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Core Competency
by Dave
Friday, March 23, 2007
Scientists have determined that Neanderthal Man had one very strong arm which was one major reason for his (and her) success. He lived in the forest and supported himself by killing large game with a short spear. But when forests began to disappear, he was unable to make a living out in the open fields. His short spear was not well suited to distance throwing. His strong arm wasn't enough for him to get by. And he couldn't run very well, especially over longer distances. There's a lesson in there someplace for fastpitch softballers.
I read on a forum that the new rage in our sport is strength and agility training. Rage, perhaps but new? There's nothing new about strength and agility training. Every sport makes intelligent use of this training technique. And if softballers are just now jumping on the bandwagon as several posters to that forum indicated, they are either the last human athletes on Earth or it is only because athletes and coaches in that particular area are not aware they should be doing this.
Football linemen run through agility ropes to quicken their step. Wide receivers and basketball players go to dance classes to improve core strength, agility, and flexibility. Baseball players spend the entire off season doing exercise routines to work their large muscle groups as well as the little ones. It really doesn't matter which sport you're talking about or interested in. There is some sort of regimen which the top athletes do before during and after their other, sport specific work. If you're playing softball and not doing some sort of strength work, agility training, or conditioning, it's time to start.
It isn't rocket or biomechanical science to understand the need to do more than work on throwing or swinging the bat. A casual review of the motions involved show anyone with their eyes open that major muscle groups are involved in all the major motions a softballer needs to make. These major muscle groups are more important to long term success than the smaller ones.
You do need "a strong arm" to throw well but that doesn't preclude the need for a strong back, abdomen, etc. You throw overhand with your upper legs, hips, back, etc. muscles at least as much as you do using your arm and shoulder muscles. Truthfully, the shoulder and arm muscles are used more for maintaining the mechanical position than they are for generating the force of the throw. If you have a really "strong arm" but a weak back, torso, stomach, you are not going to be able to throw hard for long. Over emphasis on the shoulder and arm muscles will weaken your throwing and lead to injury eventually.
In order to swing a bat properly, obviously, you've got to rotate your hips. The better your hip rotation, the better your swing. The more in shape your abdomen and lower back are, the stronger your hip rotation, the better your swing. It's really that easy. And it's certainly not only the hips and abdomen. The upper and lower back have to be strong too. That's not to say all you need to do is strengthen your major muscle groups and you'll be a star hitter. But you cannot reach anywhere near your potential without doing exercise of the major muscle groups.
Take a good look at any important motion in the game and you'll see the same thing. The windmill pitcher doesn't pop that ball just by rotating her arm. She pushes off with her legs and rotates her body around the axis to generate force. A good infielder uses a lot of major muscles to move laterally to the ball, to position for an accurate throw and to make that throw. Similarly outfielders running diagonally to catch up with the flight of the ball have to have strong legs, back, abdomen, etc. What about the catcher? Her movements are not as large as those of other players. Sure, she can get away without doing other forms of exercise, can't she? Maybe if she doesn't want to get quicker or maybe if she wants to spend the season nursing a sick back, she can. There is no place on the softball diamond including designated hitter which requires no conditioning, strengthening, and agility work. That's true to improve one's game, to avoid injury and to just plain get better.
I just alluded to it but one major reason for doing such training is the avoidance of injury. Having suffered with lower back pain as a young catcher, I feel uniquely qualified to acknowledge this. My abs were not nearly in as good a shape as they should have been. Catching relies on the stomach muscles perhaps more than many other positions. You're in that painful crouch, you catch the pitch and the runner goes! You spring up to make the throw with as little motion as possible. Your throw absolutely relies on the strength of your abdomen and leg muscles. Never even mind the wear and tear your body takes back there with the constant shifting around.
If you wonder about hitting, just try taking a swing when your back or stomach muscles hurts. You can't do it. When you're feeling better try taking a swing again. Take 200 swings. Where do you feel muscle burn? If you don;t feel it in your legs, back, and stomach at least as much as in your arms, you probably are not swinging properly. And if you perform the sort of repetitive motion you need to really work your swing without doing a regular routine of exercise, at some point you;re going to end up with an injury.
So you do this exercise regimen in order to make important muscle groups stronger and in order to avoid injury. That's fine but there's an ancillary benefit you weren't counting on. If you get yourself in really good condition, you may not notice it but others surely will. All of a sudden your reaction speeds will pick up. You'll find you move to the ball much faster than previously. Your swing is quicker and more powerful, and you don't need to commit quite as fast. When you get fooled on a pitch, you are able to adjust quickly and hold up more easily. Everything about your game has improved!
Now I've convinced you of the need to perform a regular routine of exercise in order to really step up your game. You want to know what you should do. I'm sorry but I can't tell you. I'm not an exercise expert. But what I can tell you is that you should seek out a broad array of exercise which works all of the major muscle groups. I can tell you that it should involve flexibility and agility. It should make you sweat and there should be an emphasis on performing exercises properly. You should be able to do this on your own by consulting with exercise books available in your library, especially those written by sports coaches and trainers. if that's too much work or above your head, you can seek out a personal trainer. I'd stay away from the ones who work those gyms for adults and stick to sports places. There's a growing number of those popping up all over the place.
The world seems to graduate "personal trainers" more each day. But any old personal trainer is not necessarily the right answer. There are at least as many incompetent trainers out there as there are incompetent anythings. If you are trying to find someone to train you for softball, you should ask lots of questions about their qualifications, experience, maybe how you should train to avoid a particular kind of injury and anything else you can come up with.
Do not engage in a regular routine of exercise which does not seem to work all major muscle groups equally. This is a path to injury. And if some nascent personal trainer thinks he needs to adapt an exercise program to isolate certain muscles just for softball, there may be something wrong with his or her approach. There are certain exercises for softballers but no program needs to emphasize these to the exclusion of other more general types of exercise. A correct program should contain some general stretching, strength exercises, cardio-vascular, agility work, and some limited sport-specific exercise. The sport specific stuff is the least of your worry. You're looking to strengthen all your muscles and to get in generally better shape. Windmiller's do not want an hour routine which involves 30 minutes on the Finch machine or similar device.
Many of the free exercises you and I grew up with are appropriate to improved conditioning. Push ups help softballers in a number of ways. Ladder work is good for the torso and legs, not to mention a player's quickness. A comprehensive set of abdominal muscle exercises is as important as anything else. There should be some work on a bike, treadmill, elliptical bike, or anything else which works the heart and some major muscle groups. Sprinting can be a good exercise especially when worked into an agility course.
One hour per session should be sufficient to perform a good workout. I suggest working out two to three times each week. Less than two doesn't help much at all, it may hurt. Two will help some by that third day yields exponentially greater results. Tha doesn't mean you need to run out to the local sports gym three times each week at inconvenient times leaving school work as the last priority. It means you should get some sort of a program from the trainer or emulate what you do while with her or him, yourself. Anyone who spends time with an exercise instructor can repeat much of what is done there and replace anything involving expensive equipment with other similar exercise like running or riding a bicycle. If you can afford to go one day each week, plan out the rest of the week to fit in a similar hour on your own on two other days.
Do not get into a habit of performing your exercise routine on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Space the days apart and make sure you always leave at least one day open between sessions. This allows your muscles to recoup and avoids the tendency we have to do exercises improperly when fatigued. Also, consider trying to perform different though similar exercises on different days in order to keep some variety going. if you're content to do exactly the same set of exercises each of your workout days, fine. But if boredom sets in, I suggest you try different exercises out to spice it up. Talk to your trainer about which ones can be substituted for which.
That's about the best advice I can give you. Understand that what I want you to take away from this little piece is: 1) a recognition that softballers do need an exercise regime in order to strengthen important muscle groups, avoid injury and reach their potential. 2) You can put together an exercise program yourself or get a personal trainer. 3) If you go to a trainer, ask lots of questions and look for reasonable responses. 4) Whether you put together a program or a trainer does it, do not use a bunch of sport specific exercises. General exercise should fill at least 75% of the overall program. 5) Do this routine several times a week with a full day off between sessions. 6) Mix it up to avoid boredom - think of yourself as making an interesting salad. 7) Don't allow yourself to become a Neanderthal, known only for having a great throwing arm! 8) Enjoy the much better softball player you have become as a result of a little hard work!!Labels: coaching, parents, Training
Permanent Link: Core Competency
 
Fun-damentals!
by Dave
Thursday, March 22, 2007
I caught a game on TV yesterday on the Fox College Sports Network - required for all softball addicts. It was good to see a little fastpitch again even if it wasn't in-person, outside, and someplace warm. I enjoyed watching the game but I found a number of things disturbing. These two teams were relatively good Division I programs - they weren't lower level teams. One was a top 25 team! But the players fundamental skills were lacking, they failed to execute sound approaches to the game, and some of the strategies employed were at best questionable.
The first thing I found disturbing was a defensive play on a shot towards the secondbaseman. the ball ended up in rightfield because even though the player got her glove on the ball, she couldn't corral it. I watched that play over and over again via my TV's digital recorder and finally it struck me that while the ball was certainly hit hard, the fielder never moved her feet at all. If you want to play defense, you've just got to learn to move your feet.
You catch a thrown or hit ball as much with your feet as you do with your hands. Even a hard hit line drive should cause your feet to move. Actually, if you're an infielder standing flat footed when the pitch is thrown, you're dead. You've got to be up on your toes and the balls of your feet and moving to some degree before a ball is even hit. You cannot help but move your feet right before during an after a defensive play. Yet this player stood flat-footed before the pitch, after it, and after the hit, and missed a line shot. I was surprised to see such poor fundamental skills in that particular level of play.
Here's what I suggest you do. If you're playing the field, get used to being up on the balls of your feet as the pitcher begins her windmill. If the batter begins to swing, take a couple very short choppy steps forwards until you pick up the ball. Always move your feet as you are moving your mitt towards a hit ball. Practice this approach during team practices and on every pitch in games.
Another play I saw which resulted in an out involved a base stealer who was thrown out on a really good throw by the catcher. I watched the replay of that as well and was disturbed by something the catcher did. As the pitcher went into her windmill, the catcher made a fist with her hand and placed it behind her right thigh. I've seen catchers do this more in softball than I have in baseball. I'm not really sure why since both sports involve the same responsibilities and risks to the catcher. I prefer a fist behind the catcher's mitt because it allows for 1) better balance as the catcher comes up to make the throw and 2) a much faster release to second base. But I'll live with the tendency to keep the hand back just for the sake of argument since many coaches teach this approach and that's not what I found most disturbing.
What upset me was that while the pitch was still incoming, the catcher removed her hand from the safety of her leg and pulled it up towards the mitt with her fingers wide open - no longer in a fist. The hand was wide open presumably so she could grasp the ball quickly. The batter swung and missed. The catcher grasped the ball and threw out the runner, strike'em out / throw'em out double play. But while the play was made, this is exactly the wrong thing to do. The runner on first happened to be a well-known, very successful base stealer. The catcher should have been ready for a steal. If you're going to be ready for a steal, your hand should be up by the catcher's mitt and remain in a fist. If you've got your hand in back of you for reasons of protecting your fingers, OK, keep them there. Why would you pull your hand up to the mitt before the pitch has arrived, while the batter can still foul the ball off? If you're going to pull it out from it's safe spot anyways, keep it up there to begin with. And never, never, ever leave your hand open before the pitch arrives. That's a sure way to break your fingers on a foul tip. This play, while a good one from the standpoint of getting an out, was like a perfect clip on what not to do if you're a catcher.
Here's my take-away for you. I suggest you get used to catching with your throwing hand in a fist behind your glove. It can't get hit by a foul ball there. You will inevitably get hit by some foul tips at some point no matter where you keep your hand but if it is in a fist, you are less likely to break a finger. No matter where you keep your hand, keep it in a fist until the ball passes the batter. And, if you must keep your hand behind your leg, I'll learn to live with that ... provided you don't pull it out at exactly the wrong moment!
Other parts of the action I found disturbing involved the inability to move runners along and poor strategies on the bases. The number two hitter for one team got up to bat in the first inning with a runner aboard. The score was still 0-0 but she failed to move the runner up via the bunt. Her skill level at bunting was below average. She couldn't get the bat on the ball given a pitcher who does not strike out many batters. She failed to execute a bunt on a pitch thrown pretty much right down the middle of the plate. She seemed to be trying to execute a drag rather than sacrifice bunt. Her feet were in motion like a dragger or slapper. She couldn't vector the ball and missed at bunting. I am upset at the player for not being able to execute a simple sacrifice bunt. I am more upset with the coach for not having somebody who can in the 2 spot where this situation often occurs.
At one point in this game, there were runners on first and second, the team at-bat was down two runs, and there was one out. Runners on base had excellent speed. The batter was apparently a left-hand-hitting slapper. First she set up to bunt and, again, this hitter tried to drag rather than sacrifice. First she took a pitch which was just below the strike zone by pulling back her bat in time. The runners almost got caught off base because they saw the location of the pitch and were breaking for the next base. Understand this, a pitch does not have to be a strike to be a good bunting pitch. One just below the strike zone is the BEST pitch to bunt. If the offensive play everyone is in the know of is a bunt in this situation, the batter just has to get the bunt down. The runners were right to start since they saw what amounted to the best possible pitch for a bunt.
Later during this at-bat, the hitter stopped trying to get a bunt down and went to her normal slapping style. She grounded one foul right at the third base coach. That got my attention. Why would you be trying to hit the ball down the third baseline with runners on first and second? That's exactly what you don't want to do. If you're going to do anything in this situation, you simply MUST hit the ball to the right side. This batter ended her at-bat by grounding the ball weakly to short who tossed to third, two outs runners still on first and second, missed opportunity, bad play, bad at-bat.
Here's my advice, whether you are a slapper or not, whether you're a righty or lefty, learn to hit the ball to the right side of the field when you've got runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 or no outs. That is an indispensable skill. And, in the same situation, if you are bunting, you've got to learn what a good pitch to bunt is and you've got to learn to get it down. Dragging is a great skill too but NOT with 1 out and two runners aboard!
Finally, late in this game, after squandering numerous opportunities to advance runners and potentially win this game, one team found itself with its last ups and down by two runs. Their leadoff hitter got on base. The announcers noted that while she was a good base stealer, she most likely would not go in this situation. They were wrong, she went on the first pitch! Now the team with the runner aboard is successful stealing bases about 60% of the time. But the defensive team allows only a little less than half of opponents' base stealers to advance. The ball was fouled off so the runner went back to first and didn't try to steal again. That's good since that run meant absolutely nothing to her team. Why in the world a single baserunner in the last inning while down two runs would try to advance, I just can't say. She wasn't even the tying run! It leaves me absolutely speechless. I have to assume the coach called that!? If the baserunner decided on her own to steal, that isn't a very savy play. If the coach did it, that's inexcusable. The team deserved to lose. They did lose.
My advice to you is to always know the game and inning situation. You've got to do a better job of understanding what the score is, how important it is for you to be on second, and what the potential outcomes of your actions are. When you're down a couple runs, advancing isn't a great idea unless it is still early. If you're the tying run (say your on first and there's a runner on third), that's a different situation. It is absolutely wrong to risk trading an out for a base when you're down by a couple in the last inning. Know the situation and what the right action is.
As I said at the beginning, it is good to be able to watch fastpitch softball again. But my joy in being able to watch is overwhelmed by poor fundamental play. We've got to do a better job of schooling our kids in what the wrong and right fundamentals and game situation plays are. It is incomprehensible that players at the highest levels of this game don't know the right things to do. If we really want to bring this game to its highest potential level, we've apparently got a long way to go.Labels: defense, game strategy
Permanent Link: Fun-damentals!
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