2009 is only a few hours away and it's time for the resolution.
Just like A LOT of people at this time of the year, you mightbe thinking that getting fitter should be something you shoulddo in the next few months.
Yes, you definitely should.
I've been designing softball-specific strength and conditioningprograms for teams and individual athletes for over 10 years now.
Let me tell you that while proper skills execution is the mostimportant performance factor in our sport, developing morestrength, speed, and power can really help support the executionof these skills and improve a player's game significantly.
While most players and coaches are aware of that, many stilldon't take seriously enough.
They know that getting in good shape by doing softball conditioningwould help their game but somehow they don't give it enoughimportance or focus.
Why is that? I believe that it's mostly a mix of lack of timeand motivation but also not believing softball conditioningis important enough and not knowing enough about it to realizethe difference it can make.
In other words, I think people know it can help them but aren't really conscious of all the great benefits it can really bring to their game.
Here is a list of 20 reasons why you MUST make softball conditioning an important part of your training if you want to become the best you can be and dominate on the softball field.
When you follow a well-designed softball-specific conditioning program that uses advanced training techniques and the best exercises for softball, you will...
1. Pitch faster and throw harder
2. Swing the bat harder and hit the ball further
3. Steal more bases
4. Get better jumps off the bases
5. Explode out of the batter's box
6. Run down more balls in the field
7. Reach, stretch and get more of those "oh-so-close" balls
8. React faster
9. Have more stamina for long games and tournaments
10. Stay healthy and avoid injuries
11. Tolerate heat better and perform when it's really hot
12. Practice longer without being tired or losing your focus
13. Be much more consistent and have less "ups and downs"
14. Get it faster when learning or refining a skill becauseof increased body awareness
15. Be much more confident and feel stronger
16. Be mentally tougher
17. Get more extra bases when running
18. Develop an athletic body
19. Recover faster between innings and games
20. Be more dominant in all aspects of the game
Is that a good enough list to include some form of softball-specificconditioningas part of your training?
It used to be that being in shape for softball was an edge on your opponents but it isn't true anymore.
Today, you have to be in great softball-specific shape to competeat the highest level. If you are out of shape, you are now at a disadvantage.
Softball conditioning is now an integral part of what serious and committed softball players and teams do to get themselves ready to compete.
What are you waiting for? Happy New Year!

SUU SOFTBALL Clinic

calling all girls interested in improving their skills...

The SUU Softball Team is running a softball clinic for all girls interested in improving their skills

The Clinic will be held January 3RD

From 8:45 AM TO 3:30 PM LUNCH IS PROVIDED

THEY WILL WORK ON OFFENSE IN THE MORNING AND DEFENSE IN THE AFTERNOON

HELD IN THE MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING GYM ON THE SUU CAMPUS

 

ALL THIS FOR 60.00 DOLLARS

YOU CAN SIGN UP ONLINE DIRECTLY ON THE SUU SITE

 

Sherry



"No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined."
—Harry Fosdick

MERRY CHRISTMAS GIRLS....

SEE YOU ON THE 7TH!!!

Someone once said that the day you stop learning, you stop living.
A common characteristic of the most successful people in society is they are lifelong learners.
They have developed the key habit of continuous learning,the habit of continuous personal and professional development.
Just as you exercise physically on a regular basis to remain fit and healty, you must exercise mentally on adaily basis to become better and better in your chosen field.
There are all kinds of way to learn. You can read books. You can watch instructional DVDs. You can go to clinics or attend a seminar or a workshop. You can listen to CDs or downloaded audio material. You can surf the net. You can observe experts.
These are just a few examples.

Commit to continuous learning and you'll experience more success than ever before.

Some advice on two strike hitting from Marc

Last night, I was doing a 30-minute consultation witha 14-year-old young lady that is part of package ofa package her dad bought for her.
I've got to tell ya, I was impressed by the quality ofher questions. It's nice to see a young lady that focusedand eager to get better.
I really much enjoyed my conversation with her.
Most of her questions were on how to get faster and howto get better results at the plate.
On the hitting side, one thing she said she struggleswith is hitting with two strikes as she gets all nervous.
So we talked a lot about effective two-strike hitting for a while.
To see what my philosophy is on two-strike hitting andwhat are some possible adjustments, check out the videoI posted on my blog:
http://www.softballperformance.com/blog/softball-hitting-effective-two-strike-hitting/
In a nutshell, I say that with 2 strikes against you,the odds are usually not stacked in your favor unlessyou have three balls.
So, instead of being too defensive, you want to makesure of two things:
- If you go down, go down swinging.
- If you decide to go after a pitch, not matterwhich one it is, make sure you swing hard in orderto make something happen unless you mean to foul itoff voluntarily.
I also discussed other possible adjustments that youcan read about at:
http://www.softballperformance.com/blog/softball-hitting-effective-two-strike-hitting/
However, the main message is never go down without a fight.

Great Opportunity for Peagasus Girls who want to participate..Starting January 2009

Hi Girls...and parents...

 

This is a get to opportunity and it may not work for some of our multi sport girls...but if you can make it I know it will be worthwhile and fun!! You will be way ahead of the game when we start playing tournaments so make the effort if you can.

 

Coach Mel has invited the Pegasus Players to participate in batting practice,  that will be held at Canyon View High School every Tuesday from 6-8 PM in the Batting Cages...they are inside :)
Sherry



There is no such thing as a 'self-made' man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success

Have you ever noticed that softball is a sport oferrors?
There are all kinds of errors. They happen in everygame.
Usually, the team that makes the least amount of errorswins.
What is the cause of all these errors?
Most of the time, errors are caused by one of these 4factors:
1) faulty mechanics
2) lack of focus
3) Too rushed or pressed
4) Lack of confidence and hesitation
I would like to talk about #2.
This is the easiest one to fix.
It takes time to fix mechanics or even more time to buildconfidence. You can train speed of execution or working fastunder pressure but that also takes time and effort.
However, any player can learn quickly what to focus on andalmost instantly reduce the number of errors they make asa result of poor focus - especially on defense.
If you aren't focus on the right thing or aren't thinkingabout the right thing, you are much more likely to make anerror.
When you are on defense, you must play one pitch at the timeand make the play in your head ahead of the time.
I know you've heard these things millions of times. However,a lot of errors that we see today are still the results ofnot applying those two basic concepts.
But what do we mean by playing the game one pitch at the timeexactly?
We mean by that you shouldn't focus on what happened beforein the game neither about what's going to happen later butonly focus on the next pitch.
And what do we mean by making the play in your head exactly?
You have to analyze the situation (who's hitting, any runneron bases, how many outs, what inning is it, etc.) and takinginto consideration all those factors, you need to anticipatewhat you will do with the ball if it is hit to you.
Bottom line, you try to rehearse in theatre of your mind whatyou'll have to do if the ball is hit to you on the next pitchso that you are ready when it happens.
That's all. Again very basic but worth emphasizing again.
Who loves ya? ;-)

Girls Fast Pitch Softball Try-Outs

For all girls 14U and 12U
Living in Southern Utah Area
Competitive Travel Team
Where: Dixie High Softball Fields
When: Wednesday January, 7 2009
Time: 5:00pm – 7:30 pm

Do your players (or your child) know what they want? So many times I've heard parents or coaches (even players) say that "they" don't even know what they want. I'm talking about the whole college situation. How many times have you seen or known a high school junior or senior have no idea what they want to do for college (where they want to go, what they want to study, etc). It's tough to help these young ladies find a college that will be a good fit for them if they can't even tell you what they prefer, what they're looking for, or what they want. Now I'll admit, I didn't know exactly what I wanted either when I was in high school. However, since then, I've learned about ways to help players think things through and at least have preference when it comes to their plans for college. I'm going to share these ideas (and some other important information about college recruiting) in my first even $1 webinar. Don't worry, you won't need to call in to a long distance phone number at a time when it's inconvenient for you to listen in. I'm going to record the webinar (audio format) and allow you to listen to it via the internet when it's convenient for YOU. To put your dollar down now and guarantee your spot for this webinar, visit http://tr.im/collegewebinar This is actually the webinar I originally planned on holding back in October for 10 bucks. But things got kinda crazy with the bootcamp and all, so now, since it's the Christmas Season, I'm going to put it all together for you for a dollar. http://tr.im/collegewebinar Hope you have a great week. I've got a bunch of errands to run today, then I'll be able to work on getting this ready for you and delivering it later this week.
See you then!

SIMPLE WHITE ENVELOPE It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so. It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas --oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else. ;K nowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way. Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the r agtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, 'I wish just one of them could have won,' he said. 'They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.' Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I p laced the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition --one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on. The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end th ere. Y ou see, we lost Mike last year due to cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more. Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we a ll rem ember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God Bless! -- pass this along to those friends and loved ones who you know are the givers who understand the true meaning of Christmas.

JANUARY 7TH MANDATORY TRY OUT MAKE UP ALL GIRLS WHO THINK THEY MAY WANT TO PLAY MUST ATTEND

We had a great try out  last night and had a chance to meet some
> new girls and see how everyone is playing.
 
We missed some of you and understand that there was a communication issue and

> some did  not realize that exsisting players were expected to attend try outs
 last night.
 
The coaches have scheduled a second day of try outs

 to give those of you you did not understand a chance, (girls that attended last night  are required to attend the second try out too.)
 
  Mark your Calanders for January 7th at 5:00.
  AT SNOW PARK behind DIXIE HIGH SCHOOL
 
 
 The try outs will be held in St George as the weather is anticipated to be too cold for Cedar. 

 , no cuts will be made until after the 7th. That gives you all

 some time to work out the kinks and get your best game
 ready...and get your christmas festivities out of the way.
 

 There is a great opportunity to play in a practice league with
 the Blaze and a team from Mesquite, and possibly some other teams

it will last for about 7 weeks and will be run on Thursday nights...this is a great
> time for us in our off season to improve our game, we
> can't wait to see you. Each player will be getting a
> phone call from one of the coaches some time this week
>

> Practice Hard...and Show Up!
 
Try out is Mandatory, if you don't come, the coaches will assume you are not interested in playing. So lets make it a priority cause we don't want to leave any of you behind...It is going to be a GREAT SEASON!!!!!!!
 
Please feel free to contact any of the coaches for more information or to discuss individual needs.
 
Thanks and we will see you soon!

 

Coach MEL-435-531-0846

TRY OUTS TODAY

REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE TRY OUTS TODAY FOR THE 2009 SOFTBALL SEASON. GIRLS WITH BIRTHDAYS IN 1994 OR LATER ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND WE WILL SEE YOU AT THE SNOW PARK FIELD BEHIND DIXIE HIGH SCHOOL...4:30

 

BE THERE!!!!

Off Season Advice from Marc

If you are serious about building yourself up for next season, your off-season training involve doing skills training (hitting,pitching, fielding, etc.), sports conditioning and maybe some form of mental/vision training.
At times, life gets in the way (vacations, exams or homework, badweather, general fatigue, sickness, family function, etc.) and we may have weeks where we need to skip some sessions or miss training entirely.

Skills training and fitness training are two different things.

You see, even if you train skills once a week or skip a week,whatever you worked on, you will still retain the new learning orthe new "muscle memory" you created out of working on your skills.
However, when training for fitness, the frequency of the training stimulus is the most important thing.
In other words, you have to workout often enough to get results. If you don't, you don't get results and might even lose your gains.
So, skipping sessions or missing a week will hurt your progress and might even cause you to lose some of your gains.
That's how fitness work.
You have to do it regularly to get results.
Here's in a nutshell what you get...
- Working out once a week will maintain your results (no gain but no loss of gains either)
- Working out twice a week will get some good results.
- Working out three times or more often will get really good results.
- Not working out for 7-15 days will get you to lose some of your gains.
- Not working out for more than 2 weeks will get you to lose a lot of your gains.
What should you do if you don't want to lose your gains but that life gets in the way?
- Make sure to do a short workout at least once during the week. The workout doesn't have to be super intense or long, just 1 set of a few exercise will do it. A short 12-15-minute workout is enough to maintain things.
In other words, you better do short workouts than not working out at all.

TRY OUT reminder

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the TRY OUT at the Snow Park Field Thursday at 4:30

For most of our players this is our second year at the 14 level, should be an AWESOME year. Can not wait to see you.

We need to say good bye to Lexi and Kimber they are both too old for our team as of January...Good Luck girls!

 

2009 Pegasus Try Outs....Gotta get ready for next year :)

PEGASUS TRY OUTS for 14U and 12U will be held on December 11th, at the Snow Park Fields, behind Dixie High, at 4:30 PM...see you there.

 

All girls, including girls that played last year,  need to attend try outs.  Try outs, are not only a chance to earn your spot on the team,

 they are also a great way to show the coaches that you are committed to the team and want to be a part of Southern Utah softball.

 

This try out has been announced and is open to all players with birthdays in 1994 or earlier...so help spread the word to anyone that you know that would be interested in playing.

All are welcome to come and try out so ask your friends to come and join the fun.

 

Can't wait to see you guys...feels like it has been forever :)

 

I am adding pictures to the blog from St George and Mesquite tournaments, if you have anything to contribute that would be great! Thanks to Jen Fielding for her photo contirbution

 

If you want to see the pictures you can visit the blog at www.pegasus14U.blogspot.com

Marc and the cell phone

The other day, I was reading a article in a coaching magazine that was sort of a debriefing about the summer Olympics. I found one of the elements discussed by the author very interesting and definitely something I can relate to - how the presence of cellphones might negatively affect an athlete's performance and the team environment.

We now live in a society that is addicted to instant communication devices like cell phones, iPhones, Blackberries, etc.We are addicted to being connected and talk, chat, email, and text anywhere anytime. I've had a cell phone for over 10 years. And just a few months ago, I got myself an iPhone so I am definitely guilty of that too.

I am not a text addict but I like to be able to check my email anywhereanytime now!
Ok, so what kind of effect can this have on an athlete's performance and the team?

The author was saying that at the Olympics, many athletes were so focused on "capturing" and "sharing" their Olympic experience using their cellphones by taking and sharing photos, filming bits of it with it, emailing,talking, and texting with friends that it could have affected some of them by taking some of their focus away. Another thing that it can do is to "isolate" the athlete within a group environment because as soon as you start "texting", you become absorbed by it and you "mentally remove" yourself from where you are.

Last year, I took two athletes that weren't mine to eat lunch before a workout. As soon as we sat down to eat - they both started texting and ignoring me and each other being completely focused on each texting. I will admit it - I was insulted and found that profoundly disrespectful.
I felt it was the same as if I had been eating with someone and started to read the paper in their face ignoring him or her. To me, it's simple courtesy - you can't do that.

Ok enough ranting..

Bottom line - the author concluded that excessive use of cell phones led to:

1) Being distracted and not staying focus
2) Took away the team concept by having athletes "isolate themselves" when with their team; not conducive to "team-building".

So what is my policy about the use of cell phones?

Very simple.

Within my team environment, your cell phone is to be in your bag whenever we are in practice, in a game, preparing for it, or doing something as a team like eating together. I don't want to see it. If you need to use it - you ask permission. It's a simple as that. You are not available - they can leave a message and you will attend toit later when you are.

So, what is the cell phone policy within your team?