How to Work Out in a Big, Crowded Gym

Joining a gym can be intimidating and overwhelming. In this week’s video, I give you some tips on how to workout in a big, crowded gym. If you’ve already joined a gym and have been following the 2014 Offseason Strength Training Program, this video will show you how to complete the workouts I’ve provided.

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Advice from a National Champion

This summer I have an NCAA Softball National Champion assisting me at my gym. I couldn’t be more excited for my athletes, as she has already established herself as a role model off the diamond as well. On her first day, I think I had more questions for her than she did for me. Listen to what she had to say about her team’s off-season workouts.

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Interview with Dr. James Andrews

Dr. James Andrews is a world famous sports orthopedic surgeon who, in this interview, weighs in on the current state of competitive youth sports. Dr. Andrews brings up some very disturbing trends in youth sports including the rise in injuries and coaches trapping athletes into playing one sport all year round.

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Should You Stop Taking Your Daughter to Pitching Lessons?

Here are some questions I hear a lot, both in person and online, usually in reference to young pitchers between the ages of 8 and 11: How far along should my daughter be right now? My daughter isn’t doing as well as her peers; is she hopeless? Do you think she has what it takes? Should we quit pitching? The vast majority of the time, these sorts of questions come from very overanxious parents. Before you make a snap judgement about your daughter’s future as a pitcher, take into account these tips that I’m going to share with you today.

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Troubleshooting Common Pitch Location Problems

When you’re learning windmill pitching for the very first time, the ball is probably going to go everywhere… and that’s normal! Once you sort of get the hang of it, however, you may notice that when you miss your pitch location, it is often in the same spot, or the same two spots. I find myself constantly reminding my students WHY pitch after pitch lands inside, outside, high, or low; I tell them to memorize the reason so they can self-correct in games and practices. Whether you’re a parent trying to teach your daughter to pitch and you’re not quite sure how to troubleshoot location issues, or you’re a Fastpitch Power student already and you need a cheat sheet to help you remember, this post is for you!

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How Much Should You Practice Pitching?

An EXTREMELY common question I hear from parents of new young pitchers is, “How often should my daughter pitch? How many pitches should she throw?” You may have started noticing a pattern in my answers to these types of questions: there is no “right answer” or solid number I can give you that works for everyone. There are, however, guidelines you should take into account, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

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A Bad Trend In Young Athletes

As Americans, we’re growing accustomed to putting too much on our plate, and I’m not talking about food. It’s a trend that is influencing young athletes who are being run down physically and mentally with unhealthy schedules and expectations. Who’s to blame?

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Is a Pitcher who “Experiments” More Likely to be Successful?

Several weeks ago, I was participating in a conversation on a softball message board about pitchers figuring things out themselves through experimentation. There is a lot of valuable information that can be gleaned from this idea of “experimenting,” so I wanted to share this with all of you here as well.

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What Causes Athletes to Choke in High Pressure Situations?

The MLB postseason is my favorite time of the year when it comes to sports. This year has been particularly exciting, with kind of a crazy number of come-from-behind victories, both in single games and in whole series. As is to be expected, this has prompted a lot of talk from baseball analysts about the role of postseason experience, momentum, and choking. When a great player suddenly performs very poorly in the spotlight, it’s easy to say, “Oh, he totally CHOKED.” But what does that really mean, and how can that knowledge help YOU perform better in big games?

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