Any fastpitch coaches here?
547920
A good way to get younger kids to do things is to show them by example. Take them to a college softball game or a good high school game. Tell them to watch the hitters. They will start to mimic the players. Also a good drill to do is to hit volleyballs or basketballs. This forces them to power through the ball. Then when they hit the softball it seems easy. It helps if you deflate the balls a little bit.
1157120
Honestly, I feel that you have too much starting pitching. You will probably top the Wins catorgory in your league but your ERA  and WHIP will be high and your Saves and K will be low. RPs almost always do better in those catogories.  Consider trading one of your starters for a closer with a high K/IP and a low WHIP and ERA. A high K/IP guy that might be available on the FA market is J J Putz. \nAlso, maybe you could trade some of that SP for some speed like Brian Roberts or Pods. Willy Travaras and Dave Roberts are often availible as a base stealers via FA.\nAnyway, good luck and have fun!
171191
go to a bookstore online or in person, get a book called "Nolan Ryans Pitchers' Bible". :) Read it religiously ;) a fantastic book written by the most unhittable pitcher in baseball history. he talks all about his training regimends.
817113
idk.....but i made an accrostic 1!!\n\nBatting and runing to \nA base\nSpinning the ball to an\nEmpty base\nBats flying\nAround the field\nLining up in a line so the\nLeft fielder can seal (the ball)\n\nIt might suck but i ♥ it!!!!! I just made it up on the spot..hm..well GOOD LUCK!!!
309883
there are plenty of ways, the one I use that has been most successful is this:\nstart with a two-seam fastball grip. move your fingers in between the seams. When you come aroudn to throw (starting your throw the way you would normally with a fastball) co-ck (they wouldn't let me write it without the hypehn) your rist inward and snap your fingers so the ball rolls off the top of your index finger.\nDepending on your arm slot you should get a movement either 12-6, 1-7, 2-8, or even 3-9. (those movements are for right handed pitchers, opppsite movement is for left handers)\nSometimes this grip is misconstrued to be a hard slider grip, but with the cock of the wrist a lot fo pressure is taken off the elbow.\nWork with it a lot and it should become a very effective pitch.
1043740
Use our feedback link - \n\nhttp://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/baseballp/cgi_feedback\n\nto find out about the status of minor leaguers moving up into the majors and so forth. We have a dedicated staff who monitor all the position changes and update the players in the game. What player are you thinking of in particular?
250954
my coaches seem to like endurance drills. they are HOOOOORRRRIBLE but they take up some time and they really are helpful.\nThe one that seems to stick the most: Sprint from first cone 2 the second one (straight line) jog to the next cone (also straight line) Sprint up the hill, then sprint down  (obviously a little distance away) and at the bottom of the hill, do 10 pushups. from there run in for a grounder, throw it back, then sprint back to the first cone. Repeat for 10 minutes, but with younger kids you should adjust the pace and difficulty or the lenghth.\n\nFor drills try 6 on 6 offense defense, put the goalie in goal, have each defender pair up with an offender and start the ball with offense, like a mini scrimage because it starts out pretty close to the crease. its fun and it also teaches cutting skills. Relays are alot of fun too, and keeping one thing in focus, like one day, cradling and ground balls, and another day just throwing, a day of just conditioning etc.\ngood luck!
827306
One of my old teamates uses the slurve nd i have used it in the past. If your starting use the 4-seam 1 its a lot easier to control. 1st u out ur middle finger on 1 side of the ball nd the thumb on the other side of the call (of course both r touchin both seams) the u put ur pointer finger on the top of the ball nd have ur other 2 finger rest nd throw it. the 4-seam is faster nd less slurvy than the 2-seam. the 2-seam is most affective but u really have 2 pracitce. i believe u take the middle nd the thumb on 1 seam each nd put the pointer on top of the ball but iv never seen the 2-seam but i can imagine that it is a wicked pitch. i never used the slurve in a game i jus used my fastball, change up, curve nd slider\nthe slider can be thrown many way. i like to have the middle on 1 side of the seam nd the pointer on the otehr side of the seam nd my thumb on top nd watch it go. try not to touch the seam.
269911
each position has a number\n1. pitcher\n2. Catcher\n3. First Base\n4. Second Base\n5. Third Base\n6. Short stop\n7. Left Field\n8. Center Field\n9. Right Field \n10. is if there are 4 out fielders\n\nThe batters will be in the rows on a page\nThe columns on the page will display the inning.\n\nIn the First inning first batter you will use the top quare.\n\nIf he goes to first, draw a line from home to first in that box.  Same for second and so on.  If he scores make a complete diamond in that box and fill it in.\n\nMake sure the next inning you use the new column with the cordinating batter.\n\nIf a batter flies out to short stop write F6, stand for flew out to shortstop or (6).  IF the short stop picks up the ball and throughs it to first, it is a 6-3 out. (Short stop - First Base)  In the box of the out you may want to make it clear that there was and out by writing the 1,2, or 3 and Circle them, incase someone asks the outs.\n\nThere are many other statistics  the coach might want, but that should get  you started.
672090
Practice! But also try light weight wrist weights while parcticing. Because of the added weight they make you throw harder. When you take them off, your pitches are harder and faster.
783177
I'm sure there are, but everyone pitches differently. My son took lessons from 2 different people and they both taught different styles. Just throw the ball - work on accuracy first and speed second!\nA great tool is set an old tire on post with tire opening at strike zone then throw, throw, throw!
667116
The certification process is about 8 - 10 meetings in both High School and ASA. When that's completed you take an exam. You can't do this on line. Umpiring is not something to be taken lightly, there is a lot of time and effort that must be put in to be a competent umpire. These web sites will help you. \nhttp://www.asasoftball.com/\nhttp://www.nfhs.org/ScriptContent/Index.cfm\nGood luck
428209
http://eteamz.active.com/fastpitch/boards/fastpitch/\n\n\nGo to that site, join up and ask your question there. If what you want is available, someone will know. Poke around the site a bit, there may even be something there.
602202
I am a pitcher.  You want your arm to be really high above your head.  That is a good thing!!  Also make sure that when you release you close your hand because it gives you about 3 mph faster.  TRY IT!!
475619
Lesson #2: Mechanics that Matter \nThe buzz lately is that maybe we're all overteaching, making the act of pitching far too complicated. In efforts to simplify the process we have ideas such as 'teach/non-teach' and 'the throwing side belongs to the pitcher, the glove side belongs to the coach'. While we like the notion of reducing instruction to essentials, there is some disagreement about what matters and what doesn't.\n\nHere's the WebBall take on this... you first need to understand what good mechanics should look like and feel like - in some detail. Then you can decide what key instants in the throw most matter. (This part of the process should go beyond subjective observation - radar measurements, slow motion video, even motion capture.) When that's done, then you can decide what to correct and what to disregard. \n\nInternal vs External\nRemember: there are some mechanics that can be observed and adjusted externally (by the coach) and some forces (muscle tensions, joint movements) that aren't obvious from the outside - but they do have to feel right internally (to the pitcher). Learning to interpret from outside observation what's really happening on the inside is the toughest challenge for the coach. Conversely, understanding what everything should feel like then being able to execute it that way, consistently - that's the greatest challenge for the pitcher himself.\n\nTouching on the Highlights\nThe first step in breaking down the pitching action is to understand the phases in the pitch. In subsequent lessons each phase will be broken down into mechanical details. (We're tempted to calls these 'steps' but that implies specific checkpoints and, as explained in Lesson #1, we want everything to be continuous, no pauses.) \n\nPreparation Phase. This is what happens before you reach the launch point. It may be less important mechanically than what happens afterwards but it does establish your line of attack, and your rhythm. \n\nLoading Up. This is where the kinetic energy which will build momentum throughout the delivery is initially stored within the body. There are actually several load points - the leg up and hip turn, the hip/shoulder separation, shoulder blade pinch, and the arm cock. They shouldn't load at the same time, in fact the loading instant of each is critical to...\n\nTransferring momentum. This is where the concept of the kinetic chain is critical - stored energy in each muscle group must be given to the next in sequence. The most advanced researchers have determined that there are a critical transfer moments in which more than one thing is happening. First, there is the energy from one muscle group to the next, but also there is the stored energy within the group itself. \nFor example, when the hips and shoulders have acheived maximum separation, both are coiled back. But it isn't just the torque created by separation of trunk and upper body that gets transferred at that point; there's also the pinching back of the shoulder blades which needs to be converted to forward shoulder movement. This is referred to as scapular loading (the next lesson). \n\n\nRelease and follow through. Physics tells us that the ball can't go faster than the finger tips. We also know that perceived velocity (from the batter's perspective) is as important as actual velocity. So it's important that the release point be optimized - finding the best balance between a release point as close to the batter as possible (less reaction time) and a release point at the instant of maximum accelleration of the wrist, the hand, the fingers. Ideally there the same point, but not always. One thing is certain: A complete follow-through is important to ensure the arm does not start slowing before release. This also means that worrying about getting into a good fielding position should be irrelevant - the pitcher's main concern should be throwing a pitch they can&#3
321640
It sounds like you got a solution to your closer problem. Not a bad deal, either. I like Turnbow. His ERA won't kill you, unlike some closers, and he strikes out a fair amount of guys. I think you did well here.
355432
There is a professional softball league - National Pro Fastpitch.  They currently have 7 teams: the Connecticut Brakettes, Akron Racers, Arizona Heat, Chicago Bandits (Jennie Finch plays for them), New England Riptide, Philadelphia Force, and Texas Thunder.  They're hardly household names, but the league is expanding.