Lessons from College Coaches
/The NCAA Tournament has begun! Here’s where to watch it. I’m so grateful for the people in the NCAA and NPF who have worked so hard to get softball on national TV. Softball is one of the top 4 most-watched sports in the United States.
It’s just he beginning. What this coverage is going to do to inspire young ladies to play softball and get involved in sports is going to be huge. Hopefully when I ask at little league clinics, both parents and kids will raise their hands and nod “yes” when I say,
“Have you seen softball on tv? Do you know what windmill pitching looks like?” Instead of all hands going up only when I ask if they’ve watched the Cubs or Sox.
The more you watch, the better the opportunities for your daughters!
National Fastpitch Coaches Association had it’s conference in Chicago in 2018. I learned about pitching, becoming a champion, and what college coaches are looking for in new recruits from the coaches who are playing in the tournament this year. I thought now would be a good time to share what I learned just one more time - as you get ready to watch the best in the world play!
Below are seven of the many things I took away that will help you become a better pitcher or coach.
How to increase speed: experienced pitchers add miles per hour by developing arm whip. You’ll notice when a fast pitcher reaches 9 o’clock in her arm circle (her arm behind her, about to deliver) her elbow is slightly bent and the ball is facing the sky. Once you have a good arm circle, meaning on-plane, you can begin to practice this. Contrary to how pitchers feel during the delivery, the upper back muscles, not the muscles in the front of your chest, pull your arms down. You can also think about it as if your elbow is leading your arm down to the point of release.
How to become a champion: the coaches from Florida State (2018 NCAA DI WCWS Champions) talked about how they got themselves mentally prepared for competition. Each player had her own 2-minute highlight real that she watched before every game to pump herself up.
How to deal with playing time: this isn’t only an issue at the youth level. College coaches have to deal with questions and concerns about playing time from both players and parents. Of the coaches I talked to, each had a very different philosophy of who gets to play and why. The overwhelming consensus was that setting proper expectations was imperative. First, coaches must have a clear philosophy of playing time. Second, before the season they must communicate their philosophy, then follow through on and reinforce what they said during the season.
How to have an effective pitching practice: we all know you only get better when you try. Every pitch you throw without focusing on a spot or a fundamental is a wasted pitch. For example, Cindy Bristow of Softball Excellence might tell one of her pitchers she only has 5 pitches to spin the ball correctly. This certainly puts the pressure on and helps her focus!
How to avoid Injury: although Dr. Kellie Middleton, orthopedic surgeon and former NPF outfielder, discussed mostly overhand throwing injuries, she did comment on overall health and underhand pitching. Sports, both organized and disorganized, are the leading cause of injuries in kids. Overuse injuries make up 50% of all injuries in middle and high school. Three-sport athletes suffer less injuries than one-sport athletes. Plus, Dr. Middleton answered the common question, “Is the underhand pitching motion more natural that overhand, and as a result do less injuries occur?” She confirmed that the underhand motion was in fact more natural. Think about it - when you walk and run your arms swing under you, which makes the shoulder socket move the same way it does in underhand pitching. But as far as it causing less injury? We don’t know, there still needs to be more research. What we do know is that it does cause a different set of injuries than overhand throwers. Which ones those are, though, I’m hoping will be covered next year.
How to throw a great rise ball: Lori Sippel, Nebraska University Associate Head Coach, talked about how launch angles affect your movement pitches. The best movement pitches require you to do two things - rotate your fingers and cut the ball. Throwing a riseball is similar to how a tennis player puts backspin on the ball. Imagine your hand is the racket and the softball is the tennis ball. To create backspin you must cut under the ball in a downward launch angle with your arm and hand, palm facing up, in order to create backspin. Then you must also rotate your hand and fingers around the ball. A riseball, therefore, is released earlier in the motion than a drop ball.
