Softball Pitching - 4 Steps To Great Mechanics
By Becky Wittenburg
Because softball pitching requires one fluid motion, it is difficult to coach it in terms of fundamentals. However, pitchers need to understand the proper mechanics in order to develop their pitching skills. If a pitcher is struggling with her delivery, then breaking the pitching motion down into its fundamental elements will help isolate and fix the problem. The following tips will help coaches and pitchers establish a firm pitching foundation.
The Windmill Method
The most popular delivery in fastpitch softball is currently the windmill method. In this underhand pitch, the pitcher's arm starts in front of her body, winds back, completes a full circle, releases the ball at the hip, and then follows through.
The windmill is more than just an arm motion, however; it requires a long stride that utilizes the legs and torso to generate more power. Both speed and the shift of weight play an important part in executing the windmill effectively, so pitchers should practice the motion to develop a comfortable rhythm. Maximum velocity and accuracy will only occur if all of the movements are in sync.
The Fundamentals: Grip
In fastpitch softball pitching, the grip on the ball depends on the type of pitch being thrown. How the pitcher holds the ball will direct the rotation of the ball and the way the wind interacts with the seams, which will in turn determine how fast the ball travels. For example, to throw a four-seam fastball, the pitcher will hold the ball so the laces form a letter "C," then place her fingers across the "C." For a two-seam fastball, the pitcher will hold the ball so the laces form a "U." Her pointer and ring fingers will each rest along a seam and the middle finger will go in between the seams.
With either delivery, the middle three fingers will be on top of the ball, with the pinkie tucked underneath and the thumb on the side of the ball. The ball should be held securely in the fingers, not against the palm of the hand.
The Fundamentals: Stance
A pitcher's stance is the position she assumes before beginning her wind-up. It can vary from pitcher to pitcher, but a player should have a basic stance that is consistent and comfortable for her.
She should begin by holding the ball in her glove and standing up straight at the pitcher's mound. Her lead foot, or throwing-side foot, should be on the rubber with the toes extended over the front edge. The rear foot toes should touch the back of the rubber. Her front leg should be straight while the back leg is slightly bent, and the feet should be just a little closer than shoulder-width apart. The pitcher should square her shoulders toward home plate, keeping her weight on the balls of her feet.
At this point in a game, the pitcher would look to the catcher for the signal while slightly shifting her weight forward. She would then visualize her pitch, take a deep breath, and begin her wind-up.
Completing the Pitch
In order to properly execute the pitch, the pitcher needs to develop her wind-up, stride, arm movement, and follow-through. Once she is comfortable with her grip and stance, continue the pitching lesson by introducing the pitching motion. Players often become overwhelmed at first, but by starting with the basics, coaches can guarantee understanding before moving on to developing more advanced skills, like an effective change-up.
And if you'd like to see more free softball pitching drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:
http://www.softball-spot.com
Becky Wittenburg is a softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball pitching drills, tips, and practice ideas for youth and high school coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becky_Wittenburg
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6231786
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Showing posts with label coaching girls softball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coaching girls softball. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Fastpitch Hitting - Swing Like "the Best in the World"
Fastpitch Hitting - Swing Like "the Best in the World"
By guest author: Joe M White
Many people who follow fastpitch softball consider Jessica Mendoza to be the best all-around player, and best overall hitter in the world over the past several years.
Mendoza can do it all at the plate. She is a great bunter, a very effective slap hitter, and hits away for a very high batting average and with terrific power. In fact, baseball fans can compare Mendoza side-by-side with most any major league baseball hall-of-famer, and see that they swing the way she does.
Although Mendoza isn't the first fastpitch player to adopt a Rotational swing, she does it at least as well as anyone who's ever played. More and more fastpitch players are turning to her method of hitting. Increasingly, Division 1 college coaches are converting their players to Rotational hitting (for example, Mike Candera, Head Coach at the University of Arizona, whose teams have won 6 College World Series National Championships, is teaching a peculiar variation of Rotational hitting).
While softball players can continue to have success using the Linear method of hitting, there are reasons for the shift to Rotational.
A Very Short History
Many in the fastpitch community are under the impression that Rotational is relatively new, and that Linear hitting has always been the norm. Actually, Rotational hitting was introduced to Major League Baseball by Shoeless Joe Jackson in the early 20th century, and after Babe Ruth copied Jackson's method, it became the swing of about 95% of Major Leaguers until the introduction of synthetic turf on many Major League fields from the 1960's to the 1990's.
Those early synthetic turf fields were nearly as hard as concrete. Major League batting coaches quickly realized that ground balls hit on it moved so fast, that many balls that were routine ground outs on natural fields were hits on 'turf. Many that would have been outfield singles bounced so hard they became doubles or even triples. So many began to teach Linear hitting to their weaker hitters. And in many cases it worked.
(Most of the Big Leaguers who hit over.300 in those years, and nearly all the RBI and Home Run leaders, continued to be Rotational hitters. As synthetic turf disappeared from the Major Leagues, so did Linear hitting. There are very few nowadays, and although many still use Linear terms to describe their swing, they actually use Rotational swings.)
The increasing use of Linear hitting in MLB coincided with the introduction of lightweight aluminum and composite bats. These bats were not only much lighter than wood -- and so could be swung much faster -- they also had more "pop." The ball came off the bat harder and faster, so grounders hit with metal or composite bats got past infielders more often than with the old wood bats.
While MLB rejected Non-wood bats, they were quickly adopted by youth baseball leagues, middle and high schools, and the NCAA. Along with the bats, coaches at all these levels began to teach Linear hitting. Boys and young men who might have struggled with heavy wood bats became good or even above average hitters by using aluminum/composite bats and Linear hitting.
During all this, fastpitch softball experienced a rebirth as a game for women and girls. Fastpitch softball was originally played with wood bats, and Rotational hitting was the dominant method for both women and men playing the game. In fact, relatively few women played fastpitch until the 1970's.
As young ladies took up the game, they used aluminum and composite bats, for the same reason their male counterparts were. Most of their coaches were men -- dads -- who were enthusiastically embracing the cutting-edge Linear hitting movement. So most ladies learned Linear hitting, which tends to create more grounders as we'll see.
Linear Versus Rotational
So what's the difference between Linear and Rotational hitting? Andy Collins has a pretty good definition of Linear hitting: "Linear hitting is a hitting style that has been used for many years in fast pitch softball and by many little league coaches, some high school, college, and even minor league baseball coaches who still prefer this method of hitting instruction.Read more.
===================
Thanks to our sponsors:
Check out these coaching articles at the Softball Coaching Digest:
SoftballCoachingDigest.com
• Articles from the Youth Softball Coaching Clinic Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Pitchers Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Hitters Blog
• Articles from the Tips for Fastpitch Softball Coaches Blog
• The Fastpitch Softball Training Equipment Blog
By guest author: Joe M White
Many people who follow fastpitch softball consider Jessica Mendoza to be the best all-around player, and best overall hitter in the world over the past several years.
Mendoza can do it all at the plate. She is a great bunter, a very effective slap hitter, and hits away for a very high batting average and with terrific power. In fact, baseball fans can compare Mendoza side-by-side with most any major league baseball hall-of-famer, and see that they swing the way she does.
Although Mendoza isn't the first fastpitch player to adopt a Rotational swing, she does it at least as well as anyone who's ever played. More and more fastpitch players are turning to her method of hitting. Increasingly, Division 1 college coaches are converting their players to Rotational hitting (for example, Mike Candera, Head Coach at the University of Arizona, whose teams have won 6 College World Series National Championships, is teaching a peculiar variation of Rotational hitting).
While softball players can continue to have success using the Linear method of hitting, there are reasons for the shift to Rotational.
A Very Short History
Many in the fastpitch community are under the impression that Rotational is relatively new, and that Linear hitting has always been the norm. Actually, Rotational hitting was introduced to Major League Baseball by Shoeless Joe Jackson in the early 20th century, and after Babe Ruth copied Jackson's method, it became the swing of about 95% of Major Leaguers until the introduction of synthetic turf on many Major League fields from the 1960's to the 1990's.
Those early synthetic turf fields were nearly as hard as concrete. Major League batting coaches quickly realized that ground balls hit on it moved so fast, that many balls that were routine ground outs on natural fields were hits on 'turf. Many that would have been outfield singles bounced so hard they became doubles or even triples. So many began to teach Linear hitting to their weaker hitters. And in many cases it worked.
(Most of the Big Leaguers who hit over.300 in those years, and nearly all the RBI and Home Run leaders, continued to be Rotational hitters. As synthetic turf disappeared from the Major Leagues, so did Linear hitting. There are very few nowadays, and although many still use Linear terms to describe their swing, they actually use Rotational swings.)
The increasing use of Linear hitting in MLB coincided with the introduction of lightweight aluminum and composite bats. These bats were not only much lighter than wood -- and so could be swung much faster -- they also had more "pop." The ball came off the bat harder and faster, so grounders hit with metal or composite bats got past infielders more often than with the old wood bats.
While MLB rejected Non-wood bats, they were quickly adopted by youth baseball leagues, middle and high schools, and the NCAA. Along with the bats, coaches at all these levels began to teach Linear hitting. Boys and young men who might have struggled with heavy wood bats became good or even above average hitters by using aluminum/composite bats and Linear hitting.
During all this, fastpitch softball experienced a rebirth as a game for women and girls. Fastpitch softball was originally played with wood bats, and Rotational hitting was the dominant method for both women and men playing the game. In fact, relatively few women played fastpitch until the 1970's.
As young ladies took up the game, they used aluminum and composite bats, for the same reason their male counterparts were. Most of their coaches were men -- dads -- who were enthusiastically embracing the cutting-edge Linear hitting movement. So most ladies learned Linear hitting, which tends to create more grounders as we'll see.
Linear Versus Rotational
So what's the difference between Linear and Rotational hitting? Andy Collins has a pretty good definition of Linear hitting: "Linear hitting is a hitting style that has been used for many years in fast pitch softball and by many little league coaches, some high school, college, and even minor league baseball coaches who still prefer this method of hitting instruction.Read more.
===================
Thanks to our sponsors:
Check out these coaching articles at the Softball Coaching Digest:
SoftballCoachingDigest.com
• Articles from the Youth Softball Coaching Clinic Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Pitchers Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Hitters Blog
• Articles from the Tips for Fastpitch Softball Coaches Blog
• The Fastpitch Softball Training Equipment Blog
Saturday, October 30, 2010
7 Tips to Improve Your Pitch
7 Tips to Improve Your Pitch
By Amber Cottrell
Working to excel at a sport takes a lot of time and committment. Certain aspects such as technique, form, and timing play important roles at improving your individual skills. Here are 7 easy ways to improve your softball pitch.
1. Foot Placement
The first step to a good softball pitch is your foot placement on the rubber. Both of your feet must be placed on the rubber, and at a comfortable stance. It is important for your feet to not be too wide, because you need to be able to push-off of your plant/dominant foot to generate your power.
2. Wind Up
Many people think that your windup needs to be complicated, or fast to generate power, but it is smart to conserve your power during your wind up. This is simply used to get your arm circle into motion. A nice simple wind up not only saves you energy, but it also allows you to concentrate on the rest of your body.
3. Arm Circle
It is important, that when you start your arm circle, that it stays tight to your body. Your arm should also come straight back, because if your arm strays, then your follow through will probably do the same, making it harder for you to throw where you want to.
4. Arm Speed
Another aspect that goes along with your arm circle is your arm speed. Arm speed is crucial because the tighter and faster your arm speed is the more momentum you will gain, which will generate into a faster pitch.
5. Jump Off the Rubber
When your arm is coming around and you're ready to throw your pitch, you need to know how you will jump off the rubber. The more pressure you put on your plant foot (dominant foot) the harder you can push-off the rubber, which will give you more power behind the ball. This hard push-off the rubber will help you gain more speed behind your pitch.
6. Wrist Snap
Probably the most important part of your pitching technique is your wrist snap. Without snapping your wrist, your pitch will lack speed and power. The wrist snap also helps you be able to throw different pitches. It is important for pitchers to have strong wrists to gain more power, throw different pitches, and also guide the ball where they want it to go.
7. Follow Through
Your follow through will also vary with what type of pitch you want to throw. For a straight fast ball, it's important that your arm follow through straight up towards your face, as if you were trying to punch yourself in your chin. If your follow through doesn't stay straight, then the ball will not either. With other pitches such as your curve ball, you will want your follow through to curve across your body. If you are trying to throw a rise you will want to finish up high, and if you want to throw a drop you will want to finish down towards the ground. In general, your ball will end up wherever you follow through does.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amber_Cottrell
============
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
Softball Pitching - Steps to Becoming a Successful Pitcher
Softball Pitching - Steps to Becoming a Successful Pitcher
By Becky Wittenburg
Many girls have the potential to succeed as softball pitchers. However, developing the right skills is a slow and challenging process, and it is easy for players to become discouraged. In order for a beginning player to make it as a pitcher, she needs to have the patience to spend months and maybe years honing her skills.
The following plan breaks down the steps necessary to develop a beginning pitcher. Coaches should remember to take it slow and provide positive encouragement.
Step 1: Mechanics
A player should remember to:
Start with a relaxed upper body
Lean the body forward and push off the rubber for good speed
Open the body - toward third base if right-handed - as she begins the rotation
The arm circle should be fast, smooth, and consistent with the arm straight
Keep the stride straight toward home plate and land with her stride foot turned at a slight angle
Close the body as she nears the release point by turning toward the catcher, starting with the shoulder
Keep the wrist slightly bent as she nears the release point and snap it forward as she releases the ball
Have a loose and natural follow through after the release
Step 2: Speed
Softball pitching requires proper mechanics, but after that is mastered, a player should be able to increase speed over time without having to worry about maintaining control. Focus on keeping mechanics smooth and gradually work on throwing harder over time.
Step 3: Accuracy
After a few months of focusing on mechanics and speed, a pitcher should start working on controlling the location of the pitch. Over time, she should be able to pitch into any of the four corners (low-outside, low-inside, high-inside, and high-outside) so accurately she will not have to throw down the middle.
Step 4: Change-Up
With mechanics, speed, and accuracy under control, a pitcher can now develop pitches other than her fastball. Her change-up should be around 30% slower than her fastball. Her approach can utilize any number of techniques, including:
adjusting the wrist snap
flipping the ball out
following through low and toward the catcher
moving the ball back in the palm
One important thing to keep in mind is that the hitter should have no indication of a change-up.
Once a pitcher has mastered these steps, she can move on to developing additional pitches, like the drop ball, screw ball, and rise ball.
And if you'd like to see more free softball drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:
http://www.softball-spot.com/vid/
Becky Wittenburg is a kids softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball drills, tips, and practice ideas for youth and high school coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becky_Wittenburg
========
SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!
Thanks to Our Sponsor: SoftballrUs.com
Suggested Links:
http://fastpitchsoftballcoaching.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchsoftballtrainingequipment.blogspot.com/
http://youthsoftballcoachingclinic.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchsoftballhittingcoach.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchpitchingcoach.blogspot.com/
http://softballbloopers.blogspot.com/
http://softballvideosonline.blogspot.com/
http://wildsportsvideos.blogspot.com/
http://rottensports.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchsoftballcoaching.blogspot.com/
Check out these site:
RottenCoaches.com
WildSportsVideos.com
BaseballBloopersandBlunders.com
FunnyBaseballVideos.com
SoftballBloopers.com
RottenSports.com
By Becky Wittenburg
Many girls have the potential to succeed as softball pitchers. However, developing the right skills is a slow and challenging process, and it is easy for players to become discouraged. In order for a beginning player to make it as a pitcher, she needs to have the patience to spend months and maybe years honing her skills.
The following plan breaks down the steps necessary to develop a beginning pitcher. Coaches should remember to take it slow and provide positive encouragement.
Step 1: Mechanics
A player should remember to:
Start with a relaxed upper body
Lean the body forward and push off the rubber for good speed
Open the body - toward third base if right-handed - as she begins the rotation
The arm circle should be fast, smooth, and consistent with the arm straight
Keep the stride straight toward home plate and land with her stride foot turned at a slight angle
Close the body as she nears the release point by turning toward the catcher, starting with the shoulder
Keep the wrist slightly bent as she nears the release point and snap it forward as she releases the ball
Have a loose and natural follow through after the release
Step 2: Speed
Softball pitching requires proper mechanics, but after that is mastered, a player should be able to increase speed over time without having to worry about maintaining control. Focus on keeping mechanics smooth and gradually work on throwing harder over time.
Step 3: Accuracy
After a few months of focusing on mechanics and speed, a pitcher should start working on controlling the location of the pitch. Over time, she should be able to pitch into any of the four corners (low-outside, low-inside, high-inside, and high-outside) so accurately she will not have to throw down the middle.
Step 4: Change-Up
With mechanics, speed, and accuracy under control, a pitcher can now develop pitches other than her fastball. Her change-up should be around 30% slower than her fastball. Her approach can utilize any number of techniques, including:
adjusting the wrist snap
flipping the ball out
following through low and toward the catcher
moving the ball back in the palm
One important thing to keep in mind is that the hitter should have no indication of a change-up.
Once a pitcher has mastered these steps, she can move on to developing additional pitches, like the drop ball, screw ball, and rise ball.
And if you'd like to see more free softball drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:
http://www.softball-spot.com/vid/
Becky Wittenburg is a kids softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball drills, tips, and practice ideas for youth and high school coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Becky_Wittenburg
========
SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!
Thanks to Our Sponsor: SoftballrUs.com
Suggested Links:
http://fastpitchsoftballcoaching.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchsoftballtrainingequipment.blogspot.com/
http://youthsoftballcoachingclinic.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchsoftballhittingcoach.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchpitchingcoach.blogspot.com/
http://softballbloopers.blogspot.com/
http://softballvideosonline.blogspot.com/
http://wildsportsvideos.blogspot.com/
http://rottensports.blogspot.com/
http://fastpitchsoftballcoaching.blogspot.com/
Check out these site:
RottenCoaches.com
WildSportsVideos.com
BaseballBloopersandBlunders.com
FunnyBaseballVideos.com
SoftballBloopers.com
RottenSports.com
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Softball Coaching Drills and Tips Articles
Drills for Girls Softball
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
If you're searching for the best infield drills for girls softball, then look no further. This article details two excellent combination drills that aim to improve your infielders' throwing accuracy and pivot skills in both regular play and double play situations.
Teaching Softball Drills To Win
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
Teaching softball drills can be extremely challenging for new softball coaches. Here are a few strategies you can use when teaching softball drills to your team.
Softball Coaching Drills
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
This softball coaching drill is explained as a defensive exercise but the skills that are being used will help to improve the players all-around. The Bubble Drill will help to ensure that your team is a step ahead of the other team. The Bubble Drill teaches the skills that a team needs to make it all the way.
Free Softball Drills
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
Softball drills are what ultimately trains a team to win. It's very important that the various drills are adequate in teaching skills for different parts of the game. As the coach, it's your job to decide which drills will give the team the best practice. Here are some free softball drills that you can use.
Thanks to Our Sponsor
SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
If you're searching for the best infield drills for girls softball, then look no further. This article details two excellent combination drills that aim to improve your infielders' throwing accuracy and pivot skills in both regular play and double play situations.
Teaching Softball Drills To Win
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
Teaching softball drills can be extremely challenging for new softball coaches. Here are a few strategies you can use when teaching softball drills to your team.
Softball Coaching Drills
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
This softball coaching drill is explained as a defensive exercise but the skills that are being used will help to improve the players all-around. The Bubble Drill will help to ensure that your team is a step ahead of the other team. The Bubble Drill teaches the skills that a team needs to make it all the way.
Free Softball Drills
By Guest Author: Becky Wittenburg
Softball drills are what ultimately trains a team to win. It's very important that the various drills are adequate in teaching skills for different parts of the game. As the coach, it's your job to decide which drills will give the team the best practice. Here are some free softball drills that you can use.
Thanks to Our Sponsor
SoftballrUs.com/FastpitchSoftballSupply.com is the ultimate online fastpitch softball online store. SoftballrUs.com has Batting Trainers,Pitching Training, Training Bats,Defensive Training Equipment,Coaching DVDs & Books, Softball Pitching Machines, Softball Complete Net & Frame Batting Cage Packages, Batting Cage Nets, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, and BatAction Hitting Machines, and much, much more. Visit Softballrus.com now!
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