"Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills" goes beyond technical skills such as catching and hitting to the tactical skills that will help your players make smart in-game decisions that build a winning team. Endorsed by the American Fastpitch Coaches Association, this is "the" resource for coaching softball at the high school level.
Field a winning fastpitch softball team year after year with the knowledge and insights of a coaching legend! Coaching Fastpitch Softball Successfully provides the guidance and technical expertise you need in order to build and maintain a competitive team, covering every facet of leading a squad on the field and developing a program off of it. Hall of Fame coach Kathy Veroni, who has won more than 1,250 fastpitch games in her career, and pitching expert Roanna Brazier share their insights and experiences in this authoritative, comprehensive guide to coaching fastpitch softball. From developing a coaching philosophy and planning for the season to teaching the skills and tactics of the game, you will find proven formulas for success within these pages. With practice and conditioning plans, administrative forms, sample scouting charts, tactics for dozens of game situations, and more than 130 drills, Coaching Fastpitch Softball Successfully is the most complete resource available for aspiring and experienced coaches alike. Take advantage of the authors' expertise to gain a winning edge over your competition.
Packed with 175 drills straight from the practice sessions of the game's most successful programs, The Softball Drill Book will add variety to your practices and precision to your game-day performances. The comprehensive collection covers every aspect of the game. From warm-up to conditioning, throwing to hitting, bunting to base-running, you'll find drills to improve position skill and team execution—all from college coaches and programs that have won 13 NCAA Women's College World Series titles and dozens of NCAA regional tournament titles. Contributors include: Louie Berndt, Florida State Carol Bruggeman, Louisville Yvette Girouard, Louisiana State Michelle Gromacki, Cal State Fullerton Deanna Gumpf, Notre Dame Carol Hutchins, Michigan Kelly Inouye-Perez, UCLA Jay Miller, Mississippi State Jennifer Ogee, Nebraska Kim Sowder, Long Beach State Heather Tarr, Washington Michelle Venturella, Iowa Kirk Walker, Oregon State Margie Wright, Fresno State One look at the names above and it is clear, The Softball Drill Book is your blueprint for championship practices.
“Mastering these drills will arm your players with one of the biggest intangibles necessary to perform well--confidence.” --Michele Smith Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Fame pitcher Michele Smith throws one right down the middle with this big collection of more than 250 skill-building drills developed especially for coaches of fast-pitch recreation league, travel ball, and high school softball players, ages eight to eighteen. Straight from the Michele Smith Gold Camps and Clinics, these drills are designed to give you all the tools you need to teach the entire range of offensive and defensive softball skills. With Michele's expert guidance and instruction, you'll coach your players to: Master the mechanics of footwork for fielding with hustle Swing for the fences and hit the fastest pitches Catch the ball proactively and throw it quickly and accurately to its target Defend the infield and outfield with speed and confidence Run the bases swiftly and strategically Refine fast-pitch skills so they can windmill like Michele And much more
Looking for the ultimate book to help you learn and master softball’s essential skills? Look no further than the guide that has helped develop the game’s top players and most successful teams. This new edition of Softball Skills & Drills is completely updated with more skills, more drills and strategies, and more of the stellar instruction that have made it the top-selling title on the sport. Judi Garman, one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, teams with Cal State Fullerton’s Michelle Gromacki to share their secrets to developing and mastering every aspect of the game. With step-by-step instruction, full-color photo sequences, technique tips, and unique insight into the game, you’ll learn every fundamental skill: •Hitting •Bunting •Slap Hitting •Baserunning •Sliding •Fielding •Throwing •Pitching •Catching And with over 230 of the game’s best drills, coverage of team offense and defense, pitch selection, pitch recognition, and in-game strategies, Softball Skills and Drills is simply the most comprehensive and practical guide on the sport. Whether striving to become a complete player or preparing your team for another championship run, Softball Skills &Drills is the one book you cannot be without.
Offers advice on coaching softball from twenty-eight top coaches, covering priorities and principles, program building, practice sessions, team strategies, player motivation, and other topics.
What do women softball players look for in a coach? Drawing on interviews with 50 college players and a survey of players from all NCAA divisions, this book explores what players want and need: someone who connects with them on and off the field, a competent leader who knows and loves the game and mentors them with a vision beyond softball. Coaches from major Division One conferences, as well as Divisions Two and Three and Junior College ranks, share their experiences and coaching strategies--among them four-time Olympian Laura Berg, Baylor University Coach Glenn Moore, University of South Carolina Coach Bev Smith, and four coaches with national championships to their credit. Taking cues from the coaches and players themselves, softball coaches will have the tools they need to revolutionize their approaches.
"This book provides practical strategies for developing the mental skills which help speed you to your full potential."---Dave Winfield What does it mean to play heads-up baseball? A heads-up player has confidence in his ability, keeps control in pressure situations, and focuses on one pitch at a time. His mental skills enable him to play consistently at or near his best despite the adversity baseball presents each day. "My ability to fully focus on what I had to do on a daily basis was what made me the successful player I was. Sure I had some natural ability, but that only gets you so far. I think I learned how to focus; it wasn't something that I was necessarily born with." -- Hank Aaron "Developing and refining my mental game has played a critical role in my success in baseball. For years players have had to develop these skills on their own. This book provides practical strategies for developing the mental skills that will help speed you toward your full potential." -- Dave Winfield
Paul Petricca draws on his experience as a coach, player, blogger, and student of baseball and softball to share what hes learned about hitting in this essential guide for players seeking dramatic results at the plate. The author presents easy to understand hitting mechanics highlighting how the engineering concept of torque can be applied to hitting and is often the difference between a weak groundball or a long home run. Topics covered include understanding where hitting power really comes from and the importance of increasing bat speed through the fundamentals of a repeatable and powerful rotational swing. Hitters of all ages who adopt his eight hitting keys will enjoy a dramatic increase in bat speed and power almost immediately. Hitting with Torque is more than a set of hitting mechanics---its a mindset. Readers will be challenged to look past the worn-out hitting theories and myths that have been holding back hitters from reaching their full potential. With an open mind and practice, all hitters can unlock the power and consistency that is Hitting with Torque.
