How To Motivate Your Sports Team

Inspiration is the key to getting the best out of every sports team. However, the drive to get up and shine can fade, especially when losses and unforeseen obstacles come into play. While the coaches remain on the sidelines, they still hold the vital job of keeping their team motivated at all times. Here are a few tips to help them make good on their mission.

Meet With the Team On an Individual Basis

Don’t be afraid of making things personal, in a positive way, of course. People crave recognition for their unique talents and feel secure in knowing that they hold a valuable place on the team. Take the time to highlight the individual aspects that each player embodies, and play them up in creative ways, like formulating nicknames.

Defensive Softballs Plays

Defensive success in any sport is about having your players in the right place at the right time prepared to do the right thing. That fact may be even more true on the softball diamond than any other sport. Sometimes the difference in keeping the winning run from scoring and holding on to bring home a W is having your players in the proper position. As a coach, it’s your job to be one step ahead of the game. If you’re relying on the defense to react to what’s happening, you’re already behind in the equation. But how do you prepare on defense when there’s no way to know where the ball is going?

Everything in softball hinges on knowing the strengths and tendencies of the batter. Proper scouting is up to you and your staff. If you have a right-handed hitter in the box who is “dead pull,” you need to be prepared to adjust your fielders accordingly. Keep in mind as you look through these scenarios that everything hinges on knowing who’s in the box.

Outfield In

The terminology or hand signals you use isn’t important, but finding a way to get your players in position is. You’ll want to bring your outfielders in when you know a batter lacks power. You also want to deploy this defensive strategy if the game-tying or game-winning run is on third base with less than two outs as a deep fly would let the runner tag and score…

To read more please visit javierinclan.net

The Importance Of Strength Training In Softball

In many cases, especially with softball, merely partaking in the sport will not make the player stronger. Granted, participation will increase agility and skills pertinent to success in the endeavor. Strength training often proves vital to all athletes. However, the activity bears particular importance for softball players for the following reasons:

Longevity

Softball seasons are typically lengthy and include many games. Ergo, participants who do not possess optimal strength might not enjoy much longevity. Regardless of what level one competes on, entire seasons usually last for at last six months. Additionally, many top-level high school performers participate in travel teams in addition to interscholastic competition. Commitment to a strength training program will help competitors build the endurance necessary to enjoy long careers.

Improved Performance

Some people might believe that pure, natural ability combined with repeated and intense practice are the ingredients for improved on-field performance. While these factors typically do not hinder a player’s performance, a true performance-enhancing activity is strength training.

In the case of softball players, a good example to use is pitching. Many are amazed at the speeds with which top-ranked hurlers can whiz the ball. Oftentimes, the ability to toss pitches at such velocities hinges upon the performer’s arm strength…

To continue reading please visitjavierinclan.net

Softball Drill Series: Improving Batting Techniques

Developing a perfect swing is difficult for softball players at any level. There are so many moving parts that have to be taken into account and each one of them plays a pivotal role in maximizing contact. The elements of hand-eye coordination, wrist motion, weight distribution, and everything else that goes into a swing is only magnified when you also figure in that the batter can’t ultimately see what he or she is doing; they’re basing the success of their swing based on what the ball does. Here are some drills you can implement to improve batting techniques for the softball player(s) in your life.

Fence Drill

As tale as old as time, softball and baseball players have spent countless hours standing in front of a chain-link fence hitting lobbed pitches into it. Have you ever wondered why it’s been around so long? Because it works! It’s a good idea to hang a ribbon or something that is easily visible that can mark where the ball should hit the fence in an ideal swing. This is a solid option that will teach a batter how to keep the bat level, the swing even, and maximize contact without having to have multiple people around to retrieve balls.

Tee Ball

If the softball player in your life wants to work on his or her swing when no one else is around, encourage them to do the aforementioned fence drill with a tee. It’s important that the batter be honest in their self-evaluation, but this is another tried and true drill. You may not be around to lob balls in front of the batter but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be constantly working on their swing…

To continue reading please visit javierinclan.net

Softball Drill Series: Pitching Drills

The game of softball shares a lot of similarities to baseball. The one major part of the sport that is different is pitching. The throwing mechanic requires a fast underhand motion instead of the traditional overhand throw. This means softball pitchers require a completely different set of skills than their baseball counterparts. Just like every other athletic skill, the softball pitching delivery can be perfected with a lot of practice. These are the three pitching drills every softball player needs to perform to improve their skills.

Rapid Fire Drill

Every great softball pitcher needs to have the endurance to pitch the whole game. The perfect way for a pitcher to build up their endurance is by regularly performing the rapid-fire pitching drill. The pitcher will need to stand on the mound with a large bucket of softballs. The player then needs to pitch all of the balls as fast as possible using their normal pitching motion. This should teach them how to pitch effectively with a tired arm. It is best to complete this drill at the end of every practice session.

No Stride Drill

There is nothing more effective in a softball pitcher’s arsenal than an amazing fastball. The pitcher will need a very strong arm in order to develop this dominant pitch, which is where the no stride drill comes in handy. The drill starts with the pitcher throwing five pitches on top of the mound without using striding. They will then back up several feet and throw five more pitches. This process is repeated until the pitcher is no longer able to get the ball back to the catcher.

To continue reading please visit javierinclan.net

Softball Drill Series: Fielding Drills

With any sport, running various drills during practice is a sure way to improve skills and hone in on individual strengths. It’s important to develop the skills of each single-player, while also focusing on cohesive teamwork and functionality. For a softball team, the different types of practice drills can seem almost endless. In this series, we’re going to focus on various softball drills broken down by player position (i.e., pitching, fielding, catching, etc.). To begin, here are a few softball drills that are perfect for players in the field.

Reaction Drill

A player in the field should always focus on their reaction time, and how they can improve it. Reaction time is essential when playing the field. Games can move quickly, and players in the infield and outfield need to be prepared to react quickly.

How To:

Set up four cones in a square shape about 15-feet apart from each other. The coach stands in the middle of the circle, while the fielders line up behind one of the cones. Players behind the cone must be facing away from the coach. The coach will then take turns throwing the ball to each player while yelling, “Go.” Once the player hears “Go,” they are to react by turning around and catching the ball quickly. Once the ball is caught, the fielder drops it and runs to the next cone before another is thrown. This continues on a rotation with each fielder.

Grounder Drill

Ground balls are a standard part of a softball game, but can sometimes be a challenge to master from the field. The Grounder drill is a great way to help fielders learn how to quickly and effectively stop a ground ball….

To read the full article please visit javierinclan.net

Softball Pitching Mistakes

Softball Pitching Mistakes _ Javier Inclan

Pitching in fast pitch softball requires more than just arm strength and the ability to be accurate with the ball; there are a lot of moving parts that go into pitching. Here’s a quick look at how to recognize and repair 3 common mistakes from the mound.

Below the Belt

It’s easy to think about pitching and assume that it’s all about shoulder strength and the ability to throw straight, but any professional softball player will tell you that successful pitching starts below the belt. The effectiveness of a pitch generally comes from leg drive, not arm strength. It feels like second nature to pivot the lead foot to a 90 degree angle when pitching, but a pitcher loses both speed and accuracy when this happens. You can order a drag box or construct one yourself, but it’s definitely a tool to help build muscle memory that will lead to proper lower body mechanics when pitching.

It’s All in the Hands

Again, the motion needed to be an effective softball pitcher isn’t exactly natural. A pitcher will have to train her muscles to instinctively go against their nature. During the “windmill” portion of the pitching motion, it’s very easy to let the palm turn backwards at the top of the circle. Instead, it’s crucial for a pitcher to remain “palm up” all the way through the circle. If you, or the pitcher you are coaching has a tendency to let their palm go backwards, take the time to slow down the motion until the palm up position becomes routine. Before long, maintaining palm position will become second nature.

Proper Positioning Pays Off

With how fast paced the action on a softball field is, it’s easy to assume that a pitcher should assume a fielding position as soon as the ball leaves their hand. This causes the pitcher to forfeit a certain amount of effectiveness that can only be achieved by proper follow through. Proper reaction, while important generally comes whether or not the pitcher immediately drops to a fielding position. The extra millisecond gained by bailing out on the pitch before it’s over isn’t worth the ability to strike out the batter.

Pitching requires a certain amount of flexibility and shoulder strength, but there’s far more to it than a strong arm and a fast motion. It’s a head to toe position that can be trained and taught.

Originally posted on JavierInclan.net.