Fastpitch Interview
Larry Ray - Univ. of Arizona
Larry Ray, Assistant Coach at University of Arizona, was kind enough to take the time to do this interview with us. Many of you sent in questions for Mr. Ray to answer. Here is what he said:
How long have you been with the University of Arizona softball program?
I've been at the U of A for 15 years.
What was your experience in the game prior to working at U of A?
I had played men's fastpitch for quite some time. Was a high school softball coach in Nevada before coming to the U of A.
Can you tell us a bit about your own background in athletics?
I went to high school in California. After graduating, I attended West Valley JC in Campbell,CA for a year and half (played football and baseball), then transferred to Idaho State University in Pocatello, ID where I played football and baseball also. From there, I moved to Las Vegas where I played men's fastpitch for 10 years at a very competitve level (men's major).
Slapping Questions
One of the members at our site wanted to know your criteria as far as determining whether or not a young player should pursue being a slap hitter. Are there certain things to look for? Also, we’ve seen young girls that are right handed and only marginally fast being flipped over to being a left handed slapper-------what's your opinion on doing this?
Being a good hitter, at this level, is very difficult. Speed is the most important aspect of slapping. Players can achieve better results, in most cases, from putting the ball into play and forcing the defense into mistakes than by driving the ball thru the infield.
What are some of the biggest mistakes you see young slappers make?
Biggest mistakes most make is they walk before making contact, I emphasize running!
Are their drills to correct dropping of the hands prior to contact when trying to slap?
I don't mind a slight hand drop as long as their hands are above the ball.
What are some mistakes you see pitchers make when pitching to slappers?
Most of the time, the slapper is trying to hit the ball on the ground to the 5-6 hole. Throwing them down and away feeds right into what they want.
I see quite a few younger slappers start off all the way in the back of the box. However, I didn’t see your slappers doing that. Is it okay to start off all the way in the back of the box? Why or why not?
I want my slappers to have their left foot, the cross-over step, to be on the front line of the batter's box at contact with the ball. They can stand in the back if they take a 7 ft. stride!
Do you have any videos or instructional guides on teaching the slap? If not, can you recommend any? (how did you learn so much?)
I have 2 DVD's. "Teaching the Slapper" has been out for about 15 years and sells for $25. "The Total Short Game" is just released and is more in depth plus baserunning, sells for $35. Both can be obtained through me. I got most of my knowledge from doing it as a player and since that time I've noticed what it does to the defense and I try to exploit other teams weaknesses.
Do your slappers already come in to U of A knowing how to slap? Or are there some that you teach after they get there?
Most come in with some knowledge. I spend most of my time correcting bad habits
College/University of Arizona Questions
If a young player is interested in attending the University of Arizona and wants to play ball there, what is your advice to her?
Play on a travel ball team that plays in the bigger tournaments stateside.
What are Arizona’s academic requirements for incoming freshman softball players (SAT/ACT, GPA etc)? (how important is academics)
Academics are VERY important. The standards for entrance are governed by the NCAA
What about athletic requirements? What do you as coaches look for in players?
We try to recruit players that are going to be successful academically.
During the college world series, it was mentioned that a certain book was key in turning the season around. Can you tell us a little more about that? What was the name of the book?
The book is Zen on Golf. Coach Candrea read it and relayed some of its teaching to our players.
What is your recruiting timeline like? For example, as of right now are you still looking for ’06 or ’07 grads?
As of today, we are very close to getting committments from 3 '08 recruits. Our '07 class was committed back in Oct.
If players are interesting in playing for U of A and they send in video, what do you as coaches want to see? Game footage? Practice clips? Do you prefer DVD over VHS?
I prefer DVD. Practice shots, 3/4 swings, and whatever specialty things they do offensively and their defensive strong points.
Does your staff ever receive correspondence about players from services like BeRecruited.com, NCSA (National Collegiate Scouting Association), Cathi Aradi, etc? If so, do you even look through those recommendations? If there are ones you do review, which company (ies) are you more likely to take recommendations from?
We don't look too heavily at the recruiting services.
Are there players that try to walk on and make it onto the team or are all players recruited?
We have players attempting to make our team every year. Not many are successful.
Softball Performance Questions
How important are the players on the bench to a championship team?
Your overall strength is extremely important. Injuries play a big part and you are only as strong as your weakest link.
How do you prepare your players to play successfully in heat? Also, pitchers and catchers are working hard throughout the game. What do they do to stay prepared and prevent being overtaken by the heat?
Our temperatures are very pleasant during the season. It gets warm in May, but by that time, we are used to it.
As far as younger players are concerned (age 14 and under), when would be a good time to start slotting players in certain positions? Some teams continually rotate positions and give all players infield as well as outfield time. Is there an age where you feel this should stop and they should concentrate on certain positions only?
We look for specific positions when recruiting, but good athletes can play a variety.
We had one question from a high school JV coach who asked for advice on getting his players more reps against live hitting. His pitchers have tried to pitch to their own teammates, but they aren’t very fast speed-wise and since their accuracy also needs work, there is a lot of time when the batters and fielders are just waiting for the pitcher to throw a good pitch for the batter to hit. Do you have any ideas on how this team can get more reps that resemble live hitting more than a pitching machine?
Recruit others who can pitch (i.e. a former player, dad, etc.) All four of us on our staff can throw.
For more information on Larry Ray's short game DVD's, e-mail him at
lray@arizona.edu or send check or money order to:
Larry Ray
1743 W. Niona Place
Tucson, AZ 85704
Don't forget to include $3.00 for shipping and handling.
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