Why incorporate mental activities in your softball hitting

You are aware that there are lots of softball hitting techniques in which you can choose from but you should also understand that you have to choose the technique that will suit your ability. Why? It is because the softball hitting mechanics that work on other player might not work on you. And so every player is advised to have sufficient knowledge on the ways to increase your hitting skills.

The batter has an important role in the team especially when you can hit the ball further and make it out of reach. Your bat will be your perfect partner in making a perfect hit. This is why if you will to shop for your bat, you should make sure that you will select the right kind size and weight that will suit your height. Never ever choose a bat that is too long or too short for you because this will only hinder you in giving your full power and energy when hitting the ball.

Is your skill in softball hitting enough to become a very good hitter? Even if you have the perfect bat and you are very knowledgeable in the different hitting tips, there is no assurance that you can be good in your position if you lack the concentration and essential qualities which are useful in the game. Aside from undergoing intensive training to master the different styles in hitting, you still have to have your focus in what you are doing.

Softball is not only after your physical strength because you will also use your thinking while playing the game. You can do a lot to make your team win in the game and you can only do it if you can anticipate the future action of the pitcher. This is the reason why you should have analytical thinking. With this virtue you will have the chance to red the mind of the pitcher who will release the ball that you are going to hi. This way you can have time to make your plan.

While waiting for the ball, you should stay focused on the ball and the pitcher. Never allow yourself to be disturbed by the people around you. Yes, you are playing under a pressured situation but this should not lost your concentration because once you allowed yourself to be disturbed, there is a bigger chance for you to miss the ball.

Doing some mental conditioning in your training can be of great help to have a sound and healthy mind which can help you to make quick decisions when you are in the game. You can have more chances of controlling the game if you have the power to analyze and anticipate to what direction the pitcher will will release the ball.

So if you are aiming to become good in your softball hitting, you should spend some time in enriching your mind. Your everyday practice should not only focus on developing your strength and different skills. You should always remember that in every sport you need to have a sound mind and a sound body to make you a holistic player.

Marc Dagenais

Marc Dagenais, MHK, CSCS, is a softball peak performance coach that helps playersand teams hit with more power, run faster, throw harder, become mentally tougher,and be more dominant on the softball field. Visit us and sign-up to get tons ofgreat FREE softball hitting tips to boost your game!

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/marc-dagenais/106433

Four Beginner Batting Drills for Fastpitch Softball

How to Hit a Softball

How to Hit a Softball
Posted on YouTube by livestrong

Utilizing proper techniques will help develop a more fluid and solid softball swing. Learn some techniques for batting in this softball video.

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• Articles from the Youth Softball Coaching Clinic Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Pitchers Blog
• Articles from the Coaching Fastpitch Softball Hitters Blog
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• The Fastpitch Softball Training Equipment Blog

5 Simple Hitting Drills That Will Raise Your Average Overnight!

5 Simple Fastpitch Softball Hitting Drills That Will Raise Your Average Overnight!
By Guest Author Janet K Hansen

The best hitters in the game use a variety of hitting drills to improve hand-eye coordination, bat speed, and power. These drills will have you or your players hitting the ball more consistently and with more power, with the ability to place shots more effectively. The result will be higher average and better run production in just a week or two of practice.

1. Ball on a Cone or Tee: Hand-eye coordination is the key to all good hitting, in any game and at every level. Improving your ability to match what your eyes are seeing with the trajectory of your swing creates the kind of contact that produces more line drives, and with time, more power. Hitting legend Ted Williams used to practice by using a cue stick to hit bottle caps. That's not a bad idea, but these drills will serve the purpose, too.


Ball on a cone: Put a traffic cone on the floor 3 feet out from a mat. Kneel, or have your players kneel, on the mat. Put balls on the cone and have the players focus on hitting a line drive. Hit 15 to 25 balls in each session, more if time allows - the more the better. The drill emphasizes contact using just the arms and upper body, which is essential to hitting the ball consistently.

T-Ball: Kids start in t-ball for a reason - they learn to make contact, plain and simple. Since solid contact is the key to all good things in hitting, contact drills never go out of style. Pro, college, and top amateur teams continue to use hitting tees to warm up and find the hitting touch, especially after layoffs. Start hitting practice with a round of tee drills to emphasize keeping an eye on the ball, with a bonus feature being an increase in confidence. When pitch speed is added, the improvement will be noticeable. When the game starts, sharper hitting will lead to more base runners and more RBI's. VARIATIONS: place the tee on the inside, middle, and outside parts of the plate to encourage hitters to go with the pitch, so they learn to drive balls to all fields. Most hitters try to pull everything, and this will help break that habit.

2. Wiffle Ball: This drill emphasizes bat speed and a compact, powerful swing. Using either a pitching machine or a live pitcher, stand 20 feet in front of the plate and use waffle balls for safety. Set the machine to about 40 mph, or gauge your pitch speed accordingly. Batters have to get the bat around in a hurry. The drill will expose swings that are too long - the kind of swings that keep pro players in the minors. On the positive side, it encourages increased bat speed to be able to get around on the pitches, and a shorter, more compact swing that is the foundation of power.

3. Wait and Explode: Many hitters develop the bad habit of starting their swing far too early. The results are all bad. For instance, the hitter will often stride into the pitch too early and then have to hold back the upper body waiting for the ball. Timing and hand-eye coordination is thrown off, plus if contact is made, it's only the upper body involved. The powerful motion of the legs is eliminated. Misses, weak grounders, and lazy fly balls are the result. Here's how this drill works. Have the batter stand in the box and coach them not to move at all until the ball leaves the pitcher's hand. Keep it up until the hitter learns to be patient, reserving their energy until they can complete the swing in one powerful motion. Hitters with good contact skills but poor power will start driving the ball much harder with this drill.

Another way to encourage a "wait and explode" approach is to use tennis balls and bounce balls up to the plate. The hitter must not move a muscle until the ball bounces, 6-8 feet in front of the plate. Patience is learned, and hand-eye coordination is also improved. A short, compact, energetic swing will result.

4. The Barrier Drill: This drill will teach good mechanics. Have the players stand one back length back from a barrier, such as a net or string, and take their cut. If they hit the barrier with the bat, they are taking too long a swing, unlocking their elbows before the shoulders are fully engaged. Point out what's happening and see if they can make the correction, which will produce a compact, powerful cut.

5. Reward or Run: There's nothing like the possibility of a little physical exercise to get players to concentrate. Using a pitching machine, or reliable batting practice pitcher, feed each batter 15 pitches. On strikes only (make swinging at a bad pitch an out, no matter if they hit it or not), count well-struck balls versus misses or weak hits. If the batter has 8 or more good cuts reward them in some way. If 8 or more bad swings happen, it's time to run! As the season continues, and the players improve, bump your better hitters up to 10 or 11 quality hits to avoid running. Tailor the drill to stretch each player to achieve their best.

Each of these drills is used by many professional, college, and top amateurs teams every year. Employ them on your team and start noticing immediate results in terms of contact and power. You'll enjoy better run production from the first time through the order!

Janet Hansen is a softball coach in NC and helps others understand how to choose the right softball bat for their needs, at her Softball Batting website, http://www.SoftballBatGuide.com. You can also learn batting tips and join in the discussion along the way!

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

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How to Hit a Softball

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Utilizing proper techniques will help develop a more fluid and solid softball swing. Learn some techniques for batting in this softball video.



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Step-By-Step Softball Hitting Procedure

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

Tips in Softball Hitting

By Marc Dagenais

Perfect Hit, How to make it? Softball hitting is said to be one of the most important skills in playing softball. I am certain that you have already read that statement for many times now. But then I am saying it again on this article because it's the truth.

It is essential for a team to have an excellent softball hitter. You are a softball hitter. As the hitter of the team, greater and bigger responsibilities lie in your hands. Sometimes these things caused a lot of pressure. As you watch a professional softball hitter, you are thinking on how he was able to do it. What did he do to make a perfect hit?

Well, there is really no perfect formula when it comes to softball hitting. You may think of copying the strategies of the player that you are watching but then there is this tendency that his strategies in softball hitting will not suit you. The secret behind the success of every hit lies on the knowledge on what to do first and what to do next. It lies on the familiarization of the proper mechanics.

The stance. The stance is the position of the hitter when he will release a swing. This is that start of it all. This serves as the foundation for the swing. The hitter must have the proper position so that he will be able to have a perfect swing that would eventually result to a perfect hit. As a hitter, you must see to it that you feet are just outside your shoulders and your weight must be equally distributed to the inside balls of your feet. Balance is important. You should not forget that. The line drawn through your toes must extend directly to the pitcher who is about to throw the ball. Your hands must be level with your shoulders and it must be aligned of your rear shoulders. The distance of your hands from your body must be about four to six inches away.

Getting ready for the swing. This is the loading phase. This is when you are already shifting the weight of your hands backwards so that they can have a greater distance that can be applied before you hit the ball. You are loading your power during this time. The hands must now be aligned behind the shoulder and then gently stride the front foot forward directly toward the direction of the pitcher.

The swing. Successful and famous softball hitters always release perfect swings. They were able to do these because they keep on practicing and they do this thing repeatedly. You too can do this. The bottom of the palm down is the one that guides the bat. The top of the palm is the one that pushes the bat. Your arms must be bent slightly as the bat extends. Your eyes must be focused on the ball and the pitcher who is going to throw the ball. When you are about eight inches from the ball, your top wrist must now push the bat to finally hit the ball.

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

The Important Role of Softball Drills in Winning

The Important Role of Softball Drills in Winning
By Marc Dagenais

In any kind of sport, it is always true that practice makes perfect. You need to work hard in order to become a skillful player. You should multiply your skills and abilities to have a better chance of making the best player in your chosen sport. Of course your coach has an important part in your quest. Your coach will be your guide and will tell you what skill should you put more focus on and what are the drills you should practice.

In the field of softball, softball pitching and hitting are two main keys to win the game. You should use a good combination of this in order to have a higher chance of winning. You need to practice more to improve these skills. Softball drill will help a lot to multiply your skills in hitting and pitching.

Your coach should have enough knowledge about the different softball drills so that you can choose the most effective drill.

Some common softball drills which can you incorporate in your everyday practice are:

· Back Knee Down

The main purpose of this drill is to improve your upper body strength and quickness. It is done to decrease the lower body movements like lunging and upper cutting. It focuses to keep the barrel above your hands. The use of proper timing is also essential in this drill.

The drill can be done by using a low T. the hitter will kneel on a towel with the back knee positioned in 90 degree angle. The shoulders should be level on plane. You can also do it in a soft toss as long as the bat will hit the ball.

· Hitting Fungoes

It is the drill that improves the action of the hand, shifting of the weight, downward swing and follow-through.

There should be some players staying on the deck. They will be the one to hit the fungoes toward the direction of the fielders on the side of the infield. You should have four hitters in each of the three hitting stations. The hitters will take a certain number of swings and then rotate at the back of the line of the next hitting station. The hitter should complete the rotation passing the three hitting stations. After the rotation one line can rotate to the infield spots and the infielders can come to hit the ball. You should hit the top half of the baseball using a short, downward swing.

· Draw a Line

It is for the purpose of practicing the moving of the hands to the ball. It will also develop the speed and strengthen the lead arm.

To start with the drill, the batter will estimate the stance even without holding the bat. The lead hand should be in its normal position with the thumb up. The hitter then will draw a line across her chest and then extends the ball.

· Snap Backs

It will multiply the quickness of the hands, small stride, and forearm and the strength of the wrist.

Your player should have corresponding partner. The partner will stand six feet from the batter and will toss the ball in the fastest speed towards the contact point of the strike zone. The hitter standing up will drive one ball after another into the net taking the swing and snapping the bat back to the staring point.

· Quick Hands

It will surely increase your ability in quick hands, backswing and compact swing.

First the tosser will stand in front of the batter and behind a screen with 15 feet distance to the hitter. The batter will positioned the bat pointing the tosser, then return the hand back quickly, and then forward again now hitting the tossed ball.

Mentioned above are some common softball drills to keep you at the top of your game.

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


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!

Good Articles on Softball Hitting

Good Tips on Softball Hitting

A Softball game is a type of specialized game or sport, which necessitates focus, stamina and attentiveness. One of the imperative skills that a player must and should characterize in this field of sport is the ability to do an extremely good softball hitting. This is not as easy as you think because it really requires your determination and self - discipline in filtering this nature of skill.


Tips on How to Improve Softball Hitting

Softball Hitting is definitely one of the most complex and stressful roles to play when engaging in the softball sport. A lot of people engage themselves in this kind of sport because they believe that this cannot only develop them physically but mentally as well.


Must Have Equipments For Softball Hitting

Softball is considered as one of the most popular games in the world. This is played by people of all ages all over the world. Even if it is a game that is hard to play, a lot of people are still enjoying playing softball because it brings tons of challenges.

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



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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


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Four Little-Known Baseball/Softball Training Secrets

Four Little-Known Baseball/Softball Training Secrets, PART 1
By Steve Zawrotny

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Train for POWER

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Baseball and softball are not games of strength, but of EXPLOSIVE POWER. Just how strong do you have to be to pick up a 5 oz baseball, or a 30 oz bat? On the other hand, propelling that 5 oz ball 90+ mph, or hitting a ball 400+ feet with that 30 oz bat requires tremendous power - the ability to perform work. In this case, the work of playing baseball and softball at a high level.

In both games, while they can be slow in duration, the various activities that comprise a game are short and quick. Rarely does a play take longer than 6 or 7 seconds. There are exceptions, of course - an inside the park homer, or an extended rundown or "pickle." But, for the most part, things happen very quickly on the diamond.

Why does this matter to you?

Well, let me ask you this: how often have you heard coaches tell pitchers to condition themselves by running laps - Long, Slow Distance (LSD) training, or to spend a lot of time pedaling a bike?

If you've been around as long as I have, you've seen this a lot. Here's the problems: these coaches (and many players) incorrectly think that LSD (or aerobic) conditioning improves player performance. In fact, studies show the aerobic demands (the amount of oxygen needed by the body) of baseball and softball to be very low.

In fact, the oxygen uptake of a baseball pitcher (the most active position) is a low 45% of the maximum needed. Apparently the rest pitchers get between each pitch and in-between innings is sufficient to replenish the main energy system used.

Baseball and softball are considered to be "alactic anaerobic" sports in terms of the energy system utilized, with pitchers in both sports the busiest players on the field. What this means is that there is little to no lactic acid buildup as a result of this activity. That burning feeling you get when you lift weights really hard is a result of a buildup of lactic acid, a by-product of that (and other) short-term, intense types of exercise.

Have you ever heard of a ball player complaining of this problem?

Consider the baseball pitcher: it takes about 0.15 seconds from the time the front foot contacts the ground until the ball is released. Very little lactic acid can be built up in this short burst of activity. The primary source of fatigue in pitching is not metabolic, but neural. [1]

Again, why does this matter to you?

Because studies show that LSD training significantly detracts from power, strength, and speed development.

Reduce these characteristics, and you educe your ability to throw with high velocity, hit with power, and run at high speed. Look at the bodies of sprinters vs. marathoners. You don't have to be built like a sprinter to be successful as a ball player, but this illustrates how training affects one's body, conditioning, and hence, ability to perform.

Put another way: Train Slow, Perform Slow.

As mentioned earlier, aside from the game itself (which can be be long and slow) things happen quickly on the ball field. Playing softball and baseball requires high velocity, ballistic movements like throwing a fast, well located pitch, taking a hard swing at this high velocity pitch, and exploding out of the batter's box to sprint down the first base line.

So how should you train?

To augment the aforementioned activities, concentrate on developing power, flexibility, and speed. Weight lifting, plyometrics, flexibility, and short burst sprint interval training should form the basis of conditioning for baseball and softball players.

[1] Gambetta, V. A Big Windup. Training & Conditioning, p. 43 March 2003

Steve Zawrotny, MS, CSCS 405.373.3253 steve@baseballfit.com FREE REPORT: "Harmful Resistance Exercises Baseball/Softball Players Should Avoid" VISIT: http://www.BaseballFit.com

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

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How Do You Handle Softball Hitting?

Hurricane Swing Trainer - HurricaneMachine.com

By Marc Dagenais

Softball is a game of life for some. It is what keeps others fueled up. It is a game wherein everybody is making their way to reach the top. It is really a great achievement if you put yourself into the limelight of the softball world.

Since softball is a wonderful diversion of life, it is very much important that you take time informing yourself about the latest and the newest learnings that you could use to survive the crucial sport event. There are a lot of ways now on how you could possibly get hold of the best softball hitting activities and drills. You just have to keep your mind's eye open for the possibilities that you could gain in your every search.

First you have your softball coach to train you. Aside from it is his major responsibility to help you in your training, it is still a must to consult him from time to time on what you should do to better your performance in softball hitting. You could approach him and ask some questions on the proper gripping of the softball bat, proper stance, stride and so on. These important skills should be known by you so that you will have that dream success in your every game performance.

Next, after the strenuous trainings that you and your coach have done and performed, you can still maximize your softball hitting training by researching more softball hitting techniques from the internet. For sure, there are several softball sites that are especially designed for softball players who want to learn more about their desired softball skill. Since you are a softball hitter, then you are most probably to be searching about the latest techniques about softball hitting. There are various coaches, as well as professional softball players who have already shared their ideas and experiences to the different sites in the internet so it pays a lot if you keep your patience on searching for them.

Afterwards, you have to put to heart to everything that you have known and learned. By keeping soulfully whatever skill that you have caught from different people and from various sources, you can definitely move on to the self-training. Yes, you also have to have your own softball hitting training. You don't just have to wait for the training that is called for by your coach. You have to take the initiative to train yourself by using all of the training techniques that you have learned. It is when you start having initiative that you can make the big difference.

Softball players really have a big responsibility. They have to keep themselves fit and vigorous at all times. Discipline is another factor when it comes to learning the different information about softball. If you want to learn, you should listen. Do not act as if you know everything. Remember, there are a lot of losers in this world because they don't know how to listen. Discipline and listening are interrelated. You have to bear in your mind and heart these two virtues because they will serve as your secret weapons to battle every challenge that will cross your softball hitting performance.

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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Softball Hitting Tips on Common Softball Hitting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

By Marc Dagenais


How well you react to the pitcher's throw increases your chances of hitting the ball or avoiding it if it's outside the strike zone.

But becoming a good batter is easier said than done. The truth is that, it's a lot more challenging to hit the ball when you're playing in front of a crowd, and the odds are stacked against your team.

The good thing is that, you can minimize the errors you commit on the batter's plate if you have a good grasp of softball hitting mechanics.

That's why I'm going to show you some of the most common softball hitting mistakes so you can avoid them in easy-breezy games or even in pressure-packed situations.
Let's begin.

No Follow Through

There's a tendency for a lot of players to cut their swing short as the ball makes contact with the bat. But doing this causes the ball to lose a lot of power.
Instead, follow through your swing by allowing your arms and the bat to complete the batting motion. This allows your body to transfer more power into the ball than you would by cutting your swing short.

Swinging with Your Arms

Your bat speed depends a lot on the strength of your arms and your shoulders. The stronger your arms and shoulders are, the faster you can swing the bat.

However, you cannot fully maximize your bat speed without the help of the proper position and motion from your legs and hips.
That is why you should keep in mind the way you bend your knees and how you rotate your hips when you're practicing your swings. Having a good training coach can help you with the best stance you can use to ensure you can hit the ball with maximum power once it hits the bat.

Gripping the Bat Tightly

You might not notice it but you could be gripping your bat tightly when waiting for the pitch. It could be because of habit or tension during the game, but the thing is that you lose a lot of power when you do this.
What you should do then is that you should train yourself to loosen your grip on the bat. Keep your grip just tight enough to prevent the bat from slipping from your hands. Also, remember to grip the bat with your fingers and not with the palm of your hands.

Failure to Anticipate the Ball

If you're a beginner, you might think that you should only react to the ball when it's already within your bat's reach. But by this time, you're already too late hit the softball with enough power, much less hit the ball altogether.

Instead, track the direction of the ball from the time it leaves the pitcher's hand. This will give you enough time to adjust your stance or your swing depending on how the pitcher released the ball.

Now that you're familiar with the most common softball hitting mistakes, I hope you'll become more aware of these next time you play and be able to avoid them from now on.

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


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!

Performing Softball Hitting is Not All About the Bats

By Marc Dagenais

Everybody who is engaged in the softball hitting is endeavored on making the best of his abilities to perform the skill well. As much as possible he commits more than a hundred percent of his efforts so that there will be a great base run at the end.

Hitters should have a quick, short and compact swing so that they can deliver the best hit that they can. It is also indispensable that each hitter gets the bat to the ball as fast as possible during the hitting. Every player is required with the certain degrees of shoulder rotation. One of the common mistakes why a batter is not successful in hitting the ball is that he performs a wrong movement when swinging. That is why this very simple skill should be carefully though of so that any single mistake will be minimized.

Starting as early as possible is very well needed so that you can have the best of improvement more rapidly. So, before you go to the worse side of the softball game, you should always become one of the people who are willing to take more of the softball hitting drills in order for them to get hold of the better performance record.

The batter should not pull out the shoulder in advance as this may cause several damages in your softball hitting. Therefore, this means that every single move is important in the accomplishment of a great softball hitting presentation. Early pulling out of the front side should not be maintained as it produces radical short of bat speed.

Coaches should also become more aware and quickly have a spot of the flaws often committed by the softball hitters so that they can correct them as soon as possible. So every hitter should cure their flaws with the help of course of their coach. The coach should have an individual assessment of the performances of his players. In this way, he can immediately respond to the needs of the players.

It is also recommended that the coach should build up a practice plan that will have a holistic improvement of the players. There should however a different practice plan for the different skills such as pitching and hitting as these skills require more than just quick run and fast speed.

You visualize what you want in your team so as to produce the results that you want to happen. Build up also the confidence of your players so that the softball hitting and softball pitching will run smoothly. You try ever y possible chance that you and your players can develop a team building activities that all of you will enjoy.

Try also to become more attached with their personal lives. As a coach, you must know how your players are affected with the personal stories that they have in life. But always make sure that you do not go also beyond your limitations. You must develop also their sense of independence most especially in the way that they discipline themselves.

In general, softball hitting can best be done if there is cooperation that exist between the coach, the players as well as the parents so that effective and stronger game match will be witnessed in the softball diamond.

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




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!

Fastpitch Hitting - Swing Like "the Best in the World"

By 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.

"It is used to achieve solid contact hitting, producing... sharply hit ground balls which are designed to shoot through the drawn-in infielders on the hard dirt surfaces of softball (and astroturf surfaces in baseball). It is especially useful in slap hitting (fast runners who hit it on the ground and beat it out to first base).

"Baseball players who use this style, do so especially when they use the ultra light aluminum bats and... if they play on artificial surfaces."

A Linear hitter will normally hit ground balls. Most Linear coaches teach "hit the top half of the ball," and "swing down," which naturally produces grounders. They also teach "lead with the hands" or "take the knob (or hands) to the ball," and to set up with most of your weight on the back foot and then shift your weight to the front foot as you swing. All of these work together to lengthen the swing (producing slower bat speed and therefore less power) and cause a lot of ground balls.

Since softball infields are clay (a hard surface), and the bases are relatively close together -- and so the infielders are close to the batter and have less time to react to the ball to field it -- if you hit a ground ball hard enough, you will get on base. So Linear hitters can be very successful.

Linear hitting works really well when playing against younger or less accomplished fielders and pitchers. But as the defense gets better, whether it's because the ladies at the level you've been at are more mature physically and more experienced fielding balls, or if it's because you're moving up from the Silver division to the Gold, fewer and fewer ground balls get through for hits.

And as the pitching gets faster, Linear hitters often struggle to get the bat around quickly enough, hitting more and more weak grounders to the opposite side. If you get a chance to watch Division 1 college softball games, you'll really see this happening. The lightweight bats allowed in softball go a long way in addressing the problem of slow batspeed. However, when you get to the very top level of competition at a given age, Linear hitters often struggle.

Also, if you are doing a correct Linear swing and happen to hit the middle or lower half of the ball, you will create backspin on the ball - which will usually result in a pop up or a very slow grounder. Slap hitting, a variation of Linear, can help overcome these problems. An accomplished Slapper can place the ball very accurately, and so, "hit 'em where they ain't," as baseball legend Wee Willie Keeler said 120 years ago (Willie was a Linear hitter, like all ballplayers of his time).

Rotational hitting emphasizes even weight balance, leading with the hips, using the legs, hips and torso muscles to produce a short, compact swing, and hitting the center of the ball. These combine to create more bat speed than Linear hitting can, and because the intention is to hit the middle of the ball, it produces many more line drives. No one swings perfectly every single time, so of course, there will be ground balls and pop ups, just as with Linear, but overall, there is more power, and many more balls hit in the air to the outfield. And, because the swing is faster, ground balls are normally hit harder than with Linear -- and so are more likely to get past the infielders for hits.

Perhaps the biggest problem with Rotational hitting is that many people who have very little understanding of it try, with the best of intentions, to teach it. They often combine bits of Linear with a partial understanding of Rotational, with horrible results. Some have grasped portions of the Rotational, and teach what they know. Their results are very uneven. Some hitters do fairly well with this partial swing, most do no better than with Linear, and some don't have any success.

Mike Epstein, former MLB baseball player, and the person credited with coining the phrase "Rotational Hitting," ask the question, "Do we coach what we REALLY see?" Very few coaches take the time to do the frame-by-frame video analysis of great softball and baseball hitters to see all of the components of a productive Rotational swing. (Epstein's hitting course is one of the better ones available. Thousands of players have benefitted from his instruction.)

What a Rotational Swing Looks Like

The photos at batting.wordpress.com in the Nov. 5 post, "The Best Hitter on the Planet?" show how the key components of Jessica Mendoza's swing work together to make her such a great hitter. A true Rotational hitter. You may see that it's very different from what most local coaches teach, even those who call their style of hitting "Rotational." (In her 5-minute video lessons on YouTube, even Mendoza teaches something very different from the way she actually hits! It seems to me that her using Linear hitting phrases -- "shift your weight," and "take your hands to the ball" -- can be confusing to most players, because Mendoza doesn't do these things in a Linear way at all, as you can see in the photos.)

Mendoza keeps her hands back and high as she begins her swing. As she takes a very small step, her entire body moves slightly toward the pitcher (the "weight shift"), but her weight is balanced equally on both feet. Her hips begin to rotate as she brings her back hand down slightly. Her front foot pivots. Keeping her elbows close to her body, the hip rotation brings her bat around at very high speed. Her wrists remain in the same position as at the beginning of the swing.

Her back shoulder moves lower (how much lower depends on the pitch -- if it had been high in the strike zone, the back shoulder would have lowered less, but still would have "dipped"). At contact, both elbows are in an "L" position, head directly on the ball. At the moment of contact, the front knee is straight, the back knee in almost an "L" position. The bat extends straight from her lead arm, looking as if it is part of her arm.

The elbows remain in the "L" until well into her follow-through. Her back hand remains on the bat until the swing is 98% finished.

That's how the best fastpitch hitter in the game does it. And the ball is on a powerful line drive trajectory. If you can get a look at Crystl Busto, the most powerful fastpitch hitter who every played, you'll see that her swing is the same. If you can find video of Stacey Nuveman from 2004-2007, you'll see the same swing. If you look at the Texas A&M team, nearly everyone has the same swing as Jessica Mendoza.

Is One Better Than the Other?

In the fastpitch softball community, the discussion over the two styles is often very heated, and passions frequently run high. Often people are so emotional about their chosen method that they cannot see that both have a place. But look at the 2006-2009 USA National Softball teams. The ladies who made up the team were deemed to be the best players in the US at the time. Both methods of hitting were represented on the team, and they won 3 World Championships and a Silver Medal in the Olympics. Clearly there is room for both Linear and Rotational hitting.

What to Look for in a Coach

In general, everyone who teaches Linear hitting teaches the same principles and the same swing. While each coach will have their own way of teaching it, there is a great uniformity in Linear instruction. A player will get the same advice and tweaking of her swing, but perhaps with different words used from coach to coach.

Unfortunately, while Rotational hitting is fairly simple and straightforward, many coaches haven't really learned the components of the swing. Simply latching onto key words and phrases, they teach what sounds like Rotational hitting to them and the player. Of course, this doesn't produce a sound swing, and causes many to abandon and reject Rotational hitting. Those who have learned Mike Epstein's system can teach a pretty effective swing. Jack Mankin has taught many coaches how to teach the swing used by Mendoza and nearly every Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member.

Even worse than those who teach Rotational hitting without understanding it, are those who try to combine the two methods. This simply doesn't work, except for a very few extremely gifted athletes whose hand-eye coordination is so superior they can overcome this disastrous combination swing. Avoid this swing at all costs!

Use the photos at batting.wordpress.com and the description above of Mendoza's swing to guide you in finding a Rotational hitting coach. These are the fundamental elements of the swing, and each is crucial. Ask the coach to describe the components they teach. If it sounds very different, move on to someone else. If it sounds similar, ask more questions. Be sure they are teaching what you see in these photos. This particular swing is about as perfect a Rotational swing as humanly possible.

In the End, It's a Choice You Have to Make

As we said, there is a place for both Linear and Rotational hitting in fastpitch softball. However, as they move up in skill levels, Linear hitters will find it increasingly difficult to achieve the greatest possible success at the plate.

The best hitter in fastpitch, Jessica Mendoza, is a Rotational hitter. So are Crystl Busto, Stacey Nuveman, and many of the best players in the US. More and more top Division 1 college softball coaches are adopting Rotational hitting for their teams.

The method has been around for nearly a hundred years and is proven to be very effective. If you're serious about taking your game as far as you can, if you dream of playing college softball or even playing for your national team (and why NOT dream that?), you should look into Rotational hitting. But try to be sure you find a coach who really understands this simple method and knows how to teach it.

Whatever you choose, keep practicing, especially in the off-season, keep working hard at getting better, but also take some breaks from the game! Don't get burned out on the game you love!!

©2009 Joseph M. White

Now in his 17th season as a youth softball and baseball coach; also a hitting coach and fastpitch pitching coach. His long experience studying all aspects of the game, and teaching hundreds of boys and girls how to play, and play better, gives him unique insights and enables him to effectively convey game skills to players, coaches, and parents.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_M_White
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Softball Hitting - Learning the Right Confidence Before You Hit the Hit

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By Marc Dagenais

In any sport, it is important to be able to master a certain skill in order to become an expert in it. Softball, as part of the leading sports in the world, has been part of the sports that has gained numerous positive feedbacks from the viewers. It is because most of the time, the softball fanatics have been carried away with their numerous fantasies about playing softball.

There is a need therefore of a great avenue wherein you will have to observe a great softball game performance. If you are a softball hitter, then you might want to know more about softball hitting so that you can hone more your skills on your existing skills. Yes, it is amazing to note that from your existing skill, you can still actually gain another skill from it.

Hereunder is some of the softball hitting tips that are considered to be great tools in the achievement of a great play.

First, you must spend as much time on your hitting powers as you do in your resistance. It is important that you learn to be ready with the tough hitting drills so that you can move to a more challenging softball hitting technique later as you move on with the next steps. Practice refining your softball hitting skills and then master them. It is not an easy task to master each skill but it will help if you constantly master the skill that you know or the skill that is taught to you. Mastering a particular softball hitting skill doesn't require a highly-skilled hitter. It just needs a hitter who has the patience to learn things.

Second, you must select the heaviest bat wherein you could feel like you can swing it without losing your bat velocity. It is important that you still give your full power the moment you will hit the softball.

Third, you must hold the bat with your fingers. You should have to consider that your power should rely on your fingers and not on your palms.

Fourth, you can regulate the location of your position in the box as long as you are still in accordance with the direction of the pitcher. You must remember that a single move can make a big impact, so be careful with your every single move.

Fifth, never alter your swing the moment before or during the game. If you want to learn a new swing or if you are just learning a new swing, you must not use it right away in the current season of your softball performance. Remember that there is so much to learn about a new move and incorporating it right away to the next game performance will do you no good because you lack enough practice for the certain skill.

Sixth, you should always remain loose at the plate. Relax. Tensed muscles can make you move slowly. Remember, you should move quickly.

Seventh, you shall make each of your swing count. And never zoom on your batting average. Instead you must focus on your on-base proportion.

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


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!