CoachTube Softball Presents: Hallie Holland Grad 2019 Softball skills/recruiting Video On US Sports Net

Hallie Holland Grad 2019 Softball skills/recruiting Video [Below]

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FiHitting Part 2: Generating Bat Speed and Developing Excellent Extension

by Charity Butler

About this Course

SECTION 3 - Consistency Booster - Generate Exceptional Bat Speed:
After gaining a solid foundation in the lower half on Discs 1 and 2, it is important to understand the value of quick hands and a compact swing.  Most hitters struggle to keep a short, quick, compact bath-path to the ball.Tag along with Charity as she visits a jobsite and conducts a brick wall experiment to help you feel and understand the "short to it" concept.  She introduces you to effective drills while providing mental tips and ways to avoid common mistakes. Let's learn to feel  it, so we can fix it!

SECTION 4 - Consistency Booster - Develop Excellent Extension:
Many hitters shortchange themselves at the plate by restricting their follow-through.  The longer the bat stays in the hitting zone, the more likely hitters are to hit the ball and hit it well.Not only should we be "short to it", but we should also work to stay "long through it".  Increase your chances in the box by lengthening your extension.  Visit a Karate studio and an airport to discover the great benefits of a long finish.  Use Charity's mental tips, drills, common mistake warnings and adjustment secrets tof eel it, so you can fix it!

Coach Credentials

Charity ButlerSoftball Hitting Coach and Founder of FiHittingSystem

Charity played Division 1 softball for the University of Southern Mississippi.  Upon graduation, she launched a professional softball career that has taken her across the U.S. and literally around the world.  Charity is also respected nationally and internationally as a coach, instructor, writer and speaker.  Some of her many achievements include: Two Time ESPN Magazine Academic All-American honors & winning a Swedish National Championship while posting a .610 batting average and .987 slugging percentage. Book this course today!

CoachTube Presents: Jordan Winters - Class of 2019- Softball Recruiting Video on US Sports Net!

Jordan Winters -Started her junior year at The King's Academy in this video Class of 2019 Middle Infielder/Outfielder Lake Worth, Florida Contact awinters@tka.net Copyright: Shelby Kimpel Videos, 2018. [Recruiting Video Below]

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Creating a Championship-Caliber Pitcher #NFCA2017

by National Fastpitch Coaches Association

About this Course

Melyssa Lombardi from the University of Oklahoma and Jennifer Rocha from the University of Florida present Creating a Championship-Caliber Pitcher at NFCA's 2017 National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Coach Credentials

National Fastpitch Coaches AssociationBetter yourself. Inspire your team. Grow our game

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Melyssa Lombardi, Associate Head Coach, University of Oklahoma

Having completed her 20th season as a full-time coach, Melyssa Lombardi continues to guide the Sooner pitchers and catchers to even greater accomplishments. Lombardi was promoted to her current position of associate head coach in July 2007.

Drawing from her playing days as a catcher for the Sooners from 1995-96, Lombardi has lent her valuable experiences in tutoring the Oklahoma catchers and pitchers. During her tenure, the Sooners have won the 2000, 2013, 2016 and 2017 National Championships and have won 16 NCAA Regional Championships in 20 postseason appearances. In addition the Sooners have claimed nine Big 12 regular season titles (1999, 2000, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017) and four conference tournament championships (2001, 2007, 2010 and 2017).

As a member of the Sooners' coaching staff, Lombardi has been a part of four NFCA National Coaching Staffs of the Year (2000, 2013, 2016 and 2017), and 10 Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year (1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017).

A former all-conference catcher for the Sooners, Lombardi has also coached the Oklahoma battery to a combined 19 All-America honors, 36 All-Region accolades and 75 All-Big 12 honors during her time in Norman.

The 2017 season featured one of the deepest staffs in program history as three pitchers threw at least 100 innings and all five members of the staff had ERAs at 2.08 or lower. The staff ERA was 1.55 on the season with 510 strikeouts in 482.2 innings and an opponents' average of .177.

Paige Parker continued her career with another All-American season and her third straight season being named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after posting the lowest ERA (1.43) and best strikeout rate (8.72 per 7 IP) of her career. Junior Paige Lowary transferred from Missouri and was named an All-Big 12 First Team honoree as she emerged as a dominant relief pitcher. With 11 saves on the year, Lowary had more than any team previously recorded in OU history and she tied for fifth in NCAA single-season records. Freshman Mariah Lopez went 18-1 on the season with 109 strikeouts in 101 innings and threw a no-hitter. Fellow freshmen Nicole Mendes and Melanie Olmos rounded out the staff by giving up just two runs in 24.2 combined innings.

Jennifer Rocha, Associate Head Coach, University of Florida

Jennifer Rocha has made a name for herself as one of the top pitching instructors in the country. In her 12 seasons at Florida, Rocha has tutored seven All-American hurlers in Stephanie Brombacher, Stacey Nelson, Hannah Rogers, Lauren Haeger, Delanie Gourley, Aleshia Ocasio and Kelly Barnhill. In four of the last 10 years, the Gators have turned in the top team ERA in the country and in 2017 the staff posted a 0.81 ERA which is the second best in program history.

On June 15, 2017, Rocha was elevated to associate head coach.

Rocha was instrumental in the development of a pair of NFCA All-American hurlers in Delanie Gourley, Aleshia Ocasio and All-Southeast Region third team selection Kelly Barnhill. During the offseason the trio earned spots to play at the international level with Team USA (Gourley & Barnhill) and Puerto Rico (Ocasio).

In addition, Rocha was named the 2015 NFCA Assistant Coach of the Year. It was the first honor of its kind received by a UF coach in program history.

After tutoring both Nelson, Brombacher and Rogers to successful careers in Orange and Blue, Rocha led Haeger to becoming the best pitcher in the country in 2015.

Rocha made the trip to Gainesville with head coach Tim Walton, as the two have worked together for a decade.  Under Rocha, the Wichita State pitching staff set several school records and posted an earned run average of under 2.00 in back-to-back seasons. Their 1.46 ERA in 2004 was the lowest in program history. The pitching staff struck out over 400 batters in each Rocha’s final two seasons, with one individual recording over 200. In 2005, the Shockers’ top pitchers registered records of 20-8 and 22-8 and each had a 1.52 ERA in 202.1 and 180.0 innings pitched.

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Big 10 Update Featuring: Penn State at Minnesota - Softball Highlights

Minnesota picked up an 8-0 win in six innings over Penn State.
[Video Highlights and more below]

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5 Biggest Mistakes Softball Coaches Make

• By Brandon Ogle
 

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This can definitely be the case in softball as well. In this article, I’ll discuss some of the biggest mistakes that plenty of softball coaches seem to make time and time again.

Mistake #1: Instructing All Players The EXACT Same

At the youth game, differences in skill sets might not be as distinct. However, trust me, they are there. The easy approach to coaching is running every player through the exact same drills. However, you have different types of players. Some are more speed focused, while others rely on the pop produced by their bat. With this said, coaches should be grouping players by skillsets for practice set-ups. The first half should focus on honing in on strengths and making those as pristine as possible. Then, with the second half of practice, focus on weaknesses. Look at the areas that are holding the player back from being a more complete player.

Mistake #2: Not Being the Coach

Not being the coach? Some of you might raise an eye at this one. With this said, what I’m stressing is the need to be the coach and sometimes this means discipline. I’m not talking about continuously yelling at your players, but rather using your position to train players. Occasionally, you’ll likely confront players that think they know more than the coach. Don’t let a negative attitude disrupt the rest of your team.

Mistake #3: It’s Not All About Winning

We live in a world where winning is sometimes viewed as always being the primary goal. Michael Jordan once said, “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Don’t be the coach that creates a culture where players think an “L” is a complete failure and any season that doesn’t end with a trophy is a disappointment. Once you let the culture get away, all of a sudden softball goes from fun to a burden.

Mistake #4: Thinking All Kids Should Fall in Love With the Game

This mistake is mainly applicable to youth coaches. I always say that youth coaches should be more focused on development, as opposed to racking up the trophies. At the same time, you need to understand not every player on a youth team is going to be “all-in” on a particular sport. Don’t take this as an insult. Some kids are just there for the social part. Don’t think that you need to be more disciplined to get them to love the game. For these kids, it might be more about teaching them some life skills instead of perfecting their softball talents.

Mistake #5: I’m the Expert

As a coach, it is your job to teach players and develop their skills. However, don’t be the coach that is never accepting feedback from anyone. Going along with this, you don’t want to be the one that is always coming up with random historical philosophies that will ‘supposedly’ transform your team. At the end of the day, it’s critical to find a happy medium between being strict and having fun. After all, softball is supposed to be fun, right?

At the end of the day, no coach is perfect. We’re all going to make some mistakes. Just don’t keep falling victim to the same one. Just as it should be with your players, learn from your mistakes!

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Kaycie Wenzel - Softball Recruiting Video - 2019 and 3 Softball Drills To Do At Home

Kaycie Wenzel softball recruiting/skills video. Manteno High School Class of 2019 and Illinois Stars [Video below]

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3 Softball Drills To Do At Home

• By Brandon Ogle
 

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All while simply using regular household items to work on their game. It’ll not just get them more focused on the sport, but also at the same time, I’m sure you will see some rapid improvement with their on-field performance. Throughout this article, I’ll walk you through some at-home drills you can teach your players.

Drill #1: Posterboard Strike Zone

This drill you can do with a number of different things, but I’ll suggest using a posterboard. Grab some tape and create a strike zone on the board. Then, tape it about a foot off the ground. Once you have your strike zone built, head upstairs and grab a few pairs of socks rolled up (in other words, your softballs). The last item you’ll need is a camera. Anything will do here, you can even tell them to grab one of their parent’s phones. Set it behind where you’ll be pitching from and set it to record video.

Finally, now that you’re ready to practice, work on the motion of going through the windup and throwing the socks (i.e. softball) into the posterboard. With the video footage, you’ll be able to dissect the motion and overall throwing process. Some valuable insight that most youth players never evaluate.

Drill #2: Arm Strength and Hands Drills

A major part of being an effective softball player is having soft hands and a strong arm. An easy drill for this only requires a net or a wall. For the hands aspect of this category, all you have to do is throw the ball off the wall. This will allow you to practice various ground balls, short hops, and so on. Then, for arm strength, just use the wall as a way to practice throwing. Work on arm motion particularly here.

Don’t have a solid wall to use? No worries, just use a tennis ball and the garage. Trust me, it works just as well.

Drill #3: Take Some Cuts

This final drill might just be the simplest one for your players to practice. For this, they’ll just need a mirror and a bat. The player will get in front of the mirror and simply take full cuts while seeing in-person how their stance looks, as well as the swing. While it might sound like a nominal drill, it’s actually key to developing a consistent swing.

As for how often it would be recommended to do this drill, I’d suggest having them take 15-20 swings at a time on 3 different instances each day.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

In the end, one of your primary jobs as a youth softball coach is to develop the work ethic necessary to grow as a player and a person. Even though you won’t be working first-hand on these drills with your players, you will be the one responsible for growing their love for the game!
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