BATSPEED: HOW MUCH DOES IT REALLY MATTER?

Q: As a coach, how can I develop batspeed within my hitters?

A: Believe it or not, is something that is not discussed as much as it was 5 years or even 3 years ago for that matter. In fact, I am getting away from using the word and striving to improve hitters in other areas that I feel are more relevant to their in-game success. For example, if Hitter A has a batspeed of 78 mph, and Hitter B 's batspeed is 70 mph, it doesn't mean that Hitter A will be on time with his "faster" bat. Hitter B could have faster visual speed and be better at the Timing of the swing reaction. Now of course I'm not saying you can have have a SLOW BAT and be great. I am speaking of athletes higher up on the food chain. So I have found over the years, that improving reaction time, and recognition skills is more relevant to the timing than the actual batpseed of a hitter.

Also, if you believe that batspeed is a matter of talent, we know we cannot teach talent but we can certainly develop talent. Therefore, Batspeed plus great eye-hand coordination are key ingredients in developing those special hitters.

-Rob Crews

twitter.com/completegame

2009-10 Fall/Winter Training Schedule

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The Shot Heard 'Round New York

Alot of things went through my mind as I sat on the front row next to Wally Gardiner. I knew that there were hundreds of players back home in New York who were routing for Ali and the Gators, but also routing for Cassie and Alabama. For Ali, it was about her last season and for Cassie it was only the beginning.

I remember when every Tuesday and Thursday at 3:30pm I would peer out of the crack of my office door to see Maddy Coon sitting on the bench with her batting gloves and her bat ready to hit. Every Tuesday and Thursday 3:30pm-4:30pm faithfully. No days off. No excuses. Amazing focus and commitment. Back then I didn’t train as many girls because northeast softball was going thru an identity crisis and struggling with the philosophy of a baseball swing vs. a softball swing. I guess I couldn't understand how young girls from New York could dedicate their entire young lives to a game that never gave them the ultimate taste of greatness. You never hear of NY girls on that particular stage. Never. One of my students said she watched the CWS this year and heard all of the players saying where they were from, California, Florida, Arizona, Texas. And then when Ali Gardiner said Hi, I am Ali Gardiner from Waccabuc, NY it sounded funny. Haha. It somehow sounded out of place. Where did we get this inferiority complex as players when it comes to playing “Big Time” softball. Well, its easy to develop a complex when you don’t know anyone who has ever made it. When no one from your state, county, or town has ever been there. But girls from the West Coast expect to make it big. They don’t think they would fail. In fact, they know they are superior which is what makes them sort of superior -if you know what I mean.

So when I see Ali Gardiner, Maddy Coon, and Cassie Boccia, three New York young women batting in the middle of the line-up for top 5 teams in the country, I really see all the young girls back home who now have hope. They know they can go as far as they want to. They can now see themselves there. It is so important to be able to see yourself there. So those girls on that stage have gone from "Role" Models to "Real" Models.

So it was two outs, two strikes, bottom of the seventh, bases loaded, and the team down by 3. We all know what happened next but what made it even sweeter was the struggle prior to the shot. I said to myself it is very important for her to come through here. Not just for the Gators but for everyone back home watching. Here was a heroine in her own right. Not because of what she was about to do but because of where she was.

I see big things for softball, especially in Northeast. I am finding that so many players with talent are seeking out proper instruction in order to hone their skills. This is a huge change from 5 years ago, even 3 years ago.

I would like to congratulate the class of 2009 hitters that I had privledge of sharing with:

Nikki Maier (Conn) - Maryland
Courtney Liddle (VA) - VA Tech
Taylor Williams (VA) - UVA
Sammy Erosa (NY)- UPENN
Dominique Marcelino (Conn) - St. John's
KD Rohlander (NJ) - Fordham University
Lauren Gibson (MD) - Tennessee
Stephanie Caso (NY) - UPENN
Jordan Haines (PA) - U of Hartford
Liz Tutino (Conn) - Harvard
Kelly Cianciata (NJ) - Georgetown
Caitlyn Schultze (NY) - Auburn
Cyndil Matthew (NJ) - UMASS

Its gonna be way too expensive to see all of you play in college but I will do my best. You all have no idea how much of an effect/affect you have on the next class of hitters. I encourageyou to not just go there, but BE there. And whether you play on the big stage or not, everyone still hears your shot.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” –Theodore Roosevelt

COMMON HITTING ISSUES

Q: What would you say is the most common hitting issue in developing hitters?
A: Well I always separate issues in to categories. There are visual issues, mental issues, and then there are physical issues. I would have to say that emotionally, learning how to forget the recent past and go from Now to Next is the most common mental issue. Most hitters get so mentally frustrated that it becomes impossible to be consistent. The most common physical issue, I would have to say is the lack of discipline of the front side of the body. Many times very good hitters are inconsistent with regulating the stride length and or managing the sequence of the front shoulder rotational phase. I would say that the Emotional Game is most important for the higher level of softball like ASA Gold, College, and Professional Levels. Physical issues are more relevant at the less competitive levels of the game.