Must See College Information

Softball National Letter of Intent signing is right around the corner and this time of year is often when players, parents, and coaches give some thought to making it to the college level.

So what do you need to know or do to get to the collegiate level? Or to help your daughter get there? Or help other players you know get there?

The good news is there ARE specific things you can do, specific steps you can take, to greatly increase your chances of making that happen.

Let me tell you a little story...

A few years ago I was asked to attend a college recruiting seminar. In fact, this seminar was mandatory for all the coaches at the high school I coach at. Now, I'll be honest, I reallydidn't want to go. I was working a full time job at the time, and I was coaching, and I was about 8 months pregnant with my 4th child. Seriously, if it wasn't really necessary for me to stay another 1 1/2 - 2 hours after practice, then I didn't want to do it. After all, I had been through the process. What was the speaker going to tell me that I didn't already know? I honestly thought it was going to be a big waste of time. I mean I already knew grades were important. I knew that college coaches DO look at player attitude. I already knew what I had gone through during my journey to playing softball in college, etc, etc, etc. But I went to the seminar, albeit reluctantly, and expected to be bored during the next hour or two while some guy from out of state talked about how to become a college athlete.

Thankfully for me, and for the other coaches who attended, this speaker (and President and Founder of the company he represented) was MUCH better than I ever expected. By the end of the seminar I was completely BLOWN AWAY! The thing that kept running through my mind was the EVERY high school athlete, parent, and coach in Hawaii NEEDED to hear this message. The information provided was absolutely invaluable for anyone involved in the life of a high school student-athlete who had any aspiration to play their sport at the collegiate level.

So what's in it for you? Well...just a few days ago, I got a call from the President of this company that goes around the country speaking at high schools. I just found out that their program, which educates student-athletes, parents, coaches, and counselors about the college recruiting process, is much more readily available than it was a few years back when I first heard the seminar. Not only that it just got a LOT easier to afford. I thought the program was worth every penny a few years ago when there was only about 1/3 of the information it provides today. I thought it was worth every penny when they added all the new stuff and high schools and clubs were paying hundreds of dollars to provide the information to their student-athletes. When I heard how much the new and improved program is being offered for now, I could hardly believe it. You have no idea how excited I am about 1) this company making this information and this program easier to access and easier to afford and 2) being in a position to help others (and not just those in Hawaii) get this program which includes all the information I got at that seminar and more.

I don't have all the details just yet, but you CAN get a hold of this awesome program for your school, travel club, or team. Not only will you be able to access all the information I received at that seminar, but you will also be able to take advantage of the wealth of information that has been added over the last few years. Plus travel clubs or teams qualify for "small school" pricing which is over 30% below regular price.

Again, for those involved with high school aged softball players, this information is MUST SEE stuff. I just received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a father who asked, "What should I put in a letter to college coaches?" This program tells you EXACTLY what to do and include when contacting college coaches (and not just for softball, but for ANY sport). This program gives you specific answers and helps you create a "blueprint for success" when it comes to the college recruiting process.

In the next few days, I will have all the details on how you can get access to all the information this company and their program provides. I'll also be able to tell you how you can personally preview the everything this company has to offer without paying a penny or giving out any credit card information.

Coaching (and parenting) is not only about today, but about preparing the players we work with for the BEST FUTURE POSSIBLE!

I'll be in touch very soon.

If You Want to Play Softball in College...

...I have an announcement you won't want to miss coming up soon .

AAF Members will get this message directly via e-mail. If you're not a member, you can sign up HERE, or stay tuned to this blog for more details in the next few days.

Who Do You Copy

Here's an excerpt of a message I sent out to AAF members recently. I had quite a few responses from it, so I figured I'd share it here were others could check it out too.


When I got back into coaching, I saw a number of things that had changed since I played. One thing that comes to mind is the idea of eliminating the hitch, load, or any backward movement of the bat/hands prior to bringing the bat forward in a swing. The other thing that comes to mind is eliminating the stride from the hitting process.

Now, like I said last week, when I saw this, I tried to keep an open mind. Maybe these coaches had learned something I didn't know during the few years I was away from the game. Then I saw the US National Women's Team play. Do you think I saw anyone on that team trying to shoot their hands forward to the ball without going back first? Do you think I saw all of them swinging without a stride? Not really.

I've heard people say that if you make a back ward movement prior to "starting" your swing you'll be too slow. I've heard that strides are "just timing mechanisms" so you don't really need them. I've heard that the stride only "messes you up." I've even heard some players convinced that the stride messes up their timing. I've heard that the stride is the reason why some players are late on the ball. If they eliminate that stride, they'll be able to catch up to the faster pitches better. etc, etc, etc

When I heard all of this, I had to admit that I'd never tried hitting without a stride or without some kind of "load." So how would I know which way was really "better" or "right?" The answer: watch the best in the game and see what they do. Whenever I have a question about technique, whenever I doubt my own thoughts on the way I've "always done things" I take a look at what the best in the game are doing. Have they picked up "new and improved" techniques that I never used as a player? Sometimes, as in the case of dynamic stretching, the answer is yes. In other cases, I'd say, in most cases, the answer is no. But if I ever wonder, I just look to the best and try to learn from them.

I know I'll hear some people say, "Well, they are the best....they are the fastest, that's why they can afford to take a stride or go "back" with the hands, or use some other technique." To me, that's a backwards way of thinking. It's not "they are elite players so they CAN use that method or technique" .....to me it's "they are the elite players BECAUSE they use these correct/good/right techniques."

Take a look at your game. Are you doing what the best in the game are doing?

2008 PFX Tour

Just Sharing NPF Video

Keep Your Catchers Injury Free

I got a question from my good friend Stacie Mahoe from http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com asking me about preventing knee injuries for catchers.

I thought this is information you would like to get.

Yes, catchers have a greater risk of developing knee issues just because catching puts more stress on the knees than any other position.

What can you do to prevent this?

1) Use the Knee Savers. These are support padding that you attach to your shin pads and that gives you good support when squatting down. It takes away close to 85% of the stress when resting before you get into your catching position.

Some people think it makes your catcher lazy. To me, you can't play with knee safey. However, I don't buy the lazyness thing. A good coach will know how to properly train their catcher and if the catcher is hard-working, this is a non-issue.

Now, it is not mandatory to wear them but it can really help to prevent a lot of the stress placed on the knees.

2) Do Hindu Squats - old, silly-looking, martial art exercise that many personal trainers would tell you "It's bad for the kneess" exercise because the heels are coming off the ground but guess what.. every catcher has their heels coming off the ground.

It is actually a great muscular endurance exercise for catchers. I would do 50-100/day several days a week.

After that, you catcher will have the best conditioned legs of any catcher in your league.

Check this exercise:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPSVpo4mzNI

3) I would get also get them to do single-leg squats for strength and stability. They are killers but boy do they work.

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu-6ywxbu1A


4) Make sure you teach proper catching techniques; especially the basic catching position. You want to make sure that their weight is well-distributed. Teach them good fundamentals and you will take a lot of the stress away.

From experience, most softball players with knee problems are not catchers but former/current gymnasts, basketball or soccer players.

Make your catchers injury-proof.

Who loves ya? ;-)

Marc
"Your Personal Softball Peak Performance Coach"

That Doesn't Make Sense

Every once in a while I'll see something on the softball field that doesn't make sense to me. I could be watching a practice or a team warming up and I'll go, "Why in the world are the doing that?" My husband, who never watched a softball game in his life until he met me, will always ask, "Why? What's wrong with that?" LOL

Anyway - in most cases, players are practicing things they would never do in a game (or things we would never want them to do in a game). Let me give you a few examples:

Catchers catching without gear
Why is it that catchers are allowed to catch without gear? First of all it's a bit dangerous. Second, they are going to play in gear during the game so why not use it during practice? I've heard catchers say things like, "It's hot today, do I have to put on the gear?" Uhhhh.....YEAH! Why should a coach go easy on a catcher in practice because it's "hot" then expect them to be able to perform in gear for a 2 hour game or in a double header or in a tournament environment?

I even like to see catchers in gear when a coach is working the defense. Even better, I like to see catchers get down in their squat prior to each ball that is hit to the defense during situational practice. Then after the ball is hit, they can take off their mask, get out in front of the plate and help direct the defense (or cover the plate and direct the defense) just like they would do in a game (what a concept!).

Funky pitcher drills
Another thing that often boggles my mind is some of the pitching drills I see pitchers going through. The ones that especially surprise me are the ones where the pitcher is standing or kneeling with their shoulders square to the catcher throughout the whole delivery. Why on earth would you have a pitcher do that? They will NEVER do a windmill like that during a game! I don't understand why they'd do it in practice.

Fielding a ball on the glove side of the body (and with just one hand)
Now I'm not talking about a ball that can't help but be fielded on the glove side. I'm talking about grounders or fly balls that players purposefully receive on the glove side of their body (often times slow rollers). Maybe it looks like a cool "Hollywood" play or it looks like what some baseball outfielder guys do, but, to me, it just doesn't make a lot of sense. Why field the ball on the side of your body AND opposite your throwing hand/arm, then bring it all the way across your body to your throwing side to make a throw? Often times when a player makes this kind of play their throwing hand is no where near the glove. So now not only do you have to bring the ball from one side of your body to the other, you still have to get it to your throwing hand. The idea on defense is to get the ball to the base BEFORE the runner gets there. This means you have to get rid of it as fast as you can (not take a roundabout route). Why not get the ball more centered and go to it with both hands so that you can make a quicker transition to the throw?

I also don't care for trying to take those slow rollers off to the side of the body because if it's not judged it right or if it takes a weird hop, it goes right by the defender! One of the first (and main) things you have to do on defense is CONTROL THE BALL. You have to stop it, keep it in front of you, or keep it in an area where you can get control of it before you can make any kind of play. Fielding a ball off to the side and allowing the possibility of running right by it because of misjudging it or having it skip right past you is something that doesn't make sense to me. I can't stand seeing those weakly hit balls get past fielders because they are trying to field it off to the side of them. Okay, had to get that out....I feel better now.

Practicing a Bad Habit
One "new" drill I've seen for the first time recently involved fielders catching a ball, then moving the glove and ball away from the throwing position then back over toward the throwing shoulder, and then throwing the ball. Absolutely NOT something I want to see any player do during a game EVER. I didn't see any real positive reason for doing this drill. I call it "new" because I've never seen it before, maybe you have. Maybe you know why it's done and can enlighten me??? I really don't think there's any reason you could give me that would convince me that this is a drill that players should be doing on a daily basis, but if you know why this drill is done, I'd certainly like to hear from you.

No One is Moving
This is another "bad habit" that I see practiced. You've probably seen it too. Players are out in defensive positions and the coach hits balls and tells the defense where the play is. What happens? The grounder goes to 3B, the play is at 1st and the ONLY people moving are the 3rd baseman and the 1st baseman. The SS and the 2B just stand there and watch the play. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! If you allow this in your practice, then please DO NOT grumble or yell at your players during a game if they just stand and watch the play when the ball is hit to them. Every defender should be moving on every hit in practice and in the game.

Practicing in Inappropriate Attire
Often times I see players wear shorts to practice because it's more "comfortable" than wearing pants (even though their team uniform consists of pants). Half the time, actually, more like 90% of the time these are not even softball type shorts. These players end up holding back in practice because they don't want to scrape up their legs. Then come game time, they don't perform as well as they could because they don't go all out in practice. On top of that they often feel "restricted" in pants. Their pants feel like they "get in the way."

The same is true the other way around. Some players love wearing pants and are most comfortable in pants and ALWAYS wear pants even though their team wears shorts for the game. These are the players that feel uncomfortable or maybe even hold back a bit in games because they don't have the "security" of having softball pants on.


There are other things, but I think you get the idea. Sooooo.....what do you (or players on your team) do that doesn't make sense? What things do you do (or not do) in practice that are completely the opposite of what happens (or should happen) in a game? See if you can identify 1-2 senseless things you practice and make adjustments to better your game performance.

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1st Scrimmage - I'm Taking Notes

Anyone else think it's kind of crazy to be able to scrimmage just one week after actual field practice starts? I think it's a little nuts, but I still enjoy this time of the season and the girls look forward to getting up to game speed. With that said, tonight is our first pre-season scrimmage (the first contest of a tournament that will continue on through the weekend). Like I said, we've only been practicing on the field for a week. So I can't wait to see how the girls perform. I'll must remember to take a piece of paper and a pen for notes. I'm sure I'll jot down quite a bit, both positive and negative. I know if I don't write things down, I'll forget some of the concepts or skills I want to work on with the girls in the weeks before the regular season starts.

Honestly, what I should do is carry around a little notebook with me all the time. How many times do you get an idea when you're not in a softball setting? It happens to me all the time. Now that it's softball season, I need to start carrying that notebook around. It's a great way to remember those great ideas and STILL perform the other functions you're supposed to tackle during the day (like work). Having a digital recorder in the car is also great. I don't know how many times I've come up with ideas while driving. Of course, I'm not going to write while I drive, so a digital recorder comes in quite handy. Having these tools at your disposal helps you remember all those great thoughts and ideas AND clear your head for even more great ideas and/or to concentrate on the other things in your life (you do have non-softball aspects of your life right?).

Anyway, wish us luck in our first pre-season scrimmage!

Get Fast Like These Champs

I just bought another one of Coach K's programs and I just thought I'd share an article with you from Coach K's website (the hill sprinting guy).

Sprinting Hills: 7 Champions Who Found The Quickest Way To Get Fit, Fast and Lean

If you are like most athletes out there, you are looking for a simple solution. You are looking for training that can simultaneously:

Improve your speed

Increase your strength and power

Get you lean and mean

Raise your endurance levels

All without adding huge amounts of time to your already hectic workout schedule.

And if you are like most athletes, in the quest for this perfect training, you have wasted precious time and money on the latest and greatest, hi-tech supplements, exercise equipment, training apparatus and fad diets.

But, the truth is the answer is not really that hard at all. It goes something like this:

1. Find a hill.

2. Start at the bottom.

3. Run up as fast as you can.

4. Walk down.

5. Repeat.

Think this seems too simple? Many people do. But, if you need some convincing, take a look at what hill sprinting has done for these sports legends:

Football legend Walter Payton made hill sprints his bread and butter... they carried him to the NFL rushing record and the Hall of Fame.

Another gridiron great, Jerry Rice ran legendary make you puke hill sprints... and was still playing in the NFL at age 40.

Running back Marcus Allen... all he did was win the Heisman and become Super Bowl MVP with hill sprints.

Linebacker Junior Seau has played 17 years in the NFL and made over 1200 tackles using hill sprints... sometimes while carrying a partner on his back.

Defensive end Simeon Rice stays relentless in the 4th quarter due to his hill sprint training... he has 119 sacks in 11 years to show for it.

Jets running back Curtis Martin - who rushed for 1000 yards in each of his first 10 seasons and has over 100 career touchdowns - regularly runs the hills of Santa Monica, California during the offseason.

Even Lance Armstrong - although on a bike - has made hill sprints a staple of the training that won him 7 Tour de France titles.

And that's not all... besides these incredible athletes, plenty of people who need to stay in top shape run hill sprints. From old time strongmen to police and fire departments, from the elite military forces of the world to Olympic sprinters and from NBA stars to baseball's best... all know the secret power of this training. Yes, the toughest of the tough use hill sprints to stay strong, powerful and in tip-top shape.

Give them a shot and get ready for some serious results.

Run Fast Not Hard

Coach K

Copyright, Tim Kauppinen, 2006


If you think this applies just to sprinters or just to football players...think again. Learn more about Coach K's program and sign up for his free newsletter today - CLICK HERE.

Fastpitch Softball - Hitting Picture

Just sharing a picture I took today. It was our first Saturday practice of the season. We just did a quick batting practice session and my daughter and I got to jump in at the end to take a few balls off the machine. I can tell I haven't hit in over a year....timing is all off! LOL That's okay, I'm not playing competitive softball and I know with a few more chances in the cage, I'll be back on track. Here's a picture of my daughter hitting the ball. The picture quality stinks because it was actually a video clip I was playing on my TV. I paused it and took a picture of the image with my digital camera. I know there's probably a better way to get the still image, but this was the fastest way. :)



Hopefully, one day, her helmet will actually fit.

We Can Throw the Ball!

Yay! Yesterday was the first day we could handle the ball for the high school season here in Hawaii. It was so cool to show up to practice and see most of the girls already there. Not only that, they were already dressed and ready to go (shoes on, gloves out, etc) and most of them were already starting to stretch out or toss the ball around. I guess after the past few months of conditioning, they were anxious to finally do SOFTBALL stuff. It's so great to see girls who WANT to be out there on the field. Of course, I'm sure with time, the excitement will die down a bit, and we'll see the days were a few players here and there come running to the field and make it to practice in the nick of time. Hopefully we, as coaches, we'll be able to help keep the girls WANTING to come out to the field every day. Yes, some of it is on them. If they don't want to be there, they don't want to be there. BUT we can also do our best to keep practice fun and interesting and provide the girls with the opportunity to feel like they actually accomplished something out there.

So how is your season going so far? Still got the beginning of the season excitement?

Sale at Softball Performance

I know a lot of you already know about Marc Dagenais' Softball Performance website. If you've been around this site for a while or if you're a fastpitch member, then it's almost impossible for you not to know about it.

Anyway, Marc's site is full of great information for improving your softball performance. However, right now it's undergoing a major renovation and because the site is temporarily unavailable due to the changes being made, Marc is holding a HUGE Renovation Sale! He's offering big discounts on some of his best products right now. Also - for those of you who've been interested in his Softball Performance products, but just couldn't afford the chunk of change all at once, Marc is now offering a Payment Plan to make it easier for you to get his super bundles!

Check it out before all the super bundles are sold! Click here