3 Examples of Successful Competitions

In our preseason sessions, which we're currently in, we focus on mentally preparing for the upcoming competitions. This means creating game-like scenarios and adding some pressure to our practices, so that when our pitchers step into actual games, it all feels routine.

Here are three exciting games that I picked up from various coaches during the NFCA conference I attended in December. You might start seeing these games in our lessons soon.

Pitching Bingo:

Illinois Wesslyan

Players must accomplish BINGO, which is 5 across, diagonal, or vertical. You can do this in teams or have each player work on their own squares. One options is to time them and see how far they get. If timing makes them rush, there are other options like letting each pitcher try three squares, and see if the team can accomplish BINGO. Get creative with it! The first few times, you might notice some squares are too easy, too hard, or take too long. Just keep adjusting until it's perfect for our team.

The List :

This one might take up the whole practice session. Give our pitching staff a list of 20 tasks to complete within the hour. If they finish early, start timing them to beat their records. Here are some examples of what to include:

-3 Strikes in a row
-3 spots in a row
- 9 strikes in 2 minutes or less
- Steal the BINGO square ideas from above
- let the team choose one person for a specific drill. Involving the team in the selection can boost the chosen player's confidence.

Ryder Cup Day:

This is a fantastic competition from Alabama that lets our pitchers learn about another sport! Divide the staff into teams of two or three, and pretend it's America vs. Europe.

Fourball: In this game, each member of a two-pitcher team pitches an at-bat (or you can play hit/miss or another game). It's team one pitcher vs. team two pitcher, and whoever performs better in that at-bat gets the point. After say, 10 at-bats, the team with the most points wins. In case of a tie, you split the points. For example, if both players strike out the batter 0-3, points are halved.

Foursome: Each two-pitcher team takes turns pitching to a batter. So, the first pitcher might get the count to 1-0, and the second to 1-1, and so on until the at-bat is complete. Keep playing a certain number of batters until one team emerges as the winner.

Singles: In this game, one pitcher from each team takes turns pitching to a set number of batters, and the team with the lowest score for the pitcher wins.

After pitching for the entire winter without competing in games, lessons and practices can get tedious. We try to incorporate as many games as possible and keep it competitive. Let's have some fun while getting better at pitching!