Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog Last week the fastpitch softball world lost one of its great friends and a pioneer — Mary Nutter. Mary was one of the first (if not the first) to bring quality live instruction in the techniques and strategies of fastpitch … [Read more...]
The Death of the Team Party
Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog Back when my oldest daughter played travel ball, there used to be aphenomenon known as the end of the season team party. A family (usually one with a pool) would volunteer to host, and everyone would come over to their house for one last time … [Read more...]
The Most Important Player on the Field
The player in the play, the most important player on your team at that moment! Ok, quick question for all you softball fanatics. Who is the most important player on the field? Is it the pitcher? The catcher? The shortstop with the sure hands and strong arm? The center fielder with wings on … [Read more...]
The Difference Maker
Not many players get to experience being in a championship game throughout their whole softball playing life. Even less players are able to say they've one a tournament. I've been playing baseball/softball for eleven years now and have only played in four championship games. I consider myself … [Read more...]
The Danger of Being Predictable in Softball
Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog Photo taken by Vinnie Ahuja (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Over the weekend I saw a very well-played high school playoff game. It was a one-run contest throughout. But in the end, when the losing team needed to score, their coach's … [Read more...]
Quick Softball Tip: Do You Know Where You’re Headed?
Most softball players and coaches dedicate quite of bit of time to softball each week. In fact, you may even fall into the category of spending a "ton" of time on softball when you're in season. However, it's surprising how often players or coaches train, compete, and spend hours of their time on … [Read more...]
Softball Coaching: Avoid Becoming A Nattering Nabob of Negativity
Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog Hard to believe that it wasn’t so long ago that fastpitch softball was a game played by kids for the – wait for it – fun of it. Sure, there were a few adults around regularly in the form of coaches and umpires, and parents … [Read more...]
Softball Pitching Tips: How to Destroy a Hitter’s Timing
One thing that's often said about hitting is that "hitting is timing." Well if you're a pitcher and you want to experience success in the circle, the last thing you want to do is allow hitters to get their timing down when hitting against you. That's why legendary pitcher Hal Skinner wrote … [Read more...]
Fastpitch TV 189 - Interview with Jennie Finch
Who doesn't love Jennie Finch? In this episode of Fastpitch TV, Jennie Finch talks about: her first experience with softball her dad and the Finch Windmill what it was like being a 3-sports athlete in high school what position she played in high school (not pitcher!) her travel ball … [Read more...]
Fastpitch Softball Drills Work Better When You Know Why You’re Doing Them
Guest post by Ken Krause, Life in the Fastpitch Lane blog Fastpitch Drills Work Better When You Know Why You're Doing Them Yet another story from the fastpitch front, i.e. lessons. Tonight I was doing a pitching lesson where the pitcher brought her own catcher. The catcher happens to be a girl … [Read more...]