Girls Softball - Conditioning Program for Well-Rounded Athletes

Girls Softball - Conditioning Program for Well-Rounded Athletes
By guest author: Becky Wittenburg

Girls' softball - like any other sport - requires both practice drills to hone technique on the field and a conditioning program to increase strength, enhance performance, and decrease the risk of injury. An effective conditioning program will include flexibility training, cardiovascular training, weight training, and agility training. Players who train hard will become more well-rounded athletes and be more physically and psychologically prepared for competition.

Flexibility Training

The first step in a conditioning program should be flexibility training to get muscles loose and warmed-up for the rest of the training session. Start with a couple minutes of light jogging, then move on to stretching. An effective stretching program starts with the ankles and moves up throughout the body, including the calf muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, back muscles, shoulders, neck, and arms.

For proper stretching technique, hold the stretching position until the muscles relax, and then increase the stretch to the point of feeling resistance. Stretching presents a good opportunity to increase body awareness; athletes need to know not to stretch any particular muscle too far for risk of injury.

Cardiovascular Training

Cardiovascular, or endurance, training increases the muscular and respiratory systems' ability to perform over time. Programs that increase heart rate while working the body are ideal for cardiovascular training.

Encourage athletes to join a gym that provides guidance and equipment. Classes in aerobics, spinning, and kickboxing all present a great endurance workout. Players who prefer to work out alone can use treadmills, Stairmasters, and elliptical machines. Those who do not want to join a gym can participate in a running or biking program that provides regular endurance training.

Weight Training

Weight training not only builds muscles, which will enhance performance on the field, but also reduces the risk of injury. However, before an athlete begins a weight training regiment, she needs to be properly trained in using the equipment.

While softball players want to primarily build up muscles in the legs, torso, abdominals, and arms, they should also work the rest of the body, including the back, shoulders, chest, and wrists. Because individual players are at different stages in development and have distinct body types, it is difficult to present one universal weight training program. Athletes should work with their coach or a trainer to develop a program that works for them.

Agility Training

Agility training increases players' ability to execute moves quickly and effectively on the field. Athletes should focus on increasing balance and developing acceleration. Exercises that include line jumps, quick sprints, lateral maneuvers, backpedaling, and bleacher steps will increase balance and explosiveness. Softball players whose bodies quickly and accurately respond in any situation will be an invaluable asset to their team.

And if you'd like to see more free softball drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:

http://www.softball-spot.com/vid/

Becky Wittenburg is a kids softball coach, and the owner and publisher of Softball-Spot.com, the web's #1 resource for softball practice drills, tips, and coaching ideas for youth and high school coaches.

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Softball Tips on Breaking the Most Common Softball Myths

Softball Tips on Breaking the Most Common Softball Myths
By guest author: Marc Dagenais

Softball is mostly a conservative game. Take a look at how much the softball gear and apparel have changed over the past century and you'll understand what I mean.

There's nothing wrong with being conservative per se. The uniform, for example, sets it apart from other sports, so people will understand if it doesn't change much.

But from a practical point of view, some things need to be changed in the way the sport is being played. This especially applies to the most common softball myths that most coaches still teach to their players today.

In this article, I'll be showing you some of these common myths and I'll tell you why they need to be changed once and for all.

Static Stretches

This is probably one myth that still persists not only in softball but in other sports as well. The premise of static stretches is that it helps you run faster, provide you with more power and prevent you from getting injured.

But studies have shown the opposite. Instead of giving you a performance boost, static stretches turn off your nervous system, which decreases your performance.

So instead of doing static stretches, softball coaches of the 21st century should teach their players dynamic stretches when warming up. That's because dynamic stretches effectively deliver what static stretches can't.

Should Softball Players Lift Weights?

In the past, softball players have been discouraged from lifting weights because it can negatively affect their performance. Unless you still practice this belief, you'll know that it isn't the case.

The truth is that lifting weights provides more benefits than traditional coaches could ever imagine. Lifting weights develops a player's stamina, endurance and strength, while providing more power to throw the ball faster and swing the bat at greater speeds.

Depending Too Much on Pitching Machines

The day pitching machines became available for softball teams was good news for softball coaches all over the world. And this is why most coaches now only depend on pitching machines to train their players' batting skills.

But pitching machines are a one-trick pony. They cannot completely teach your players how to hit the ball at different areas because the machine can only throw balls at one direction.

I recommend that you use pitching machines when teaching your players the correct hitting mechanics. But when it comes to hitting the ball at different zones, stick with the good old live pitching.

Yelling at Players

Today's coaches should remember that their job is to motivate and inspire their players. That said, coaches should now learn how to gain the respect of their players without shouting at them. What works today is creating a positive and motivating environment for players, and that's something that can never be achieved with tons of shouting.

Some of these softball tips look so obvious that they're funny. But the reality is that there are still coaches out there who continue to propagate these things to their players. It's about time that you do your share in helping break these common softball myths.

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!

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How to Avoid the Wrong Softball Pitching Clinics

How to Avoid the Wrong Softball Pitching Clinics
By guest author: Monica Martinez

I have had the opportunity to attend many different softball pitching clinics through the years. As a pitcher myself and also as an instructor, I have seen average clinics and excellent clinics. Some of the down falls to pitching clinics are in the organizational process. If there is six hours set aside for pitching, and all six hours require a pitcher to pitch, this can obviously be a hazard to the arm of the pitcher. Not even a bag of ice at the end of the day will be able to save a pitcher's arm with that amount of pitching repetitions.

Another common error is the way softball pitching clinics don't take into account the catching situation. Quite often the number of pitchers out weighs the number of catchers in a clinic. It is also unreasonable to expect the catchers to spend their clinic experience catching for pitchers. However that can be effective at the end to put the knowledge the catchers have gained into action. So who catches for the pitchers? Probably the worst option is to have the pitchers catch for one another. That can turn dangerous quickly due to the pitcher's inexperience in catching. The positive side of using this format is it's the most efficient means of pitching.

Another alternative is to have nets set up to catch the pitches. This requires a large quantity of those nets and each pitcher to have multiple balls next to them to use. Now the pitchers have a target to throw to. Once they have pitched all of their balls, they can go and retrieve them from the net or fence.

Some of the better softball pitching clinics I have been a part of have variation in their time allotted. For example, an extensive warm up is important for safety reasons. As a concept is presented, drills breaking down that concept allow for better understanding. This can also put less pressure on the pitcher's arm. Frequent water breaks must be in the plan for proper hydration as well as a snack being provided.

I have been involved in a softball pitching clinic where the campers have been able to take home quality information to help them to continue to improve. Such as a side by side video of the campers pitching form compared to a professional pitcher's form. The campers were also given a personalized booklet with skills and drills for the pitcher to look back on.

Remember, softball pitching clinics can help improve any pitcher, but the rest of the time, they are their own pitching coach.

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Teaching Softball Drills To Win

Teaching Softball Drills To Win
By guest author: Becky Wittenburg


In softball, a coach cannot afford to underestimate the other team; they can only prepare their own team to be the best. As a coach, it's important to set the standards for your team. Along with setting an example of the right attitude, you are responsible to make sure that the players' skills and overall game improve over time. Therefore, teaching softball drills should always be a vital part of practice.

The most effective way for teaching softball drills is through hands-on demonstrations. For example, it's obviously necessary to teach softball players the correct batting stance. While they'll learn from your example, it is more valuable if you show them the way and then allow each member of the team to try it themselves. After you show them the ropes, allow them to use what you have taught to try hitting the ball themselves. As the coach, you should assess the placement of their feet, their knees, their hips, their shoulders and their eyes. Following that, you will know what the team needs to work on when it comes to batting stance and hitting the ball.

Videos are useful to give the team a visual of different strategies and skills. However, videos are even more effective if the team is interactive while it's playing. For example, the team can watch the video of a pro-game. You can show them part of an inning and then ask them to explain the different plays that they could execute. Therefore, you can make sure that they know the best actions to take in different situations. Teaching softball drills like this gives the team a chance to think logically and work out different strategies in their heads.

Another classic method for teaching softball drills is using a chalkboard, dry-erase board, or poster to work out different plays. This is one of the most important ways to coach the team because it gives you the chance to explain the ins and outs of different plays. Plus, during this time you can assign different players to practice different positions. Drawing out different plays is also an important part of tracking the improvement of the team. Having records of each play allows you to mark the ones that the team has mastered and to mark the ones that the team still needs to work on.

Teaching softball drills is one of the most vital tasks of a coach. All of the different drill methods are necessary to master the entire softball game. Using a variety of ways of teaching ensures not only that the team will perform well but they will know exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it. It's important to remember that the quality of your coaching directly affects the quality of your team.

Becky Wittenburg is a softball coach, softball blogger, and author. If your looking for more tips on teaching softball drills, please visit her softball drills library here.

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