This article is divided into the following topics: Pitching myths, hitting myths, fielding myths, conditioning and health myths, coaching myths.
1. It is good to learn several pitches at a time. No!! Each pitch should be developed separately and usually require several months, if not several years to master. I do not know of a nationally respected pitching coach who tries to teach pitches together, one along with the others, on the same days. At least not when the pitches are at the beginning stages. I know of some coaches who try several pitches at once and often do this in the first few lessons with a girl. This is a huge mistake . Impressive as it might seem to say you can throw 4 or 5 pitches, Truth is , if you learned them the way I just described, you probably cannot throw any.
2. Speed is the most important factor in getting to the top of the pitching world. If this were true, then why do so many universities make it to the world series with girls who only throw in the 50's? Speed is important. It makes your advanced pitches harder to hit by reducing reaction time. However, at the advanced levels of the game, a 70 mph fastball better bend some , or stay out of the hitting zone, or it will likely find itself in another park in a few seconds.
3.You should ice your arm after pitching. Please read my article on this site entitled: LEAPING VS STEPPING.
<4. A drop is easy to throw, just twist your wrist at release so that the thumb rotates from away from your hip, to pointing in at your hip. Ouch! I see this pitch mechanic employed often at the lower levels of the game. First of all remember this: a ball will eventually break in the direction of it's spin, if there is enough spin and speed to deal with gravity. With this in mind think of the spin that the above drop technique will produce. With your arm at your side, rotate your hand from thumb out to thunb in. Can you perceive that his will produce side spin on the ball, much as twisting a top on a table would. However,in the case of the drop , we want the ball to go down. To have an effective drop, we need it to explode down, sharply. Side spinning balls can drop slightly through the development of magnus force(essentially, pressure on the sides of the ball as it goes through the air). The downward force needed to produce an explosive drop that can go from a batter's knees, or even thighs, to ankles, can only be produced by putting heavy tip spin on the ball. To learn more about how to throw a drop, please read my article: The Drop. One more point concerning the twisting wrist drop, often mistaken for the snap drop. I believe that it will probably hurt your shoulder via the hard inward rotation you endure to throw it.
5. Going to more than one pitching coach is a great idea. Nothing could be further from the truth. Find one who is very good and stick with him, or her. This ain't golf, tennis, dancing, or the like. This is windmill pitching and it is probably the most difficult skill to master in all of sport. If you did switch, you would need to find a coach who teaches the same style as the one you already know. That is, unless the one you know is incorrect and that could very well be the case if you did not find First and foremost, it is very important that everyone understands what it is we want the ball to do. Basically, the answer is easy. We want the ball to drop. How it does so is what separates superior drops from average and mediocre ones. A strong drop ball pitcher can throw a drop on a trajectory that will send it thigh high to a batter to within 8 feet of the plate, at which point it will leave it's flat plain and curve sharply toward the ground. At this incoming height , the drop should be able to break as low as the batter's mid shins , as it passes the batter. Throw it knee high and it should break to an even lower point and throw it a little lower and the catcher will surely need to drop and dig. This is the drop. These are the drop options and anything less effective gets hit. qualified coach to begin with. Here are some ways to tell if a coach is qualified:
A. Has taught several college pitchers. Hopefully, a few of them were Div.I. Teaches a lot of high school and upper level travel ball pitchers from different schools. Say 4 or 5, at least. Most of these should be starters with winning records.
C. The coach can pitch advanced pitches very well. Perhaps and better yet,
they pitched successfully at advanced levels.
D. They teach pitching year round, almost every day.
You may find someone that is good and does not hold these qualifications, but it is very unlikely. The problem that most run into, is that they go with a coach only to find out years later that they things they have learned will not produce the explosive moving pitches needed to succeed at the highest levels.
6. Going to clinics is a good way to learn to pitch. I would estimate that 90% of the time, clinics serve only to heighten your interest, get some exposure and some exercise. Not a good place to learn pitching, unless you can stay with the same clinic coach and do on going lessons. If you already have a pitching coach, you should only go to their pitching clinics, the ones they recommend and later on the college exposure clinics. More often than not, I have had to spend weeks , if not months correcting the faults learned at small college pitching clinics. Even when the mechanics learned are correct, they are usually out of phase with what the pitcher is currently doing . Occasionally, especially with carefully chosen clinics, we come out ahead. You are better off taking the money and doubling up on individual lessons with a qualified coach.
Slapping the glove on the thighs helps speed , timing and intimidates the batter. If this were so, then why do virtually none of the greatest female pitchers slap? DAH!!! I never teach a girl to slap herself. To me this seems to be a low level way of pitching and can actually be harmful to nerve endings in your leg. Besides, if advanced pitching requires a loose relaxed arm, how are you going to achieve that after slapping yourself into a tight almost clinched position. Finally, while you might distract a 10-12 year old batter (and I doubt that), you would probably be helping an advanced hitter. Again, I know of no nationally recognized pitching coach who teaches this slapping thing. Case closed.Please, try distracting batters with explosive , bending pitches.
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8. Closing your hip hard produces more speed. Well....... If this were so then why is the screwball as fast as a fastball, yet it is thrown with a wide open hip? Why is the rise ball about as fast and t is thrown relatively open? Why don't Sheri Kemph or Mona Stevens(Two of the most respected pitching coaches of all time) stress it? Why ? I believe that stress on hip closing , slows you down, hurts your arm and disables advanced pitches.
1. Moving up in the box will help you to hit breaking balls. ............Maybe............ If the pitcher is very advanced with breaking balls, she will probably do even better against batters up who are up in the box. All she will do is alter her break and take advantage of your lessened reaction time. If however, you cannot hit breaking balls well and cannot stay off the ones that move out of the zone, by all means, move up.
. To hit low strikes, bend at the knees and drop you hands . Wow. This is a hugely debated c0oncept today and I see that lots of hitting coaches have gone to dropping the knees and hands. OK. It works. I still believe in less knee bend and less hand drop and more bat head drop. Many ay it is hard to hit ball squarely this way. I am studying the concepts here, closely, but I still go with the hard bat head drop and here is why: I have had over 100 players to h go to college and hit very well this way. I have had very few, if any hitting failures. Every time I turn around a girl is hitting a ball out of the park by dropping the bat a lot and the hands just a little- on the low strikes. The bat moves faster by staying relatively tall and dripping the head. Bending the knees is slow and it also drops the eye level, which makes ball tracking harder. How can you hit a drop by bending and dropping the hands significantly. You cannot even bunt this way. Case closed.
3. Swing the lightest bat you can find as bat speed produces power. How about this: Swing the heaviest bat the you can swing as fast as bats slightly lighter. Mass produces power along with speed.
4. Turn your hips hard as you swing. Do this by spinning your back foot fast. Naa...... Please try this : Throw the bat with fast hands, allow the body to turn according to where the ball is to be contacted and as a result you will gain valuable mph in bat speed and the ability to go with the pitch better.
5. Elbow up keeps the back side up. It Does? If you will notice, very few Div.I hitters stand with a high back elbow. Most hold either a medium elbow angle of about 45 degrees in relation to the ground, or an even more pronounced elbow down position. This is because it is easy to keep the wrists in a convex position on the bat , a standard alignment which place the hands nearly behind the bat at contact, thus reducing reverse bat deflection at contact and of course, the result is more power. Furthermore, if the hitter loads her hands and bat correctly, the back arm will naturally go to a powerful position and will keep the backside up.
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Monday, November 28, 2005
11-THE KILLER RISE
Very few girls can actually throw a true rise. Many believe they can, usually because they have mistakenly been told such. A true rise-the Killer, will head for the plate with back spin on a slightly inclined trajectory. A few feet in front of the plate it will turn upward, actually creating an inclining banana curve like path. A typical rise, is what I call a spinner or incline rise, simply leaves the pitchers hand and goes straight to the catchers glove, never bending off its inclined trajectory. A killer rise is hard to hit because it breaks to a new path so close to the hitter that they cannot adjust. It is also have to hit because through much of it's flight it appears to be heading right into the strike zone. An incline rise begins to look like a high ball early in its flight and the batter is able to let it go, as a result. Should it be placed in the strike zone, it is easy prey because it never broke. Interestingly, the girl who learns the incline will often have better success in the early years because the hitters are not efficient yet. Later on she will have to drop the pitch entirely, unless she can throw well into the 60's and even then, it will only be a supplement. However the girl who perfects the killer, can use it 40,50, even 70 % of the time against advanced hitters. It is the separator between going to DivII and going DivI.
To throw it:
Grip the ball along the seems any way you wish, although most CF pitchers are taught to grip it along the seems where they are narrowly separated. The first finger is curved , or hooked onto the side of the ball. The second and third fingers lie against the inside of the seem line. ( I really need picture for this on e ha!)
Pre cup the ball loosely as you circle so that at release your fingers are underneath the ball and pointed away from you. Slide the fingers under the ball rapidly in order to create backspin, commonly referred to as 6-12 spin.The truer the spin and the faster the spin the greater the upward break will be. Now , it helps to keep the ball in the strike zone as it breaks so a lower starting point is needed to do this. Create this lower release point by collapsing your backside. this will place your throwing shoulder at a lower position than your glove side shoulder. To collapse think chin up, back leg bent, back foot flopped down and front leg slightly bent so you can maintain balance. Your stride should be long and explosive, with a firm landing to brace against. The pitch will leave your body somewhat open and you may have to step back with your shoulder still down. Any girl who tries to throw this pitch and finish standing straight up will fail to throw rise balls.
An alternative snapping method, is to cock instead of cup. In other words during the last half of the circle, the pitcher cocks the wrist out and at release she will snap out of the cocked position, again trying to keep the fingers away from her and underneath the ball. Personally, I like both methods a lot, but we seem to get a rise that can be kept lower, longer before breaking up with the first method.
To throw it:
Grip the ball along the seems any way you wish, although most CF pitchers are taught to grip it along the seems where they are narrowly separated. The first finger is curved , or hooked onto the side of the ball. The second and third fingers lie against the inside of the seem line. ( I really need picture for this on e ha!)
Pre cup the ball loosely as you circle so that at release your fingers are underneath the ball and pointed away from you. Slide the fingers under the ball rapidly in order to create backspin, commonly referred to as 6-12 spin.The truer the spin and the faster the spin the greater the upward break will be. Now , it helps to keep the ball in the strike zone as it breaks so a lower starting point is needed to do this. Create this lower release point by collapsing your backside. this will place your throwing shoulder at a lower position than your glove side shoulder. To collapse think chin up, back leg bent, back foot flopped down and front leg slightly bent so you can maintain balance. Your stride should be long and explosive, with a firm landing to brace against. The pitch will leave your body somewhat open and you may have to step back with your shoulder still down. Any girl who tries to throw this pitch and finish standing straight up will fail to throw rise balls.
An alternative snapping method, is to cock instead of cup. In other words during the last half of the circle, the pitcher cocks the wrist out and at release she will snap out of the cocked position, again trying to keep the fingers away from her and underneath the ball. Personally, I like both methods a lot, but we seem to get a rise that can be kept lower, longer before breaking up with the first method.
9-CURVEBALL
The curve ball
The objective with the curve ball is to create a pitch that will appear to go straight toward the plate and then break sharply away from the hitter (right hand pitcher throwing to a right hand batter). The most frequent trajectory puts the pitch in a path to go down the middle of the plate before it breaks away to either the corner, or to a point a few inches off the corner.If you can throw the pitch so that it looks like a straight in fastball , before it breaks sharply, you will have a successful curve much of the time. A second trajectory puts the ball on the inside corner and breaks it all the way to the opposite corner. A third , is to send it toward the batter, before breaking it away toward the inside corner. By far , the best trajectory to select at higher levels , is the first.
Pitchers who do not know how to make the ball bend , but contend that they have a curve, will do well in the lower levels, before falling prey to smart hitters at the upper levels of the game. Typically, these pitchers will throw a straight fastball, with perhaps an inch or two of break. When they are throwing their curve, hey will appear to be doing about the same things they do with their fastball.
Here is how to throw the true curve:
1. Step across your power line by 3-9 inches. (later, as your skill in throwing it, you should practice stepping down the power line, or at least practice stepping, just barely over it).
2. Tilt your head and lean in the direction of the break. To do this, bend your knees slightly as you tilt your head, just before your stride foot lands. You may arch your back slightly.
3.The grip : Grip the ball so that the seams run parallel to your fingers , at the point on the ball where the seams are closest together(the narrows). Now take your first finger and curl it along the side of the ball. Curl the finger about 45 degrees. Your second finger should brace against the seam and your third finger should naturally secure the ball between the two seams. This grip should leave you with plenty of fingers along the outside half of the ball as it is in front of your hip during the release phase. This grip will provide superior torque on the ball as you snap through the pitch.
4.Arm and hand mechanics: Start the pitch as if you are throwing a fastball. As you stride forward and over the power line, your arm will circle in front of your body and up by your head at the top of the circle. By the time you get to the top of the circle try to have your hand in a loosely cupped position. This will put the arm and hand outside of the ball and the ball will appear to pass over your head with the hand outside of it. This pre- cupping action will make staying underneath the ball at release much easier. ( Don't worry about the batter detecting the pitch by observing your hand at this point, as they cannot possibly follow the arm on top of the circle, then look down to see the ball coming out of the release area). As the arm comes down the ball should pass your back hip with the hand underneath the ball and the fingers turned away from you. As you sling your hand around your waist,close and fast, the hand should remain palm up. Snap the pitch out of your hand around the belt buckle area, adjusting for accuracy as you learn the pitch. Make sure that you continue to keep the palm up. Snap the ball by flicking the fingers in toward your belt line. The ball should leave between the thumb and first finger. If you snap correctly your pitching hand will end up against your body, about waist high, thumb out and palm up. Remember, a pitch will only move as explosively as you cut(snap and release path) your hand, no matter what pitch you are throwing.
5. The finish: Once mastered the curve should leave your body slightly leaning toward the bending direction. Your shoulder will either be squared up to the plate, or barely biased in front of the glove side shoulder. Your hip will be squared up , or even a little in front as the shoulder does.The back foot may have left the ground earlier than normal and flown around, lagging behind the pitching aAltenratively, the back foot may stay on the ground, about like it would on a fastball and then set out about like a fastball.Watch to make sure you are not trying to bring your right shoulder, hip and leg around too fast and too far, even though these mechanics may assist you when you first start learning the pitch. Another variation that can be employed at first , is to over step the power line. That is, cross over it as you stride, further than normal, even to the edge of the legal limit. The overstepping should help you get the feel for curving the ball , as it forces your hand to get around the hip and to do so in a curving path. However, the overstep will produce a rounded, less explosive movement. To create a sharp , bending curve, the moderate overstep and the slight body lean must be employed.
The objective with the curve ball is to create a pitch that will appear to go straight toward the plate and then break sharply away from the hitter (right hand pitcher throwing to a right hand batter). The most frequent trajectory puts the pitch in a path to go down the middle of the plate before it breaks away to either the corner, or to a point a few inches off the corner.If you can throw the pitch so that it looks like a straight in fastball , before it breaks sharply, you will have a successful curve much of the time. A second trajectory puts the ball on the inside corner and breaks it all the way to the opposite corner. A third , is to send it toward the batter, before breaking it away toward the inside corner. By far , the best trajectory to select at higher levels , is the first.
Pitchers who do not know how to make the ball bend , but contend that they have a curve, will do well in the lower levels, before falling prey to smart hitters at the upper levels of the game. Typically, these pitchers will throw a straight fastball, with perhaps an inch or two of break. When they are throwing their curve, hey will appear to be doing about the same things they do with their fastball.
Here is how to throw the true curve:
1. Step across your power line by 3-9 inches. (later, as your skill in throwing it, you should practice stepping down the power line, or at least practice stepping, just barely over it).
2. Tilt your head and lean in the direction of the break. To do this, bend your knees slightly as you tilt your head, just before your stride foot lands. You may arch your back slightly.
3.The grip : Grip the ball so that the seams run parallel to your fingers , at the point on the ball where the seams are closest together(the narrows). Now take your first finger and curl it along the side of the ball. Curl the finger about 45 degrees. Your second finger should brace against the seam and your third finger should naturally secure the ball between the two seams. This grip should leave you with plenty of fingers along the outside half of the ball as it is in front of your hip during the release phase. This grip will provide superior torque on the ball as you snap through the pitch.
4.Arm and hand mechanics: Start the pitch as if you are throwing a fastball. As you stride forward and over the power line, your arm will circle in front of your body and up by your head at the top of the circle. By the time you get to the top of the circle try to have your hand in a loosely cupped position. This will put the arm and hand outside of the ball and the ball will appear to pass over your head with the hand outside of it. This pre- cupping action will make staying underneath the ball at release much easier. ( Don't worry about the batter detecting the pitch by observing your hand at this point, as they cannot possibly follow the arm on top of the circle, then look down to see the ball coming out of the release area). As the arm comes down the ball should pass your back hip with the hand underneath the ball and the fingers turned away from you. As you sling your hand around your waist,close and fast, the hand should remain palm up. Snap the pitch out of your hand around the belt buckle area, adjusting for accuracy as you learn the pitch. Make sure that you continue to keep the palm up. Snap the ball by flicking the fingers in toward your belt line. The ball should leave between the thumb and first finger. If you snap correctly your pitching hand will end up against your body, about waist high, thumb out and palm up. Remember, a pitch will only move as explosively as you cut(snap and release path) your hand, no matter what pitch you are throwing.
5. The finish: Once mastered the curve should leave your body slightly leaning toward the bending direction. Your shoulder will either be squared up to the plate, or barely biased in front of the glove side shoulder. Your hip will be squared up , or even a little in front as the shoulder does.The back foot may have left the ground earlier than normal and flown around, lagging behind the pitching aAltenratively, the back foot may stay on the ground, about like it would on a fastball and then set out about like a fastball.Watch to make sure you are not trying to bring your right shoulder, hip and leg around too fast and too far, even though these mechanics may assist you when you first start learning the pitch. Another variation that can be employed at first , is to over step the power line. That is, cross over it as you stride, further than normal, even to the edge of the legal limit. The overstepping should help you get the feel for curving the ball , as it forces your hand to get around the hip and to do so in a curving path. However, the overstep will produce a rounded, less explosive movement. To create a sharp , bending curve, the moderate overstep and the slight body lean must be employed.
8-CHANGEUP
To throw a great change a pitcher must practice using very similar looking body mechanics to those of the fastball. That is to say, move your body as explosively as you would throwing a fastball. next she must k=learn how to throw a flat trajectory pitch that is 20-30% slower than her fastball. A change that loops in there will be detected early in its flight by advanced hitters. Too slow or too fast and it will get hit by advanced hitters. Of course in lower levels, just about any change will work just fine, in fact just bout any ole mediocre pitch of any sort will work, but lower level ball won't get you to A ball, or to college for that matter.
Here are some of my favorite changes:
The backhander(turnaround). This one is a collegiate favorite as it spins so tight it looks like a fastball approaching and the pitcher need not cut back body speed to slow it down. Holding the ball like your fastball, simply circle your arm like normal until your hand get below your shoulder in the back, then turn your hand so that the back of your hand faces the catcher. Do this by twisting the wrist fast before you get to your back pocket area. At your hip, you will try to shove the ball out , palm down. Do not snap and leave your arm out long, in front of you.
The knuckle shove: We throw this pitch a lot these days. Simply knuckle up two or three fingers, by spiking them into the ball , or tucking them. Now throw the pitch by pushing it off your palm at release. Keep your fingers facing the ground as much as possible. It is ok to finish up on your front leg to help keep the fingers down almost drop ball style. This pitch can drop out of the strike zone rapidly. It is easy to keep slow, but it does not spin as well as the backhander so it is a little more detectable.
The horse shoe change: Hold the ball so that the seems appear to form the shape of a horse shoe facing away from you. Wrap your first finger and thumb around those seams. Bunch your remaining fingers up against each other. Now throw the ball like a fastball , except at release, turn your hand so the palm faces you. To release the ball simply pop your fingers out as if you are pushing the ball off your palm. Finish by reaching out with you hand as if to shake hands. This one is easy to keep low and it can drop some. Again the spin ins not much of an aid, but the movement compensates. Also, it is good to have a couple of changes to fall back on.
Here are some of my favorite changes:
The backhander(turnaround). This one is a collegiate favorite as it spins so tight it looks like a fastball approaching and the pitcher need not cut back body speed to slow it down. Holding the ball like your fastball, simply circle your arm like normal until your hand get below your shoulder in the back, then turn your hand so that the back of your hand faces the catcher. Do this by twisting the wrist fast before you get to your back pocket area. At your hip, you will try to shove the ball out , palm down. Do not snap and leave your arm out long, in front of you.
The knuckle shove: We throw this pitch a lot these days. Simply knuckle up two or three fingers, by spiking them into the ball , or tucking them. Now throw the pitch by pushing it off your palm at release. Keep your fingers facing the ground as much as possible. It is ok to finish up on your front leg to help keep the fingers down almost drop ball style. This pitch can drop out of the strike zone rapidly. It is easy to keep slow, but it does not spin as well as the backhander so it is a little more detectable.
The horse shoe change: Hold the ball so that the seems appear to form the shape of a horse shoe facing away from you. Wrap your first finger and thumb around those seams. Bunch your remaining fingers up against each other. Now throw the ball like a fastball , except at release, turn your hand so the palm faces you. To release the ball simply pop your fingers out as if you are pushing the ball off your palm. Finish by reaching out with you hand as if to shake hands. This one is easy to keep low and it can drop some. Again the spin ins not much of an aid, but the movement compensates. Also, it is good to have a couple of changes to fall back on.
7-DROPBALL
First and foremost, it is very important that everyone understands what it is we want the ball to do. Basically, we want the ball to drop. How it does so is what separates superior drops from average and mediocre ones. A strong drop ball pitcher can throw a drop on a trajectory that will send it thigh high to a batter to within 8 feet of the plate, at which point it will leave it's flat plain and curve sharply toward the ground. At this incoming height , the drop should be able to break as low as the batter's mid shins , as it passes the batter. Throw it knee high and it should break to an even lower point and throw it a little lower and the catcher will surely need to drop and dig. This is the drop. These are the drop options and anything less effective gets hit.
Shared basics with all forms of drop balls: CF girls learn one or more of the following- Peel Drop, Peel up Drop, Snap over Drop, Pull Back Drop. In all cases there are common body mechanics. First the pitcher should land over the stride foot with the entire body fairly straight , but in a forward leaning posture. Do not bend at the waste before the ball is gone. The pitcher should feel as though they could stand on the stride leg only , with the push foot and leg slightly behind. To do this one should take an explosive stride that is a little shorter than the fastball stride. How much shorter will actually depend on the pitcher. The landing should be on or near the power line. Concentrate on throwing about knee high in the beginning and learning more about your pitch as you go along.
Sanpover Drop: Grip like your fastball. To throw this pitch you should precup the hand during the circle so that at release the fingers are underneath the ball and pointed away for your body. To release the ball, snap the fingers over the ball loosely and rapidly, while keeping the fingers away from you. This action generates tremendous top spin and a pitch that can buckle a batter ,once perfected. This drop should not be taught to pitchers until they have secure mechanics and well developed pitching arms.
Peel Drop: The peel can be gripped like your fastball and actually thrown like a fastball, except that your body will need to set in the described drop posture and you will concentrate on a quick snap and short follow through. Make sure you drag lightly on the back toe with a high heel. This is a fast drop, although h=not as big and explosive as the snap over. It is easy to learn if the fastball mechanics are strong.
The Peel Up Drop is the same as the peel except that you concentrate on pealing the hand straight up at release. Do this so that the palm face the catcher throughout the release phase and the fingers stay pointed downward. It is usually slower than the peel but easier to learn.
The pull back drop is just like the peel again, with one big exception. You concentrate on a quick snap but also on pulling the hand back at release. This will put the palm down and the fingers toe=ward second base.
I usually teach the Snap over and the peel. We employ the Peel up and Pull back only when a girl is struggling to lean a drop.
Shared basics with all forms of drop balls: CF girls learn one or more of the following- Peel Drop, Peel up Drop, Snap over Drop, Pull Back Drop. In all cases there are common body mechanics. First the pitcher should land over the stride foot with the entire body fairly straight , but in a forward leaning posture. Do not bend at the waste before the ball is gone. The pitcher should feel as though they could stand on the stride leg only , with the push foot and leg slightly behind. To do this one should take an explosive stride that is a little shorter than the fastball stride. How much shorter will actually depend on the pitcher. The landing should be on or near the power line. Concentrate on throwing about knee high in the beginning and learning more about your pitch as you go along.
Sanpover Drop: Grip like your fastball. To throw this pitch you should precup the hand during the circle so that at release the fingers are underneath the ball and pointed away for your body. To release the ball, snap the fingers over the ball loosely and rapidly, while keeping the fingers away from you. This action generates tremendous top spin and a pitch that can buckle a batter ,once perfected. This drop should not be taught to pitchers until they have secure mechanics and well developed pitching arms.
Peel Drop: The peel can be gripped like your fastball and actually thrown like a fastball, except that your body will need to set in the described drop posture and you will concentrate on a quick snap and short follow through. Make sure you drag lightly on the back toe with a high heel. This is a fast drop, although h=not as big and explosive as the snap over. It is easy to learn if the fastball mechanics are strong.
The Peel Up Drop is the same as the peel except that you concentrate on pealing the hand straight up at release. Do this so that the palm face the catcher throughout the release phase and the fingers stay pointed downward. It is usually slower than the peel but easier to learn.
The pull back drop is just like the peel again, with one big exception. You concentrate on a quick snap but also on pulling the hand back at release. This will put the palm down and the fingers toe=ward second base.
I usually teach the Snap over and the peel. We employ the Peel up and Pull back only when a girl is struggling to lean a drop.
6-FASTBALL MECHANICS IN BRIEF
The following are brief explanations on how to efficiently learn and throw a fastball. Much of the explanation is brief in so that only Carolina Fastpitch members can fully understand without further detail. However, everyone is welcome to contact a Cf instructor to discuss softball. We love to grow the game.
1. Position on the mound. Both fee that should be pointing straight ahead and moderately separated. the heel of the stride foot can be up or down. Stand tall but relaxed. hands together after presentation. Hands can be waist high , or chest high, just hide the ball.
2. Windup: Windups can vary to the extreme. Once a pitcher is advanced she can add momentum building body movements. In the first few years it is usually best to keep everything simple so balance can be maintained a pure circle can be achieved each pitch. To do this concentrate on a pump back that extends no more than parallel to the ground, when full back and try to keep it beside your body so that shoulders will not be prematurely rotated open.
3.The stride: The stride will vary in length and method according to the pitchers skill levels and body build. I try to teach a fast explosive stride that is low and long. Some pitchers will stride off the ground higher by bending the stride knee more. The higher stride can generate more momentum if it is explosive. But it requires a forward lean to begin the pitch and lots more balance. Personally, I have not found better results with this stride, when compared to the low exploding one. However, if a pitcher turns her push foot to open, then she should stride higher, to regenerate lost power. Striding short can work for a girl who cannot stride fast. Usually this girl will have to have a strong upper body to compensate for the lack of leg drive. The more you use your legs the looser your arm and wrist.
4.The push and drag: Push fast and hard. Do not overload the push foot as this will slow the stride. Concentrate on popping the heel up high and dragging the toe lightly and fast all the way to the stride leg. The push foot can slide to the stride foot heel or it can release off the ground just before getting there.
5. Upper body posture: Try to keep everything going straight to the plate. Stand tall , as if you are trying to balance a book on your head as you pitch. This head up balanced position is very easy to learn from and produce explosive striding capability.When you finish the pitch you should look and feel as though you could stand on a balance beam , on one leg.
6. Body rotation: Concentrate on driving forward hard and fast. As your stride foot hits, it should be slanted up to 45 degrees, the glove arm will be extended toward the catcher and the pitching hand will load the ball outward toward the third base line(righties). These three key actions will open the hips and rotate the shoulders enough to release an accurate and fast pitch without causing undue strain on the arm, or body.Total rotation should be no more than 70 degrees to open.Many of my best pitchers never rotate more than 45 degrees but can pitch up to 70 MPH. So concentrate on forward lateral drive and not on rotating open and closed.( Few of the top pitching coaches are concerned with lot of rotation)
7. Glove arm swing: As the pitching hand comes forward the glove arm should as well. At one point they will be out front together, over the striding foot just before it lands. If you rotate a lot, or turn your foot open to pitch, your glove will be ahead of your pitching hand by about 6-12 inches. Once the striding foot lands, the glove arm slings downward toward the outside of the stride thigh, where it will tape or brush, or slightly pass to a point just beyond the leg. The entire glove arm action should be one loose fast slinging motion.
8. Pitching arm windmill circle: Emphasis should be placed on creating perfectly straight and parallel arm circles, in relation to the power line. In other word try not to let your pitching hand create a path that passes very far in front of your body in the be=ginning, over or even around your head at the top and behind the back in the final 90 of circle. However, learn to pitch with a whip. In other words, the pitching arm should be slightly bent at the elbow so that the elbow can lead the forearm down through the circle , generating speed and spin through a loose explosive action. Girls that lock there arm straight will push with their shoulder to pitch. This will bring on undue injury and it is a slower less spin generating way of pitching. Furthermore, try to learn to load around 10-11 in the circle. that is a point just behind your head and is reached by the throwing arm as the stride foot contacts the ground. In doing so learn to make the load an almost effortless, natural motion and not a sharp cocking form that will tighten and slow the arm.
9. Wrist snap: Loose is fast. A loose snap will produce more speed and spin.Make sure you are snapping behind the ball and not under it. The fingers are behind the ball at release. Do not roll the wrist at release, this will slow and lift the pitch.Snap the ball away at the hip.
10. Follow through: If the arm circled properly and the wrist snapped behind the ball cleanly at the hip, then the follow though will be natural and will not detract from the pitch. if this is the case, the arm will be left in front of the pitcher, elbow away and in front of the body wrist facing the pitcher in a loose fist configuration. the elbow will be directly below the wrist, unless the pitcher uses a long extended follow through which i believe should be reserved for more advance girls.
Tips for learning the fastball:
1. Get with a qualified pitching coach.
2. Try to learn the pitch as your pitching coach prescribes.
3. Do the drills that your pitching coach ask you to do .
4. Practice as often as your pitching coach recommends you to.
5. Report soreness and injury as soon as it occurs.
6. Concentrate on the mechanics as speed and accuracy will follow form.
1. Position on the mound. Both fee that should be pointing straight ahead and moderately separated. the heel of the stride foot can be up or down. Stand tall but relaxed. hands together after presentation. Hands can be waist high , or chest high, just hide the ball.
2. Windup: Windups can vary to the extreme. Once a pitcher is advanced she can add momentum building body movements. In the first few years it is usually best to keep everything simple so balance can be maintained a pure circle can be achieved each pitch. To do this concentrate on a pump back that extends no more than parallel to the ground, when full back and try to keep it beside your body so that shoulders will not be prematurely rotated open.
3.The stride: The stride will vary in length and method according to the pitchers skill levels and body build. I try to teach a fast explosive stride that is low and long. Some pitchers will stride off the ground higher by bending the stride knee more. The higher stride can generate more momentum if it is explosive. But it requires a forward lean to begin the pitch and lots more balance. Personally, I have not found better results with this stride, when compared to the low exploding one. However, if a pitcher turns her push foot to open, then she should stride higher, to regenerate lost power. Striding short can work for a girl who cannot stride fast. Usually this girl will have to have a strong upper body to compensate for the lack of leg drive. The more you use your legs the looser your arm and wrist.
4.The push and drag: Push fast and hard. Do not overload the push foot as this will slow the stride. Concentrate on popping the heel up high and dragging the toe lightly and fast all the way to the stride leg. The push foot can slide to the stride foot heel or it can release off the ground just before getting there.
5. Upper body posture: Try to keep everything going straight to the plate. Stand tall , as if you are trying to balance a book on your head as you pitch. This head up balanced position is very easy to learn from and produce explosive striding capability.When you finish the pitch you should look and feel as though you could stand on a balance beam , on one leg.
6. Body rotation: Concentrate on driving forward hard and fast. As your stride foot hits, it should be slanted up to 45 degrees, the glove arm will be extended toward the catcher and the pitching hand will load the ball outward toward the third base line(righties). These three key actions will open the hips and rotate the shoulders enough to release an accurate and fast pitch without causing undue strain on the arm, or body.Total rotation should be no more than 70 degrees to open.Many of my best pitchers never rotate more than 45 degrees but can pitch up to 70 MPH. So concentrate on forward lateral drive and not on rotating open and closed.( Few of the top pitching coaches are concerned with lot of rotation)
7. Glove arm swing: As the pitching hand comes forward the glove arm should as well. At one point they will be out front together, over the striding foot just before it lands. If you rotate a lot, or turn your foot open to pitch, your glove will be ahead of your pitching hand by about 6-12 inches. Once the striding foot lands, the glove arm slings downward toward the outside of the stride thigh, where it will tape or brush, or slightly pass to a point just beyond the leg. The entire glove arm action should be one loose fast slinging motion.
8. Pitching arm windmill circle: Emphasis should be placed on creating perfectly straight and parallel arm circles, in relation to the power line. In other word try not to let your pitching hand create a path that passes very far in front of your body in the be=ginning, over or even around your head at the top and behind the back in the final 90 of circle. However, learn to pitch with a whip. In other words, the pitching arm should be slightly bent at the elbow so that the elbow can lead the forearm down through the circle , generating speed and spin through a loose explosive action. Girls that lock there arm straight will push with their shoulder to pitch. This will bring on undue injury and it is a slower less spin generating way of pitching. Furthermore, try to learn to load around 10-11 in the circle. that is a point just behind your head and is reached by the throwing arm as the stride foot contacts the ground. In doing so learn to make the load an almost effortless, natural motion and not a sharp cocking form that will tighten and slow the arm.
9. Wrist snap: Loose is fast. A loose snap will produce more speed and spin.Make sure you are snapping behind the ball and not under it. The fingers are behind the ball at release. Do not roll the wrist at release, this will slow and lift the pitch.Snap the ball away at the hip.
10. Follow through: If the arm circled properly and the wrist snapped behind the ball cleanly at the hip, then the follow though will be natural and will not detract from the pitch. if this is the case, the arm will be left in front of the pitcher, elbow away and in front of the body wrist facing the pitcher in a loose fist configuration. the elbow will be directly below the wrist, unless the pitcher uses a long extended follow through which i believe should be reserved for more advance girls.
Tips for learning the fastball:
1. Get with a qualified pitching coach.
2. Try to learn the pitch as your pitching coach prescribes.
3. Do the drills that your pitching coach ask you to do .
4. Practice as often as your pitching coach recommends you to.
5. Report soreness and injury as soon as it occurs.
6. Concentrate on the mechanics as speed and accuracy will follow form.
5-HOW TO PRODUCE A PITCHER
Here is a step by step guide to producing a pitcher. It will offer much needed information for parents and youth alike.
1. Decide if your girl has the physical and mental makeup to become a pitcher.
2. Is your girl and your family, in general , willing and able to make the sacrifice in time, needed to produce a pitcher.
3. Ask yourselves: Is your family financially able to commit to pitching.
4. Make sure your girl wishes to pitch for the fun and challenge of it.
5. Find a qualified pitching coach.
6. Practice hard, often and smartly.
7.Parents and pitchers: make sure you are supporting the endeavour in a positive and fun way.
I have yet to produce an advanced pitcher whose parent(s) commonly gripe and fuss at their child and conversely, I cannot remember having a great pitcher who had a poor attitude.
8. Purchase videos, books and attend clinics and camps.
9. Watch the division one and professional pitchers.
10. Keep health at a premium.
11. Keep the academics up.
12. Get on a travel ball team.
13. Pitch yourself to the top instead of trying to politic yourself to the top.
14. Contact college coaches.
15. Honor the sport always.
16. Strive to be the beat you can be.
1. Decide if your girl has the physical and mental makeup to become a pitcher.
2. Is your girl and your family, in general , willing and able to make the sacrifice in time, needed to produce a pitcher.
3. Ask yourselves: Is your family financially able to commit to pitching.
4. Make sure your girl wishes to pitch for the fun and challenge of it.
5. Find a qualified pitching coach.
6. Practice hard, often and smartly.
7.Parents and pitchers: make sure you are supporting the endeavour in a positive and fun way.
I have yet to produce an advanced pitcher whose parent(s) commonly gripe and fuss at their child and conversely, I cannot remember having a great pitcher who had a poor attitude.
8. Purchase videos, books and attend clinics and camps.
9. Watch the division one and professional pitchers.
10. Keep health at a premium.
11. Keep the academics up.
12. Get on a travel ball team.
13. Pitch yourself to the top instead of trying to politic yourself to the top.
14. Contact college coaches.
15. Honor the sport always.
16. Strive to be the beat you can be.
4-CONTROL ISSUES
Achieving a high level of accuracy takes a lot of practice. I like to tell my girls that there is no professional golfer, tennis player, or billiards expert, who can go very long without practice before they become erratic in there performance. Professionals in these sports and many others will work 3-8 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week, year round, to keep their game at a high level. As pitchers we must train consistently, as well. Girls who only pitch once a week are not very likely to become very accurate. Likewise, girls who practice half-heatedly are likely to build so many bad habits that accuracy improvement will be disappointing.
Aside from consistent, smart practice, accuracy can be improved in a variety of ways. Here are a sampling (Some tips are moderately coded so that only Cf pitchers will understand them in detail. However, everyone is welcome to contact me for more information):
1. Improve balance. Use the balance beam, one legged drill, keep your head level, power line, and exercise.
2. Use the balance beam
3. Use the one leg drill.
4.Keep your chin up and head level.
5. Stride down your power line.
6. Make sure you are pushing off correctly. Snap the heel up quickly to stride.
7. Make sure you are dragging the push foot correctly.
8. Pitch half speed for a while, if needed.
9. Take away, or reduce your pump back for a while, if needed.
10. Create a straight up and down body posture during the windup and drive phases.
11. Make sure you are landing on balance- no leaning or bent posture.
12.Make sure your stride foot is landing with the proper slant.
13. Use the spinner to make sure your wrist and fingers are snapping correctly.
14. Follow through correctly.
15. Use wiffle balls or light balls to make sure the wrist is able to snap off the ball correctly.
16. Pitch closer than normal for a while.
17. Practice pitching to very small targets.
18. Try doing rapid fire reps to build accuracy.
19.Pitch off of one knee.
20.Pitch to a small spot over and over and then to various spots.
21. Make sure you train your inside and outside delivery through your stride direction.
Aside from consistent, smart practice, accuracy can be improved in a variety of ways. Here are a sampling (Some tips are moderately coded so that only Cf pitchers will understand them in detail. However, everyone is welcome to contact me for more information):
1. Improve balance. Use the balance beam, one legged drill, keep your head level, power line, and exercise.
2. Use the balance beam
3. Use the one leg drill.
4.Keep your chin up and head level.
5. Stride down your power line.
6. Make sure you are pushing off correctly. Snap the heel up quickly to stride.
7. Make sure you are dragging the push foot correctly.
8. Pitch half speed for a while, if needed.
9. Take away, or reduce your pump back for a while, if needed.
10. Create a straight up and down body posture during the windup and drive phases.
11. Make sure you are landing on balance- no leaning or bent posture.
12.Make sure your stride foot is landing with the proper slant.
13. Use the spinner to make sure your wrist and fingers are snapping correctly.
14. Follow through correctly.
15. Use wiffle balls or light balls to make sure the wrist is able to snap off the ball correctly.
16. Pitch closer than normal for a while.
17. Practice pitching to very small targets.
18. Try doing rapid fire reps to build accuracy.
19.Pitch off of one knee.
20.Pitch to a small spot over and over and then to various spots.
21. Make sure you train your inside and outside delivery through your stride direction.
3-HOW TO DEVELOP PITCHING SPEED
First of all, I would like to help answer the frequently asked question; Can my girl become a fast pitcher? This is a tough, tough question to approach. In fact , I rarely even attempt to answer it without observing the pitcher in question, for several months, or even years! Why? Well, there is no sure way of telling who is physiologically capable of becoming fast and who is not. Furthermore, there is no sure way of telling who is going to work hard and smart , on a year round bases, for years. That being said, here are some things I look for in order to make an educated guess.
First, there can be no doubt that height helps.If the pitcher is relatively tall, or is going to be so, she has a head start on almost all other girls in the speed race. Not only does being tall mean you will probably have longer than average arms, which can develop lots of force in the circular, windmill motion, but tall bodies generate lots of energy during the stride phase of the pitch.
Fast people make fast pitchers. Even very short girls can throw very hard , if they can develop lots of explosiveness in their stride phase. These girls usually have very whippy arms as well, and this converts to high hand speed at release.
Muscular girls can learn to pitch very fast, as well. Muscles contribute to body speed and arm speed. Their hands tend to slow down less than weaker girls, during the release phase of the pitch. Strong hands can contribute to a powerful wrist snap, resulting in a few more miles per hour than a weaker snap would.
Consider for a moment, the dilemma of answering the "who can be fast question" when it come to young athletes with very little training. Unless they are already tall, there is no way of telling if they will become tall. You can look at the parent and create an estimate, but I have found that this estimate often fails. She may be 5'5 at 9 or 10 and grow another 6 inches, or she may not grow another inch, at all. They may show up as fast runners and overhand throwers to begin with, but if not, we can't be sure if they will be fast movers, or not , later on. Who can figure how much fast- twitch muscle they possess and where in their body it lies. Girls can have fast legs and slow arms and the reverse is true. They have to train and condition extensively, before a rough estimate of body speed can be turned into an accurate assessment. In a few cases a girl will show up for lessons already muscularly developed. Usually , this is not the case and there is very little way of telling who will gain lots of fast muscle, lose fat, and work hard to do so. So there you have it. In essence, a knowledgeable coach can make a guess up front, but until all of the intangibles surface, there is no real way of telling what is inside the athlete.
A fast pitch is the result of a pitchers ability to release the ball with a fast hand. The ball will only go as fast as her hand is going as she releases the ball. A blend of height, body speed and muscle, along with efficient mechanics , will produce fast pitches. The more you have of each element, the faster you can be.
One last note before we go to tips: Some girls show up with speed in their first lessons, while others may take months to develop speed. Many of the slow developers will become very fast. On the other hand, some just are not made to be pitchers.
Here are some drills and exercise tips you can use to develop speed. Most tips are coded so that only r CF pitchers can fully understand . However, everyone is welcome to call, or e mail for more information.
1. Pitch a lot. 3-5 times a week. 75-150 pitches each time, depending on your age and level.
2. Pitch hard. Pitching less than all out will not develop speed, unless you are doing so to improve a problematic mechanic.
3. Pitch balls that are 1/2-1 1/2 ounces lighter and heavier than normal, along with normal weighted balls. I have a specific program for this process.
4. Condition your body. Emphasize power building over slow muscle building. Jump rope, run sprints, lift weights, use stretch cords, use the Jinni Finch machine, use medicine balls, apply plyometrics, do crunches, push ups stretches, apply exercise tapes, whatever you like-just do it!!! I have more information on this.
5. Do double and triples.
6. Do run and shoots.
7. Do distance reps.
8. Do burnouts / rapid throws.
9. Throw 11" and 14" balls.
10. Develop your form. Work on balance, snap, drive
11. Do lunges.
12. Train year round.
13. Do glove snappers.
14. Do bunji pulls.
15. Pitch on one knee.
16 do various snapper drills as I instruct.
First, there can be no doubt that height helps.If the pitcher is relatively tall, or is going to be so, she has a head start on almost all other girls in the speed race. Not only does being tall mean you will probably have longer than average arms, which can develop lots of force in the circular, windmill motion, but tall bodies generate lots of energy during the stride phase of the pitch.
Fast people make fast pitchers. Even very short girls can throw very hard , if they can develop lots of explosiveness in their stride phase. These girls usually have very whippy arms as well, and this converts to high hand speed at release.
Muscular girls can learn to pitch very fast, as well. Muscles contribute to body speed and arm speed. Their hands tend to slow down less than weaker girls, during the release phase of the pitch. Strong hands can contribute to a powerful wrist snap, resulting in a few more miles per hour than a weaker snap would.
Consider for a moment, the dilemma of answering the "who can be fast question" when it come to young athletes with very little training. Unless they are already tall, there is no way of telling if they will become tall. You can look at the parent and create an estimate, but I have found that this estimate often fails. She may be 5'5 at 9 or 10 and grow another 6 inches, or she may not grow another inch, at all. They may show up as fast runners and overhand throwers to begin with, but if not, we can't be sure if they will be fast movers, or not , later on. Who can figure how much fast- twitch muscle they possess and where in their body it lies. Girls can have fast legs and slow arms and the reverse is true. They have to train and condition extensively, before a rough estimate of body speed can be turned into an accurate assessment. In a few cases a girl will show up for lessons already muscularly developed. Usually , this is not the case and there is very little way of telling who will gain lots of fast muscle, lose fat, and work hard to do so. So there you have it. In essence, a knowledgeable coach can make a guess up front, but until all of the intangibles surface, there is no real way of telling what is inside the athlete.
A fast pitch is the result of a pitchers ability to release the ball with a fast hand. The ball will only go as fast as her hand is going as she releases the ball. A blend of height, body speed and muscle, along with efficient mechanics , will produce fast pitches. The more you have of each element, the faster you can be.
One last note before we go to tips: Some girls show up with speed in their first lessons, while others may take months to develop speed. Many of the slow developers will become very fast. On the other hand, some just are not made to be pitchers.
Here are some drills and exercise tips you can use to develop speed. Most tips are coded so that only r CF pitchers can fully understand . However, everyone is welcome to call, or e mail for more information.
1. Pitch a lot. 3-5 times a week. 75-150 pitches each time, depending on your age and level.
2. Pitch hard. Pitching less than all out will not develop speed, unless you are doing so to improve a problematic mechanic.
3. Pitch balls that are 1/2-1 1/2 ounces lighter and heavier than normal, along with normal weighted balls. I have a specific program for this process.
4. Condition your body. Emphasize power building over slow muscle building. Jump rope, run sprints, lift weights, use stretch cords, use the Jinni Finch machine, use medicine balls, apply plyometrics, do crunches, push ups stretches, apply exercise tapes, whatever you like-just do it!!! I have more information on this.
5. Do double and triples.
6. Do run and shoots.
7. Do distance reps.
8. Do burnouts / rapid throws.
9. Throw 11" and 14" balls.
10. Develop your form. Work on balance, snap, drive
11. Do lunges.
12. Train year round.
13. Do glove snappers.
14. Do bunji pulls.
15. Pitch on one knee.
16 do various snapper drills as I instruct.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
2-CF FEE AND MAKEUP POLICY
The following is a guide for payment of lessons and for making up missed lessons:
1. Lessons are to paid for by the month. Payment is due before the month that lessons are given, or at least by the 3rd day of the month. If you cannot present the payment in person, please mail it in to the instructor so that will arrive beofre the first fo the month.
2. Skipping payment for one or more months will result in elimnation from the program.We are uable to keep our price at anaffordable rate while at the same time, allowing folks to skip months. Therefore, we seek to teach those who attempt to work at pitching on a year round bases, attending regularly scheduled lessons along the way. Once a player is in the CF program we hope that she will stay in, until she either quites softball or goes off to college.We have lowered our price to compensate as much as we can for misses that cannot be made up for. This may include months where injury , sickness, softball, or other activities, far away travel, or whatever occurs. Payment is still due on time, just as it would be for a day care service or a karate program, for instance. We will try to find some makeup time when the player is able to return. This makeup time may come in several forms as described below.
We will not makeup lessons that are not paid for on time and we will not makeup lessons during the school year that are made neccasary by activities other than softball games. If a player cannot make lessons at the typically assigned time for her, due to other activities( volleyball or basketball, for instance), we will try to find a new time for the player. However, this means a loss of your original spot. The new time may be with a group, or it may be as late at night as 8 30 , or 9 00, or it may mean that you will need to travel to another location of instruction and that could be 20-50 miles away! It may eveen mean waiting several months to get to the makeups.
In any case payment is due on time and to stay in the program, payment must be recieved. We wish to teach girls who are into softball first and primarily. That bieng said we can almost always work things out for those willing to sacrifice in such cases , especially when we have notice days , or weeks in advance. Furthermore, we ask that everyone realize that this is how we make our living and giving up time for maeups means either giving up income , or giving up family and rest times.
Makeup options: In a case where a player had to miss a lesson due to illness, or a softball game and we were notified ahead of time, we will try to makeup the lesson in one of the following methods.
A. Extended Time. She can pitch extra minutes at a regularly scheduled lesson. If another girl is missing a lesson either at the same time, or a time just before or after , then the makeup can occur during that time. This is a preferred method, but it may require waiting several months to take advantage of.
B. Early or Late. The player may be asked to come before a days's lessons begin , or after they all end.
C. Call Around Method. Calls can be made to see if any others are going to have to miss their lesson.One can then attend the others lesson time. This option is taken advantage of when games are being played and knowledge of schedules are well known. In this case a miss for any reason can be taken care of between members.
D. In areas where group lessons are given, makeups will commonly be offered during these. Groups may not be the preferred way to learn for many, but occassional group lessons can be a very good thing and they certainly shoud be expected to suffice as a makeup venue.
E. Free clinic attendance. It may take weeks or months to come about in this case, but attending a clinic for free or for a discounted rate in the case of the longer clinics and mini camps, is a great way to makeup lessons.
F. Extended Month. Sometimes a month has 5 lessons in it instead of the actual 4, or 3 instead of 2 ( for some weekend locations) in these case the instructors will usually use the extra day to take care of recent missed lessons by the members. (Sometimes these extra date will have to be used to compensate for the rare times the instructor has to miss. )
PLEASE REMEMBER we will not arrange makeup lessons in the following cases:
A. No call came well in advance to warn us of the miss. Same day warning does not count in most cases. -Sorry!
B. The miss was for a non- softball game activity. Practice does not count as coaches will, or should allow players to attend lessons.
C. Someone forgot about the lesson, went shopping, attended a party, or get together.
D. Payment was not received on time.
In any of the above case members may be able to makeup lessons time through extended time when others are absent, the extra lesson in a month event, or the call around method can be used to see if someone is going to miss.
Generally, about 90% of our members comply with these attendance standards over the years.
1. Lessons are to paid for by the month. Payment is due before the month that lessons are given, or at least by the 3rd day of the month. If you cannot present the payment in person, please mail it in to the instructor so that will arrive beofre the first fo the month.
2. Skipping payment for one or more months will result in elimnation from the program.We are uable to keep our price at anaffordable rate while at the same time, allowing folks to skip months. Therefore, we seek to teach those who attempt to work at pitching on a year round bases, attending regularly scheduled lessons along the way. Once a player is in the CF program we hope that she will stay in, until she either quites softball or goes off to college.We have lowered our price to compensate as much as we can for misses that cannot be made up for. This may include months where injury , sickness, softball, or other activities, far away travel, or whatever occurs. Payment is still due on time, just as it would be for a day care service or a karate program, for instance. We will try to find some makeup time when the player is able to return. This makeup time may come in several forms as described below.
We will not makeup lessons that are not paid for on time and we will not makeup lessons during the school year that are made neccasary by activities other than softball games. If a player cannot make lessons at the typically assigned time for her, due to other activities( volleyball or basketball, for instance), we will try to find a new time for the player. However, this means a loss of your original spot. The new time may be with a group, or it may be as late at night as 8 30 , or 9 00, or it may mean that you will need to travel to another location of instruction and that could be 20-50 miles away! It may eveen mean waiting several months to get to the makeups.
In any case payment is due on time and to stay in the program, payment must be recieved. We wish to teach girls who are into softball first and primarily. That bieng said we can almost always work things out for those willing to sacrifice in such cases , especially when we have notice days , or weeks in advance. Furthermore, we ask that everyone realize that this is how we make our living and giving up time for maeups means either giving up income , or giving up family and rest times.
Makeup options: In a case where a player had to miss a lesson due to illness, or a softball game and we were notified ahead of time, we will try to makeup the lesson in one of the following methods.
A. Extended Time. She can pitch extra minutes at a regularly scheduled lesson. If another girl is missing a lesson either at the same time, or a time just before or after , then the makeup can occur during that time. This is a preferred method, but it may require waiting several months to take advantage of.
B. Early or Late. The player may be asked to come before a days's lessons begin , or after they all end.
C. Call Around Method. Calls can be made to see if any others are going to have to miss their lesson.One can then attend the others lesson time. This option is taken advantage of when games are being played and knowledge of schedules are well known. In this case a miss for any reason can be taken care of between members.
D. In areas where group lessons are given, makeups will commonly be offered during these. Groups may not be the preferred way to learn for many, but occassional group lessons can be a very good thing and they certainly shoud be expected to suffice as a makeup venue.
E. Free clinic attendance. It may take weeks or months to come about in this case, but attending a clinic for free or for a discounted rate in the case of the longer clinics and mini camps, is a great way to makeup lessons.
F. Extended Month. Sometimes a month has 5 lessons in it instead of the actual 4, or 3 instead of 2 ( for some weekend locations) in these case the instructors will usually use the extra day to take care of recent missed lessons by the members. (Sometimes these extra date will have to be used to compensate for the rare times the instructor has to miss. )
PLEASE REMEMBER we will not arrange makeup lessons in the following cases:
A. No call came well in advance to warn us of the miss. Same day warning does not count in most cases. -Sorry!
B. The miss was for a non- softball game activity. Practice does not count as coaches will, or should allow players to attend lessons.
C. Someone forgot about the lesson, went shopping, attended a party, or get together.
D. Payment was not received on time.
In any of the above case members may be able to makeup lessons time through extended time when others are absent, the extra lesson in a month event, or the call around method can be used to see if someone is going to miss.
Generally, about 90% of our members comply with these attendance standards over the years.
1-LESSON REQUIREMENTS
HERE IS WHAT YOU NEED FOR CF LESSONS:
1. Glove and/or catchers mitt.
2. Cleats and/or tennis shoes.
3. A catcher- someone to catch you.
4. Bucket for equipment and catcher to sit on.
5. Fluids and/or snacks. Ice if it is hot: Gatorade or other comparable sports drinks and/or fruits and fruit juices for hot conditions.
6. Proper clothing. Dress like a student athlete. In cooler weather bring too much clothing and in warmer weather be prepared to go to shorts and short sleeves if needed. Under armor is a great idea for in climate weather.
7. Medications for whatever problems you might encounter. Headache tablets etc.
8. Adult supervision during the lesson, or at least access to a cell phone, in case of an emergency.
9. Positive attitude: Come to the lesson willing to learn and practice. Negative remarks, feelings, etc, should be shed before stepping foot on the softball field. The athlete should not make any negative remarks toward anyone else. Others with you should be willing to let the instructor(s) do all of the teaching. They should let the athlete concentrate on what she is being taught. The instructor has an agenda and coaching remark from others can and will damage progress. Adults are encouraged to generate positive compliments on occasion and to ch ear the athlete on. Short spurts of conversation on subjects other than softball should be held to a minimum at the very most, and be non existent at best. Occasional humor is usually a good thing. Athletes who are chit- chatting for more than a few seconds at lessons will be required to focus only on pitching in the future. No horseplay is allowed.
10. Payment on time, please! It is best to pay before the lessons and just before the month they are due.
1. Glove and/or catchers mitt.
2. Cleats and/or tennis shoes.
3. A catcher- someone to catch you.
4. Bucket for equipment and catcher to sit on.
5. Fluids and/or snacks. Ice if it is hot: Gatorade or other comparable sports drinks and/or fruits and fruit juices for hot conditions.
6. Proper clothing. Dress like a student athlete. In cooler weather bring too much clothing and in warmer weather be prepared to go to shorts and short sleeves if needed. Under armor is a great idea for in climate weather.
7. Medications for whatever problems you might encounter. Headache tablets etc.
8. Adult supervision during the lesson, or at least access to a cell phone, in case of an emergency.
9. Positive attitude: Come to the lesson willing to learn and practice. Negative remarks, feelings, etc, should be shed before stepping foot on the softball field. The athlete should not make any negative remarks toward anyone else. Others with you should be willing to let the instructor(s) do all of the teaching. They should let the athlete concentrate on what she is being taught. The instructor has an agenda and coaching remark from others can and will damage progress. Adults are encouraged to generate positive compliments on occasion and to ch ear the athlete on. Short spurts of conversation on subjects other than softball should be held to a minimum at the very most, and be non existent at best. Occasional humor is usually a good thing. Athletes who are chit- chatting for more than a few seconds at lessons will be required to focus only on pitching in the future. No horseplay is allowed.
10. Payment on time, please! It is best to pay before the lessons and just before the month they are due.
0-CAROLINA FASTPITCH OVERVIEW
Carolina Fastpitch is a pitching , hitting and fielding instructional service for girls fastpitch. . Bill Fowler, a former high school baseball and softball coach, began CF in 1990, after 14 years of instructional experience.
Currently I teach nearly 100 girls per week, on a year round bases. Over 100 former players and memebers have scholar shipped and currently there are approximately 15 members in college, on scholarship. There are over 30 high school starting, number 1 pitchers and about 20 travel ball teams that regularly start our pitchers from the South Carolina region that I left in 2006. In 2005 Cf pitchers led their teams to 7 state championships form the highs school and travel ball levels to the recreational. Now in North Carolina, just starting out iI am teaching girls from Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, Onslow ,Duplin and Pender counties.
CF pitchers learn the most productive style of pitching and the most advanced pitches. Generally, our most applied style of pitching is similar to the western , or California style that nearly all major college pitchers use. Our form allows for the development of advanced pitches second to none and it is relatively safe to use. Pitchers who stay in the program for several years will usually master , or mostly master each of the following pitches: peel drop, snap over drop, curve, drop curve, slow curve, turnaround or backhand change, shove change, knuckle shove change, horse shoe change, curve change, slop or Texas change, screwball, drop and rise screws, and if they are capable, the killer rise. All of these pitches are true movement pitches. Our curves and screws can be mastered to the point where a pitcher can throw a pitch down the middle the plate, pass by a post after going 20-25 feet and then break it to the corner, or further if desired. Our drops can go toward the catcher at18-224 inches high and break down to the ground at the plate -in the last 8-12 feet of travel. Our rise is capable of going in just above a batters belt and breaking hard across the letters, or shoulders, as needed. Not only can these pitches be learned but dozens of our girls have learned to do so.
Much like the pitching, CF hitting instruction is based on the techniques and mechanics of Team USA: our Olympic team, basically. We do have a strong dose of other influences from the major college and professional ranks, as well. Many of our players hit over .400 in college.
Fielding mechanics and tactics are again, based on the most up to date research from the highest levels. Age and skill levels are considered during instruction. Players are introduced to fun and challenging fielding ,that will give them an upper edge in getting to the higher levels of the game.
Currently I teach nearly 100 girls per week, on a year round bases. Over 100 former players and memebers have scholar shipped and currently there are approximately 15 members in college, on scholarship. There are over 30 high school starting, number 1 pitchers and about 20 travel ball teams that regularly start our pitchers from the South Carolina region that I left in 2006. In 2005 Cf pitchers led their teams to 7 state championships form the highs school and travel ball levels to the recreational. Now in North Carolina, just starting out iI am teaching girls from Pamlico, Craven, Carteret, Onslow ,Duplin and Pender counties.
CF pitchers learn the most productive style of pitching and the most advanced pitches. Generally, our most applied style of pitching is similar to the western , or California style that nearly all major college pitchers use. Our form allows for the development of advanced pitches second to none and it is relatively safe to use. Pitchers who stay in the program for several years will usually master , or mostly master each of the following pitches: peel drop, snap over drop, curve, drop curve, slow curve, turnaround or backhand change, shove change, knuckle shove change, horse shoe change, curve change, slop or Texas change, screwball, drop and rise screws, and if they are capable, the killer rise. All of these pitches are true movement pitches. Our curves and screws can be mastered to the point where a pitcher can throw a pitch down the middle the plate, pass by a post after going 20-25 feet and then break it to the corner, or further if desired. Our drops can go toward the catcher at18-224 inches high and break down to the ground at the plate -in the last 8-12 feet of travel. Our rise is capable of going in just above a batters belt and breaking hard across the letters, or shoulders, as needed. Not only can these pitches be learned but dozens of our girls have learned to do so.
Much like the pitching, CF hitting instruction is based on the techniques and mechanics of Team USA: our Olympic team, basically. We do have a strong dose of other influences from the major college and professional ranks, as well. Many of our players hit over .400 in college.
Fielding mechanics and tactics are again, based on the most up to date research from the highest levels. Age and skill levels are considered during instruction. Players are introduced to fun and challenging fielding ,that will give them an upper edge in getting to the higher levels of the game.
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