Maturity is the realization that I did not know as much as I thought yesterday, and the determination to know more in the near future. During the long drive home from an event last week, it occurred to me how much we have learned over the years and how naïve most of us are in …
If you have followed softball for long, you know the familiar story. Many of the pitchers who were burning it up in 12-U have fallen by the wayside. We often hear people talk about a pitcher who seemed to have all of the gifts early in her career, but came to realize she didn’t have …
Three things really bother us at Tincher Pitching. 1-Way too many kids come to us the first time because they are in pain. 2-Too many people try to take shortcuts when it comes to proper strength training. 3-There are too many gadgets out there that promise results, but most actually hurt more kids than they …
Too often pitchers get ahead in the count and give up a hit or walk. What causes this failure to finish? You can cite many contributing factors, but often it is because the pitcher missed the most important pitch.
At a recent event, we helped a pitcher make an adjustment to her form. The results were immediate. She was delighted and everyone around her was impressed with the jump in speed. The next day, she was back to her old habits and one of my instructors was puzzled that she was so willing to …
If you don’t understand the purpose of certain movements within a specific activity, it is easy to cause problems by trying to change them. Many people who work with pitchers have a single mindset.
One of our pitchers went to three different college camps as a part of her recruiting effort. She returned confused.
It is wonderful when our instructors hit upon a great truth. I was on the road at a weekend event when a student was hesitant to try a couple of new pitches.
When a kid wants to maximize the quick release of energy in softball, whether it is hitting, throwing, or fielding, she must know how to put her body into the correct position. Let’s talk about dynamic power positions.
Right in the middle of a lesson, I told a relatively new student, “If you look over at dad for approval again, we may have to end this session”. Let me put this in context.
A couple of years ago one of our most promising students injured her shoulder while lifting weights at school. She spent months in therapy. The very same thing happened with another pitcher a year later. While lifting weights something popped and she was never the same.
Your warmups tell me everything I need to know. In their first lesson new kids are always surprised when I watch them warm up the fastball. Then I proceed to tell them what other pitches they throw, challenges they face in games, and all about their strengths and frustrations.
…half of those dreams are crushed. I stood with one of our Certified Instructors recently and watched the most talented group of kids we have seen at one gathering.
Last year we were so excited when our kids won high school state championships in several different states. As I thought about these kids, it occurred to me that none of them was particularly impressive at our first lesson. They steadily rose to the top. What was the common denominator?
Too many kids have been programmed to pitch, or even hit, like a robot. As they mature, they develop absolutely no body awareness and no ability to adjust.
