Coffee House
  • Home
  • Payments
  • Speed Intensive
  • Video Analysis
  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Drills/Tips
  • Contact
  • About
  • YouTube
Our Philosophy
​
 
We believe that the harder and more intense the practice, the better the pitcher. Through hard work, proper mechanics and intense practice we create our own destiny and success. 

RSS Feed

The Mental Game

11/7/2019

0 Comments

 
I was revising mental game reminders for one of my students this week and I thought I would share it here. There are more I could add, so don't hesitate to pass them along to me!
​
  • Know your opponent. Creep them on game changer, IG, or facebook. Know who the threats are on base, highest batting averages, and home run leaders. 
  • Always have a routine between each pitch; touch the dirt to get a good medium to throw with and take yourself out of the game pressure (even for a moment), then say something aggressive to yourself about the batter (self-talk such as, She is just lucky to play on the same ball field as me, or She is going down as strikeout, or I am the best pitcher out here), then take a deep breath and breathe out longer than you breathe in and visualize the path of the next pitch.  
  • Do whatever it takes to set yourself up for success. Even if it means filling in the ditch in front of the mound EVERY pitch. 
  • In facing a batter, have 3 or 4 pitch sequences in mind before you throw  the first pitch. 
  • Have a goal to get your girls off the field inside of 15 pitches. The longer the girls are out on the field the more room for error (plus youngsters get board easily). 
  • When the batter hits the ball, the pitch spin usually reverses. Keep that in mind for strategy (that is why a back hand change and rise usually generate pop-ups.  
  • Throwing low to bunters who drop the bat head can generate foul balls.
  • Throwing high to slappers can generate easy pop-ups. If they pop the ball up, it does not matter how  fast they are. Be careful, if their hands are held high they are trying to chop at the ball and will easily hit the high/rise ball. However, a drop ball intersects the plane of the bat when a slapper holds her hands high.
  • Be careful using the change-up with runners on base.
  • Pitch change-ups anywhere in the count. Don't save them for the 3rd strike.
  • Be careful using the drop with runners on base.
  • Be careful using the drop as a 3rd strike. Drop balls are more frequently in the dirt than other pitches.
  • Know what the batter did the last time at bat.
  • Get the first out of the inning yourself.Try to average 1 and a half strikeouts per inning.
  • Watch hitters practice their swings.
  • When in doubt, pitch opposites; high/low, inside/outside, fast/slow. Nothing down the middle.
  • When in doubt, throw the pitcher’s strength (favorite pitch she does best). 
  • Keep the fat part of the ball away from the fat part of the bat. Nothing down dead red!
  • Trust your catcher's abilities. Don't pitch to her based upon her skills.
  • Make sure your catcher is close to the plate to help filter balls into the zone for you.
  • Hitting your spots is usually more important than the amount of speed and movement. 
  • Perception is everything.
  • Know when to walk a batter.
  • Be a good batter. A pitcher who hurts the opponent on offense and defense is a formidable player.
  • Bad things will happen so don’t let them ruin your game. After the hit batter, walk, or homerun (etc.) that play is dead to you. Move on and face the next batter with more intensity than ever. Be the force that can stop a rally! 
  • Always go for the shutout, because if you pitch a shutout... You can’t lose!
  • Pitch Fearlessly. The slightest hesitation means you are not 100% behind the pitch which will result in less speed and control. That is when problems arise!
  • Be the BIG BAD MONSTER that nobody wants to face. You are Freddie Kruger, you never die. No one takes you down, someone will stab you with a homerun over the fence, or shoot you with a bullet liner, but no matter what, YOU NEVER LAY DOWN AND DIE! You keep coming at them like you are their Nightmare!

0 Comments

Why is Speed important?

10/25/2019

0 Comments

 
It is more than a reaction time issue. It is the ultimate attention getter to college coaches. I will never forget listening to the college coaches at the NFCA 408 Masters Class at the WCWS say that they believe that they have some of the best if not the best college coaches in the world at their schools. So if they can get a flame thrower throwing 65+, they do not care if she does not even have a change up. Their pitching coach at their school can take care of that. One coach pointed out that Hannah Rogers came to his school with only a 68 mph fastball. Nothing else! He said that by the time she left his school she was throwing everything with no problems. He recruited her because she was extra-ordinary in the speed department. It is so rare to see that kind of speed D-1 coaches jump on recruiting these unicorns immediately. Always, always, ALWAYS work on speed!
​ 
0 Comments

Correcting posture

9/12/2019

0 Comments

 
In my beginner pitchers (and some advanced) a common problem is posture. We have to have a strong tight core to get the fastest potential God given arm speed. When we cannot find neutral spine alignment and hold it, we slow up. My favorite drill for teaching a pitcher to hold her posture (her stack, shoulders over hips) is to let them pitch downhill. They feel like they will fall over if they lean forward over their stride leg. So naturally they fix their posture and tighten up through the core. Another good magic wand to fix their posture is to have them finish on their tippy-toes when they release. The problem is, we can't finish like this every time because they need to get into a good athletic fielding position after they release. It is still a good drill so they can get the "feel" of the correct posture and hopefully carry it over into the real thing but ending in a good defensive stance on the balls of the toes.    
0 Comments

Leg Drive Band Work and a tip from Danielle Lawrie

8/15/2019

1 Comment

 
I find that the use of bands very important for improving the speed and power of leg drive. The key is to find different movements and not do the same repetitive movement. When I met Danielle Lawrie at the WCWS this year in Oklahoma, I got to ask her what is her favorite drill. She actually answered that she does the "Flamigo drill or One-legged drill, 100 times with bands on her push off leg." Pitchers should work up to this number gradually. For example, do 20 reps every other day for the first week, then to 40, then 60, 80, and finally 100 reps. It is no wonder she is a Hall of Famer and Olympian!
1 Comment

get more from the drop ball

7/18/2019

0 Comments

 
The drop ball is considered by many pitchers an easier pitch to learn. Especially for internal rotation pitchers (IR means that the thumb is on top of the ball during the release so the snap moves inward and/or down) due to the likeness in the snap. A key for success no matter which drop you choose to throw is a high start, low finish. The high start refers to standing tall with the right hip higher than the left (for a right-handed pitcher). The low finish refers to the dropping to the bottom of the zone (or just below the zone) for the finish. A good drill to help this would be to have the pitcher exaggerate the feel of the high start, by stepping up on a step while pitching. Then have her recreate that feel in the pitch by throwing full speed and pushing up onto her toe while snapping. Moving the ball through the zone from high to low helps the pitch to be more effective because no one swings at pitch that starts low and ends lower. See video.

​
0 Comments

speed in glove arm

7/13/2019

0 Comments

 
0 Comments

Speed in leg drive

7/13/2019

0 Comments

 
There are several elements of speed that a pitcher can choose to focus on to improve their speed. First, the push off, or the speed off the mound. The faster the pitcher drives off the mound, generally the longer the stride. They go hand and hand. I tell my beginners to try to stride out at least their height. Another goal can be to step out heel to toe 6 times and make a mark in the dirt and make sure they are going beyond that mark. We know that studies show that stride length and speed go hand and hand. The average pitcher that throws 68 mph, strides out 7 feet 4 inches. That knowledge can be a motivator for the pitcher to push off faster. There are many different drills the pitcher can perform to help develop speed of the mound such as the flamingo (one legged push off) drill, resistance bands, 2 step drill, sprinters stance drill, etc.  
However, ultimately the push off the mound comes from the powerhouse muscle groups of the quads and anterior tibialis. The anterior tibialis acts in the dorsiflexion and inversion of the foot, so it is important for the pitcher to rock back lifting the toe (negative increases the positive) then quickly roll over the toe with the heel dragging toward the ceiling (less stress on knees and ankles). The Quads are very active in the push off during the "sprinters stance" phase of the push off. A true "sprinters stance" push off would mean the knee goes past the toe, at this point the pitcher's weight is fully loaded in the muscles on the front of the leg. When the stride leg touches down, the back of the leg muscles become most active (driving knee to knee). It is best to work these muscles for fast twitch by working them with a high load in a short amount of time. Having a good balance of slow twitch (endurance) muscle can also prove helpful for long tournaments. Besides, the championship game is never the first game of the day, it could be the 3rd or possibly 5th. Amy Johnston
0 Comments
    Grip strength can overrule small hand size.
We teach hour long group lessons with no more than 3 girls in a group. We also offer half hour private lessons. Both hour group and half hour private lessons are the same price ($50 per lesson or $180 for four). We offer a $20 discount if you pay for four in advance. Payments made by cash and checks are also accepted. 

​My junior instructor lesson rate is $25 for either a half hour private or hour long group (no more than 3 girls). Junior instructors are paid directly to the instructor by cash or check. 
​
I will be teaching a pitching clinic during the month of July. I have taught this clinic several times with a lot of success. It is a great way for pitchers to gain a ton of knowledge in a short amount of time. I highly recommend for a parent to come and catch because I go at a very fast pace and the parents will be able to retain more than the girls.  It will be at our facility and stay tuned for details!


About
Shop
Updates
Contact
Proudly powered by Weebly
Picture
  • Home
  • Payments
  • Speed Intensive
  • Video Analysis
  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • Drills/Tips
  • Contact
  • About
  • YouTube