Hawaii Softball Clinics This Month

If you're a fastpitch softball player in Hawaii between the ages of 10 and 14, I have some news for you!

I just received word that Kapolei High School will be putting on Clinics during the month of January (yes, that's THIS month!). If you're interested in working on your pitching or defensive skills, these clinics are for you.

Here is the information...

Where: Kapolei High School Softball Field

When: January 11, 18, and 25 (all Sundays)

Clinic Schedule

Pitching Fundamentals: 9am-10am, 10:15am - 11:15am, 11:30am-12:00pm

Defensive Skills: 12:45pm-1:45pm, 2:00pm-3:00pm, 3:15pm-4:15pm

Each session will be limited to only 8 players so that each player gets enough attention and feedback.

Ages: 10-14 are welcome

Cost: $30 per session

If you have any questions or would like to secure a spot in a clinic session, please contact me and I will give you the number to call for scheduling and questions.

Now I'm probably not going to be there all day on the 25th because I have another softball related commitment in the morning, but I do plan on being there on the other dates and probably after my other event in done on the 25th. Hope to see you there!

Please feel free to forward this information to anyone you feel may be interested.

Thanks!

Coming Up Next Week...

Just to give you a quick heads up...

Next week, here on the blog beginning on Monday, I'm running a 5-Day Mini Guide to Coaching Kids. Some very interesting stuff I thought you'd be interested in.

Plus - Fastpitch Talk Radio - Episode 19 will be ready for you soon. Continuing on the "Hot Topic" of the Month, College Recruiting. I'll going to talk about an Academic Eligibility Issue you may not fully understand, so tune in to Fastpitch Talk Radio next week to listen in.

Hope you're having a great weekend. I'm looking forward to the Bill Hillhouse Pitching Clinic tomorrow. IF you are on the island of Oahu and have any interest in learning about pitching, please feel free to stop by. Demonstrations will begin at 9am, 12pm, and 3pm at Kapolei High School. Call me if you have any questions, 864-3346.

Cool Fastpitch Videos at SPORTSKOOL

Thanks to a Fastpitch World member for giving me the headsup on this website. So far, I've only watched the baserunning video, but there is some GOOD stuff there. If you want information, with a visual video to go along, about pitching, catching, fielding, and more, you have to take a look at this website.

CLICK HERE to go to the page of softball instructional videos.

This link will take you straight to the pitching video.

I hope you enjoy these. Oh yeah, did I mention that it's Mike Candrea and members of the USA National Team that are doing the instructing/demonstration in these videos?

Bil Hillhouse - Times and Locations SET

I know a lot of you have been waiting for the finalized information and details on the Bill Hillhouse clinic in Hawaii in September.

IF YOU ALREADY REGISTERED - PLEASE take note of the changes in clinic times!

Slight changes were made to the original schedule in order to secure our Saturday location.

With that said, here are all the details of the clinic...

Bill Hillhouse Pitching Clinic Sessions
September 20 & 21
Registration Fee of $35 covers ONE session on ONE of these dates.

Saturday the 20th will be at Moiliili Community Center - map
Sunday the 21st will be at Kapolei High School

Schedule for the clinic sessions on both days are as follows:

• 9:00-11:00 Ages 9-11
• 12:15-2:30 Ages 12-15
• 3:15-5:30 Ages 16+

Each session is LIMITED to just 12 girls!
Get your registration form HERE
All pitchers must supply their own catcher

Small Group/Team Sessions with Bill
September 27th at Moiliili Community Center

• Must attend pitching clinic in order to qualify for a small group session with Bill
• Up to 4 pitchers per one-hour session
• $160 per group/team
• All pitchers must supply their own catcher
• Click Here to Download Team Registration Form
  

To download and print the flyer for your league, your team, your friends, or yourself - CLICK HERE

Hawaii Pitching Clinic Around the Corner

My kids are back in school and the summer is coming to an end. That means Fastpitch Festival will be here before you know it as well as the Hawaii Bill Hillhouse Pitching clinic.

The latest information for the pitching clinic is at http://allaboutfastpitch.com/Bill2008.html.

I'm still looking for a good location for the Saturday dates. I do have a field reserved, but I would like to get a spot closer to town. I have been in touch with a few people about other options and once I have finalized my decision on the Saturday locations, I will let you know.

In the mean time, people have already begun to send in their registration for the clinic. Registration forms are available here.

The cost is $35 for participating pitchers.

ANYONE who wants to come and watch (coaches, parents, players, pitchers) may come for FREE. Please encourage anyone you know who has questions or wants to learn more about pitching pitching to come to the clinic. Contact me with any questions you may have.

See you there!

Don't Throw Hard

"Don't throw hard. Just throw strikes."

Eek! I cringe when I heard coaches or fathers saying these words to their young (or maybe even not so young) pitchers. I know I'm guilty of it sometimes too. Well, not the "Don't throw hard" part, but the part when I see a pitcher trying to hard to be too "fine" and I just want the ball in the zone because I know the batter isn't going to do much, I catch myself saying something to the effect of just having the pitcher get the ball over the plate.

But I do NOT tell a pitcher to slow down in order to gain more accuracy.

So many times I hear young pitchers being told to slow the ball down and not throw hard in exchange for strikes. More often than not what I end up seeing is this young pitcher begin to throw both slow AND wild. So she just went from having 1 issue (not throwing accurately) to having 2 issues (not throwing accurately AND not throwing with any speed/power).

How often to you hear coaches telling their infielders, "Don't throw hard, just get the ball to the 1st baseman's chest." I don't know, maybe you hear something like that on occasion. I personally can't think of a time I've heard that though. If we don't use this "logic" for throwing overhand, why do so many insist upon using it for throwing underhand, for pitching?

I know some young pitchers try to "aim" the ball on their own. My 8-year-old does this. She starts of throwing nice and strong. Sometimes she's a little off - the ball is the right height, but off left or right OR the ball is straight, but too high or too low. These are very minor "problems." Yet, she will try to slow down to gain more accuracy. It NEVER works. She still throws off the plate, sometimes even worse than when she was going all out, and her ball has very little on it.

So I just remind her that she's not gaining much by trying to go slower. I ask her if the ball was going straighter (where she wanted it to) when she was throwing slow. She always says, "No." So she's beginning to realize that's not the answer. She's starting to correct the part of her motion that IS causing the inaccuracy (releasing too late or too early, not keeping her arm swing close to her body, not stepping toward the target, etc).

The results are much better with those kinds of adjustments than they are with "slowing down" to gain increase accuracy.

I talk a little more about this in the most recent Fastpitch Talk Radio episode. It's just a short episode and you can listen to it HERE.

It's all in the FUNdamentals

I'm huge on fundamentals and mechanics - and, as you can see by the title of this post, FUN! You As I've said many times before, fun is so important when it comes to softball, or any sport for that matter. The two times in my life that I SERIOUSLY thought about quitting this game and giving it up completely as a player, the main thought going through my mind was that it wasn't fun any more. I wasn't having fun playing the game and that was the main reason behind dropping the game altogether. That's why I feel it's important to remember that as a coach, especially at the younger ages.

Another thing I'm picky about is fundamentals. I am big on working proper fundamentals, proper mechanics until it's second nature. One of my first softball coaches did this for me and I went back to it time and time again whenever I started to struggle. I've often wondered what kind of player I would have been had that ONE coach not done that because NO coach after her stressed those mechanics and drilled them like she did. I don't know that I would have had that to fall back on if she hadn't been so insistent on going over those fundamentals again and again and again.

Too often I see coaches breeze through the basics. They are so anxious to move on to other more "advanced" skills, but I just don't see the rush if your team hasn't gotten the basics down yet. For example, I've seen 10U coaches want to work on turning the double play when their team has a tough time simply fielding a ball and making a throw. Why even worry about how to turn a double play when you're still having trouble fielding a ball and making good throws? I'm not saying that you should never work on it, but it just seems a little silly to me to drop the work on the basics to "move on" to something like that. I would still work the basics in practice and give it some quality time, then maybe introduce the concept of the double and work it a bit. But to spend all your defensive practice working the double play in that particular situation doesn't make sense to me. Work the fundamentals and those "advanced" plays will come.

Same with when you start pitching. Work those fundamentals! It always baffles me to see coaches/parents/players wanting to go from never pitching before to throwing 5 different pitches in a year. Of course, if you have an unbelievably talented athlete that happens to catch on to the fundamentals and to all of the other aspects of pitching THAT quickly, than by all means, go for it. But most of us don't have that type of superhero ability. Fundamentals is what's going to give you the most power and the most accuracy whether it's throwing overhand or underhand.

If you're looking for a DVD on pitching fundamentals, the one I personally bought is from www.HouseOfPitching.com (Building the House by Bill Hillhouse).

Another one that's currently on special for $19.95 is available at Softball Performance. But that pricing is only going to last for the next day or so. If this is something you've been looking for, now's a good time to get it.

Bill Hillhouse Registration Form Ready

I've been having a bunch of people ask when they can register for the clinic. I really wanted to have sites confirmed for each of the clinic dates before taking registrations, but due to popular demand, registration IS open.

Location and times for Sunday (the 21st) is already set - the clinic will be at Kapolei High School on the 21st.

I still need to confirm a location for the 20th (Saturday) and a location for the Small Group/Team Session on the 27th.

Only registration for the clinic sessions are open at this time.
The Small Group/Team Session registration forms will posted at a later date.

Again - Bill Hillhouse will be in Hawaii in September 2008!

Last time, we had WAY too many girls in each session, so this year EACH clinic session (20th & 21st) is limited to just 10-12 girls. That's why we are running two days worth of clinic sessions - so that we can make more than just 10-12 slots per age group available. One session for each age group will run on Saturday and another session will run on Sunday.

The clinic is $35 for participating pitchers (must supply your own catcher). This fee is good for ONE session. Parents, coaches, non-participating pitchers are FREE.

Also - in order to secure a spot in a Small Group session (on the 27th with no more than 4 pitchers per session), you MUST attend one of the clinic sessions.

So a Re-Cap
20th & 21st (Sat & Sun) - pitching clinic, 3 sessions each day - registration is now OPEN
27th - Small Group/Team Sessions, only 5 hour-long slots available - not taking registration yet

My Biggest Fear as a Pitcher's Mother

Great play though...I hope the pitcher was okay.

Upcoming Hawaii Softball Clinics

If you're in Hawaii (or need a reason to come to Hawaii) there are a couple of camps/clinics that are coming up later this year. The first is the University of Hawaii Summer Camp. There are two, one for ages 8-12 and the other for ages 13-18. More information and the registration form is available at http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/camps.html.

The other clinic is the pitching clinic I'm putting on with Bill Hillhouse of HouseofPitching.com. He was here a few years ago and many people wanted to have him come again. We couldn't swing it last year, but he will be here again in September. The clinic sessions will be on Sept. 20 & 21. The small group sessions will run on the following Saturday, Sept. 27th. I don't have the eact time and location yet, but other important information is already up at www.allaboutfastpitch.com/Bill2008.html. When times, locations, and registration forms are available, they will be up at that link.

Last time we had just one day of clinic sessions and that was not enough, so that is why we're doing clinic sessions on the 20th and the 21st. On top of that we want to be able to keep the groups of pitchers down to just 10-12 per session, so we needed to be able to offer more sessions. Last time we had about 15 per session and that was just way too much. So even though we are offering two days worth of sessions, space IS LIMITED and will fill up very quickly. So keep the dates open and be ready to register once the forms come out. I'll post it here on the blog when that's ready and I will also send out notification via the mailing list if you are on it.

Is That Too Much Pitching?

Wow I just read an article about a high school softball league who's state tournament is only 2 days long. Not only that, it's double elimination with 16 teams! So a team can play as many as 6 games in two days (up to 4 on the second day). Now, I've done this before (play 4 games in one day) and I have to admit that, by that last game, you do feel tired. And I'm not even a pitcher. I can only imagine what a pitcher feels like after having to pitch multiple games in a row. Now, in college, it's not so bad, most teams are equipped to have some kind of back up so that one pitcher does not have to pitch all the games. But in high school, it's different.

This article also talks about the mechanics of pitching and the stress or lack thereof on the shoulder. That's fine, but what about the rest of the body? The shoulder isn't the only part involved in pitching.

I'm just a bit surprised at the format of the tournament they talk about in the article because our state tournament here in Hawaii is only 12 teams, single elimination and it runs over the course of 4 days (and does include teams from outer islands who travel away from school to come and play). Now I'm not saying the girls are not capable of it. I'm sure lots of the girls LOVE playing that many games in a short period of time. I would have, but that doesn't mean it's the best way to do things.

In high school, the team I was on entered lots of pre-season tournaments where we played a number of games in a short period of time, but pre-season is very different from post-season. In pre-season, you're usually carrying extra players (those trying to make the team), you're doing lots of subsitutions (to give everyone a chance to see what they can do), and the "Big W" isn't all that important. In post season, it's a completely different story.

I just can't imagine why a state would run a 16 team double elimination state tournament in just two days. There's probably a logistical issue I'm not considering? But I would hope that, for the sake of the girls, they'd come up with a better way to run the tournament. What do you think? Read the article here, then leave me a comment below with your thoughts.

Bill Hillhouse in Hawaii 2008

Yep, we're doing it again. Bill Hillhouse is coming to Hawaii in September. I know a LOT of people here in Hawaii were asking about whether or not he was going to come down again last year, but we just couldn't swing it for 2007 but we ARE doing it for 2008.

We're looking at September 20-21 for the clinic sessions (2 - 2 1/2 hours) and the following Saturday (27th) for small group sessions. Just like last time, in order to attend a small group session, you MUST attend a clinic session first.

I'm not quite sure on location yet, but we're looking at the CORP again and possibly another field in town. Ideally we'll be able to do CORP one day and the town field another day to make it easier for pitchers from different parts of the island to attend a session.

Most likely will run something similar to what we did two years ago. Clinic sessions will be offered by age group. One session will be for ages 10-12, another will be for 13-15, and the last for ages 16+. We'll run those 3 sessions on Saturday (20th) and if you can't make the Saturday date, we'll run them again on Sunday (21st).

Clinic sessions will be limited to 10-12 girls EACH. This is part of why we are running it for two days because 10-12 spots per age group will fill up FAST. So one session of 10-12 girls will be available on Saturday and another will be available on Sunday. Last time we had 14-16 per session and that was too much. This year, we're only allowing 10-12 per session so that your pitcher will get more attention during the clinic and get more out of it. Also remember, all pitchers MUST bring their own catcher.

As we get closer and closer to the clinic I will provide additional information (finalized location and pricing). Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the clinic. All clinic sessions will be FREE for ANY coaches or parents that want to attend. Bill's demonstrations during his clinics are very cool, so please come by if you have the chance. There is no charge to anyone who wants to come to see the demonstration and instruction. Only the pitchers that actually go out onto the field and go through drills and get instruction from Bill pay the clinic fee.

Cost to the pitchers will probably be about $40 to attend a 2-hour clinic session in the appropriate age group on the 20th OR 21st. Small group sessions (27th) are one hour long and Bill will work with just your group (up to 4 pitchers) for that full hour. These sessions will probably be about $140. Small group sessions will be VERY limited as we will only run them on one day, so once we finalize location and start taking applications, please don't wait too long.

Learn more about Bill Hillhouse at www.houseofpitching.com.

HUGE, HUGE Discount on Pitching Resources

Whoa! Just got word from Marc Dagenais that he is blowing out some inventory he has. Get Pitching DVD's, E-Books, Audios, and more at a VERY discounted price.

These will NOT last long!
Over half the bundles he is selling are already gone ~ some purchase by AAF members.

For all the details, CLICK HERE.

DePaul Hires Cat Osterman

I've finally had a chance to sit down and catch up on softball news and of course, one of the stories that caught my eye was Cat Osterman being hired as the new pitching coach at DePaul University. Hmmm....now I have another reason to visit Chicago.

The season hasn't even started and already Osterman's presence is having an impact on DePaul's softball program. Head coach Eugene Lenti has noticed a spike in interest from the top pitching prospects in the nation. Pitchers on DePaul's pitching staff were in disbelief when they heard the news of Osterman becoming a part of the DePaul program.

Read the full story at SI.com.

Softball FAQ - Increase Pitching Speed

In running AllAboutFastpitch.com and my other softball websites, I get quite a few questions via e-mail. Overall, one of the most frequently asked questions I get is,
"How can I help my daughter/pitcher increase her pitching speed?"

First of all, I firmly believe that proper mechanics is a must if any pitcher wants to reach their optimum pitching speed. Second, you all know that I am a big fan of Bill Hillhouse and his Building the House DVD. So if you need help with pitching mechanics or aren't really sure what to look for as far as what your daughter/pitchers should be doing, get that DVD. It's available at www.HouseofPitching.com.

Third, Marc Dagenais of Softball Performance, has a couple of products geared directly to this most frequently asked question. Now why do I feel comfortable recommended Marc's website? Because he has a ton of training and experience working specifically with softball players and a number of different levels. He's not just a fitness coach or personal trainer that has never worked with athletes in the sport of softball. He knows a lot about strength and conditioning AND knows a lot about strength and conditioning for softball players of all ages and levels of play. So....if you're looking for specific training methods that can help improve pitching speed, check out the following items at Marc's Website (links on the left hand side of the page):

***Pitching Speed Enhancement System

***Elite Pitcher Training Program

***Maximum Pitching Speed Program

***Secrets for Training & Conditioning Superstar Pitchers

Should young pitchers pitch every day?

This is a very common question that gets asked quite a bit. This question is the focus of the new Fastpitch Talk Radio show that will be ready on Monday, March 26, 2007. Here my opinion as well as the opinion of 4 other softball experts. Simply go to FastpitchTalkRadio.com and click on the Listen Now button for Episode 12!

Let me know what you think. Also - if you have a softball question that you would like us to discuss, please send the question to info @ fastpitchtalkradio.com.

A Mother's Fear

My daughter loves playing the one position I never intended for her to play...pitcher. Why did I not intend for her to play there? Because I had to play there when no one else could and was never very good at it and never really liked it or looked forward to it. So I assumed the same would be true for her. However, my daughter loves it and she seems to be better at it than I was. So, she does get to pitch. This past Saturday, in 3 innings, she had 5 balls hit right back at her. Luckily, they were all weak grounders. But my biggest fear is that line shot back at her head or right at her chest. With the bats and balls nowadays it's such a scary thought. I've thought about having her wear a gameface mask. I don't think it's that big a deal right now, but when she gets older and girls actually hit those line shots up the middle, I may very well get one. I think the trick, though, will be getting her to wear it. I haven't seen anyone in Hawaii wear one so she may think I'm crazy to ask her to put it on. Plus, she's never seen a pitcher get knocked in the head before, so it's not something she's worried about.