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6 Benefits of Playing Under Sandlot Rules | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Let me start by acknowledging that today's ballplayers are far more technically skilled and athletically knowledgeable than they were when I was young lad, and even when I started coaching more than 25 years ago. If you go out to a ballpark this weekend, even to a local B-level or C-level 10U tournament, you're likely…
A Quick Primer on Fastpitch Pitching Rules | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
When you go to a game it often seems there are two kinds of people when it comes to the rules of fastpitch softball in general. One group feels like they know absolutely nothing and are often confused about why umpires made the call they made. The other group is absolutely certain that they know…
Checkmate! Why Fastpitch Hitting Is Like a Chess Match | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Ok, before we begin I am going to flat-out admit I am not much of a chess player. I never liked it as a kid - too slow and boring for me - and can't remember the last time I played a full game. Probably when I was in high school, which was a very…
The Path to Improvement Is Rarely Linear | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
So you decided to start taking your daughter to private lessons, or to buy an online package, or do a bunch of research and teach her yourself. That's terrific - way to step up and help your daughter get better at the sport she loves. Now it's time to set some realistic expectations. In my…
A Tribute to the Parents Who Show Up Just in Case their Daughter Plays | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
You see them at every high school (and sometimes college) ballfield. In cold weather climes they are bundled up in parkas, blankets, quilts, wool hats, mittens, and whatever else they can find to keep them warm, sitting in their camp chairs either alone or maybe in pairs, steeling themselves against March and early April winds…
Easing Young Arms Into the Season | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
On our From the Coach's Mouth podcast yesterday, Jay Bolden (St. Xavier University, BeBold Fastpitch) and I discussed several topics related to the start of the high school and outdoor travel season. During that conversation Jay brought up a topic that I believe is critical to both the health of the athletes and the success…
A Quick Guide to Working With the Littles | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Congratulations! You missed your rec league's organizational meeting and somehow got volunteered to coach an 8-10 year old team. Or maybe you were once a player and thought it was important to give back to the game you loved so much growing up so you volunteered yourself. Or you've started doing private lessons and were…
The Best Tryout Advice You’ll Ever Receive | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Tryouts are beginning soon for high school fastpitch softball in many parts of the U.S., and with them comes all the anticipation, hopes, dreams, and yes, anxiety typically associated with trying to earn a spot on a team. Plenty has been written about things you can do to improve your chances of making the team…
Preparing for the Inevitble Storms | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
On this week's episode of the From the Coach's Mouth podcast, Jay Bolden and I spoke with Shawnee Harle, 2X Olympian with the Canadian Basketball National Team and now a Mental Toughness Coach with her own business called Winning Matters. While Shawnee had a lot of great insights into the mental game, there was one…
How Practice Helps Shorten the Trip to Softball Success | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
At the end of the first lesson with a new student I will often ask her if she knows where New York City and Los Angeles are on a map. I know that's a gamble given how famously bad we Americans are at geography, but even if she doesn't know she will usually have an…
A $500 Bat Won’t Fix a $5 Swing | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Softball bat technology has certainly come a long way from the days when an $80 Louisville Slugger burgundy bottle bat was what every fastpitch hitter dreamed of owning. (Linda Lensch I'm looking at you.) The materials and construction of today's bats are designed to maximize distance and power, turning even so-so contact into a potential…
Debunking the “One Size Fits All” Myth | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Take a look at fastpitch softball discussion groups on Facebook or other corners of the Internet for any length of time and you'll find parents and coaches looking for the magical drill that will yield faster speeds with greater accuracy for pitchers, longer distances and higher batting averages for hitters, more sure-handedness for fielders, or…
Energy Creation: The Rolling Snowballs Corollary | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
This seems like an apt analogy since as I write this much of the USA is still dealing with a fair amount of snow, including many places that rarely get any. Welcome to my world, although we actually haven't gotten much all winter. Anyway, the other day I was trying to explain the concept of…
Be the River, Not the Rock | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Here's a simple question for you today: which is strong, the river or the rock that sits in the middle of it? The answer is it depends on your point of view. Taken at a glance, a snapshot in time if you will, it appears the rock is stronger. After all, the rock stands steadfast,…
Compete Against Yourself First | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
The desire/urge to compete is pretty much baked into our DNA. Where originally it was a survival mechanism - those who were best at finding resources (or taking them from others) were the most likely to live - that drive lives on today in many forms, including the desire/urge to score more runs than an…
Vlog: Absolutes v Core Principles in Fastpitch Pitching | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Today we're starting the new year with something a little different. Recently Rick Pauly of Pauly Girl Fastpitch and the High Performance Pitching certification program and I got together for a video discussion about several topics related to fastpitch pitching. The driving topic behind it was the difference between absolutes and core principles in athletic…
6 Suggestions for Your Softball New Year’s Resolutions | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Yes, it's a little cliche; ok a lot cliche. But still, the end of one year and the beginning of the next is a good time to re-think your behaviors and resolve to become a better version of you over the next 12 months. Or at least the next 12 days, which is the length…
Weather Outside Frightful? You Can Still Practice Part 2 | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Last week we talked about how even though the weather outside may be bad it doesn't mean you can't practice your pitching. Well, I must have called out the softball gods because wouldn't you know it we got hit with a couple of rounds of snow. Nothing major, but enough for a potential white Christmas…
Weather Outside Frightful? You Can Still Practice Part 1 | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
In my part of the world we are currently at the time of year when the weather outside is, as the song says, frightful. Cold, snow, high winds, icy ground, and more make going from the house to the car, much less trying to pitch, hit, field, etc., a rather unpleasant experience. In other parts…
The Importance of Intention in Achieving Fastpitch Success | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
As a private instructor, one of the questions I often get from parents of new students is, "How much should my daughter practice?" While well-intended (see what I did there?) the question is usually a tipoff that said new student generally doesn't practice very much and the parent is looking for someone who isn't them…
Giving a Little Love to the First Basemen | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Have you ever stopped to think about which defensive position in fastpitch softball is the least valued? I think you can make a pretty argument for first base. I mean, sure, there are plenty of parents who think that playing the outfield (doesn't matter which specific position) is an insult to their highly talented daughters.…
6 Softball Things I’m Grateful for: 2024 Edition | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
With Thanksgiving coming next week it seemed like a good time to offer up a potpourri of things in the softball world for which I am thankful. Now, this isn't going to be one of those sentimental posts where I talk about how thankful I am for my understanding wife who lets me spend so…
The Dark Side of College Softball | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Like many of you I'm sure, my Facebook feed has recently been filled with photos from Signing Day ceremonies across the country. Congratulations to all those who have officially achieved their dream of becoming a member of a college softball team. Yet as the classic W.W. Jacobs tale "The Monkey's Paw" illustrates, getting your wish…
Book Recommendation: “Crunch Time” | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
We've all seen it or experienced it: the player or coach who is great in practice (aka a cage warrior) and seems like he/she should be a star, only to struggle when they get into a game. It's frustrating to watch, especially because the breakdowns often seem to happen at the worst possible time, yet…
Captain Picard’s Lesson on Winning, Losing, and Errors | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Sorry to nerd out on this one, but there is a great Star Trek: The Next Generation episode called Peak Performance that puts some perspective into the challenges of competing in fastpitch softball. Even if you're not a fan you might one to check this one out. https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbHl4emYwNmMwZTI3bXNpYWUzemZqbmJwaHd3aThjaWFmZjE2czJnbiZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/l1KVb2dUcmuGG4tby/giphy.gif I make no apologies. The part that's…
How “Garbage Time” Can Become Your Treasure | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
There is an old saying that states "One person's trash is another person's treasure." (Actually it says "one man's" but I have updated it for the modern era. You're welcome.) This concept definitely applies to softball, especially if you are one of those players who is struggling to get playing time at a particular position…
Why You Shouldn’t Let Today’s Setbacks Define You | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Not sure who needs to hear this story today but I have no doubt there are some who do - and others who may in the future. So I thought I'd share it, courtesy of my friend Tim Boivin who first shared it with me. Hopefully the link works and you can read the full…
There’s No Good Reason to Squeeze the Strike Zone | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Before I start I want to say that this is not your typical rant about how umpires are terrible and shouldn't be allowed to walk free with the rest of us. To the contrary, I have tremendous respect for umpires because I know it's a tough and often thankless job, and that nearly all umpires…
The Risks and Rewards of Playing on the Edge | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
We all love watching those SportsCenter highlights where outfielders dive for balls in front of them or go flying over the fence to rob a hitter of a home run. Or the ones where a pitcher strikes out a hitter with the bases loaded, a hitter comes through with a clutch hit on a pitch…
Product Review: Chargeball a Bright Idea for Extending Practice Time | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
So there you are. You rushed home from work, fighting traffic all the way (and getting home 20 minutes later than usual) so you can take your daughter out for a little practice session to help her improve her skills and/or get ready for the next game. Unfortunately, it's the time of year (early to…
There’s More to Calling Pitches than Calling Pitches | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
One of my favorite jokes is about a guy who goes to prison for the first time. As he's being walked to his cell by a guard he hears a prisoner yell "43!", which is followed by howls of laughter from the rest of the population. About 20 seconds later someone else yells out "17!"…
Remember to Celebrate Progress and Successes | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
The other day I went to visit a healthcare professional (HP). Nothing serious, just basically checking a box for the insurance company. Anyway, we were talking about some lifestyle changes I've made to try to stay healthier longer. Yet it seemed like every time I told the HP about some improvement I'd made she countered…
The Way You’re Training Your Players Could Be Hurting Their Performance – And Health | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
We've all been there. We have a player who turns out to be great, or we watch what great players do, and we study them intensely to figure out what they're doing so we can replicate it with all our other players. But then when we try to apply what we've learned we find it…
Helping Pitchers Transition from 10U to 12U | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Ask just about anyone who has gone through the full softball journey and they will probably tell you that the toughest transition is going from playing 10U to 12U (or 11U for those who like to talk in one-year increments). While it is challenging for all players, with new rules to keep in mind, greater…
Webinar: What to Do When a College Coach Calls | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
A few years ago, the college recruiting rules changed to restrict NCAA Division 1 coaches from speaking to potential student athletes until September 1 of their junior year. That was a huge improvement over the Wild, Wild West of recruiting that had seen verbal offers going to eighth grade (or even younger) players on a…
12 Ways Fastpitch Softball Has Changed Over the Last 25 Years | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
It is always tempting to think that the way things are today is the way they have always been. After all, it can be difficult to imagine things being significantly different if you've never known anything else. Well, I'm here to tell you that the game HAS changed significantly over the last (roughly) 25 years…
5 Positives to Not Being Invited Back | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
Right now the tryout season for next year is winding down in many part of the country - and beyond. That's hard for an "old school" coach like me to conceive since I know of many teams that are still playing in various "National" tournaments with this year's players, But such is the reality of…
Thank You and Farewell to Retiring Coaches | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
As the travel ball season winds down (that went fast!) some of you out there are coaching your final games. Whether your daughter is done with her fastpitch softball career, is going to a team with so-called "professional" coaches, your organization is making a change in how it selects coaches, you've just decided coaching is…
What’s the Deal with the Colored Tape on Catchers’ Chest Protectors? | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
If you were watching the Women's College World Series in 2023 and/or 2024 you no doubt noticed that Oklahoma's catchers had a piece of blue or red tape affixed to their chest protectors. I have heard some interesting explanations as to what it might be. One is that it's some sort of enlarged target for…
You Have Stats – Use Them! | Life in the Fastpitch Lane
The movie and especially the book Moneyball details how the Oakland Athletics (A's) helped pioneer the use of statistical data in making player decisions, from which players to acquire to who to play in the field on a daily basis. Their reason for doing it was primarily financial, i.e., they didn't have the same kind…