This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Old school baseball guy wants to know if retaliation goes on in softball? (@13:22) Paige's Power Play (@18:08) Some think the strike zone is being squeezed this year. Pitchers have to adapt and change their approach. (@21:41) Bobby Simpson has a quote "You must coach players from where they are, not from you wish they were or they or others think they are." The coaches agree and discuss how to accomplish this. (@38:16) Dealing with your team b...
Mar 23, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Players must have soft hands when fielding ground balls. What do we mean by soft hands? The coaches discuss what to look for, the reasons and how to teach it. Support the show
Mar 18, 2022•14 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment: Listener Question: We attended our first college games. Saw many adults acting foolish. Are super fans normal? (@10:28) Paige's Power Play (@15:11) Playing in Bad Weather. Should we or not? (@18:42) Coach's response to bad behavior by a player (@30:05) Athlete Mental Health. We need to pay attention (@41:32) Support the show
Mar 16, 2022•54 min
Hitting through the ball is a concept that a lot of players have trouble grasping. The coaches discuss what it means and some tips on how to improve your players hitting. Support the show
Mar 11, 2022•17 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What do we think of the shift and other specialty defenses? (@12:24) Paige's Power Play (@23:58) We have a real problem with the lack of umpires. We keep adding more games but we are losing umpires and it is effecting the quality of games. (@26:08) Is it better to win your pool so you get in the gold bracket even if you only play 1 game in bracket play or to finish lower in your pool and play more games in the silver bracket?(@39:50) As long a...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Sometimes we have a player that can throw the ball very hard and we don't evaluate how well they are throwing. Accuracy is very important during the game and just because the player is throwing hard doesn't mean it is easy to handle on the other end. Work with those players so they can learn how to throw the ball correctly. Support the show
Mar 04, 2022•15 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What value to we place on skills videos for recruiting? (@10:21) Paige's Power Play (@17:23) Interview with a dad and daughter that attended the Clearwater Invitational. (@20:59) Importance of the little things and there are no little things. (@34:54) Where is a coach most valuable on game day? Rethink what role you should play to get the most out of your team. (@45:29) Support the show...
Mar 02, 2022•54 min
Coaches have to teach and communicate their tolerance level for aggressive play. Aggressiveness can be almost zero with a play it safe mentality or all out on every opportunity. The players have to be taught your philosophy and most important you have to be uniform in your reaction to what happens in a game. Wherever your line of aggressive is you can't condemn a player that doesn't cross that line in either direction. Parents and fans have to know what the team philosophy is also so they don't ...
Feb 25, 2022•17 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What are some metrics that I can track for our team? (10:47) Paige's Power Play (@19:39) A listener asks for some advice for bullying on a team, isolating some players, etc. (@23:32) Early impressions of the college season. Coach Tory talks about some of the things he noticed in the first big weekend of the season. (@39:05) Training hitters for fast pitchers. Hitting is reaction time and there are some drills that we can do to help them. (@59:...
Feb 23, 2022•1 hr 11 min
In this episode we warn coaches about creating an environment that is detrimental to the team and your own daughter. We are not talking about "daddy ball". If it wasn't for moms and dads coaching we wouldn't have softball. What we are discussing is your child becoming a de facto coach because of your actions. Points included are having team discussions in the presence of your daughter. Using her as a messenger to the team. Using her to manage the drills, etc. We have all seen it where the coach'...
Feb 18, 2022•16 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: I am a new coach and I believe I have a player that is not being honest about why she is missing practice. Any advice? (@12:43) Paige's Power Play (@18:06) Senoritis: it is a real thing. Just because you have signed it is not the time to coast.Signing is not the end goal it is just the first step to playing softball in college. You are not giving yourself the best shot at succeeding in college and you are not being fair to your teammates. (@21...
Feb 16, 2022•1 hr
When you are forming a new team or making major changes to an existing team, be realistic in your plans. You do not know how long it will take for them to jell into a team and reach their potential. And sometimes that doesn't match your expectations when you were putting the team together. Make plans to introduce your team to competition and then move up the food chain. Support the show
Feb 11, 2022•15 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: How can I fill in the gaps for my daughters training because I can't afford a lot of lessons and camps? (@9:56) Paige's Power Play (@18:52) Coaches who yell. Some advice to coaches and parents who scream and yell during games and practices. (@21:12) Too many travel teams. There are more players than ever and that is great, but we don't have enough pitchers to support the number of teams. Changes need to be made and the people putting these tea...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Coaches have to take the players they have and build the best team. That doesn't always equate to players playing their best individual position. For example, the best shortstop may make the team better by playing center field and someone else playing shortstop. And some players think that they can only play one position and if they don't play that position they want to move on. The object of defense is not to make great plays at one position and have major issues at other positions. The object ...
Feb 04, 2022•15 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Is there a Softball Hall of Fame? (@10:51) Paige's Power Play (@15:25) Division 1 Top 25 Recap (@20:28) USSSA has changed the rules for pitchers. (@38:34) How to increase arm strength. (@48:00) Support the show
Feb 02, 2022•58 min
This week the coaches discuss merging new players into a team. You can't just let it happen and hope things work out. There are always questions when a new player joins a team. When you post that you are looking for players, the questions begin. There is apprehension on each side. So, coaches face it head on and have a plan to seamlessly mold a team with old and new players. Support the show
Jan 28, 2022•13 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: New to coaching and putting together a team. How much value should I place with effort and attitude over talent? (@12:36) Paige's Power Play (@17:04) Part 1 of interview with Justin McLeod of Extra Innings Softball and Justin's World of Softball. Interview is an interesting discussion of the upcoming college season. (@22:11) Part 2 of interview with Justin McLeod (@46:38) Using assistant coaches. Get the assistant coaches up to speed and give ...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 9 min
In this week's episode the coaches discuss how using intra-squad scrimmages and scrimmages with other teams to make your team better prepared to play real games. Don't schedule practice games with other teams without a plan. Just playing another team is not a scrimmage. Support the show
Jan 21, 2022•23 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question; My 10 year old daughter hits the ball consistently, but with no power. What can I do? (@10:44) Does not playing high school ball impact recruitability? (@13:58) Incorporate some vision training in your schedule. (@20:06) Building player's confidence. (@25:01) Support the show
Jan 19, 2022•30 min
Coaches and players are excited about getting back to practice and getting ready for the new spring season. Everyone needs to understand on how much work is reasonable and we are not doing more harm than good. We have to have a progression plan for getting the players ready. Support the show
Jan 14, 2022•19 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Should I get my glove steamed? (@14:56) Paige's Power Play (@22:51) Catchers need instruction and practice. During normal team practices, catchers don't get really dedicated practice especially at game speed. Most catchers need outside training. (@25:28) College Softball is just around the corner. Hopefully COVID will not have an impact on softball. The coaches discuss the state of college athletics and the impact of the changes that have been...
Jan 12, 2022•1 hr 8 min
Sometimes coaches get frustrated when players attempt a play that is impossible. For instance, a throw to home from the outfield when the runner is 20 feet from home plate. Understanding what is possible is a skill that has to be taught just like fielding, throwing, etc. In the case above, the outfielders have to learn to judge the distance they have to throw the ball against the speed of the runner. They will learn quicker by practicing than by failures in a game. Support the show...
Jan 07, 2022•17 min
This weeks lineup: Catchers, back up first base (@2:26) More games are lost than won. (@16:36) What is a "ball player" (@30:24) I hate "my bad" (@47:26) Support the show
Jan 05, 2022•55 min
In this week's edition of the show Coach Tory and Coach Don talk strategies for becoming a more effective coach, which doesn't always mean explaining what you want from your players. Support the show
Dec 31, 2021•20 min
This Weeks Lineup: Catcher's mask - On or Off (@2:10) Strike out is just an out.(@8:45) Yoda Logic - You must unlearn what you have learned. (@20:56) Create Versatility (@33:05) Support the show
Dec 29, 2021•40 min
Coaches have to be prepared for many different situations that come up over the course of their careers. They need to have a repair/emergency kit to handle these situations. In this episode we talk about some of the items that can save the day. Support the show
Dec 24, 2021•13 min
This weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter has been hit by several pitches this season. Now she is scared to get in the batter's box. What do I do? (@9:22) Paige's Power Play (@14:16) What is a quality at bat? Keeping track of your success by using batting average is a trap that doesn't really reflect how a player is contributing to the team. Putting pressure on a player because of batting average can be very detrimental. (@16:43) Putting together a brand new team is a jour...
Dec 22, 2021•44 min
Good coaches never stop learning. There are many opportunities for coaches for to acquire more knowledge of the game, managing games and players. Nobody knows all there is to know. If you are not getting better, you are getting worse. Support the show
Dec 17, 2021•13 min
This Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter wants to take time off over the holidays, but right after the first of the year she is going to college camps. How do we find the balance between taking time off and being prepared for the camps? (@9:07) Paige's Power Play (@13:39) 5 ways to judge whether a player and/or family is really committed to softball. (@16:59) When a great player is no longer with a team the statement a lot of times is "Well we will see if the coach is rea...
Dec 15, 2021•56 min
The coaches discuss the fact that you have a platform to teach some life lessons that are not related to softball. Your players are used to you teaching and helping them. Coaches often connect with players better than parents at certain ages. Our suggestion is to allocate a short segment of your practice to discuss different topics related to things that might happen to them or they should be aware of. Support the show
Dec 10, 2021•16 min
