Softball Pitching Tips - Avoiding Injuries While Pitching

Softball Pitching Tips - Avoiding Injuries While Pitching

By Marc Dagenais

Injuries are the bane of any athlete. If you're a softball pitcher, an injury to your arm could sideline you for a few days or weeks, although more serious injuries could end your career altogether.

Although injuries come unexpectedly (who wants to be injured anyway?), there are things that you can do to prevent them. Once you see that most sports-related injuries result from poor technique and mechanics, you'll see what I mean.

Here are some things you can do to avoid injuries when you're pitching:

1. Doing warm-ups - many players skip warm-ups altogether thinking that warm-ups don't really contribute anything to their game. What they don't know is that: 1) not doing warm-ups severely affects their performance 2) doing warm-ups prevents a lot of sports-related injuries.

Avoiding warm-ups exposes you to different types of injuries, ranging from pulled muscles to sprain. So to keep you from getting sidelined, doing warm-ups is your first line of defense.

2. Practicing correct pitching mechanics - you can also be injured because of poor pitching mechanics. The more often you pitch with the incorrect form, the more you run the risk of injuring yourself. If you pitch correctly, you'll be able to throw the ball with less effort than you would with the wrong form.

3. Get enough rest - it's perfectly fine if you aim to continually improve your pitching so you can pitch faster and more accurately. However, you should also give your body enough time to recover in between practices and don't try to practice too much. Getting enough rest prevents incidents of overuse injuries especially on the shoulders and the rotator cuff.

4. Remember to follow through - some players have the tendency to snap their release, meaning, they stop their arm's movement immediately after the ball leaves their hand. But this can lead to injuries on the arms and shoulders. So if you notice yourself doing this, change this technique as soon as you can and let your arm naturally swing once you release the ball.

5. Take things slowly - perfecting your pitching technique will take years to fully develop. So don't force yourself to get the perfect pitch right away. Give yourself the time to learn the fundamentals first, nail them down until they become a part of your system, and develop on perfecting your pitch. Hurrying things up will only lead to frustration, burn out, and improper techniques that will ultimately lead to injuries.

6. Get a coach who knows his stuff - nobody expects you to perfect your pitching on your own.

To be a better pitcher, you also need the advice of a good coach. And by good, I mean somebody who really knows his stuff. He must be able to show you the proper pitching mechanics while understanding that every pitcher has his or her own pitching techniques and adjust his advice to you accordingly.

Want to enjoy playing softball longer? Then I strongly recommend that you follow the softball pitching tips I have listed above for you to keep yourself from being sidelined because of injuries.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. Visit his site and sign-up to get his FREE softball hitting tips!

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Softball Throwing Drills

Softball Throwing Drills

By Becky Wittenburg

The Throwing Skills to Pay the Bills

Of the key elements of a well-rounded softball player, a good throwing arm is definitely near the top of the list. While some are lucky enough to be born with throwing skills, even they won’t be hurt by softball throwing drills which aim to improve distance and accuracy.

When demonstrating these softball throwing drills, make sure to run through each drill at half speed first before increasing the pace. Also give every player who desires a chance to practice the motions slowly first. Not only will this reduce the chances of unnecessary injury, it will also allow the player to feel the correct way of doing things which will translate when the motions are sped up.

From the Four Corners of the Field

If you’re looking for a drill that highlights throwing conditioning, quick sprints and improving your players’ accuracy on throws from first to third then consider the Four Corners drill. To set up the drill, have your all your infield players line up behind second base except for one player at first base. In addition, this drill requires one hitter at home plate with a bucket of balls.

To begin, the batter hits a ball towards second base. The first fielder in the line fields the ball, throws it to first base and sprints to third in time to receive a throw from a player at first. In order to continue, the fielder must be in a proper receiving position at third base with their left foot touching the home plate side of the base.

Upon catching the ball from first, the fielder sprints towards home plate, hands the ball off to the batter, and runs to first just in time to receive a throw from the fielder at second. Once she has completed her throw to third she is to run to the back of the line at second base and await her next chance at playing fielder.

This is a very fast-paced drill with lots of running so make sure to give your players an adequate break for water and resting following its completion. To minimize down time and standing around, use no more than five players on the field, not including the hitter.

Rotating Infield Drill

The next softball throwing drill employs a rotating infield to get players throwing from all over the infield. To begin with, have no more than five infielders line up behind third base with an additional player at first base. One at a time they are to field a ball that is either thrown to them or hit by a batter. Upon successful receipt of the ball, they are to throw to first base, then run over to the shortstop position.

The drill is repeated for shortstop, second base, and a spot halfway between first and second where the hit is a slow roller towards first. For the slow roller, players are to charge out and field the ball in front of first base, then throw the ball lightly to the player at first. Remind the first base player to ignore any throws that cannot be caught easily so that she can always be ready for the upcoming throw. This is a great drill for tryouts as it showcases throwing skills from a variety of positions.

Becky has been coaching softball for well over a decade. She's constantly on the lookout for new softball throwing drills
You can get instant access to a sample of her softball practice plans by visiting her website: SoftballSpot.com
For a limited time, all coaches who visit Becky's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Softball Coaches Make". Go get your free copy today!

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Coaching Girls Softball - Coach Pitching

Coaching Girls Softball - Coach Pitching

By Lisa A Mason

This season I had the benefit of coaching my oldest daughter's Coach Pitch softball team. Coach Pitch is the league for girls aged 6-8 and as the name suggests, there is a coach pitcher with girls filling all other positions. This is the next step up from T-ball in our Parks and Recreation league.

The leagues are ran completely by volunteers, most often the parents of the children who play and it's a much more difficult task than some might think before they have tried it for themselves. However, it can also be a very rewarding experience if you take the time and energy to learn from it.

The first thing to know about coaching this age group is that many of the girls will be playing for the first time. Even those who have played in the past are likely going to forget many of the rules and regulations. Even when you tell them, they have short attention spans and short memories. You may have to tell them again and again.

Patiently and politely recite the rules that you expect them to remember over and over with each practice and game. There is also a lot of hands-on coaching happening during the games. Girls are going to look to you in the middle of a play to tell them what to do. You need to be loud enough to be heard over the crowd and be sure to use their names loudly and clearly so they know what you're asking them to do.

At this age, there will often be a lot of tears. Bumps, scrapes, disappointments, hurt feelings and sometimes teasing will all come into play. Try to treat each girl equally and always be sensitive to their emotions. There's a time to tell them to be tough and keep playing and there are times when a girl may just need to sit out for a break. You can't push them too hard at this age or they will give up and become discouraged.

Remember that it's all about fun. Some parents and coaches push so hard for wins and being "top" of the league that they forget that it's about fun for the girls. At 6-8 years old, few girls will be thinking about going pro. They just want to have a good time and as parents and coaches, it's our job to ensure they have a safe environment in which to do so.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses.

Lisa Mason, Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company (http://www.liti4.com), public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com

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Softball Pitching Advice

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People are always involved in a competition. There is always the existence of a struggle and a fight between opposing teams. This usually happens when competition is likely to draw attention because it is in the name of sports. Yes, sports. People are most drawn to sports competition. That is why, as part of the so-called audience, we also have the tendency to fight over silly matters just because we want our team to win. If you are just like what is mentioned, then you are a sports addict. If you love to contend, then softball may be for you.

By Marc Dagenais

People are always involved in a competition. There is always the existence of a struggle and a fight between opposing teams. This usually happens when competition is likely to draw attention because it is in the name of sports. Yes, sports. People are most drawn to sports competition. That is why, as part of the so-called audience, we also have the tendency to fight over silly matters just because we want our team to win. If you are just like what is mentioned, then you are a sports addict. If you love to contend, then softball may be for you.

The softball game revolves around the ball play. Each play begins when the umpire announce "Play Ball." If everybody is ready, the pitcher's job now materializes. He attempts to throw the ball past the batter and must aim to get it in the strike zone. Knowing this, you have to prepare yourself to the physical and the mental part of the game. You have to be physically and mentally competitive. To be a good pitcher, you have to be tough. No emotional and physical blackmail can ever stop you from producing the great pitching winning styles.

Softball pitching must be done by taking some advices from the people who are in the field itself. The mechanics of the softball pitching are always needed wherever softball game you are. As a pitcher, you have to become conscious about your motion. The stamina and the exact buoyancy should be there. Having the self-assurance and self-confidence with what you have to do can trigger your motivation to work and practice more. This is something that you have to work on and accomplish so that you can focus immediately on the next steps that you have to undertake. Experiment on the different styles in pitching so that you will find out what will fit your capacity.

In the event that injury occurs during the softball pitching, never give up. You must know that you are not alone experiencing this kind of problem. Yes, there is much truth that once the arm is damaged, there will always be a decrease in the performance most especially in the softball pitching. To avoid this, you must learn how to produce sound mechanics in your pitching styles. You also have to unveil the physical part of pitching. Your body should be tough in each softball performance. You have to set incremental steps that will help you build up the innate skills. Focus on the hitter. This is a technique that most pitchers neglect. They have to begin doing the attention implementation.

Marc Dagneais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to access our directory of FREE softball drills!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

Softball Pitching - Its Fundamentals

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If you try to observe pitchers even those who have already a wide experience when it comes to softball you can see that they still commits some mistake when it comes to softball pitching. They have already developed this habit of doing the same mistakes over and over again until they already got used to it. Because they are not doing anything to correct their mistakes, their ability became limited thus affecting their goal of reaching success. Most of the time, wrong way of pitching causes accidents and injuries.

By Marc Dagenais

If you try to observe pitchers even those who have already a wide experience when it comes to softball you can see that they still commits some mistake when it comes to softball pitching. They have already developed this habit of doing the same mistakes over and over again until they already got used to it. Because they are not doing anything to correct their mistakes, their ability became limited thus affecting their goal of reaching success. Most of the time, wrong way of pitching causes accidents and injuries.

Right way of pitching does not exist. There is no such thing as that because softball players have different personality and ability. A method can suit a player but it does not necessarily mean that this method is suited to all of them or to the whole team. In order for a player to be a good pitcher, he must choose the right pitching method that is suitable for him.

There are lots of pitching mechanics that a player needs to learn. But he should not rush in learning all of them because it takes time before a person will learn all of it. Take it one step at a time and the most important thing is you must enjoy while learning. Softball pitching is not an easy thing. If you want to be a good softball player then you must learn to be good in pitching.

Pitching is not just simply throwing the ball, it is beyond that. Some are lucky enough because they were born with that great ability in pitching while others even if they do not have this ability can surely develop it in due time. Although it can take years, it is worth the wait. Developing a correct pitching form and following all the mechanics properly are the keys for you to succeed in this field.

Researching online, reading articles about softball and asking advice from someone who is expert in softball pitching can truly help. Be patient in practicing because you cannot gain anything if you are lazy. Even those who already have experience in this field don't stop practicing, still continuing to develop their skill and keep on doing everything to correct their mistake. Make practice a part of your habit. Try to practice, practice, and practice a lot more. Following good mechanics will only mean one thing: you will be a good pitcher.

Marc Dagneais is Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to access our directory of FREE softball drills!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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Overcome the Challenges of Softball Pitching

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Reaching the developmental goals in any sports is already an achievement to be called. The dramatic cuts of your softball paralysis are considered as different kind of milestone since the conception of softball is a difficult task to do as well as to comprehend.

By Marc Dagenais

The various skills like softball hitting and softball pitching must come together so that a wonderful memory in every play will be treasured.

Since we are in the softball addiction, there is a need to be equipped with the powerful styles and killer moves so that we can conquer the softball diamond without doubt. The fundamental views and knowledge should therefore be part of our endless list of developmental goals. These goals serve now as our challenges toward achieving the success we always dream of.

Let us focus first in the discussion of the challenges involve in the softball pitching.

First is the development of the proper stance. When you plan your position in the pitching rubber, it must be in the comfort of your arms and feet. Try to get yourself acquainted with the comfort and balance of your stance. There are varied stances for pitching. The best way to do is to discover the pitching style that will utilize the best possible landing zone for the stride foot on a reduced heap. At the same time the foot moves a step, the arm should also move. The foot and the arm should have a balance swing. As the foot steps back, pitchers should swing their arms over the top of their heads. As this happens, they begin pivoting their front foot and should maintain their hands at waist level. From this position, the pitcher moves directly into the top of the kick.

After the pivot of the front foot, there is a need to shift the pitcher's weight onto the pivoted foot and pull the back leg forward until his thigh is comparable or a little higher to the ground. The pitchers body should be positioned sideways to the plate. The knee should also be somewhat flexed. The most important building block in this pitching style is the sense of balance. Your position must be stable. There are many movements involved in just one pitching style that is why you have to build up the proper and active coordination of your body parts. Control, consistency and balance are major factors that will help you portray the winning element in the softball pitching.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. Visit his site and sign-up to get his FREE softball hitting tips!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais

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