression, sometimes the wheels just come off during a game. An error leads to more errors, mental mistakes multiply and everything seems to go wrong. Our job as a coach is not to make it worse, but try and calm everything down. And sometimes its just not our day and we need to do everything we can for it not to carry over to future games.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: I have 2 players that can not get along. Any suggestions? (@13:01)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:20)
- With college camps using all types of different names, what is the code for understanding what type of camp it is? (@24:40)
- We have relocated and having a difficult time finding a team that matches the skill level of my daughter and the team she played on. Any suggestions? (@33:04)
- Coaches focus on developing your players! (@39:13)
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It is not uncommon for players to show frustration while playing. It can be unrelated to playing, but it has an impact. The coaches discuss how to help your players manage their frustration.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What can we do when a hitter is lunging at the plate? (@13:11)
- Paige's Power Play (@23:58)
- September 1st is an important date in recruiting. But it doesn't mean that if you don't get a call on that date you don't have a chance.(@27:40)
- A listener want to know how to effectively communicate with a college coach. (@39:25)
- Another drill from a listener that add pressure during practice. (@46:35)
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When we first start teaching players the fundamentals, we have to begin with the simple plays. Ball hit to infield, throw to first. Hit to outfield throw to second. As players advance the need to be able to recognize secondary plays. Sometimes known as the "what if" play. The key word here is recognize. They can't think through the process, but they have to recognize that there is another play. Might be in addition to the basic play or it might be instead of the basic play.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Do you have suggestions for a fitness test for my team? (@16:07)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:33)
- Softball is not in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Why it is important that it should be. (@25:38)
- Twist on team joining big organizations. Tale of a coach's experience. (@32:50)
- Adding Players to your roster. Some suggestions that coaches need to think about. (@41:41)
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Outfield is not a position! There is Left Field, Center Field and Right Field. Don't categorize all of the outfield positions as playing outfield. The responsibilities and reading the ball is different in each of the positions. Teach your players how to play one position and then move them and teach them the next outfield position.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Setting up cutoffs and relays. Do I use the Short Stop and Second baseman? (@13:10)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:54)
- Speed of the Game. Use some math to help your players understand how fast the game really is. For every mile an hour the ball travels 1.47 feet. Round that up to 1.5 feet per second to make the math easy and have them see how quick they need to be. (@26:10)
- Players are heading off to college. Some for the first time. Here are some tips. (@39:46)
- Create some pressure in practice, especially for younger players. Teach them not to be distracted in games. (@50:14)
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Coaches state all the time that the best players will get to play. Almost every coach has a different definition of "best". Make sure that everyone that you use that term with knows exactly how you define "best".
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Response: Umpires perspective of longer games (@16:37)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:41)
- Tory has added a 15th commandment to his 14 Commandments of Recruiting (@25:36)
- Coaches setting high standards. Usually the winners will love it, but the other players will quit. Sometimes we have to build up to the high standards. (@50:17)
- Every player should have a secondary position that they are totally comfortable playing. (@57:03)
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At the end of a season or year we usually give our players an exit interview to let them know what things they need to work on. Give yourself a review and see what things went well and things that need improvement. This lets you know what you need to do to improve your skills.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter's coach says my daughter is a singles hitter. She leads the team in batting average, but is pulled out in critical situations for what he says are power hitters. What do you think? (@9:16)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:35)
- It is becoming obvious that we need more catchers. The coaches discuss how we can start developing them. (@19:02)
- Small rosters have reduced competition for positions. Competing for positions is a good thing and helps develop better players and prepares them for playing at a higher level. (@30:23)
- Some coaches have a pressure cooker style of coaching. Repeatedly stressing things like the best hitter gets to play. Younger players don't process this information correctly and put pressure on themselves which results in them not performing well. (@41:38)
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Gloves are the tools of the trade, but they are often neglected. Teach your players how to take care of them and also be prepared to make repairs when needed.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is an outstanding pitcher and is an integral part of her team. After the season has ended the team has added more pitchers. Should we be worried? (@12:07)
- Paige's Power Play (@19:47)
- How important is a player's potential? We have to balance performance against a player's potential. Success is not measured by potential. (@24:26)
- Time Limits. Pros, cons and dislike of time limit games. When looking at tournaments look at how many innings you will get to play not the number of games. Longer time limits will usually result in more innings. (@36:50)
- Another discussion on coaches trying to make mechanical changes to a player on every pitch. (@46:46)
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Sometimes we encounter a player who just doesn't want to be there. The parents or someone has decided that they should play ball. Maybe its for exercise, being part of a team or they honestly think the player will like it if they give it a try. We have to handle the situation so that it isn't a distraction.
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This weeks Lineup
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What will happen if they change the transfer rule to allow unlimited transfers? (@08:12)
- Paige's Power Play (@12:38)
- The rich keep getting richer in college softball. The transfer portal and NIL is allowing players to migrate to the great teams. (@16:17)
- How do you distinguish between all the different "Final Tournaments". With so many nationals, world series, etc tournaments, we don't have a true national champion. (@30:33)
- Illegal pitches. Players from the very young to the older ages are getting by with illegal pitches. They don't want to change, but what is going to happen when the encounter a game where it is being called. (@37:43)
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If we graph performance of a player or a team it is not a straight line showing improvement each day. Skills are developed over time and while the skill level will increase over time it will ebb and flow on the way. Also it will depend upon what we measure to show improvement. As we progress through the age groups the skills of the opposing players and teams improve. And as the opponent improves it is harder to use the typical measuring sticks, like batting average, era, on-base percentage, etc.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: Why do people think that having coaches with no players on the team is the greatest thing ever? (@10:32)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:29)
- What to do when a player outgrows her team. (@24:36)
- How can we help the player that is all-american in practice but fails in a game. Its like she has stage freight. (@34:23)
- We see it all the time where a team complains about the facilities after they get home from a tournament. Can be fences, field maintenance, concessions and on and on. Almost everybody has been to a tournament and know what they like and dislike. Ask the questions BEFORE you make a commitment. Don't assume that because it is a big tournament or showcase that everything will be first class. (@48:10)
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The coaches discuss this time of year where teams are finishing this season but are planning for next season. We are finishing up with probably our biggest tournaments of the year. But, many are trying to get a jump on preparing for next year. It is hard to stay focused on the task at hand for the players and coaches if we are distracted by working in tryouts at the same time.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What do we do when the coach plays a guest player and several of the team members are given limited playing time? (@8:51)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:52)
- Etiquette for showcases. The coaches discuss some dos and don'ts for parents and coaches regarding the college coaches that are in attendance. (@21:32)
- Organization Jumping. Is the grass always greener on the other side? (@35:05)
- The coaches discuss picking the right showcase for the level of talent on your team. (@42:35)
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We can increase the softball IQ of our players by teaching them the basics of scorekeeping. They will better understand how their batting and fielding average is computed. Also they could look at an online or offline scorebook and reconstruct what had occurred. Every little bits helps in the education process.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is there any place where I can find clips of great plays to share with my team? (@10:32)
- Paige's Power Play (14:04)
- Ramifications of UCLA and USC going to the Big 10 (@17:13)
- Based upon some listener responses we talk some more about loyalty and other topics.(@30:43)
- Great advice based upon a quote by Matt Lisle. (@44:37)
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We have all seen it. A runner is sliding into a base or homeplate and the fielder reaches and tags the runner high and the runner is safe. Remind your players that the runner has to come to the base, so we should get in a position to tag the runner at field level on whatever body part is going to be the first to hit the base.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: How quickly should a player be able the change a bad habit? (@12:11)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:23)
- We had some good responses to our topic on loyalty. There are some more things to consider. (@24:03)
- How do we make the pro-leagues work? (@36:54)
- We have to teach sliding better. Let's eliminate the collisions. (@50:55)
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Players need to advance their skills by practicing skills that are out of their comfort zone but not into their panic zone. The middle ground is the stretch zone. Learn to push them, but not to far.
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can you give me some ideas on how to make practice fun for younger players? (@14:24)
- Paige's Power Play (@26:16)
- Is there any loyalty in our game and how do we deal with it? (@28:59)
- A lot of the country is experiencing a heat wave. How do we deal with the heat and make the call that it is too hot? (@48:08)
- Get our players onboard to make practices more efficient. (@54:04)
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Today we discuss enthusiasm. There is a line that you can cross where enthusiasm becomes obnoxious. It is our job as coaches to keep our team on the right side of that line.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is a pitcher and a shortstop. How can she be ready if going straight from shortstop to pitching? (@10:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:24)
- Interview with the ROWVA/Williamsfield Varsity Cougar softball team. A smaller school in Illinois. The players decided to do something to raise awareness of mental health and suicide this year. Listen to the interview to hear the things that they are involved in. @21:41)
- Is having a dominant team in college softball a good thing or a bad thing? (@37:56)
- Sometimes when we do the right thing it doesn't always turn out good. Keep playing the right way and don't be afraid of the time in can go wrong. (@51:36)
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You are going to a big out of town tournament. It's costing the parents and players a lot of money. When you factor in travel, living expenses and missed work the investment is significant. Don't let "we have to get our money's worth" alter your coaching style. Your team will play better if you stay consistent. If you display a lot more pressure, it will carry over to the team.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: I keep score for out team. What determines if it is a wild pitch or a passed ball? (@10:24)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:28)
- How many pitchers and additional players should a team have? (@21:03)
- Tips for trying out for a team. (@32:35)
- If practiced, bunting can be an additional weapon for your team. (@40:49)
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It invariably happens in a critical situation. The ball gets hit into the Bermuda Triangle of the field where infielders and outfielders are racing as hard as they can go to get to the ball. Communication breaks down and the ball doesn't get caught or we have a train wreck and somebody gets hurt. It happens rarely, but we need to practice it often.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: My daughter plays high level softball and soccer. Her softball coach is putting pressure on her to focus on softball and drop soccer. What do you think? (@12:16)
- Paige's Power Play: (@19:38)
- College Season Wrap up (@23:51)
- Softball community support in times of tragedy (@41:23)
- No cookie cutter approach to coaching! (@43:47)
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Coach Tory discusses the need to know what you are going to do when you make a mound visit. Don't just wander out there and figure out what you are going to say when you get there. If things aren't going well don't add to the frustration with your visit. Go out there with a plan to make things better. Every coach should listen to this.
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This weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can a position player wear a catcher's mitt? (@7:37)
- Paige's Power Play (@8:48)
- The end of the college regular season and a lot of good stuff happened this year. Coach Tory gives some highlights. (@12:16)
- Things that need to be fixed in college softball. (@19:00)
- Coaching your own daughter on a team. (@37:00)
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Tournaments can turn into a marathon with many games on the same day. The coaches discuss the need to have a plan well in advance on how to manage the day. Make sure you have a strategy and everyone knows it. You don't want any surprises.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: The level and quality of broadcasts of college softball varies a lot. What do we think? (@10:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:47)
- Accountability. Before we blame the umpire, did we put ourselves in the position of letting the umpire make the final decision. (@19:55)
- Safety Equipment. Use IT!(@32:24)
- Coaches need to practice their skills just like the players. (@44:48)
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Patrick Winston, a former professor and computer scientist at MIT, used a formula in one of his talks about things that go into the quality of a performance. Obviously he wasn't talking about softball, but it really applies developing players. The formula was Quality is a function of Knowledge, Practice and Talent with the importance in that order. The coaches break this down and apply it to softball.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is a pitcher and the coaches forfeited a game because the field was in such bad shape and unsafe. Did he do the right thing? (@12:03)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:12)
- Keeping the game fun (@26:55)
- Recruiting questions (@38:21)
- Proper mental approach for hitters (@47:17)
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There is information out there that tells us what we need to work on in practice. When we make mistakes they go on the practice list. Look at that scorebook and identify things that need practice that are not there.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Daughter is on a good team. A former college player has been brought in to coach the team. What are our thoughts on a former player coaching a team? (@13:08)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:21)
- The catching position. Responding to questions relative about the catching position. Are they being neglected in practice? (@25:05)
- Mental Health and tragic events in the athletic world. What are some of the issues? (@45:15)
- Covering bases. Who and circumstances that dictate the coverage. (@01:00:11)
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The coaches discuss that a visual cue can be a more effective method of communicating something to a player than verbally shouting it out. It is more subtle and is between you and the player and just a quick reminder of something you have been working on.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Pretty strong team. Comments on number of tournaments played vs amount of practice time. (@11:52)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:34)
- The Good this week: Softball is in a place where it has never been before. (24:58)
- Pressure that is on kids playing the game. (@35:46)
- Compassion and empathy vs competitive edge (@47:56)
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Coaches, Instructors and Parents need to be consistent in the message they are sending to the players. A confused player is an inconsistent player. For the benefit of the player, everybody has to work together. The coaches discuss the relationship between players and coaches and instructors and parents.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Did you see the picture of the umpire that got punched after a game? (@13:20)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:18)
- Illegal pitches and the discrepancies in enforcement. (@22:33)
- Does your bat weigh what it says on the label? (@45:31)
- Base Running. We need to work on situational awareness. (54:53)
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We have all seen the chaos that can occur with weather delays. Everybody has to get to shelter when it starts and then you have to get them all back when play is ready to start again. If you don't already have a plan in place of how this will be handled you are asking for a lot of aggravation. Communication is critical and one person has to be making the decisions of what can and cannot be done.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: People are always asking for a drill to fix a problem. Is it really that simple that a drill can fix a problem?(@11:38)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:24)
- Interview with Tristan Hildebrandt of Anderson Bat Company (@19:39)
- Good, Bad and the Ugly. This week it is ugly. (@38:52)
- Body Language. (@46:40)
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When coaching a team of new inexperienced players, take absolutely nothing for granted. There isn't anything obvious in this situation. You have to break down everything to it most basic level. You have to teach all of the fundamentals of the game and assume nothing.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should our strategy of calling pitches feature our pitcher or the defense? (@10:43)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:35)
- Getting your money's worth. Have peoples attitude changed about what do they expect for getting their money's worth out of a team. (@19:23)
- Dance Dance? Players can learn a TikTok dance, but have trouble learning how to cover a bunt. What do we need to change? (@33:30)
- Every fast player does not need to be a slapper. (@42:45)
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Things are usually not as bad as you think they are or as good as you think you are. Season is starting up and whether you are winning or losing don't over react in either direction. Stay the course, don't over emphasize the results and keep working on the fundamentals.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What do we think about using the safety base in college games? (@10:28)
- A recap of college softball at this point in the season. Teams are starting conference play and a look at where things stand. (@19:15)
- Using music in games and practices. Good or Bad? (@39:29)
- Pitchers need to pitch to live hitters in practice. (@50:51)
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The coaches discuss the importance of knowing the rules. It give you the knowledge to maximize your game management and improve your status with the players.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Old school baseball guy wants to know if retaliation goes on in softball? (@13:22)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:08)
- Some think the strike zone is being squeezed this year. Pitchers have to adapt and change their approach. (@21:41)
- Bobby Simpson has a quote "You must coach players from where they are, not from you wish they were or they or others think they are." The coaches agree and discuss how to accomplish this. (@38:16)
- Dealing with your team becoming over confident. (@54:57)
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Players must have soft hands when fielding ground balls. What do we mean by soft hands? The coaches discuss what to look for, the reasons and how to teach it.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: We attended our first college games. Saw many adults acting foolish. Are super fans normal? (@10:28)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:11)
- Playing in Bad Weather. Should we or not? (@18:42)
- Coach's response to bad behavior by a player (@30:05)
- Athlete Mental Health. We need to pay attention (@41:32)
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Hitting through the ball is a concept that a lot of players have trouble grasping. The coaches discuss what it means and some tips on how to improve your players hitting.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What do we think of the shift and other specialty defenses? (@12:24)
- Paige's Power Play (@23:58)
- We have a real problem with the lack of umpires. We keep adding more games but we are losing umpires and it is effecting the quality of games. (@26:08)
- Is it better to win your pool so you get in the gold bracket even if you only play 1 game in bracket play or to finish lower in your pool and play more games in the silver bracket?(@39:50)
- As long as a player is working hard, coaches have to stay the course to help that player. (@52:15)
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Sometimes we have a player that can throw the ball very hard and we don't evaluate how well they are throwing. Accuracy is very important during the game and just because the player is throwing hard doesn't mean it is easy to handle on the other end. Work with those players so they can learn how to throw the ball correctly.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What value to we place on skills videos for recruiting? (@10:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:23)
- Interview with a dad and daughter that attended the Clearwater Invitational. (@20:59)
- Importance of the little things and there are no little things. (@34:54)
- Where is a coach most valuable on game day? Rethink what role you should play to get the most out of your team. (@45:29)
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Coaches have to teach and communicate their tolerance level for aggressive play. Aggressiveness can be almost zero with a play it safe mentality or all out on every opportunity. The players have to be taught your philosophy and most important you have to be uniform in your reaction to what happens in a game. Wherever your line of aggressive is you can't condemn a player that doesn't cross that line in either direction. Parents and fans have to know what the team philosophy is also so they don't react negatively.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What are some metrics that I can track for our team? (10:47)
- Paige's Power Play (@19:39)
- A listener asks for some advice for bullying on a team, isolating some players, etc. (@23:32)
- Early impressions of the college season. Coach Tory talks about some of the things he noticed in the first big weekend of the season. (@39:05)
- Training hitters for fast pitchers. Hitting is reaction time and there are some drills that we can do to help them. (@59:22)
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In this episode we warn coaches about creating an environment that is detrimental to the team and your own daughter. We are not talking about "daddy ball". If it wasn't for moms and dads coaching we wouldn't have softball. What we are discussing is your child becoming a de facto coach because of your actions. Points included are having team discussions in the presence of your daughter. Using her as a messenger to the team. Using her to manage the drills, etc. We have all seen it where the coach's daughter acts like an assistant coach. And depending upon their maturity, becoming bossy, critiquing, etc.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: I am a new coach and I believe I have a player that is not being honest about why she is missing practice. Any advice? (@12:43)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:06)
- Senoritis: it is a real thing. Just because you have signed it is not the time to coast.Signing is not the end goal it is just the first step to playing softball in college. You are not giving yourself the best shot at succeeding in college and you are not being fair to your teammates. (@21:29)
- Rankings in travel ball is not something to be concerned with. (@38:25)
- When a hitter struggles it is not always mechanical. If timing is bad, mechanics will be bad. (@52:04)
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When you are forming a new team or making major changes to an existing team, be realistic in your plans. You do not know how long it will take for them to jell into a team and reach their potential. And sometimes that doesn't match your expectations when you were putting the team together. Make plans to introduce your team to competition and then move up the food chain.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How can I fill in the gaps for my daughters training because I can't afford a lot of lessons and camps? (@9:56)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:52)
- Coaches who yell. Some advice to coaches and parents who scream and yell during games and practices. (@21:12)
- Too many travel teams. There are more players than ever and that is great, but we don't have enough pitchers to support the number of teams. Changes need to be made and the people putting these teams together need to be more realistic of how far up the food chain they can go. (@36:44)
- Look Good, Play Good (@:58:35)
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Coaches have to take the players they have and build the best team. That doesn't always equate to players playing their best individual position. For example, the best shortstop may make the team better by playing center field and someone else playing shortstop. And some players think that they can only play one position and if they don't play that position they want to move on. The object of defense is not to make great plays at one position and have major issues at other positions. The object is to limit the runs the other team scores. Coaches don't build your team by saying this is the best shortstop, this player plays the best second base, etc. Move them around until you are allowing the fewest runs.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is there a Softball Hall of Fame? (@10:51)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:25)
- Division 1 Top 25 Recap (@20:28)
- USSSA has changed the rules for pitchers. (@38:34)
- How to increase arm strength. (@48:00)
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This week the coaches discuss merging new players into a team. You can't just let it happen and hope things work out. There are always questions when a new player joins a team. When you post that you are looking for players, the questions begin. There is apprehension on each side. So, coaches face it head on and have a plan to seamlessly mold a team with old and new players.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: New to coaching and putting together a team. How much value should I place with effort and attitude over talent? (@12:36)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:04)
- Part 1 of interview with Justin McLeod of Extra Innings Softball and Justin's World of Softball. Interview is an interesting discussion of the upcoming college season. (@22:11)
- Part 2 of interview with Justin McLeod (@46:38)
- Using assistant coaches. Get the assistant coaches up to speed and give them some specific responsibilities. (@1:02:31)
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In this week's episode the coaches discuss how using intra-squad scrimmages and scrimmages with other teams to make your team better prepared to play real games. Don't schedule practice games with other teams without a plan. Just playing another team is not a scrimmage.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question; My 10 year old daughter hits the ball consistently, but with no power. What can I do? (@10:44)
- Does not playing high school ball impact recruitability? (@13:58)
- Incorporate some vision training in your schedule. (@20:06)
- Building player's confidence. (@25:01)
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Coaches and players are excited about getting back to practice and getting ready for the new spring season. Everyone needs to understand on how much work is reasonable and we are not doing more harm than good. We have to have a progression plan for getting the players ready.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should I get my glove steamed? (@14:56)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:51)
- Catchers need instruction and practice. During normal team practices, catchers don't get really dedicated practice especially at game speed. Most catchers need outside training. (@25:28)
- College Softball is just around the corner. Hopefully COVID will not have an impact on softball. The coaches discuss the state of college athletics and the impact of the changes that have been made this year.(@37:08)
- How do we make training more game like. (@58:18)
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Sometimes coaches get frustrated when players attempt a play that is impossible. For instance, a throw to home from the outfield when the runner is 20 feet from home plate. Understanding what is possible is a skill that has to be taught just like fielding, throwing, etc. In the case above, the outfielders have to learn to judge the distance they have to throw the ball against the speed of the runner. They will learn quicker by practicing than by failures in a game.
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This weeks lineup:
- Catchers, back up first base (@2:26)
- More games are lost than won. (@16:36)
- What is a "ball player" (@30:24)
- I hate "my bad" (@47:26)
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In this week's edition of the show Coach Tory and Coach Don talk strategies for becoming a more effective coach, which doesn't always mean explaining what you want from your players.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Catcher's mask - On or Off (@2:10)
- Strike out is just an out.(@8:45)
- Yoda Logic - You must unlearn what you have learned. (@20:56)
- Create Versatility (@33:05)
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Coaches have to be prepared for many different situations that come up over the course of their careers. They need to have a repair/emergency kit to handle these situations. In this episode we talk about some of the items that can save the day.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter has been hit by several pitches this season. Now she is scared to get in the batter's box. What do I do? (@9:22)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:16)
- What is a quality at bat? Keeping track of your success by using batting average is a trap that doesn't really reflect how a player is contributing to the team. Putting pressure on a player because of batting average can be very detrimental. (@16:43)
- Putting together a brand new team is a journey. Coaches, parents and players have to commit to the journey and start the journey with reasonable expectations. And commit to the long haul. (@27:42)
- Players at different ages have different attention spans. Practice plans have to take this into account to develop the players. (@37:17)
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Good coaches never stop learning. There are many opportunities for coaches for to acquire more knowledge of the game, managing games and players. Nobody knows all there is to know. If you are not getting better, you are getting worse.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter wants to take time off over the holidays, but right after the first of the year she is going to college camps. How do we find the balance between taking time off and being prepared for the camps? (@9:07)
- Paige's Power Play (@13:39)
- 5 ways to judge whether a player and/or family is really committed to softball. (@16:59)
- When a great player is no longer with a team the statement a lot of times is "Well we will see if the coach is really that good." (@37:55)
- Coaches when we give them homework we need to be specific about what they are suppose to do. (@47:58)
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The coaches discuss the fact that you have a platform to teach some life lessons that are not related to softball. Your players are used to you teaching and helping them. Coaches often connect with players better than parents at certain ages. Our suggestion is to allocate a short segment of your practice to discuss different topics related to things that might happen to them or they should be aware of.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should you play your way out of problems or coach and practice your way out of problems? (@11:17)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:12)
- An Interview about Pinnacle Power Butter. A nutrient dense health food that provides sustained energy and lasting performance. (@24:50)
- Hitting Doesn't Get Easier. Pitchers gets better. Defense gets better. So it gets harder for the player to get hits and they have to keep working. (@38:50)
- Coaches keeping their composure. Coaches should be the role model for the players. We teach them to control their emotions, so coaches should do likewise. (@49:50)
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You have moved indoors for practice because of the cold weather, but you have a trip planned to a warm weather destination to play some games. Whether it be the start of the spring season or you have not played a game in few weeks but are going to go to a tournament somewhere warm. The coaches discuss what you can do to keep the team prepared as best as possible to hit the field at a competitive level.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Can you give me some advice on how to transition to metal spikes? (@11:15)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:08)
- Are dynasties good for sports? The coaches discuss the pros and cons of a team dominating a sport and the attitude of fans. (@21:06)
- When a ball is hit every player has someplace to be and it is never where they started. Teach the 3 B's of defense. Ball - Base - Backup (@33:55)
- All teams practice or warm up before a game using side, short or front toss. If this isn't done correctly, it does more harm than good. (@49:14)
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It is important for coaches to match what they are teaching to the skill level of the players they are coaching. There is a natural progression of skills that the player has to learn. If we are doing drills that skips this progression the chances of the player succeeding goes down. If we are staying at a low level and not moving up the ladder then it will take longer for the players to progress. So coaches, you have to develop a strategy that matches what your are teaching in order to maximize the development of your team.
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This weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter's travel team doesn't spend much time warming up. How do I handle this? (@09:17)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:56)
- Interview with Erik Rico and Oscar Llarena of BatClubUSA.com. It is an interesting concept on bat ownership and worth giving a listen. (@17:46)
- Games have stacked up and you have a lot of games with little rest time. The coaches talk about some strategies to keep the team sharp. (@43:05)
- Coaches do not use a wooden bat to hit practice balls to your team. The sound is important. (@54:53)
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It is easy to put a very talented player on a pedestal and they develop a prima-donna personality. This isn't good for the team and certainly not good for the player. She may be on a pedestal at a younger age but middle of the pack at an older age. The coaches talk about handling this situation and give you some advice.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter's coach wants to take over her recruiting. Is that a good idea? (9:30)
- Softball shopping list of things for a player. (@17:38)
- Fall Signing Period (@29:06)
- WTH Moment (@36:47)
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The coaches discuss the different issues when it is time to move up an age group. There are things to consider as we move up especially in the younger age groups. Player are maturing, the rules are changing, equipment is changing and many things that have to be taken into consideration in our training and preparing.
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This Week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Getting prepared for next season in a cold weather environment. (@09:48)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:56)
- Interview with Justin McLeod - Status of the College Game (@19:50)
- Phenomenon of Pickup Players (@47:07)
- Hitting with a purpose (@58:03)
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Most of the country is now facing games being played in cold weather. When we first encounter cold weather it affects us more than if we are used to it. In this episode the coaches offer some guidelines that teams can do to make it easier on the players. Cold and stiff players do not play well.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How do you pick the best national tournament for your team? (@11:10)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:58)
- How is the NIL changing college athletics and is it working? (@23:58)
- Game day preparations. Pregame warmups and practices. Pregame pep talks. Effective game communication. (@34:55)
- Looking for players to finish out roster. Be cautious, talent is great but it isn't everything. (@50:02)
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The coaches give advice on conducting an end of the season meeting with your players. To keep on developing your team, it is a must to properly and honestly communicate with each individual player.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Are winter camps a good investment? (@6:44)
- Paige's Power Play (@11:26)
- Players often think that hits are the only measure of success. We need to help them understand that their job is to hit the ball hard. They can't control where the defense is playing and if they continue to hit the ball hard the hits will come. (@15:11)
- Asking young players to specialize in softball rather than playing other sports is a bad idea. (@31:11)
- We need to check our vocabulary. Players may not know exactly what we mean when we use catch phrases. Make sure they understand what you are trying to say. (@42:07)
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An outfielder catching a deep hit ball at the fence can be a great play. It also is tough because of the danger of the fence. Teaching them how to handle the fence and make the play takes a lot of practice and practice with communication coming from a partner outfielder. Drills and techniques are discussed to help the coach develop practice plans.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is there one thing that my team can work on that will get results in a short period? (@7:57)
- Paige's Power Play (@11:14)
- Weight Training is necessary but only if it is done correctly. (@15:20)
- 7 simple habits that make better players (@28:51)
- A patron gave us a tip on using a device that has been around for centuries that can help our players get into a better rhythm and speed them up. (@52:52)
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The quickest way to be get from point A to point B is not always a straight line. Anytime that we know we are only going one base, we want a straight line. If we are anticipating taking multiple bases our bodies cannot maintain speed and make a left turn so we have to round the corners . And it is better to round early rather than round late. The coaches discuss the difference between the shortest distance and the shortest amount of time. Watch young players and you will realize that this is not intuitive, we need to teach it.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Why is covering steals different between baseball and softball?(@7:55)
- Paige's Power Play (@12:58)
- Coach Tory has some questions and he gets answers from Jeff our umpiring friend. (@16:46)
- Coach Don has a list of questions that should be asked in the recruiting process that are discussed. (32:05)
- Everything is better when the pitchers attack the strike zone. (@1:09:06)
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Field conditions and the facility come into play during a game. If your team is aware of these things and know what impact they have on their play it can be to their advantage. All fields are not created equal. Field preparation is different and sometimes is used to an advantage of one team. The coaches discuss how to make your players aware of the different things that they have to take into account to not be surprised and give them a better chance to win the game. The little things count.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Coach demands players be on time, but coach isn't ready on time. What can we do? (@9:29)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:57)
- Speed isn't everything when it comes to pitching. (@23:56)
- Negativity is spoiling the game and is not making the negative person feel any better. (@34:32)
- A young coach is having trouble getting her pitchers to perform in games as well as they do in practice. (@43:21)
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You have a batting cage available or have rented one for batting practice. We prefer the term that you are going to practice hitting not just batting. We see a big percentage of the available time wasted by non-hitting activities. In this episode we give you some do's and don't to maximize the time and get the most number of swings in.
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This Weeks Lineup
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: Our team decided to add paid coaches. We weren't told about this. What do you think? (@8:03)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:43)
- List of Questions about Coach Pitch (@19:59)
- List of Questions about 10U (@47:06)
- Coaching Superstitions (@58:31)
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Unfortunately most games that are played have a time limit. In those games there is a lot of time wasted, that if eliminated, would result in the players getting a lot more playing time. Too much money is being spent on softball teams not to optimize the amount of time in a game to play more innings. Coaches, streamline your game procedures to get rid of non-playing time. If you are playing in a showcase tournament this is extremely important because the objective is to showcase players, not teams or coaches.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter hits well in the cage in practice and in the cages, but struggles in a game.(@9:47)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:23)
- Be realistic in your expectations of training.(@18:40)
- Old School vs New School Coaching Styles (@32:30)
- There are drastic differences between the levels of talent on a team. How do you coach and set up practices to develop everyone? (@44:51)
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To teach the skills of playing which include fielding, throwing, batting, bunting, etc we can't just teach the major skills. We have to break it down to all of the little skills that make up the big skill. For example, fielding starts with getting the glove open. We have to get our body in the correct position. We can't just go hit ground balls and expect the player to figure it out. We have to teach the simple skills one at a time and then combine them to accomplish the end result.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How many players generally switch positions when they go to college? (@11:40)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:44)
- Various topics to bring everyone up to date. (@23:33)
- Someone posts a question on Facebook, probably 75% of responses were negative. (@36:37)
- Kids don't learn from people they don't like. (@45:48)
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Your team is allowing too many runs. What is the cause? First you have to analyze what part of being a good defensive team is going wrong. It could be a skill issue, focus issue, softball IQ, etc. Then develop a practice plan to address the problems. Don't forget that depending upon your mix of players, it could be multiple issues.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Should players learn multiple positions? (@12:20)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:38)
- Rule Changes Updates (@25:08)
- Players getting involved in the community in times of need. (@42:30)
- Coaches should have at least basic pitching knowledge. (@50:02)
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Every team experiences this at some point. A top player goes down. How you handle this as a coach with the team is extremely important. You don't have a team "pity party", you reorganize your lineup and coach the rest of the players up and get each one to contribute a little more. You can't replace that player with one player but you can replace them with what many players can do.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How do you handle the post game meeting when you lose? (@11:15)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:28)
- Interview with Billy Cooper who just had a great experience with his daughter. (@24:11)
- Listener Question: I am coaching very young players. How do I judge my expectations for them? (@40:49)
- Players are being over coached in games and it needs to stop. (@52:21)
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Coach Tory says is we want to play amazing we have to practice amazing. Special plays don't just happen in a game. Amazing players are out there trying to make the impossible play in practice so that it could happen in a game.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How do you know which bats are legit? (@09:13)
- Help for beginning coaches. Coach Tory just did a coaches clinic and several things came out that he wants to pass on. (@17:13)
- Coach Dan has several parents on his team that feels like their daughters are just not trying hard enough. (@42:12)
- A skill that is not being practice nearly enough. That is sliding. (@56:16)
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We need to evaluate our level of play in a game and place the winning and losing in its proper perspective. The coaches discuss the possible outcomes of a game and help you understand what you need to look at beside the score board.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Is there a shortage of pitchers? Every team posting tryouts is looking for pitchers. (@09:47)
- Big changes in the world of college athletics. (@17:20)
- Keeping your field nice and whose job is it. (@39:26)
- Value of live pitching versus coach pitching. (@54:39)
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The cornerstone of the game is the ability to throw and catch. One of the mistakes we make is playing catch or having a coach play a position and use our range and size to give the player a false sense of accomplishment. To get more accurate throws, adults need to reduce their size and ability to more represent players the size and ability of those we are training. We discuss some methods to accomplish this and we know that it is effective.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: My daughter is moving up to the 12" ball. Does she need a different glove? (@10:12)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:47)
- Now that kids are going back to school, this is a good time to make an assessment of your past year and where you need to make improvements. Then make a plan for development in the coming year. (@21:41)
- Keep the "fun" in fundamentals. Practice can be boring so you have to come up with a plan to work on the fundamentals and make it fun and exciting. (@36:50)
- Softball - Stay Classy. Making any type of comments that are negative for the opposing team is totally unwarranted and shows no class. (@44:33)
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The greatest challenge for hitters is pitch recognition. What better way for them to gain experience than spending time catching pitchers. They should be able to work up to being able to catch without knowing what pitch is coming. Listen to our thoughts on how to incorporate this into your practice routine.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: My daughter is 13 and plays on a 14U team. Her team will be moving up to 16U next year. Should she find a new 14U team or move up with her current team? (@9:32)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:43)
- The impact of the NIL and Transfer Portal putting the "I" in team. (@18:30)
- Olympics (@36:22)
- To improve your team let them see and witness the next level of play. (@48:31)
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An unpracticed skill is getting up when a play forces us to the ground.
On offensive if we dive for a ball and catch it, obviously we need to get up quickly to make a play. If we miss it, we are suppose to be in a secondary position. Get up and get there.
If we are a base runner either diving back to a base or sliding into a base, we need to get up quickly in case there is a chance to advance. The worse thing we can do is immediately ask for time while on the ground. The umpire granting time makes the ball dead. If the defender still has the ball, there is a chance they will make a bad throw. We can't advance while time is called.
This can be practiced.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter hits a lot of singles and has a good batting average, but does not hit with any power. (@13:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@22:08)
- Proper Hitting Preparation. The coaches discuss the 4 deep preparation of hitters getting ready for an at-bat.(@25:45)
- Player's attitudes and influences. We need to be aware of what influences our player's attitudes. We either can help or harm. (@42:23)
- Coaches, work on your game. We expect players to work on their skills. Coaches you need to work on your game also. (@53:32)
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We discuss the fact that many catchers are way too far back of the hitter. Move them up where they can perform better. The further back you are opens the door to making the pitcher, catcher and umpire have a harder time. When you are close, breaking balls are easier to catch. Low balls don't hit the ground. Umpires get a better read. And the pitcher has a tighter zone to throw into.
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This Week's Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter just played her last travel ball tournament forever. I am really depressed about it. What can I do? (@11:24)
- Paige's Power Play (@:15:34)
- Part 2 of our interview with Justin McCleod. We cover the Transfer Portal, NIL, etc. (@20:41)
- Wrap up of the end of the summer season. Make sure we are preparing ourselves to finish well. (@38:32)
- Coaches - wrap up the summer season and then take a break and decompress. (@45:41)
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We need to train and educate our players so they understand that the strategy choices we are making and to execute them accordingly instead of wondering why. Why distracts from executing.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What to do about a rained out tournament? (@8:36)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:29)
- Discussion with Justin McCleod about the state of college softball (@18:35)
- National Organizations are taking over travel softball. (@45:01)
- Coaches you are going to be judged either way. (@54:15)
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When games are being played back-to-back on the same field a lot of time is spent waiting on the team that just played to get out of the dugout and your team to get in. Why wait? Why not warmup?
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter is 8. Is it time to spend some real money on a bat? (@9:37)
- Paige's PowerPlay (@13:17)
- Big Changes in the College Game (@15:37)
- Umpire Shortage is Real (@39:21)
- Field time is valuable. Use your field time to do on the field stuff! (@44:32)
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Sometimes we tell our players things that when looked at from all angles they don't make sense. For instance if we tell our pitchers to pitch down so that they get ground balls because we have a better chance of getting outs. Then we tell our hitters to hit it on the ground. If it is good for the pitcher how can it be good for hitters. There are many examples where we contradict ourselves and confuse the players.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Does it hurt my daughter's development by playing on a team with a great and dominant pitcher? (@7:25)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:25)
- Team Jumping (@19:55)
- Why are a lot of catchers good hitters (@33:49)
- Cutoffs and Relays and the nightmare that can occur if not done correctly. (@41:51)
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Actively training players to actually get a ball into the hand to throw is not practiced enough. It is a skill that can be taught and make the difference in a game. Picking up a ball off the ground is too often mishandled by not getting a firm grip on the ball. Transferring the ball from the glove to the throwing hand needs to be efficient and in a method that minimizes losing control of the ball.
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This weeks lineup:
- Tribute to Coach Bob Heck. Bob Heck was the first coach of fastpitch softball at any college in Georgia. He campaigned for high schools to change over to fastpitch. He established the sport at Georgia State University by backing the program with his own resources. Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock joins Coaches Tory and Don who have known him for many years. RIP Bob Heck
- Warmup Segment: (@37:33)
- Listener Question: I have been made the all-star coach and would like some recommendations for getting them ready to play. (@46:20)
- Paige's Power Play: (@50:20)
- Second Part of Joey Myers of Hitting Performance Lab interview: (@56:46)
- Update on the recruiting picture: (@1:21:24)
- Make backing up in the outfield an important job. (@1:31:04)
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Often during the course of a game, a fielding play will take the defensive player to an awkward position related to the space between a base or another player. How often have we seen a play where the fielder throws the ball to another fielder when it would be quicker and simpler for them to just make the play. Or they make a throw that is difficult for the other fielder to handle. It all boils down to instantly recognizing the space between them and where they want to make a play and making the decision of taking the play themselves or making a throw that can easily be handled by the other player. It all comes down to practice.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question. Would the path Odicci Alexander took to play college ball work for me? (@11:57)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:12)
- Interview with Joey Myers of the Hitting Performance Lab. If you have interest in the scientific aspects of body movements, this is a must listen. (@19:03)
- Lessons learned from the college season. (@50:10)
- Coaches we need to think of every way we can to continue to be better coaches and give our players better experiences. (@59:17)
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During a game the player is fielding, catching and hitting without a coach on the field telling them what to do or how to do it. So the players need to understand the skills needed and why certain things work and some don't. If they don't really understand the skills they tend to act robotically. Between the white lines they are their own coach, so train them accordingly.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter seems like she has plateaued, is this normal? (@13:30)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:09)
- NCAA Tournament Thoughts (@24:10)
- Rethinking some defensive things (@37:44)
- Overcoaching of hitters in a game (@45:56)
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Coaches Tory and Don are joined by Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock to discuss the retirement of Coach Candrea from the University of Arizona and Lu Harris-Champer from the University of Georgia. They also cover the retirement of Kennesaw State University's 30 year baseball coach Mike Sansing, which all three of them have had close connections to for years. They also touch on the College World Series and should changes be made to the format and facilities.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the issues with trying to please 2 coaches at the same time. When school ball and travel team games and practices overlap, what is a player to do? Each coach has the best interests of their team as a number one priority so the player either has to make a choice or do all that each one requires.
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Coach Tory gives his predictions for the College World Series.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: College teams play far less games in a day that travel teams. Does tha make sense? (@12:21)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:56)
- Observations from watching the CWS regionals and the transfer portal. (@21:39)
- How to handle schedules when you have a mix of players with completely different high school schedules. (@43:15)
- How should I approach an umpire when I have a question about a call? (@52:14)
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Running incorrectly can hinder your players performance. It is difficult to track a moving ball if your eyes are bouncing around. Proper form makes it much easier to make the plays.
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Coach Don and Tory discuss the Super Regionals that are being played starting on Friday the 28th
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This week's lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener question: What's a good time from home to first.? (@7:02)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:22)
- Part 2 of interview with Tristan Hildebrant of Anderson Bat Company (@17:36)
- The last game. Many players are playing their last game. Some thoughts. (@33:07)
- Better jump on the bases. (@40:24)
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A discussion of pick-off plays. When are you ready to add them to your toolbox and what you have to understand to use them.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter pitches behind often but still gets strikeouts. Is this a problem? (@8:51)
- Paige's Power Play (@12:50)
- Part 1 of an interview with Tristan Hildebrandt of the Anderson Bat Company. A great discussion on the bat manufacturing business. (@14:56)
- Listener question discussion. What do we think about a player being a pitcher only especially at the younger ages? (@38:12
- Discussion of the DP Flex rule (@48:02)
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Coach Tory discusses his experiences with coaching in a softball tournament at a vacation destination. There are pros and cons. The family gets to combine a vacation with going to the tournament. The hosts market the tournament as a destination location because of the attractions. But for softball those attractions are really distractions. They can be detrimental to play. Just make sure everyone is on the same page as to what the number 1 objective is.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: I live too far for access to instructors. What are some alternative options? (@10:00)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:02)
- Pitcher - Catcher relationships. The catcher can be valuable in getting better pitching performance. (@19:53)
- The D1 recruiting calendar is back on and players need to be prepared for returning to somewhat normal. (@33:22)
- The million dollar question. How does a coach determine playing time. They have to have a method and be transparent about why they are making the decisions they are making.(@43:26)
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In this episode we discuss the need for emphasizing the need to have an every pitch focus. Players need to understand each pitch could be the one that they need to react to. It's easy to lose focus, but we have to dial back in at pitch time.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Pickup Players playing instead of team members (@15:30)
- Paige's Power Play (@21:15)
- Part 2 of Interview with Jerrad Hardin (@30:46)
- College Softball News (@45:03)
- Unusual skill for better practices (@51:36)
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All sports have an optimum arousal level. When our emotions are below that level or above that level we don't perform as well. This week we discuss the need to monitor that level and make sure our players are not trying to execute while their emotions are out of bounds.
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This weeks line:up
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: How to handle different coaching styles. (@10:20)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:46)
- Interview with Jerrad Hardin. Coach, instructor, camps and author. (19:02)
- Highlights in the world of college softball (@49:26)
- An error can open the flood gates. Work on pitcher's fielding. (@01:02:24)
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Most of us have to adjust to time limit games because of the number of games that are scheduled on a field. It is the environment we live in. Because of that, it is mandatory that managing the clock has to have a high priority. In this episode we discuss how much playing time is lost to wasted minutes. Each minute lost waiting on someone, changing sides, discussing calls, etc. is a measurable percentage of our playing time. Let's give our players more innings.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment:
- Listener Question: What are our thoughts on walk-up music (@13:50)
- Paige's Power Play (@20:15)
- College D1 Recruiting Changes (@27:45)
- D1 pre-selecting Regional Playoff Host Sites (@32:18)
- College Softball is Really Really Good (@38:05)
- Slap Defense 2nd baseman up close (@49:37)
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We have had a lively Facebook discussion of our blog post on "a strikeout is just an out". The coaches discuss the concept that it is very difficult to have multiple swing mechanics. At the next game you attend watch the reaction of players, fans and coaches between going back to the dugout after striking out and after just poking the ball to the infield. Often we see shame in striking out even if it was a good at bat versus "good try" on a dribbler to the infield. Listen and get their opinions on " a strikeout is just an out".
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: Disappointment over not being team captain. (@16:27)
- Paige's Power Play: (@19:31)
- Interview with a Texas umpire on the shortage of umpires and the challenges facing umpires today: (@23:08)
- Safety Bases should be used at all levels: (@49:44)
- Preparing your team to play in bad weather: (@58:39)
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The coaches discuss how to set up practice to make our baserunners better. The quickest way for a runner to advance is for them to be able to judge the ball and determine if it should get caught, might get caught or won't get caught. By the time a coach makes the determination and telephones it to the runner we probably have lost a base. But how much time do we practice this? Listen as they tell you how to set up practices to train them.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Are parents just unhappy and what is the root cause. Do we really have that many bad coaches or are people just generally unhappy. Let's find the middle ground. (@19:56)
- The coaches talk about some strange endings to games and what we can learn. If high level teams can get confused, so can our teams. (@32:47)
- When you coach long enough you have a stack of buckets. How many times have you seen adults at the field trying to get a stack of buckets unstuck. (@46:37)
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Managing pitching staffs and allocating innings to the different pitchers is a difficult task. It takes a plan. You need to blend the objectives of the team and the development of the pitchers. One thing is for certain, to develop pitchers you have to play more games. To play more games you have to win more so that you go deeper into the tournaments. The coaches discuss different concepts that will help you come up with a plan for your staff.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: My daughter struggled during her first big tournament, should I panic? (@9:50)
- Paige's Power Play (@14:53)
- Softball has moved up to the 4th ranked sport in college athletics. (@20:19)
- State of the umpiring crews. We have a serious shortage of umpires and coaches, tournament directors and parents have to get onboard with helping improve the situation. (@31:03)
- Coaches we have to do a better job on identifying our player's weaknesses and let them know specifically what they need to work on. If you have ever said that we can't hit slow pitchers, then you need to listen to this. (@42:54)
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A listener asks the question of how to become a college coach. Tory and Don give their experiences and discuss what you need to do and how to go about it. If you have ever given it a thought, you need to listen to this episode.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup Segment
- Listener Question: What are our thoughts on putting together a schedule. (@9:38)
- Paige's Power Play (@16:00)
- Part 2 of interview with Justin McLeod of Justin's World of Softball. (@22:22)
- What do we think about the 1 knee down catching technique? (@49:56)
- Setting your defense. (@1:02:11)
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Coaching the bases is a full time job. It is the coaches responsibility to be totally focused on the base runners and continuously remind them of the situations. Just as players strive to be great, coaches need to strive to be great base coaches. Players need to practice to get better, coaches need to practice with them to get better.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warmup segment
- Listener Question: Should I get a catcher's glove? (@9:38)
- Paige's Power Play (@12:24)
- Interview with Justin McLeod of Justins World of Softball (justinsworldsb.com) (@17:30)
- Field Conditions and the situations we experience in tournaments. (@46:45)
- Playing the sun fields on defense. (@56:45)
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We have all seen it. Team is struggling and the coach is not changing anything. The bench players and their parents are not happy because they are not getting a chance to see if they are better. The coaches discuss this problem and give our coaching friends some strategies to use in this situation. In fact, some of these strategies should be put to use even if you have a winning team.
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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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fastpitchprep.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
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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This weeks lineup:
- Warm-Up Segment
- Listener Question: Will we be able to see games in person this year? (@8:34)
- Paige's Power Play (@11:45)
- Part 2 of Rachel Coleman Interview on recruiting (@21:03)
- Hank Aaron's attitude about hitting. Keep Swinging (@52:15)
- Your players are working hard for you. Are you working hard for them (@55:04)
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The discussion is about adding new players to your team and how to transition them from new players to just players. When we add new players, there is a learning curve for them that can impact your practices and games until they are fully transitioned into the teams way of doing things. For instance, at practice you tell the team to go do "x" drill. The new players don't know what "x" is so practice bogs down while you explain it. Have a plan to seamlessly integrate your new players into the team.
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This weeks lineup:
- Warm-up Segment
- Paige's Power Play (@11:43)
- First part of an interview with Rachel Coleman a former D1 Coach breaking down the softball recruiting process. (@18:31)
- Managing traveling by airplane to a tournament. (@53:49)
- Early season practices. (@58:13)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Eventually, letting a pitch hit you is going to be expected. The coaches discuss this practice and when players are old enough to understand and not let it affect them in the batter's box. You have to understand the safety aspects as well as the psychological impact.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout Segment
- Listener Question: Which dugout would we chose and why? (@9:10)
- Paige's Power Play (@12:53)
- How much do catchers throw and is it too much (@22:26)
- Discussion of Bruce Lee quote - Don't speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke, your body doesn't know the difference. Words are energy change the way you speak about yourself and you can change your life. (@33:23)
- Quality vs Quantity (@44:10)
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The coaches discuss the absolute need for practice plans and being prepared. You should go to every practice with a legitimate plan. We lose kids when we bore them, we lose kids when we are disorganized and we lose everybody if they think we are wasting their time. Invest in a plan and adhere to it. This is a must listen for every coach.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Listener Question: Advice on how to protect myself catching my daughter as she gets faster. (@10:34)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:49)
- What to do when you see someone obviously teaching a player incorrectly. (@22:50)
- How appropriate is it for a parent to ask for an accounting of where the team money is going. (@34:37)
- What to look for when we are looking for pitchers. (@48:02)
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Discussion based upon a study that was made as to what female athletes like, what motivates them and why they continue to play. The study covers a lot of ground and helps us understand what creates the best environment for them.
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This weeks Lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Listener Question: Is it worth it to attend college camps? (@ 9:51)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 15:23)
- Discussion from NFCA convention that Travel Ball players need to compete for positions. (@ 18:44)
- Corona update on college softball (@ 33:33)
- Coaches we have to get in shape (@ 45:30)
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In this episode we discuss things that we say that confuse the player. And when you really think about what we are saying, they don't make any sense. For the new year we need to add this to our list of things to stop doing to get the best performance out of our players.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Listener Question: Daughter is struggling to hit the ball hard. (@ 9:04)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 14:14)
- Talent is increasing but passion is lagging (@ 19:09)
- Covering bases on steals (@ 40:00)
- A quality at-bat is not always a hit. (@ 48:58)
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This weeks episode discusses how to utilize assistant coaches. As head coach you need to delegate to your assistants certain responsibilities and let them coach. You also need to make sure that all of you are on the same page and avoid anything that undermines the players confidence in you or the assistants.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout Segment
- Listener question: Daughter struggles off pitching machine, okay in game (@ 8:01)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 14:01)
- Off-Season conditioning and training (@ 17:53)
- 5 rules to becoming a great sports parent (@ 30:23)
- Sarcasm is not a good coaching philosophy (@ 44:30)
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There are situations in a game where getting an out over giving up a run puts your team in a better situation. Last inning and you are up by multiple runs with runner(s) on base. We can give up the run to make sure of an out. The objective is to keep the other team from getting a rally going. Listen as we discuss the different situations.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Listener Question: The school administration may build us a softball facility. What advice do you have? (@8:17)
- Paige's Power Play (@18:00)
- Impact of being the younger sibling. (@22:55)
- Body Language (@46:02)
- Trap of coaching every player the same. (@54:13)
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In this weeks episode we discuss the issue of dad coaches being too hard on their own daughters. First of all we acknowledge that softball would not be as big a sport without dad coaches. For a large part dad coaches are unfairly criticized for playing daddy ball. But we have the flip side where dad coaches are unfair to their own daughters trying to prove that they are not playing daddy ball. Listen to the adjustments we think need to be made.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout Segment
- Listener question: How to make a pitching mat (@13:14)
- Paige's Power Play (@17:46)
- 2021 College Softball Update (@21:59)
- Home to First Time (@35:27)
- Celebrating small victories (@46:07)
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This episode is based on a listener question of how should a player position their glove in the ready position. We discuss what a player needs to be ready for and the optimal position to have the best chance on all types of hit balls.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout Segment
- Listener Question: What to do about inappropriate walk-up music? (@8:54)
- Paige's Power Play (@15:42)
- Peaks and Valleys of the softball calendar (@21:14)
- Percentages of High School players that play in college. (@39:18)
- Teach our players to backup. (@51:49)
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This weeks episode is prompted by a listener question regarding looking for a pitching instructor. There are buzz words that describe an instructors method. We break that down and suggest to not be concerned with what the method is called but does it make sense for the body to perform the repetitions required of a pitcher.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Shoutout Segment
- Listener Question: How to handle the distraction of other teams trying to recruit my daughter? (@9:07)
- Paige's Power Play @(15:48)
- Latest impact of COVID on softball (@20:40)
- We need to change players thinking that apologizing will correct a problem. (@37:26)
- Teaching controlled aggression (@44:08)
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In this weeks episode we continue the discussion from last week of coaches getting frustrated when players just don't get what the coach is trying to teach them. Sometimes we don't realize what the players don't know. Last week we talked about outfielders not understanding that they shouldn't make a throw when they have no chance of making a play on the runner. In this case we have to have some drills that gives them a measuring stick of what their capabilities are.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Paige's Power Play (@ 14:14)
- Left Handed Players - Can the play infield positions? (@ 19:34)
- Keeping Score in the real time app world. How to score. Can you make everyone happy? (@ 30:55)
- Base Running - You have to work on it. (@ 49:00)
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Coach Tory shares some of his frustration in trying to get players to be game aware and make the right decisions rather than have the mindset of if this is the situation I always do this.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Listener question: Who should be taking the lead on college recruiting from the team? (@ 7:05)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 14:00)
- A strikeout is just an out @(18:43)
- Yoda Logic (You must unlearn what you have learned) (@ 30:40)
- Gamechanger Society (@42:50)
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In this weeks episode we discuss the difference between a pitcher trying to strike out every batter and pitching to contact.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Listener question: My daughter is not as motivated as I would like her to be. (@ 11:13)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 17:33)
- Princess Bride Hitting (@ 22:56)
- Covid Impact Update (@ 31:28)
- 5 Things outfielders don't do well (@ 46:33)
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In this weeks episode we discuss player potential versus their actual performance. We have all seen players who have a lot of potential but they don't perform. How do we manage that and when do we move on.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout
- Listener Question: What are your favorite fields and complexes that you have coached at. (@ 10:46)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 15:27)
- Hitters should not be pre-occupied with what the umpire's strike zone is but what they can hit. (@ 20:30)
- A different take on the idea of letting an unborn child listen to classical music. Let them listen to sport lessons. (@ 35:05)
- Coaches: Emphasize pitcher's fielding. (@ 40:09)
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In this weeks episode, we talk about what is appropriate practice based upon where the team is in their season. Practices from pre-season to the beginning are intense and a lot is covered. As the season progresses, practice needs to change based on how much the team is playing, how long they have been playing, physical condition, etc. Listen to get the coaches opinion on how to manage practice time.
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This Weeks Lineup:
- Shoutout Segment (@ 3:10)
- Listener Question: What is you opinion of one handed hitting drills? (@ 9:13)
- Paige's Power Play (@ 13:24)
- Hitting coach has to be a psychologist, therapist and counselor. (@ 19:25)
- 10 things that can kill team culture. (@ 34:14)
- The same level of accountability has to be applied to everyone connected with the team. (@ 59:00)
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Discussion of how the relationship between umpires and coaches and players and umpires.
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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 (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
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.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout
- Paige'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)
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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!
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout Segment
- Paige's Power Play
- How long should pitcher's warm-up?
- Discussion of coaching styles
- Coachable and un-coachable players
- Why do teams play better behind some pitchers?
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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.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shoutout segment
- Paige's Power Play
- Listener 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.
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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.
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This weeks lineup:
- The shoutout segment
- Paige's Power Play
- Listener question - the pros and cons of knee savers
- How to handle discontent on a team and a mutiny is not the way to go.
- Know the differences between cut-offs and relays.
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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.
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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 Zone
- Don'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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shout out segment
- Listener 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.
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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 tocome 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.
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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.
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As schools start back, a lot of schools are going to be using virtual learning but with more structure than when it had to be implemented instantly back in the spring. If you are virtual learning, we discuss how to use your class breaks to become a better softball player.
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This weeks lineup:
- Shout out section
- Paige's Power Play
- Listener question on needing help in finding dedicated players for her team.
- The merger of Perfect Game (PG) and Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF). Will this be good for the fastpitch community? The conversation also moves into the cost of travel ball and limits on how much you should spend for tournaments and showcases.
- High School softball has started up in some of the states that play in the fall. There will be restrictions and yes, you must follow them.
- Dropped 3rd strike. The rule is discussed and the nuances must be taught to our players and practiced. It can be confusing and confusion can lead to mistakes. If your players know all aspects of the rule, they will be able to handle the situation correctly on defense and might be able to advance a base on offense.
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Throwing has to be practiced over and over to make the exceptional plays.There are many types of throws and each one should be practiced at every workout and at home. We go over many types of throws that you can build into your throwing program. Practice throwing, throwing and more throwing.
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This weeks podcast was distributed with the wrong date. To avoid any confusion we are uploading it again with today's date.
This weeks line up.
- Shout out section - Player of the week, Equipment tip, Did You Know, Listener question about foul tips and stealing
- Paige's Power Play
- Interview with Steven Locke head coach of the AP Gold 16U team just off winning the Triple Crown Southeast Nationals. Listen as he explains how this team was built and their coaching philosophy.
- What has become a weekly update of the affects of COVID 19 to sports. Everyone is following college sports because what they do will have an impact on upcoming players for years to come.
- Finally a discussion of the large national organizations and some of the pros and cons.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
This weeks line up.
- Shout out section - Player of the week, Equipment tip, Did You Know, Listener question about foul tips and stealing
- Paige's Power Play
- Interview with Steven Locke head coach of the AP Gold 16U team just off winning the Triple Crown Southeast Nationals. Listen as he explains how this team was built and their coaching philosophy.
- What has become a weekly update of the affects of COVID 19 to sports. Everyone is following college sports because what they do will have an impact on upcoming players for years to come.
- Finally a discussion of the large national organizations and some of the pros and cons.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
A bat is a major expense for the fastpitch player and family. Understanding what you are buying and how to make this decision is discussed in detail.
Follow us on facebook for the latest softball information:
https://www.facebook.com/fastpitchpreponline/
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Listen as we discuss different topics concerning the softball community.
- Shout out segment - Player of the week - City of the week
- Listener question - Should catchers remove their mask on fielding plays or leave it on?
- Segment 1 - Discussions are under way to change recruiting dates in an effort to clean up the mess caused by the Corona shutdowns. These decisions not only affect current players but ripple down through travel ball teams for several years.
- Segment 2 - The continuing changing Corona shutdowns continue to cause problems for colleges and travel teams. Also it seems that we are having more issues with decisions and conduct of participants of the teams that are getting to play.
- Coaching Tip - Use opportunities to teach and coach players in different positions to create versatility on your team. You never know when a condition will arise that cause you to put a player out of position.
To keep current with Corona decisions and more great content follow us on facebook. www.facebook.com/fastpitchpreponline/
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This week we emphasis how important it is for coaches and parents to instill an "I can do it attitude". In all parts of life, not just softball, the confidence and attitude that I can do anything leads to great success. Not all people naturally have that attitude. But, we as adults can lead our players and children down that path. You don't start out by placing them in the most stressful situation they will see then try to convince them that everything is okay. Listen as the coaches discuss working on developing this talent.
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Listen to this weeks episode of Everything Fastpitch. We discuss the following topics:
- Using some type of heart protection to protect the pitcher.
- A listener question: Can a left handed player be a catcher?
- Paige's Power Play.
- Could colleges solve their sports economic problems by adding certain sports rather than dropping sports?
- Our now weekly update of the impact of COVID-19 on the softball world.
- Coaching Tip of the Week: Solving the problem of the wrists rolling over too early when hitting.
Everyone have a great week and stay positive in these troubling times.
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Base running is an underutilized offensive weapon, We go over a base running checklist of how a base runner should react in certain situations. This is not something that can just be explained but must be practiced. A player with these skills can elevate her performance and make her a much more valuable asset for the team.
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This is the interview segment of the weekly podcast. It covers anxiety and other mental issues that young people experience. We felt it was important enough that instead of breaking it into 2 parts, we would post the complete interview as a separate podcast. It is an interview with Heather Murphy, LCSW. Heather is a former college softball player that experienced anxiety during her playing days. She works with parents of anxious teens but also specializes in working with high school and college students. She has a passion for helping student-athletes that struggle with anxiety. It's a great listen as the coaches and Heather talk about issues and how to help those struggling.
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This weeks episode has been split into 2 separate podcast downloads. This is the first part without an interview we did concerning anxiety and mental issues. We have our equipment tip of the week and a listener question. We follow with what has unfortunately become our normal Corona update segment. Corona has far overshadowed softball news. We end up with a segment on pulling pitchers. When, how and what's best to develop a pitching staff.
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The outcome of each game can be put in one of four categories. You play well and win, you play well and lose, you play poorly and win or you play poorly and lose. Evaluating your games helps you develop a schedule that will help optimize your teams development. We discuss these game result aspects to help you know what to do for future games.
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Another episode packed with information for the fastpitch enthusiast. Listener question of how early can a player start lessons. Our mental tip of the week from Paige Tonz. And of course a discussion of the disruption of softball because of Corona. We have an interesting interview with Dr. Joe Rouw. He is a developmental optometrist who enjoys working in the field of optometric vision therapy and has an interest in working with athletes and sports vision training. We end with a discussion of calling pitches and letting your catchers and pitchers be involved.
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This weeks episode is covering conduct issues that a couple of our listeners have encountered in tournaments lately. Verbal abuse should not be tolerated by anyone at a softball tournament. Let alone young players. Threats of physical violence is off the chart. Coaches we have to set the standards for our team and be an example. And we have to do what is necessary to maintain those standards. Even if it means dismissing a good player from our team because of conduct of adults. It's unfortunate that we have to talk about this, but it is a real world problem and the solution has to start with the Head Coach.
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A listener asks a question for some guidelines to maximize Batting Practice. Latest Power Play from Paige Tonz. We have an interview with Steve Goody the CEO of Pocket Radar. He gives us an update of their product and how it can be used in the recruiting process as well as how it can be used in the development of hitters and pitchers of all ages. And we have our normal good and bad with the Corona guidelines. Based on some listener comments we discuss how much talking should go on at practices. Field Time is a precious commodity for most teams and it is frustrating for a lot of people to see it used with players standing around while listening to instructions from coaches. We feel that field practice should be maximized and any instruction should be short and to the point and get on with practicing execution.
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This week we discuss the lineup. The goal of the lineup is for the team to have the best chance to win. It is not as simple as putting players in positions or batting order based upon a set formula. It is all about synergy. The whole is better than the sum of the parts. The key to being successful is communication. Players (and parents) have to understand the strategy and buy in. Listen as the coaches talk about it and relate experiences they have had.
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Our listener question this week is about dealing with a shy player. Paige Tonz of pagetonz.com provides her tip of the week. An interview with Ryan Taylor of SoftballBound which is an app that provides detailed information about colleges for use in the recruiting process. We have our normal Corona impact discussion to update what is going on related to softball.Coach Tory wants to challenge ESPN's choice of the Greatest Softball Team with is own picks. And our coaching tip of the week discusses how to properly handle pickup players.
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I have learned one very important thing in the last couple of years, I wish I had started writing a blog when I was still coaching.
Why, you ask?
I would be a much better coach than I was. I think I’ve learned more from writing these blogs than I’ve shared with the reader.
I was an all-time yeller and screamer! I came up when the idea was that great coaches were people like Bobby Knight and Vince Lombardi. Those coaching legends were very willing to get after a player and the volume was always turned up to “10.” It was always pretty easy for me to justify.
Another one of those old dog, new trick moments, for sure!
So what do I know now that I should have known then? There are a bunch of reasons why screaming and yelling doesn’t work. Listen to our thoughts.
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We have a listener question about having a pitching rubber they can take with them to practice at locations where there isn't one. Our usual Corona update on the effects and changes that are being required. We discuss camps and showcases if the college coaches are not going to be allowed to attend. Create a system to keep your dugout from looking like an episode of Hoarders.
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We will have far more rules and guidelines that we will have to follow now that we are starting to play again. This week we focus on meetings or the lack of them. Team gatherings that routinely occur during the course of a game are going to be curtailed or eliminated. We have to adapt.
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A listener asks about taking over a team when the existing coaches have to leave due to changes brought about because of COVID-19. Again this week we discuss the latest changes to the softball community and the latest collegiate news brought about by the shut downs. What is your opinion about stalling in time limit game?. And finally we give you suggestions about building you game schedule.
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When we get to start playing again, there are going to be restrictions that are going to be inconvenient for all of us. Coaches you have to lead the way of not harping on them, but staying positive.
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Today we discuss a listener question of how to assist players who have been impacted financially by the pandemic. We have an interview with a mental game coach and our normal COVID-19 updates from youth softball through collegiate softball. Our coaching tip is how to best use the initial practices when we start back up.
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College coaches may not be able to watch any games this summer. We know this to be true at least through June 30th. If we have established a connection with a coach we have to be able to give them something that can be a substitute. This year coaches may have to make decisions without any face-to-face opportunities. We go through the processes that coaches and parent of recruited players must do to give the college coach everything they can to help them make a decision in our favor.
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Of course COVID-19 guidelines are still the dominate issue with getting to play. We update with the latest news we have collected. Are Showcases really showcases if the college coaches can't attend. We discuss ways for players to still interface with college coaches to get their name out there. Teams are having to fold because they are not going to have enough players that can come back when things open up. How do we handle that? Advice for coaches to come back stronger and more open minded than before with the downtime.
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Starting practices back up will take some discipline. Bottom line is that the team that shows up for the first practice will not be the same team you saw the last time you were together, They will be at different levels of conditioning and muscle readiness. We discuss suggestions for starting back up and advice on following the rules and guidelines so that the option of playing is not taken from you.
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This week we start out with a "Did You Know" about the origin of softball. We give our equipment tip of the week. In response to a listener question we discuss the issues around whether college coaches will be conducting or attending camps this summer along with some of their "can do's" and "can't do's". When softball starts back up, it will not be the same and we have to be prepared for the changes and be positive in accepting them. If we don't follow the guidelines, that more than likely we won't like, games could be shut down again. Our second primary topic is helping players loss of confidence. As we move up the chain of competitive softball our success rate will go down. Players, parents and coaches have to recognize this and be prepared to work through it. And finally we talk about an insane pitching drill that is gaining some notoriety. Check out our web site www.fastpitchprep.com and check us out on facebook.
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This week on Coach Prep we go over the Communication Pyramid we have created. Team and player to player communication starts from nothing in the beginning years and develops to something very sophisticated in older great teams. We equate the process of learning to communicate with different levels of schooling in our pyramid. Communication has to be practiced and coached to perfect and is a requirement to move up the ladder to greatness,
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We again present a piece of equipment that we use in our training. Click here to see the products that we like. A listener asked us to discuss "How long to warm up". We give a Corona impact update and the effects it is having in cancelled events and how college coaches are being affected and what this means for the summer recruiting season. Many ideas are floating around about what changes would have to be made for the games to resume and still maintain social distancing. We finish up with our coach's tip of when should we not catch a foul fly ball.
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A listener wants to know our opinion on who is the greatest player. We answer that question which leads into a discussion of what are the characteristics of great players and the things that coaches can do to help develop those traits. Great players don't start out great they become great players.
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We have a very interesting Did You Know and an old school equipment tip. We continue to update you on the latest affects of the Corona Virus. We discuss whether the big summer tournaments will get played and a lighthearted look a team names. We finish up with a discussion of letting players learn from their mistakes and the difference between being told something and actually learning.
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When individual players on your team receive an award, whether it be internal or from an external organization you have to handle it. Individual awards are great but they can have an impact on your team. Hurt feelings, discontent, etc. Coaches you must be prepared to handle this and be consistent. This episode will help you out.
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We start off with our normal segments of “Did You Know”, “Products We Like” and great listener questions with a general topic of what should we expect from our players at various ages. The impact of the national shutdown on the NCAA is a continuing topic. This week we update on schools dropping sports, the financial impact, requests to relax regulations and eliminate some sports. We then discuss some more fastpitch related movies that we can watch while staying at home. Books that can help the players, coaches and parents are recommended. That leads us into our coaching tip of the week. The topics today are “Building team chemistry” and “Creating competitiveness on a team”. As always stay positive and be sure to visit us on fastpitchprep.com.
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In this episode we go over two of the tools we have available via our web site. First of all we have a YouTube Channel with dozens of short drills covering all aspects of the game. And we have about 550 posts in our blog that covers everything from soup to nuts about softball. These are tools that we are offering the community at no cost to further the sport. Especially now that whatever practice that's taking place, is at home. We go over how you can use these tools to create some type of structured practice rather than telling your player to go take 50 swings. Please take advantage of them.
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Well -- maybe not spectacular but this weeks the coaches are talking favorite movies and recommendations during this quarantine. We're also talking equipment, more on the NCAA ruling, and more remote training.
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This week Coach Tory and Coach Don talk effective strategies for communicating with players during remote training and workout sessions.
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In this week's episode the coaches take a deep dive in to the affects the NCAA decision to extend eligibility will have. We also look at how recruiting is being affected, home training, and helicopter coaches.
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This week the coaches talk strategies for effectively communicating to your team.
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This week the coaches talk about the postponement of the Olympic Games, We are also talking remote training, Didja Know, and the Long and Short term fixes for helping hitters.
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This week the coaches discuss strategies for strengthening the lines of communication between players and potential schools they are interested in. This unexpected lull in many seasons has created opportunity to talk more with college coaches and the smart players are taking advantage.
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Equipment Tip of the Week
Did You Know
Listener Question
Topic 1 - Handling the Challenges of the Times
Topic 2 - Softball Homework
Coaching Tip of the Week
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This week the coaches are talking bat size and choosing the right bat. Not every bat is made equal. Finding the right bat can sometimes be more of a process than you think!
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The staff at Everything Fastpitch is committed to delivering content to our listeners, even through this unprecedented time. This week the coaches talk NCAA World Series cancellation, and the NCAA rule change that could give those affected an additional year of eligibility. We also have a gear spotlight, coach tip, shout-out and more!
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This week the coaches sit down to talk pitching and how much is too much when it comes to the frequency you're using your pitchers.
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In this week's episode the coaches get back to the regular line up with our Shout-out, Gear Spotlight, and a Listener Question. In our topic section we talk Social Media coaching and the effects the current health situation has had on athletics.
Purchase the ZUYEE Wrist Band Ball we discussed here: https://amzn.to/2IGakd7
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This week the coachers focus on our younger and less experienced players and strategies for coaching up their team defense.
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On our journey to episode 200 the coaches and staff get things back to normal with Shout-Outs, Player of the week, Coach Tips and everything else you've come to expect! The coaches also talk more with last week's special guest Coach Scott Whitlock.
Link to Scott's book: https://amzn.to/3cBlduT
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This week the coaches tackle a topic they have received from multiple coaches out there. What is the value of scrimmaging and the live batting practice that comes with it.
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We made it to 100 and we have YOU, the listeners to thank! What do we have in store for you this week? Listen in and find out. The coaches have kept this a secret until now and you are just one listen away from finding out. Again, from the EFP staff we thank you ALL for your continued support.
Link to Scott's book: https://amzn.to/3cBlduT
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In this week's CoachPrep the coaches talk baserunning and the finer points of coaching every level of player.
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In this week's turn the coaches have a lot to cover. First, thank you Anchorage for the increased listenership! Our player of the week is a Breezy kinda girl, Sportneer is here to strengthen your forearms, and coach Tory and Coach Don give you the skinny on Where the base path actually lies and they talk Obstruction Rule and Concussion.
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In this week's eppy the coaches talk advanced strats for bunt defense and taking your team's ability to effectively handle bunts to the next level.
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In this week's episode the coaches talk coaching changes, player of the week, gear spotlight and catch up with friend to the show Coach Reed to talk rule changes to pitching.
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In this week's episode of CoachPrep the coaches are going through everything you need to know about Bunt Defense.
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This week's episode is a grab bag of topics. Coach Tory talks changing his mind when it comes to defensive masks, the coaches get in to the details of the tagging up rules and they also talk the importance of hitting at a tryout.
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In this weeks edition of the show Coach Tory and Coach Don talk strategies for becoming a more effective coach, which doesn't always mean explaining what you want from your players.
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This episode has it all! The coaches talk ballpark wagons, no ties, the first 2020 EFP Player of the Week, NCAA rankings and more!
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This week the coaches talk the ins and outs of The Double Play.
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In this episode the coaches circle back a little to last week's topic and talk opportunities to get out and see the Olympic team!
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This week the coaches talk strategies for coaching players from the next generation and beyond and why some of the old reliable ways won't get the results you're expecting. This episode goes hand in hand with a blog Coach Tory wrote that can be found here:
https://www.fastpitchprep.com/single-post/2020/01/09/Coaching-Millennials
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This week the coaches have the catcher's covered with their equipment spotlight. They also come at us with a new "Didja Know...", a user email and a discussion on something every coach and parent is probably guilty of -- Catchphrase Communication.
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In this week's episode the coaches talk the importance of exposing young players to the college game and above.
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In this week's episode the coaches are here to get 2020 started right! We have a new Gear Spotlight -- The Zip Ball! We are also talking rules, foul lines, and more!
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In this episode the coachers discuss the importance of knowing the rules of the game, knowing the current changes and when you may be able to challenge a rule or when you should adapt a rule change to your coaching to make sure your team doesn't get penalized in a big game on a technicality.
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Don't worry, we'll be back next year with new episodes, new guests, and new takes on the game. For our final episode the coaches have the developer of our new sponsor Cleat it Up in to talk about what it can do for you.
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In this weeks episode of CoachPrep the coaches lay out strategies and tips for running effective and productive indoor practices when the weather doesn't allow for being on the field.
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In this Christmas Eve edition the coaches continue talking about gift ideas for coach and respond to a listener question -- How to run an effective indoor practice in a small space.
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In this week's episode of Coach Prep the coaches talk Slap D and strategies for defending against those pesky lefties.
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In this episode the coaches announce The Fastpitch Prep Coach Challenge! What is this? Listen in to find out!
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In this weeks episode of CoachPrep Coach Tory and Coach DFon talk strategies for getting this collection of players to act and work together as a team.
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In this week's episode of Everything Fastpitch Coach Tory and Coach Don talk JUGZ pitching machine, what to give that special coach in your life and in our long topic, Coach Tory discusses a scary situation that made him thankful he had the right first aid training.
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No, this episode isn't about Baby Yoda, but the coaches discuss some ancient Mandalorian wisdom. Coach Tory and Coach Don dive in to the topic of being an open-minded coach and knowing when "the way we've always done it" maybe isn't "the way we should be doing it."
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This week the coaches taker a deep dive on the recent trend of developing cookie cutter hitters. We also feature a player of the week and our equipment spotlight shines on our adoration of the products from Bownet!
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In this weeks episode of CoachPrep Coach Tory and Coach Don talk on-field awareness and strategies to help your players be the best player they can be by knowing what to do in any situation they find themselves in.
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In this weeks episode the coaches shout out and highlight our player of the week. They then move on to our main discussion -- Athletes and Energy Drinks and We round things out with our Coaching Tip of the Week.
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This week the coaches continue their deep dive on bunting, including stance and approach.
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In this weeks episode we have a lot going on! Shout outs, p[layer of the week and n the long discussion the coaches talk pros and cons to seeing a different coach -- whether that be a new coach for private lessons or swapping teams to get a fresh perspective or look at how something can be done in a different way.
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In this weeks CoachPrep the coaches talk in depth about bunting, and specifically -- the sacrifice bunt.
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In this week's episode the coaches talk Player of the Week, Gear Tip of the Week, Everything They Hate About Showcases, and Pick-up Protocol
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Coach Tory and Coach Don talk effective strategies for coaching your players during practice sessions to get the most out of their at bats/.
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This week's episode is packed! The coaches talk Player of the Week, Gear of the Week Spotlight, helping your team mates find their role on the team, the facts about composite bats and effective strategies for getting your players the information they need.
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In this week's episode the coaches talk in-game adjustments to hitting and strategies to get the most out of your at bats during a game.
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This week the coachers are back broadcasting on Facebook live and talking Fastpitch. We have our usual Shout-Out and Listener Question segment, followed by our Equipment Spotlight and then topical discussions on adjusting to a new team and the transgender athlete.
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In this episode the coaches talk strategies and philosophies to help travel coaches work with college coaches and their players in the recruiting process.
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In this episode the coaches talk what players and parents should know about Fall recruiting. We also have an equipment highlight, coaching tip and as always, our Shout-Out!
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In this episode of CoachPrep the coaches go deep in to the psyche of the pitching staff and how to get the most out of your young pitcher.
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In this episode of Everything Fastpitch the coaches talk goal setting and the Fair Pay to Play Act. If you haven't already, please subscribe rate and write a review!
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CoachPrep is a coaching-intensive supplement to Everything Fastpitch, and we're looking for sponsors! If you and your company want to get involved with our podcast, email us at FastpitchPrep@gmail.com!
This episode dives into setting line ups offensively and defensively!
Leave us a 5 ⭐️ rating & leave us a review!
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We're up to episode 80!
Leave us a 5 ⭐️ rating and a review! If we read your review on the podcast, you'll get a t-shirt!
The coaches rave about the Club K Spinner, which is a flat disk for pitchers! If you're serious about pitching, pick this piece of equipment up! (https://www.amazon.com/Spin-Right-Spinner-Fastpitch/dp/B07CRM2QTM) The coaches discuss the idea of pitchers and catchers as base runners and the overwhelming trend of courtesy runners! They also give tips on speed and agility and weightlifting! The podcast ends with a coaching tip of the week, which you'll have to listen to find out!
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The coaches take a deep dive into the finite details of cut-offs & relays.
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Podcast episode #79 starts off with an Equipment Tip of the Week. This week it is the Diamond Flexiball. It's a "soft" ball, but it looks like a real softball! Hear the coaches' review on it! Next, the coaches explore rundowns and offensive strategies. Coach Tory wrote a blog post (https://www.fastpitchprep.com/single-post/2019/09/23/Whats-the-Cost) about the cost of travel ball/youth sports, and what the affordability is now. Finally, in the Coaching Tip of the Week, the coaches give insight on the approach of hitters down in the count.
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Episode #1: Welcome to the first episode of our new Friday content, COACHPREP. CoachPrep is meant to take a deeper dive in to coaching topics we can't cover fully during our normal Everything Fastpitch show. In this episode Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss 1st and 3rd plays and why a defense shouldn't just give away 2nd. tune in and always, let us know what you think at fastpitchprep@gmail.com
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In this episode the coaches talk more about our new Friday show called CoachPrep, where more detailed discussions about the game will take place. The coaches also discuss rundowns, slumps, and how a coach can get their bench engaged in a game. Our equipment spotlight shines on the Clincher Softball from DeBeer.
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In this episode the coaches talk directly to the parents with this weeks main topic "The Parental Mental Game". The coaches also talk of their love for the G Tee, and the obligations of the base runner and the fielder when it comes to playing the bases.
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n this podcast, #76, the coaches open with a new topic: equipment tip of the week. Then they get into coaches measuring bat speed and radaring throwing speed. They also talk about the difference between warming up and working out. Listen to find out the coaching tip of the week!
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This week has a few changes but we're sure you're going to like them. We have an Equipment Tip of the Week, A Coaching Tip of the Week, Listener Mailbag, and the coaches talk a little about the situation at Nebraska.
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This episode is chocked full of listener questions. The coaches are talking about offering on a bunt, how to pick the right travel team for YOU, how to keep a good team rolling, and a Coaching Tip of the Week.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don sit down to talk about the likeliness of turning a right-handed hitter into a successful left-handed slapper. They discuss the art of shifting a defense for a hitter. Coach Tory talks about what makes a championship team, and they also discuss baserunners running past first: turn left or right? Listen to find out!
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Coach Don and Coach Tory are back to share some knowledge about softball! While we are putting Player of the Week (#PoTW) on hold at the moment, the coaches have replaced #PoTW with an extra coaching tip! The coaches delve into how to be recruited from Canada, how to scout opponents, and the ins-and-outs of pitch calling! Listen to find the second coaching tip of the week!
Do you have any questions, concerns, topics, or compliments? Email us at EverythingFastpitch@gmail.com!
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In this week's episode the coaches mix things up by putting Player of the Week on hiatus and doubling up with 2 coaching tips and 2 long topics. Coach Tory and Coach Don give their thoughts on when is it time for your young player to begin playing travel ball. They also weigh in on how to handle discontent within the team.
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This episode is all about the listener mailbag and some push back regarding comments Coach Tory made!
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As summer draws to a close the coaches are here to talk recruiting and tryouts. Coach Tory and Coach Don also talk how to handle the pressure when a coach challenges you -- it isn't because they hate you!
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This week the coaches wrap up the huge showcase that took place in Colorado and Coach Tory talks about Nationals. Pitchers -- LISTEN UP! We've got you covered with strategies and tips in this week's episode.
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This episode's main focus is on the Colorado experience. What is that, you may ask? Each summer one of the largest showcase tournament events in the country draws hundreds of teams, thousands of players and hundreds of coaches. coach Tory is on the scene and ready to fill you in!
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This week Coach tory recounts the recent matchup one of his teams had with International squad Chinese-Taipei and a listener asks about attitude and how much it factors into recruiting.
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If you are a catcher, this episode is for you. The coaches talk the importance of framing. They then switch over to talk making a good impression when you play in a showcase.
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In this episode the coaches cover a lot of topics. We have a player of the week, a listener question about the Foul Line, and transfer portal talk. The coaches also gives tips and talk strategies for helping batters match their mental strike zone and the umpire's zone.
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this week Coach Tory and Coach Don wrap up the WCWS, honor their PLAYERS of the week, answer a listener question and find time to talk coaching tips.
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Alright EFP'ers. We're hearing you! You've got questions and the coaches have answers. Tune in this week as the coaches read your great questions.
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This week Coach Tory and Coach Don take a listener question about the new bats being released. the coaches also talk control at the plate and the effect of the new slapping rules. The week's Tip of the Week is knowing when to say something to give a player more confidence.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don are back to break down this years WCWS. The Regionals are over and now it is time to find out who is the best of the best!
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The coaches talk TEAM of the Week - Georgia Gwinnet College. A listener wants to know how much a pitcher should be practicing each week and then Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss bunting and slapping defensive strategies.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don breakdown the #WCWS Regional action and look ahead to the Super Regionals
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The coaches honor this week's player of the week and take a few questions from listeners. Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss mixing up the practice routine to get the most out of your players and practice time. The show is wrapped up with the Tip of the Week -- The Long Toss Program.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don talk WCWS selections, regionals and who they think will move on.
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In this episode we salute Jordan Dail, pitcher from The University of Oregon. We have a user question about Leadership and the coaches talk takin' a lead when you're on the bases. The show is rounded out with the Tip of the Week.
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This week the coaches are back at it and have a full show for you. Listen in as Coach Tory and Coach Don honor this week's player of the week, answer a listener question, and talk what is more important? Good Coaching or Good Players?
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In this weeks episode Coach Tory and Coach Don talk Oregon's win over #1 UCLA. Kinley Johnson becomes our first 2x Player of the Week as she returns to the field after battling brain cancer. In our middle segment the coaches talk practice drills -- all you coaches listening out there are going to love this segment. Mix in a Listener Question and The Coaching Tip of the Week and you've got one full episode!
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The coaches talk College Softball results, honor our player of the week and take a question from a local listener. They also discuss Look Good, Feel Good.
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The bases are loaded with this episode. The coaches salute Player of the Week Beth McCulley from Tennessee Tech. They also take a listener question and talk double play drills in the Coaching Tip of the Week.
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Coach Jana McGinnis is back with coach Tory to talk rebuilding after the F3 tornado that ripped through the JSU campus 1 year ago. The coaches also talk the use of the word DON'T at the field.
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Coach Tory catches up with Jacksonville State HC Jana McGinnis and the coaches talk pitch and defensive systems.
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In this week's episode the coaches salute our listeners in Portland, Oregon and Danielle Gibson from the University of Arkansas for hitting for the Home Run Cycle. They also discuss metal cleats, recruiting videos and Coach Don has his Tip of the Week.
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Welcome to the 50th Episode of Everything Fastpitch. The coaches would like to thank everyone who listens and makes this show possible. As a special treat we have a super sized interview with former East Paulding (Go Raiders!) and N.C. State catcher Claudia Cooper.
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This week the coaches talk a little more college ball as well as this week's player of the week. A listener has a question regarding Home to 1st times and the coaches talk bunting in their tip of the week.
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This week the coaches catch up with Coach Phil Berry, Head Coach at Harding, and more Ballpark Lingo!
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The coaches have Coach Deb in for a third time to talk about instruction. and its importance. The coaches also talk more ballpark lingo and try to translate!
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Coach Deb is back with the Coach Tory and Coach Don this week to talk about Olympic Fastpitch. The show debuts a new segment and the coaches bring you another weekly tip.
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Coach Don sits down with Coach Deb Sonnenberg of Georgia Trouble to talk changes in recruiting and how it will affect Showcase Tournaments. The coaches have their tip of the week and shout-out.
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The coaches talk about Attitude or Ability, interview Bonnie Graham (Head Coach at Tennessee Tech), and the never-ending player drain at Oregon and the continued fallout created by the transfer portal.
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The coaches talk about making the best impression possible at a camp and have a great interview with Frank Gillum.
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The coaches talk Women's National team selections and interview Mercer University Head Coach Stephanie DeFeo
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The coaches breakdown the recent Holiday Camp at Tennessee Tech, Interview Head Coach Kassie Stanfill from Austin Peay University and continue their "Better Hitter" coaching tip segment.
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Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss breaking in that brand new glove. The coaching tip of the week is a continuation of the building a better batter short series and... what do hits smell like?
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The coachers sit down after Christmas and talk recruiting and improving your swing.
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The coaches talk discuss what to get that special diamond girl in your life and wrap things up with a Tip!
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The coaches discuss the fall out from the new transfer rule, what that special coach in your life might like for the holidayts and more off season coaching tips.
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This week is a potpourri of topics. The coaches discuss bat technology, training in the off season, and more!
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The coaches have a special interview in this episode. They talk with former Men's Fastpitch player Randy Brown. They also discus winter training and keeping your eye on the prize, even when it is cold.
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This week we did something special. As a thank you to all of your, a special Thanksgiving episode. This sucker is packed with great topics and is a perfect distraction for Black Friday madness!
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The week the coaches discuss the real reason you play in a showcase. Coach Don has a coach tip -- Ladies!@ Take Care of Your Gloves!!
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The coaches discuss the new transfer rule affecting the NCAA. They also shout out to our player of the week and Coach Tory has a coach tip.
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This week the coaches talk a little more GHSA playoffs and Coach Tory has some suggestions for the authorities that oversee the old Atlanta Olympics Softball venue in Columbus. Don and Tory disagree on pitcher overuse and Coach Tory has a few words for the new crop of potential recruits getting ready for Showcase season.
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Coach Tory catches up with Coach Terry Martin at the Georgia State Softball Championships. Coach Don has a great tip and the coaches discuss where to stand in the batter's box.
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This week the tables are turned and Coach Tory interviews Coach Don about his history in fastpitch. The coaches shout out to our Player of the Week, and discuss practice and pre-gram preparation. Coach Tory wraps things up with his Tip of the Week.
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In this episode the coaches talk fastpitch and the amazing support the fastpitch community gives to those when they need it. Coach Don interviews Coach Tory and you don't want to miss Coach Don't Tip of the Week!
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This week's episode is super sized! The coaches shoutout to our player of the week and all the teams playing in the GHSA playoffs. They talk sliding and interview Canadian Olympian and Pitching Instructor Coach Deb Sonnenberg. Coach Tory and Coach Don wrap things up with this week's Tip of the Week.
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Everything Fastpitch returns after a few weeks off. The coaches have a special player for Player of the Week this week. The topic of the week is "Are you Affecting the Game?" and Coach Tory has a tip.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory and Coach Don are asking for your input. Send us your try out or org info to be featured in our ShoutOut segment. The coaches wrap up the Get Ready series with a segment covering how to handle pressure. We have an awesome interview with Coach Schnute from the EC Bullets and Coach Tory winds things up with his Tip of the Week.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches discuss this weeks news as travel season begins to wrap up. Coach Tory and Coach Don talk mother nature and how to play your best game in less than ideal conditions and then catch up with coach Marshall from the Firecrackers organization. Coach Don wraps things up with his hitting tip of the week!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
How, as a player, should you handle playing on a field you've never set foot on? The coaches have the answer in part 4 of our "Get Ready!" series. Coach Tory catches up with Coach Graham from Tennessee Tech, coach Don has a "Hey Coach!" and we wrap it up with a tip from Tory. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches talk Umpires and your relationship with them in Part 3 of the Get Ready series. Coach Tory interviews Coach Andrea Browning of Tennessee State. In our new Shoutout segment the coaches discuss the Triple Crown 16U controversy and coach Don wraps up this week's episode with a tip!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss a common sense approach to scouting a team before you play. This is part 2 of our multipart series called Get Ready! The coaches have Chap Greene in the studio from National Scouting Report and Coach Tory closes things out with his tip of the week.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory and Coach Don talk Warmups in a new series covering The Pre-Game Routine. The coaches check in with Fastpitch Prep instructor Claudia Cooper, get a question from a listener in "Hey Coach!" and Coach Don takes us home with a hitting tip.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
You've all seen them or been around them at the ballfield -- THAT parent. Are YOU that parent? Coach Tory Interviews Carly Van Auken of Tennessee Tech, William Jules of Atlanta Vipers, and our Fastpitch Prep Player of the Week, Alex Hudson. We wrap everything up with our weekly tip from Coach Tory.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss what it takes to become a complete player and to differentiate yourself from being a good player to a great player. Coach Tory catches up with former Tennessee Tech standout Samantha Bates and University of North Georgia Head Coach Mike Davenport. Coach Don wraps things up with his hitting tip of the week.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches discuss the results of the NCAA Women's College World Series and the accuracy of Coach Tory's "predictions." We also check in with Lauren Bennett from Kennesaw State to talk life and softball. Coach Tory catch up with Coach Donley Canary from the University of Tennessee - Martin to discuss his program and the new recruiting guidelines and Coach Tory wraps things up with a tip on hitting and timing.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Who is going to be your new NCAA Fastpitch National Champion? Coach Tory tells you who HE thinks is taking it all!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches discuss that moment in every boy's life when he realizes there is always someone out there better than them -- and sometimes, that someone is a girl! What drives the coaches crazy when they are working with a student? Listen in!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory breaks down Super Regional Action and gives his predictions on who will advance to OKC!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches talk NCAA Selections Politics and how to handle a pushy travel coach.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory breaks down the regional action and gives his thoughts on who he thinks will move on to the Super Regionals!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches talk strength training and conditioning as well as how they came to the game. Also, they answer a Hey Coach question from a player.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
In this episode Coach Tory and Coach Don talk signs a college coach is really interested in your. Coach Tory gives relationship advice if you and your swing aren't getting along, and a young player has a question for the coaches.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
In this episode the coaches talk specialization and give clues as to where all those practice balls may be hiding.... Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
The coaches discuss the new NCAA recruiting rules and the impact it will have on early recruiting and our game!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
In this bonus episode Coach Tory and Coach Don talk practice pitfalls and strategies for bringing new life to stale practice norms. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
In this weeks episode the coaches continue talking misconceptions, the differences in camps, and a user questions about who to listen to!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
In the episode the coaches talk the misconception about getting a "Full Ride", the NCAA and the FBI, and a listener question about keeping her energy up during a long tournament day at the fields.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory and Coach Don continue their series on recruiting misconceptions. They also discuss major school that do not have fastpitch softball programs. The show winds down with a listener question about how to handle the sun while on the field.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Coach Tory and Coach Don talk recruiting and things they hear at the park that make them cringe! Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
Listen in as Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss common misconceptions when it comes to recruiting in a brand new multipart series! They also discuss showcase pros and cons as well as a user question about glove care.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)
In this first episode, Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss Early Recruiting in College Fastpitch. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/everythingfastpitch)