A Real-Life Lesson About Training: My Story

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A Real-Life Lesson About Training: My Story

As a young athlete, I had an average work ethic. I went along with what my coaches said to do.  Although my parents took me to lessons with my uncle who was a pitching coach once per week, I only practiced maybe once per week, if at all, in an unfocused and purposeless way.  I felt bad for my catcher. Wasn’t I “putting her out” by asking her to catch for me?  Sometimes I felt sorry for myself because I had to throw to a wall and bend down to field it.  My dad was supportive but not pushy.  If I asked him to catch me, I’m sure he would have; but I never felt like practicing so I didn’t ask. Mom and Dad came to my games and were proud of my “efforts,” like most other parents.

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Ithaca College Hall of Fame

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Ithaca College Hall of Fame

In October, Kevin Connors, ESPN sportscaster and Ithaca College graduate, interviewed me and 7 other inductees into the 50th class of the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame. It was a very fun (and nerve-racking) experience, but I wanted to share what I talked about. The reason I’m sharing this is because I think it’s important for young athletes to see what’s possible in the sport of softball. After all, many 8-12 year olds don’t know there is a professional softball league, that college softball is televised, or that they might have enough talent to play beyond high school. I’ve also added the introduction video they showed the audience before my interview to give some background on what we had to do to achieve at a high level.

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What Yoga Can Teach Us about Pitching

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What Yoga Can Teach Us about Pitching

This summer we held class at a beautiful personal training and yoga studio called “Practice Chicago” in Lincoln Park. What a fitting name, right?! As you know, I love when pitchers practice, but I never looked at practice the way described in @practicechicago’s recent Instagram post:

“When an activity becomes a practice it shifts from something you are doing at a point in time to an ongoing process of becoming. The former lends itself to “good” or “bad” judgments, forgetfulness, and discontinuity. The latter lends itself to integration, continuous learning, and wholeness.”

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Why We Love Accountability Partners (And You Should, Too)!

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Why We Love Accountability Partners (And You Should, Too)!

Everyone needs consistent human support when attempting difficult physical activity. Before I got a personal trainer and started attending scheduled classes at the gym in 2014 I just wandered over to Lakeview YMCA 2 or 3 times a week and completed my old college lifting workout. That's right, I did my old college workout for ELEVEN years because I didn't know what I didn't know. Seemed like a totally awesome workout because it was totally awesome in college.
 

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Why Pitchers are Like Batman

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Being a pitcher is a year-round commitment. As you know the learning curve is steep!  If you want to contribute to your team and see playing time, your best bet is to practice multiple times a week, get professional instruction, and take planned breaks (not breaks where you don't quite "feel like it today"). 

Unlike a shortstop or a left fielder, you hold the ball every single play in the game. You have the power to strike everyone out or walk everyone. You have the power to affect the attitude of the rest or your team, whether you stay positive after an error or lose faith when a run scores. 

You hold the most power in your hands and with this "power comes great responsibility."  - to quote my favorite comic book hero, Batman.

Make the time to practice year-round and you might save the day, too!

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New Take-aways from College Coaches at the NFCA Convention

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New Take-aways from College Coaches at the NFCA Convention

One take-away I got from her presentation explained the importance of the grip. Did you ever notice that when you throw a curve ball it slides out of your hand and goes straight? I know, it happens all the time!  You need to slide your thumb up on the ball and put extra pressure on your fingertips and thumb equally. Voila!

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