Four Recommended Softball Articles for Girls Fastpitch Softball Coaches:
SoftballrUs.com - FastpitchSoftballSupply.com
4 Softball Coaching Tips You Should Know If You're a Beginner
A lot of people hate learning new things. But if you're like me, I take new beginnings as a challenge, and I love learning, so it's not an issue for me. As a new coach, you're faced with a new beginning. You'll fumble around for the first few months, but don't worry, you'll get the hang of it soon enough.
Softball Tips - Staying Competitive Through Proper Nutrition
Softball players must know the importance of proper nutrition if they want to be at the top of their game but sadly, there are some players out there who consume calories that are lower than what their body needs. So, what happens is that they become sluggish in the middle of the game and, hence, they find it hard to stay competitive throughout the whole seven innings of the game.
Softball Tips - Stop Playing Softball Now
Telling you to stop playing softball is probably like telling the sun to stop from shining for at least a day. In other words, it's impossible. But we have to admit that there will be times when there's no other option than to completely stop playing the game we love very much, well, at least for a certain time period.
Be the Best Player - Softball Hitting Techniques
In a softball game, softball hitting is the main key of every team in order to achieve the goal of becoming a winner. Every player is certainly having an extreme training for them to turn into a hitting expert. Hitting is not merely striking the ball, but having a complete set of strategy to make an amazing shot and get on base and make a score.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Top 5 Softball Batting Tee Drills
Article Title: Top 5 Softball Batting Tee Drills
By Marc Dagenais
Here are the top 5 softball batting tee drills, in no particular order, and in my opinion. They are the ones that can really help turn you into an elite batter.
Drill 1 - Back Knee Down
Purpose: To develop upper-body strength and quickness. The drill helps the player stop lunging by eliminating lower-body movement. The drill can reduce upper cutting. It emphasizes keeping the barrel above the hands and using correct timing.
Procedure: Use a low T for this drill. The hitter kneels on a towel with the back knee at a 90-degree angle, keeping the shoulders on a level plane. The drill can also be done off a soft toss. The player sees the bat hit the ball.
Drill 2 - Bingo
Purpose: To develop a level swing and proper mechanics by offering instant feedback.
Procedure: Position two Ts at the same height with one directly behind the other. The batter drives the back ball into the front ball. The farther apart the Ts, the more difficult it is to hit the front ball because errors are magnified. The path of the hit provides quick feedback on the mechanics of the swing. If the hitter misses to the left, she has an outside-inside swing. If the hitter misses by going above, she is dropping her back shoulder. When successful, the hitter should yell "Bingo."
Drill 3 - Balance Beam
Purpose: To check balance during a swing.
Procedure: The hitter stands on a two-by-four or with both feet on the inner edge or a tire while hitting off the T. A hitter with good balance can stay on the beam throughout the swing.
Drill 4 - Look at Pitcher, Then Hit
Purpose: To practice refocusing from the pitcher to the point of contact.
Procedure: The batter at a T looks out at an imaginary pitcher and then refocuses on the T and takes a normal swing.
Drill 5 - Two Ts
Purpose: To concentrate on hitting to and through the ball on the sweet spot of the bat with a line drive contact.
Procedure: Two Ts are placed at the same height one directly in front of the other with a ball on each. The batter tries to drive the bat through the ball on the first T and into and through the ball on the second T.
Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog
He also 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. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais
By Marc Dagenais
Here are the top 5 softball batting tee drills, in no particular order, and in my opinion. They are the ones that can really help turn you into an elite batter.
Drill 1 - Back Knee Down
Purpose: To develop upper-body strength and quickness. The drill helps the player stop lunging by eliminating lower-body movement. The drill can reduce upper cutting. It emphasizes keeping the barrel above the hands and using correct timing.
Procedure: Use a low T for this drill. The hitter kneels on a towel with the back knee at a 90-degree angle, keeping the shoulders on a level plane. The drill can also be done off a soft toss. The player sees the bat hit the ball.
Drill 2 - Bingo
Purpose: To develop a level swing and proper mechanics by offering instant feedback.
Procedure: Position two Ts at the same height with one directly behind the other. The batter drives the back ball into the front ball. The farther apart the Ts, the more difficult it is to hit the front ball because errors are magnified. The path of the hit provides quick feedback on the mechanics of the swing. If the hitter misses to the left, she has an outside-inside swing. If the hitter misses by going above, she is dropping her back shoulder. When successful, the hitter should yell "Bingo."
Drill 3 - Balance Beam
Purpose: To check balance during a swing.
Procedure: The hitter stands on a two-by-four or with both feet on the inner edge or a tire while hitting off the T. A hitter with good balance can stay on the beam throughout the swing.
Drill 4 - Look at Pitcher, Then Hit
Purpose: To practice refocusing from the pitcher to the point of contact.
Procedure: The batter at a T looks out at an imaginary pitcher and then refocuses on the T and takes a normal swing.
Drill 5 - Two Ts
Purpose: To concentrate on hitting to and through the ball on the sweet spot of the bat with a line drive contact.
Procedure: Two Ts are placed at the same height one directly in front of the other with a ball on each. The batter tries to drive the bat through the ball on the first T and into and through the ball on the second T.
Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog
He also 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. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais
Monday, February 15, 2010
Softball Hitting Tips - Is a Good Swing Good Enough?
Softball Hitting Tips - Is a Good Swing Good Enough?
By Marc Dagenais
A lot of softball players place a premium on good swinging that they start to think that it's the only aspect of hitting they need to do in order to become good hitters. However, nothing can be further from the truth than this.
The truth is that, good swinging mechanics is just a part of the entire equation. There are other things that you need to consider if you want to be a good hitter. And that's what we're going to discuss here in this article.
Tracking the Ball
First of all, you need to able to see where the ball is going. This ability is commonly referred to as tracking. To track the ball well means you should be able to see the ball's direction from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand to the time it reaches within your swinging reach.
Just like all skills, tracking is a skill that takes time to develop. At 70mph, the ball is quick enough that it leaves you just little time to react and trace its direction. That is why it's important that coaches should teach their players this skill through various drills.
One of the most common drills to develop tracking is called the Finger Flash. The good thing with this drill is that it doesn't need any equipment for players to perform. All they need to do is have a 'pitcher' who will quickly flash 1, 2, or 3 fingers from a distance, and the 'batter' would then call out the number of fingers that the pitcher flashed.
Making Split-Second Decisions at Bat
Another skill that a good hitter should have is knowing when NOT to hit the ball. There are times when hitting the ball would be too impossible that doing so would cause a strike while during other times, swinging the bat would constitute a ball, to name a few situations.
Pitchers will have a variety of pitches to throw at batters. The key here is for the batter to know whether to swing the bat or not. It may sound easy, but again, with fast balls, it would be pretty difficult to make split-second decisions.
It's therefore important for hitters to be able to approximate whether the ball is in or out of the strike zone. This skill could be developed through a number of drills that simulate pitches to particular zones. And, then, there's experience. As you go on playing the game, it will become much easier to make these decisions for yourself.
Of course, there's nothing that consistent practice can't remedy. As I said earlier, these skills take time to master. It may be a little more difficult to do these things now, but try to remember the time when you were just trying to learn the mechanics of hitting. It was difficult at first, but eventually you developed it into the good swing you have today.
Take the learning of new skills as a challenge. If you're out to compete with the best of the best, you should keep on developing your skills. And in this case, having a good swing is never enough. You should also train yourself to track the ball and make split-second decisions on whether to hit it or not. I hope you find these softball tips helpful and make them part of your regular training routine.
Marc Dagenais is a 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 sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais
sponsor liks
------------
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 Marc Dagenais
A lot of softball players place a premium on good swinging that they start to think that it's the only aspect of hitting they need to do in order to become good hitters. However, nothing can be further from the truth than this.
The truth is that, good swinging mechanics is just a part of the entire equation. There are other things that you need to consider if you want to be a good hitter. And that's what we're going to discuss here in this article.
Tracking the Ball
First of all, you need to able to see where the ball is going. This ability is commonly referred to as tracking. To track the ball well means you should be able to see the ball's direction from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand to the time it reaches within your swinging reach.
Just like all skills, tracking is a skill that takes time to develop. At 70mph, the ball is quick enough that it leaves you just little time to react and trace its direction. That is why it's important that coaches should teach their players this skill through various drills.
One of the most common drills to develop tracking is called the Finger Flash. The good thing with this drill is that it doesn't need any equipment for players to perform. All they need to do is have a 'pitcher' who will quickly flash 1, 2, or 3 fingers from a distance, and the 'batter' would then call out the number of fingers that the pitcher flashed.
Making Split-Second Decisions at Bat
Another skill that a good hitter should have is knowing when NOT to hit the ball. There are times when hitting the ball would be too impossible that doing so would cause a strike while during other times, swinging the bat would constitute a ball, to name a few situations.
Pitchers will have a variety of pitches to throw at batters. The key here is for the batter to know whether to swing the bat or not. It may sound easy, but again, with fast balls, it would be pretty difficult to make split-second decisions.
It's therefore important for hitters to be able to approximate whether the ball is in or out of the strike zone. This skill could be developed through a number of drills that simulate pitches to particular zones. And, then, there's experience. As you go on playing the game, it will become much easier to make these decisions for yourself.
Of course, there's nothing that consistent practice can't remedy. As I said earlier, these skills take time to master. It may be a little more difficult to do these things now, but try to remember the time when you were just trying to learn the mechanics of hitting. It was difficult at first, but eventually you developed it into the good swing you have today.
Take the learning of new skills as a challenge. If you're out to compete with the best of the best, you should keep on developing your skills. And in this case, having a good swing is never enough. You should also train yourself to track the ball and make split-second decisions on whether to hit it or not. I hope you find these softball tips helpful and make them part of your regular training routine.
Marc Dagenais is a 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 sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais
sponsor liks
------------
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!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Softball Training - Essential Principles
Hurricane Batter Training Machine
By Marc Dagenais
An important underlying in any system of thought is the ability to decide on when do you want to start something that you have long wanted to happen. If you are a person who likes softball a lot and you always dream of becoming one of the best players, then you should never waste time doing it. Life is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is already high time for you to weed out your choices and leave the best option there is. Intelligent selection will surely make your efforts be paid off in a short span of time.
In any sports, you have to get started with the basic principles and fundamental skills. The techniques should be learned so that improvement will be known and realized. But it is not always about learning the different technicalities of softball. It is also about engaging yourself to softball training that boost the mind, body and spirit. These point out to the learning of the basic principles and values that every softball player should have.
Softball training is also about the knowing of the essential principles like the following. Along with these attitudes, you must nurture every learning experience with the correct environmental feedbacks. Here they are:
· Set your goals creatively. If you want to become the best softball player in your team, you must lay down the standard by having the goals and creatively set them up for the improvement of your existing skills. Creativity in the implementation of the different softball training skills is vital since it will help you become more competitive using the various ways you have set in your goals. You must have a flexible imagination, too.
· Dream big dreams. Be optimistic. Do not perceive softball challenges as problems. Look at them as spices of life. An optimistic person goes a long way. No challenge is too big to overcome.
· Be brave enough to confront challenge. You have to be dauntless with the different softball disputes. These may help you in the achievement of a much better you. Running away from every problem will just give you much more problem.
· You must also have discipline and perseverance in all your softball training and softball games as well. A player without the power to discipline himself will not become a winner in the end. Perseverance also comes along with the discipline. It means that if you stick with the decision of the team, you display respect to them. If you also have anything to suggest, they will do the same thing as you did. So, what really comes around goes around.
· Never let failure become an alternative to your softball training. You must always learn that you are there because there is something special in you. That special something might be the much awaited weapon of the team in order for you to win. Who knows? So, just believe in yourself that you are great. Eventually, all things will fall into their proper places.
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
Hurricane Batter Training Machine
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
www.softballrus.com
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!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Step-By-Step Softball Hitting Procedure
By Marc Dagenais
Having trouble hitting the ball with striking result? Have you been practicing for it for several weeks, yet you always failed to deliver a satisfying performance? Are you now in great desperation to learn the technique of softball hitting? If so, then you may find the following step-by-step procedure very useful. This actually helps me a lot, too.
· Begin with a good standing posture. This is essential in softball hitting. This means that you have to maintain a comfortable stance. Your weight should be balanced on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees a little flexed, with a slight curve at the waist.
· Have a grip on the bat with your front elbow down and relaxed. Your grip must not too loose or too tight, but hold the bat just right. Make sure that your back elbow is at a 45-degree angle, pointed towards the ground.
· Then with your middle knuckles of one hand aligned with your middle knuckles of the other hand, take hold of the bat at a 45- to 90-degree angle.
· Always let your hands at the top of the strike zone, and close to your back armpit. Also remember that the bat should be between the catcher and your back shoulder.
· Also important to keep your head straight, then cast your full attention to the pitcher in anticipation for the ball to be released. You may want to focus your eyes on the side of the pitcher's leg. This will help you maintain a good concentration.
· When the pitcher goes into the windup, immediately shift the weight onto your back.
· Then with your front foot, take a stride forward on the release of the pitch, making sure not to bring any weight forward on the stride. This is what we call a soft step.
· Immediately after, begin turning around your back foot so that your back heel is facing the catcher, and move your weight forward to the middle of your body.
· Then lastly commence your hand, with the knob of the bat going in the direction of the pitcher's feet.
· You should be careful not to drop the barrel of the bat underneath your hands at the launch of the swing.
· Strike the ball and drive it. This should follow through by way of your hands swinging to your opposite shoulder.
Alright, there you have it. All you have to do is be familiarized with every step provided. At the same time, help yourself with perseverance and determination. Actually, there is actually no undisclosed topics you need to know when it comes to softball hitting.
For you become a good softball player you dreamt of, all you need to do is carry out, practice, and practice. Yes, keep on practicing and improving your skills. As a well-worn adage goes, "Practice makes perfect." Take that as your softball hitting key to success.
Reading magazines or articles regarding the proper technique of softball hitting can also help. Also try to solicit some advices from people who have enough knowledge and experience about softball hitting. Their true to life experience is worth knowing.
Marc Dagenais is a 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 sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais
Having trouble hitting the ball with striking result? Have you been practicing for it for several weeks, yet you always failed to deliver a satisfying performance? Are you now in great desperation to learn the technique of softball hitting? If so, then you may find the following step-by-step procedure very useful. This actually helps me a lot, too.
· Begin with a good standing posture. This is essential in softball hitting. This means that you have to maintain a comfortable stance. Your weight should be balanced on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees a little flexed, with a slight curve at the waist.
· Have a grip on the bat with your front elbow down and relaxed. Your grip must not too loose or too tight, but hold the bat just right. Make sure that your back elbow is at a 45-degree angle, pointed towards the ground.
· Then with your middle knuckles of one hand aligned with your middle knuckles of the other hand, take hold of the bat at a 45- to 90-degree angle.
· Always let your hands at the top of the strike zone, and close to your back armpit. Also remember that the bat should be between the catcher and your back shoulder.
· Also important to keep your head straight, then cast your full attention to the pitcher in anticipation for the ball to be released. You may want to focus your eyes on the side of the pitcher's leg. This will help you maintain a good concentration.
· When the pitcher goes into the windup, immediately shift the weight onto your back.
· Then with your front foot, take a stride forward on the release of the pitch, making sure not to bring any weight forward on the stride. This is what we call a soft step.
· Immediately after, begin turning around your back foot so that your back heel is facing the catcher, and move your weight forward to the middle of your body.
· Then lastly commence your hand, with the knob of the bat going in the direction of the pitcher's feet.
· You should be careful not to drop the barrel of the bat underneath your hands at the launch of the swing.
· Strike the ball and drive it. This should follow through by way of your hands swinging to your opposite shoulder.
Alright, there you have it. All you have to do is be familiarized with every step provided. At the same time, help yourself with perseverance and determination. Actually, there is actually no undisclosed topics you need to know when it comes to softball hitting.
For you become a good softball player you dreamt of, all you need to do is carry out, practice, and practice. Yes, keep on practicing and improving your skills. As a well-worn adage goes, "Practice makes perfect." Take that as your softball hitting key to success.
Reading magazines or articles regarding the proper technique of softball hitting can also help. Also try to solicit some advices from people who have enough knowledge and experience about softball hitting. Their true to life experience is worth knowing.
Marc Dagenais is a 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 sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais
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