Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast

Often during the course of a game,  a fielding play will take the defensive player to an awkward position related to the space between a base or another player. How often have we seen a play where the fielder throws the ball to another fielder when it would be quicker and simpler for them to just make the play. Or they make a throw that is difficult for the other fielder to handle. It all boils down to instantly recognizing the space between them and where they want to make a play and making the decision of taking the play themselves or making a throw that can easily be handled by the other player. It all comes down to practice.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Warmup SegmentListener Question. Would the path Odicci Alexander took to play college ball work for me? (@11:57)Paige's Power Play (@15:12)Interview with Joey Myers of the Hitting Performance Lab. If you have interest in the scientific aspects of body movements, this is a must listen. (@19:03)Lessons learned from the college season. (@50:10)Coaches we need to think of every way we can to continue to be better coaches and give our players better experiences. (@59:17)Support the show

During a game the player is fielding, catching and hitting without a coach on the field telling them what to do or how to do it.  So the players need to understand the skills needed and why certain things work and some don't. If they don't really understand the skills they tend to act robotically. Between the white lines they are their own coach, so train them accordingly. Support the show

This weeks lineup:Warmup SegmentListener Question: My daughter seems like she has plateaued, is this normal? (@13:30)Paige's Power Play (@20:09)NCAA Tournament Thoughts (@24:10)Rethinking some defensive things (@37:44)Overcoaching of hitters in a game (@45:56)Support the show

Coaches Tory and Don  are joined by Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock to discuss the retirement of Coach Candrea from the University of Arizona and Lu Harris-Champer from the University of Georgia. They also cover the retirement of Kennesaw State University's 30 year baseball coach Mike Sansing, which all three of them have had close connections to for years. They also touch on the College World Series and should changes be made to the format and facilities.Support the show

Coach Tory and Coach Don discuss the issues with trying to please 2 coaches at the same time. When school ball and travel team games and practices overlap, what is a player to do? Each coach has the best interests of their team as a number one priority so the player either has to make a choice or do all that each one requires. Support the show

Coach Tory gives his predictions for the College World Series.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Warmup SegmentListener Question: College teams play far less games in a day that travel teams. Does tha make sense? (@12:21)Paige's Power Play (@18:56)Observations from watching the CWS regionals and the transfer portal. (@21:39)How to handle schedules when you have a mix of players with completely different high school schedules. (@43:15)How should I approach an umpire when I have a question about a call? (@52:14)Support the show

Running incorrectly can hinder your players performance. It is difficult to track a moving ball if your eyes are bouncing around. Proper form makes it much easier to make the plays.Support the show

Coach Don and Tory discuss the Super Regionals that are being played starting on Friday the 28thSupport the show

This week's lineup:Warmup SegmentListener question: What's a good time from home to first.? (@7:02)Paige's Power Play (@14:22)Part 2 of interview with Tristan Hildebrant of Anderson Bat Company (@17:36)The last game. Many players are playing their last game. Some thoughts. (@33:07)Better jump on the bases. (@40:24)Support the show

A discussion of pick-off plays. When are you ready to add them to your toolbox and what you have to understand to use them.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Warmup SegmentListener Question: My daughter pitches behind often but still gets strikeouts. Is this a problem? (@8:51)Paige's Power Play (@12:50)Part 1 of an interview with Tristan Hildebrandt of the Anderson Bat Company. A great discussion on the bat manufacturing business. (@14:56)Listener question discussion. What do we think about a player being a pitcher only especially at the younger ages?  (@38:12Discussion of the DP Flex rule (@48:02)Support the show

Coach Tory discusses his experiences with coaching in a softball tournament at a vacation destination. There are pros and cons. The family gets to combine a vacation with going to the tournament. The hosts market the tournament as a destination location because of the attractions. But for softball those attractions are really distractions. They can be detrimental to play. Just make sure everyone is on the same page as to what the number 1 objective is.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Warmup SegmentListener Question: I live too far for access to instructors. What are some alternative options? (@10:00)Paige's Power Play (@15:02)Pitcher - Catcher relationships. The catcher can be valuable in getting better pitching performance.  (@19:53)The D1 recruiting calendar is back on and players need to be prepared for returning to somewhat normal. (@33:22)The million dollar question. How does a coach determine playing time. They have to have a method and be transparent about why they are making the decisions they are making.(@43:26)Support the show

In this episode we discuss the need for emphasizing the need to have an every pitch focus. Players need to understand each pitch could be the one that they need to react to. It's easy to lose focus, but we have to dial back in at pitch time.Support the show

This weeks lineup:Warmup SegmentListener Question: Pickup Players playing instead of team members (@15:30)Paige's Power Play (@21:15)Part 2 of Interview with Jerrad Hardin (@30:46)College Softball News (@45:03)Unusual skill for better practices (@51:36)Support the show

All sports have an optimum arousal level. When our emotions are below that level or above that level we don't perform as well. This week we discuss the need to monitor that level and make sure our players are not trying to execute while their emotions are out of bounds.Support the show

This weeks line:upWarmup SegmentListener Question: How to handle different coaching styles. (@10:20)Paige's Power Play (@16:46)Interview with Jerrad Hardin. Coach, instructor, camps and author.  (19:02)Highlights in the world of college softball (@49:26)An error can open the flood gates. Work on pitcher's fielding. (@01:02:24)Support the show

Most of us have to adjust to time limit games because of the number of games that are scheduled on a field. It is the environment we live in. Because of that, it is mandatory that managing the clock has to have a high priority. In this episode we discuss how much playing time is lost to wasted minutes. Each minute lost waiting on someone, changing sides, discussing calls, etc. is a measurable percentage of our playing time. Let's give our players more innings.Support the show