PEGASUS

PRRRactice in the cold...

2009-12-11T00:34:00.001-07:00

Girls we are going to have practice from 2 til 4 on the Dixie fields...Saturday...dress asrm and see you there

2009-11-04T14:38:00.002-07:00

18U Girls...

This Friday, November 6, game one will be on field 5 Canyons fields, be there at 445 for warm ups...dont be late....

2009-10-29T08:49:00.000-06:00

Practice from 5-7 on Monday night...Dixie Fields

See ya there

2009-09-09T23:47:00.001-06:00

PRACTICE FOR ALL PLAYERS BOTH TEAMS ON 9-11 AT THE DIXIE FIELDS...

TIME 9-11

SEE YOU THERE...NO, I DIDNT STUTTER, IT IS ON 9-11 FROM 9-11 NEVER HAPPEN JUST LIKE THAT AGAIN...

This Weekend's tournament

2009-09-02T15:30:00.002-06:00

Pegasus 16U plays this weekend!

Game 1 Friday September 4th on Canyons Fields Field #2 Game time 6PM need to be on the fields by 5PM for warm ups

Game 2 will be at 945

See you there!!

2009-08-15T08:49:00.001-06:00

Practice today, August 15th

14U 10-12
16 U 11-1

THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS

2009-08-10T09:10:00.001-06:00

Wanted to thank all of the girls that helped from other teams at the Big Slam this weekend...we sure appreciated you!

Practice this week

2009-08-10T09:00:00.003-06:00

August 15, at the Dixie High School Fields

14U 10- 12 practice
16 U 11-1 Practice

ALL practices are mandatory. If you can not attend you need to contact a coach and make arrangeents.

16 U Big Slam

2009-08-04T13:31:00.002-06:00

We have our first game on Thursday the 6th, be on field 1 for our 1:15 game at 12:15 at the volunteer fields...at the end of main street...cleats on and ready to go

second game is at 6

See you there

2009-08-04T00:36:00.001-06:00

Practice Tonight at Dixie High School....

5-7 PM 14 and under
6-8 PM 16 and under

Attn: Pegasus 16U

2009-07-28T08:55:00.001-06:00

Games on Saturday for the 16U and older have been cancelled. The Performance team was not able to get enough girls to come up and play...

Tuesday Practice and practice games

2009-07-27T09:02:00.002-06:00

Practice this Tuesday 5-7 14U and 6-8 older girls...at Canyon View.

Practice Games for the 16U girls at SUU fields...This Saturday 10 and 12 be on the fields at 9 am

2009-07-27T09:00:00.002-06:00

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WIN AT PIONEER DAYS

GREAT JOB GIRLS

Walked away with a sweep Saturday and one and one in pool...against a great opponent.

You kept your head and did a great job.

2009-07-10T13:52:00.001-06:00

Be on the field on Friday, July 17th at 7:45 am

Field Address:
5100 South 2700 West

valley Complex...

See you there

Sanpete Shoot out...need pictures!!!

2009-07-03T10:24:00.001-06:00

Tuesday Practice

2009-07-03T10:17:00.004-06:00

GAME at Canyon View, both 16 and 14 players to attend.

Be on the fields for warm ups at 5 for a 6 PM game...

Please let someone know if you are not attending, otherwise you will be expected.

PRINT ORDER IS IN

2009-06-29T08:52:00.002-06:00

TEE SHIRTS, SWEATS AND HOODIES ARE IN...PLEASE GET YOUR CHECK MADE OUT TO GOLD GLOVE CLINIC AND I CAN GET YOU YOUR STUFF...

TEE SHIRTS ARE 12.00 EACH
HOODIES ARE 15.00 EACH
SWEATS ARE 50.00 EACH SET

THANKS!

GAME AGAINST CEDAR FOR TUESDAY NIGHT, JUNE 29TH

2009-06-29T08:34:00.002-06:00

WE NEED TO GET A TEAM TOGETHER FOR A PRACTICE GAME AGAINST CEDAR, AT THE CEDAR HIGH SCHOOL. TEAM MEET AT 4 PM. DOUBLE HEADER...WE NEED YOU THERE...

THE GAME WILL BE IN LIEU OF PRACTICE THIS WEEK.

Send in your game pictures for our slide show

2009-06-29T08:14:00.000-06:00

I have created a facebook account for all of us to stay in touch

2009-06-28T15:37:00.002-06:00

Hi,

Susan Potter had the greatest idea in Ephriam this weekend...she suggested that I create a facebook account for the team...so I did.

I will be combing the two blogs to this one, www.pegasus14u.blogspot.com , as the facebook will only allow one to be associated with it and this one is more established. Please keep checking the blog, and if you use the facebook application you can keep up there too.

I noticed that alot of old posts are flooding the facebook site right now...hopefully that will settle down.

I think Mel is trying to organize a practice game for Tuesday night...please let her know if ou are in town and interested in participating.

2009-06-21T16:52:00.000-06:00

Tuesday practice 5-7 at Canyon View high school

2009-06-14T11:15:00.001-06:00

Practice for the team this Tuesday from 5 to 7 at Canyon View High School

2009-06-14T10:36:00.001-06:00

Game one is at 9:25 am, Friday morning, We play the Murray Maniax Coach Mel needs us on the field at 8:00 AM

See you there.

14U
Pool B
7 (PEGASUS)vs 8 (MANIAX)
9:25 A.M.
Field 2

2009-06-14T09:40:00.002-06:00

Pegasus 14 is #7

Sanpete County Shootout
12 U & 14 U
June 18th - 20th, 2009
Schedule

POOL PLAY - THURSDAY, June 18th
AGE GROUP
POOL
TEAM
TIME
FIELD #
12U
A
1 vs 2
6:00 P.M.
1
12U
B
4 vs 5
6:00 P.M.
2
12U
C
7 vs 8
6:00 P.M.
3
12U
D
10 vs 11
6:00 P.M.
4
14U
C
9 vs 11
6:00 P.M.
5
12U
A
2 vs 3
7:25 P.M.
1
12U
B
5 vs 6
7:25 P.M.
2
12U
C
8 vs 9
7:25 P.M.
3
12U
D
10 vs 12
7:25 P.M.
4
14U
C
9 vs 10
7:25P.M.
5
12U
A
1 vs 3
8:50 P.M.
1
12U
B
4 vs 6
8:50 P.M.
2
12U
C
7 vs 9
8:50 P.M.
3
12U
D
11 vs 12
8:50 P.M.
4

POOL PLAY - FRIDAY, June 19TH
14U
A
1 vs 2
8:00 A.M.
1
14U
B
5 vs 6
8:00 A.M.
2
12U
E
13 vs 14
8:00 A.M.
3
14U
D
12 vs 13
8:00 A.M.
4
12U
F
16 vs 17
8:00 A.M.
5
Sanpete County Shootout
12 U & 14 U
June 18th - 20th, 2009
Schedule

POOL PLAY - FRIDAY, June 19TH
AGE GROUP
POOL
TEAM
TIME
FIELD#
14U
A
2 vs 3
9:25 A.M.
1
14U
B
7 vs 8
9:25 A.M.
2
12U
E
13 vs 15
9:25 A.M.
3
14U
D
13 vs 14
9:25 A.M.
4
12U
F
16 vs 18
9:25 A.M.
5
14U
A
1 vs 3
10:50 A.M.
1
14U
B
L vs L
10:50 A.M.
2
12U
F
17 vs 18
10:50 A.M.
3
14U
D
12 vs 14
10:50 A.M.
4
14U
C
10 vs 11
10:50 A.M.
5
12U
E
14 vs 15
12:15 P.M.
1
14U
B
W vs W
12:15 P.M.
2
12U
Tourn
Game #1
12:15 P.M.
3
12U
Tourn
Game #2
12:15 P.M.
4
12U
Tourn
Game #3
12:15 P.M.
5
14U
Tourn
Game #1
1:45 P.M.
1
14U
Tourn
Game #2
1:45 P.M.
2
12U
Tourn
Game #4
1:45 P.M.
3
12U
Tourn
Game #5
1:45 P.M.
4
12U
Tourn
Game #6
1:45 P.M.
5
14U
Tourn
Game # 3
3:15 P.M.
1
14U
Tourn
Game #4
3:15 P.M.
2

2009-06-14T09:36:00.001-06:00

The address of the Snow College/Ephraim City Complex is:
300 North 200 East
Ephraim, UT

********* Travel Trailers, RV’s and Motorhomes may only park is designated areas. These areas are: On the pavement behind the dugouts and backstop of the Snow College Baseball Field. Also, along the North fence adjacent to the baseball field. An easy way to access the RV parking is to turn left on Main Street at 450 North follow the road east until you come to Baseball Field. You will see a vacant Movie Gallery, the Eye Center of Ephraim and the Ephraim City Marquee as you turn left.

2009-06-14T09:32:00.001-06:00

SANPETE COUNTY SHOOTOUT
14U
POOLS for POOL PLAY
POOL A POOL B POOL C
1. Bad to the Bone 5. Sanpete Elite 9. Fusion
2. Cyclones 6. Devilz 10. Dixie Heat
3. Payson Pride 7. Pegasus 11. AMP’D
8. Murray Maniax
POOL D
Cobras
Devastation
South Valley Sting

Kanab is a No Go

2009-06-10T14:14:00.003-06:00

Kanab is a no go...

I am sad to say that we will not have enough players to play in the Kanab tournament.

Wednesday Practice

2009-06-02T01:25:00.001-06:00

Practice at Canyon View High School 5 to 7 PM see you there...

Beaver Champions

2009-06-02T01:23:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to all of you who played your hearts out and took the tournament 6 and 0 Great job team!!!

Beaver Schedule.

2009-05-25T01:27:00.000-06:00

Hey! This is the schedule for this weekend.
Friday May, 29th
1:00pm Pegasus 12 vs. Richfield 12
Beaver 12 vs. Gunnison
S.S. vs. Pegasus 14
3:00pm Kanab White vs. Page
Kanab Red vs. Beaver 12
Gunnison vs. Richfield 12
5:00pm S.S. vs Page
Pegasus 12 vs. Kanab Red
Juab vs. Logandale
7:00pm Pegasus 14 vs. Kanab White
Beaver vs. Logandale
Juab vs. Snow Canyon
9:00pm Snow vs. Beaver

Saturday May, 30th
9:00 am Pegasus 12 vs. Beaver 12
Logandale vs. Snow Canyon
Richfield Red vs. Page
Richfield White vs. Beaver
Richfield 12 vs. Kanab Red
11:00am Pegasus 14 vs. Page
Richfield 12 vs. Beaver
Richfield Red vs. S.S.
Beaver vs. Juab
Richfield White vs. Logandale
1:00pm Pegasus 12 vs. Gunnison
S.S. vs. Kanab White
Richfield Red vs. Pegasus 14
Richfield White vs. Snow Canyon
3:00pm Gunnison vs. Kanab Red
Richfield Red vs. Kanab White
Richfield White vs. Juab

1st place team from each pool and the next best record or fewest runs allowed from the remaining teams will advance on to the championship bracket.

5:00 Pm 1st vs. 4th.
2nd vs. 3rd
7:00 Pm Championship game
1st place, and 2nd place and sportsmanship awards
Free movie ticket for all softball girls at the main street theatre
Tournament T-Shirts $10.00

Good luck we'll See you in Beaver on Friday. Stay posted for updates on the adress and warm up times. (:

tenative schedule so far

2009-05-17T22:41:00.001-06:00

14's schedule:Golden Spike Classic: Clinton June 12-1342.50 per personSummer Games: Cedar City June 19-2030.00 per personFirecracker: SL County July 16-1852.50 per personWest Valley Classic: West Valley July 30-Aug.150.00 per person
* I don't know when that Kanab tournament is for the 14's and then of course our St. George Tournaments and Mesquite ones as well. But there is the tentative schedule that we are shooting for as of now.

Drills to help you get better than ever!!

2009-05-10T15:08:00.001-06:00

Not long ago, I wrote a post about why running speeddoesn't matter in softball.
In a nutshell, I was explaining why linear speed (orrunning fast in a straight line) isn't that importantfor softball and I made the point that what reallymatters in our sport is acceleration (starting speed),multi-directional quickness and lateral agility becauseof the nature of our game.
A friend of mine, Doug Parry, just sent me a link toa great video that shows a great drill on how to improvelateral agility for softball.
This is one of my favorite drills to teach playerslateral agility, quick change of directions, and quick feet.
Check the video:
http://www.softballperformance.com/blog/softball-training-improving-speed-and-lateral-agility/
This is a simple drill that can really help you increaseyou speed and agility for softball.

Another great lesson from Marc...

2009-05-03T09:56:00.001-06:00

Here are the three lessons of the day:
Lesson #1 - Every loss, bad performance, or mistake is anopportunity to learn and get better.
You have to analyse what you did, ask yourself how youcan do things differently, and improve for next time.
That's how elite athletes get better. They get a littlebetter each day.
You ofen learn a lot more by making mistakes and losingthan you do when you win. It's very easy to "forget" aboutyour errors when you win.
Lesson #2 - A softball season is a marathon, not a sprint
Just like in many endurance events like long-distancerunning or cycling races, the winner is usually notwho led the race most of the way. Smart runners pacethemselves and perform their best in the last part ofthe race.
Softball is no different. You've got to use the first fewcompetitions of the season to gain experience, learn fromyour mistakes and get better, and get ready for the keycompetitions later in the season.
Lesson #3 - Warmin-up the mind is a important as warming-upthe body to perform well.
Following our first 2 losses and feeling the frustrationof my athletes over how they played, I felt they neededto regroup, refocus and learn to have fun again.
So, before our third game (we had about 2 hours betweeneach game today), instead of doing a traditional physicalwarm-up, I sent them to do a "mental warm-up".
More specifically, I sent away to play 2 little fun gamesas a group. The purpose was for them to get together, havefun, refocus, and regroup for the next game.
We did NOT do any physical warm-up whatsoever besides playingcatch with each other 3 minutes before the start of the game.
And you know what?
They came ready to play. The were focused, relaxed, united,and definitely wanting to play great.
That "mental" warm-up did more for us than any physical warm-upwe could have done.
They played their best game of the day because they werementally ready or "warmed up".
These are 3 important lessons that they will remember andthat any team should reminder.
Overall, this is was a good and productive day for myteam.
Why?
They gained experience.
They learned from their errors and mistakes.
They got better.
They were able to bounce back.
I saw very positive things on the field in the two gameswe lost despite the numerous errors we made.

What Kind of Parent are You????

2009-04-23T16:20:00.002-06:00

10 Types of Sports Parents
Here are the different types of sports parents that I would identify – both good and bad:

• The model parent• The competitive parent• The blasé parent• The ‘living through your kids’ parent• The outspoken parent• The ‘coach’ parent• The critical parent• The negative parent• The uncooperative parent• ‘My child is a superstar’ parent

Obviously, the worst parent would be one who exhibits components of the latter nine types. But, once I explain what each of these parent types are, you will probably find that many of your parents fit into one of these categories. They may fit into more than one category as well.
There are two things to remember before you go through these descriptions:

1.) Parents may exhibit any or all of these traits to a certain degree. The ones go to excess end up being a concern for coaches.

2.) Each of these types of parents can be dealt with.

The Model Parent
This is more of an altruistic look at what qualities a good sports parent embraces. You may find that many of the parents of your athletes embody the model parent much more than they do some of the traits of the other 9 types of parents in this section.

This is a look at the model parent:

• The model parent supports their child in and out of the athletic arena. This involves encouragement, respect, and enthusiasm for the effort their child puts in.

• The model parent shows their son or daughter respect when they are playing the game, and whether they win or lose.

• The model parent has their children at all of the practices and games with their proper equipment, and all of this is done on time.

• The model parent helps other kids in need on the team – those who need rides to and from practice, those who can’t buy pizza after an away game, those who need the encouragement from someone on the sidelines because their parent isn’t there.

• The model parent is someone who is involved with the team, and does what they can to make a coaches’ life easier. They plan tournament accommodations, they arrange for transportation, they organize fundraisers, and they sit on baseball associations, hockey boards and basketball associations. They get involved.

• The model parent shows up at all (or as many as they can) games, and makes their child’s sporting endeavors a priority in their lives.

• The model parent stands behind decisions the coach makes in regards to their players (as long as the decision is fair and just), if there is a disciplinary issue.

• The model parent does not try to ‘coach’ against what the real coach wants. They may not agree with the coaching philosophy, but they allow their child to learn and play within that system without interference.

You know these parents. They are probably the ones you talk to on a regular basis, the ones who are always offering to help, and the ones with the kids who are happy playing the sport you are coaching.

The model parent is an absolute dream. They make your job as a coach so much easier. Their kids are generally easier to coach, they support the entire team, and they have a genuine interest in seeing everyone on the team succeed.

Just like the other parent types, you will see most parents with some or many of these traits. It is just so much easier to have to deal with these qualities, than some of the others coming up.

The competitive parent

Some people are naturally competitive. It could have been bred from their own sports days, or they may have just developed a streak in them that gives them the desire to be better than others.
A competitive parent is not usually a problem – unless their competitive spirit boils over into boisterous or obnoxious presence. If their competitiveness is starting to have an effect on their child, other players, or other parents, then it is bordering on being a problem.

Here is what the competitive parent looks like:

• The competitive parent places winning above everything. It is a win-at-all-costs mentality.
• The competitive parent expects their child to compete at the highest level they can to succeed. They expect their child to hustle and do what it takes in the playing area to try and win the game.
• They can get upset if their child doesn’t display the same ‘will-to-win’ as they do when they compete. It becomes frustrating for them to watch a lack of effort.
• The competitive parent can’t always understand when someone doesn’t have the same drive as they do, to win.
• The competitive parent may talk to the coach about things he or she thinks should be done so the team can win. They want to see the team win, and they would like to offer their coaching ‘expertise’ to help them out.
• The competitive parent may make comments to their children about a lack of effort, when a parent thinks that more can be done during a game or practice.

The competitive parent in itself is typically harmless, unless the competitive spirit starts to hurt other people. What you have to watch out for is the competitive parent mixed with one of the other areas.

You will notice that each one of these parent types is relatively benign in nature – when they exhibit single traits. But, once they start to be three or four of the parent types, and to a greater degree, you quickly realize you are now fighting a multi-headed monster that can get out of control if you don’t take action.

The blasé parent
Ho hum. This is the parent that doesn’t care whether their child is involved – but still paid the registration fee in order to get them enrolled. They don’t mind if the child misses practices or games, and they aren’t particularly interested in whether the child wins or loses.

Here is a deeper look at the blasé parent:

• The blasé parent is one that neither supports nor criticizes their child in athletics.
• The blasé parent drives their child to practice (when they decide to go), leaves, and then picks the child up after practice. They never comment about the practice, or really engage with the coaches or other parents about the practice or game.

• The blasé parent doesn’t get involved in the sports program. They don’t show up for fundraisers, award banquets, or stay for any of the games and practices.

• The blasé parent doesn’t ask about their child’s progress, or get concerned when they don’t try hard or play up to their potential.

• The blasé parent usually has a smile on their face, and when you ask them how things are going, everything is usually going OK – no matter what the situation.

The blasé parent, even though their personality is usually very passive, they can be frustrating to work with. They are hard to pin down for anything, and they typically aren’t reliable. This is a hard one to combine with any other parent type, because the blasé parent usually clashes with most of the other types.

The ‘living through your kids’ parent

Oh, how we have all seen these parents. In fact, to some degree, those of us who never reached as high as we should have in sports might exhibit some of these characteristics. Athletes are athletes, and when we see the athlete in our children, many parents want to see their children advance as far as they can.

Once again, if it gets carried away, it can become a problem. Parents can put too much pressure on their children because they know what they did to reach the level they achieved, so they push their children to get there as well.

You can tell this type of parent by these traits:
• They are always telling their children about, “when I played, I always used to do this.”
• They can get upset with their children if they don’t put in the same kind of effort they were expected to put in to achieve a high level of success.
• The ‘living through your kids’ parent tells their child “it’s not the way I used to do it.”
• This parent will push their kids to be the way they are, and to do things the way that they did when they were playing the sport.
• This parent can be even more aggressive if their child is in the same sport they used to compete in.
As coaches, we have all seen the parent who tries to live through their child. Many of them are trying to realize dreams that didn’t come true for themselves and their sporting career, and pushing their children because of the desire to see them succeed where the parent has failed.

The outspoken parent

This is one parent that can be especially dangerous to face, but if you can get them on your side, they can be equally powerful to your cause. They are the outspoken parents – the ones who are not afraid to say what is on their mind.
This parent may be difficult if they are combined with negativity or critical behavior, because if they decide to speak out in a negative or critical way, you are going to be dealing with the fall out afterwards.

Here are some things you might encounter with the outspoken parent:

• If they don’t like the way their son or daughter is performing on the court or the playing field, etc., they may have no problem embarrassing their child in front of other’s because of their outspoken nature.
• The outspoken parent may decide they don’t like the way you are coaching and they will tell you about it. Calling you in private is not their style, they would prefer to call you out in public – and that is what makes them a problem.
• This parent is not afraid to speak their mind – right, wrong, or otherwise. This can cause friction with other parents, other players, and even with their own children. As a coach, you may have to find a way to put a muzzle on the outspoken parent around others involved with the team.
• The outspoken parents will have no problem confronting other parents, other coaches, officials, and even other players in order to get what they want to say off their chest.
• The outspoken parent is usually a proud person who will defend their child no matter what the situation. They may tell you that you are wrong, despite the fact you are right, just to defend their children.
• The outspoken parent can work in your favor if you can get them to respect you and your way of doing things. If they are a positive parent who is outspoken, they can help you sway other parents, or create a positive influence among the entire organization.
The outspoken parent is a wildcard. They can be good and bad, but they will always be predictable in their candidness with you and with others. If dealt with effectively, they can be an extremely valuable parent to have on your team.

The ‘coach’ parent

Once again, we have a parent type that can help, or hurt your direction. If they subscribe to your way of doing things, then you have another coach that can facilitate the learning process for their child in the elements of your sport that you have taught.
They can also be destructive to different team members, because they may try to undermine what you are teaching. The ‘coach’ parent is especially dangerous if they have a high level of achievement in a sport – one that other players might respect more than yours.
In this parent, you may not see as much from the parent as you may see in the child. Most of the ‘coaching’ is done when the you (the real coach) aren’t around. Then, you end up seeing it on the practice field, or in a game situation.

Here are a few of the other traits you can expect from the ‘coach’ parent:
• If something goes wrong with the team, or with their child as a player, they will always resort to telling whoever will listen, what should have been done.
• This parent may tell their child how they think they should be playing, and what to do in certain situations. This may or may not be parallel to what you have been coaching. This is where you may run into difficulties.
• The athlete may come to a practice and after you have told them how to do something they say, “well, that’s not how my mom/dad told me to do it.”
• The ‘coach’ parent (especially if combined with the outspoken one) will take you aside and offer you ‘coaching’ pointers. This might not be bad if the ideas are offered in a constructive way
• The ‘coach’ parent may call you up and talk to you about some of the decisions you made during the game, or who you chose to play or not play during the game. They may also call you before a game and offer you different game plans or strategies for the next opponent.
• The ‘coach’ parent can be utilized in your favor by asking them to join you as a member of the staff. If they are in tune with the way you coach, then they might be a valuable addition to your coaching staff, and can offer something of value to the organization.
The ‘coach’ parent is another type, which if combined with another negative parent type can be a real problem. It can derail any progress that you wish to make with certain players, and also hamper the progress of the entire team.
If successfully integrated into your team, the coach parent has the potential to be a valuable asset. Some of the coaching strategies that we will discuss later are especially valuable for the ‘coach’ parent.

The critical parent

Alongside the negative parent type, this one can be one of the worst to deal with. They don’t like much, and if they do like something you can bet there is something about it they don’t like about it.
A good example of a critical parent would be one who enjoyed seeing their son or daughter’s team score a touchdown, but would complain about the play call – saying that they wouldn’t have called that play in that situation. Despite the positive outcome, the critical parent will find something wrong with it.

Here are a few of the other traits of the critical parent:

• The critical parent may be critical of other players, other parents, officials and coaches. This is never good and can cause tremendous friction between different areas of your team.
• The critical parents will be critical to their own child, and this can hamper then child’s performance. They feel a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to their parent’s expectations.
• The critical parent finds a way to criticize anything that is being done, even if there is a positive in it. This can be extremely detrimental to a team that needs to build on the positive strides it is making.
• The critical parent, combined with being outspoken can be a disaster to your team. Try putting a lid on a parent who wants to be very vocal about their criticism.
The critical parent is where we start to draw the danger line. Once you get into the area where the behavior itself is a destructive one it permeates the entire team and can be a cancer.
Controlling the critical parent may be a considerable challenge, and one that can’t be overlooked – simply because of what they can end up doing to the people around them.
The negative parent
You have probably met negative people in your life, and you can understand they are hard to deal with. Imagine them as parents of the children on your team. Nothing is done right – you can’t coach right, the other parents don’t know how to handle their children, the other children don’t play like your, etc.
The negative parent, if they are left to their own devices can run rampant on your team, and sour the athletic experience for their child and others.
Other traits of the negative parent:
• They will find the bad part of everything. No matter how good something is, they will find a way to turn it into something bad.
• Even if a child or parent does something good, they will find a way to bring it down. For example, if a parent does a good deed for the team the negative parent is sure to tell you something bad they have also done for the team.
• The negative parent chooses to put people down, find flaws in almost anything, and will argue just for the sake of arguing. They don’t like agreeing with anything someone says, and this can affect coaches, other parents and players.
• The negative parent will tell you all of the things that are wrong with your team and the players that are on it.
• The negative parent combined with the outspoken parent can be a lethal combination. They can sour others in an instant and can create a bad taste in the mouths of those associated with the team.
• The negative parent always makes things more difficult on themselves, just because it is more important to be negative about things than positive.
A negative parent in your organization needs to be dealt with immediately. The detriment to your team, along with the players and parents can be astounding. Later on in the book, I will show you how to deal with the negative parent before things get out of hand.

The uncooperative parent

The uncooperative parent just simply isn’t a team player. They don’t like doing anything for anyone but themselves. If you are asking someone to help with the team fundraiser, they will make an excuse why they aren’t able to offer their assistance.
The uncooperative parent is frustrating at best. Just when you think you are on track with something, they will plant a roadblock in your way. As a coach, this is an extraordinary challenge, especially if they are combined with one of the other parent types.
Here are a few of the traits of the uncooperative parent:
• The uncooperative parent will try to make things more difficult, when they can be easy.
• The uncooperative parent will take a seemingly insignificant problem and make it worse because of their unwillingness to cooperate with others.
• The uncooperative parent can put a stop to plans or ideas for the team, because they find a way to not do their part.
• The uncooperative parent doesn’t work well with other people. They cannot be a part of associations, committees and other group activities related to the team because they can make them more difficult by being the roadblock in the way of progress.
You can work with the uncooperative parent, but it may be a chore to try and get them onside. Their uncooperative nature can affect their child because the child may not get the full athletic experience because the parent’s nature – and unwillingness to work with others.The uncooperative parent isn’t as difficult to work with as some of the other parent types. One of the easiest ways to deal with them is to not work with them at all. Interestingly, once they realize their help isn’t required, they might just offer their services simply to be involved with things. Parental psychology 101…

‘My child is a superstar’ parent

Watch out! This one can be a gem or a gigantic problem waiting to happen. The model parent who truly believes his child is a superstar can be one of the biggest boosters to your program. They will do whatever they can to make your team as good as possible, so their son or daughter can play on the best team.
If you get a parent who is one of the ugly parent types, combined with this one, you have a recipe for disaster.
The biggest problem with this parent is when the child is not any better (or worse) than any of the other kids on the team. The parent, as parents can do sometimes, believes that their child can do no wrong. This is when things can get out of hand.
Here are a few more traits you can expect from the parent who believes that their child is a superstar:
• They will press the coaching staff to make sure that their child is set ahead of everyone else on the team.
• They may bicker with other parents or the coaching staff about the playing time their child is getting.
• The ‘my child is a superstar’ parent might put down other kids or the coaches when they see that their child isn’t playing as much as the parent thinks they should.
• This parent may think they are also above doing some of the other volunteering with an organization, because their child is ‘better’ than the other kids.
• This parent may push their child extremely hard, sometimes to the detriment of the child, in order to get them to reach what the parent think is the child’s potential.
This parent can cause a lot of friction with other parents and other players and it can run rampant in an organization. This parent needs to be dealt with immediately before the situation gets out of hand.

GAME ONE RED ROCK INVITATIONAL

2009-04-23T07:36:00.002-06:00

HEY GIRLS,

BE AT THE CANYONS AT 430 FRIDAY AFTERNOON READY TO WORK HARD AND WARM UP, HOPE YOU HAVE BEEN PRACTICING ON YOUR OWN BECAUSE GAME DAY IS HERE..

FRIDAY APRIL 25TH 430 FIELD FOUR AT THE CANYONS...

2009-03-30T09:12:00.000-06:00

Hitting is hard. Even the greatest hitters in the world go into slump.
It's very technical and it's just plain hard to do.
Hitting a fast-moving ball with a stick is no walk in the park.
It's also very mental.
Anybody who has played, coached, or been around the gamea little knows how mentally tough hitting can be.
Confidence is, without a doubt, the most important part of the mental game.
In the following short video, I discuss the importance of"acting" confident to help you be successful at the plate.
http://www.softballperformance.com/blog/softball-hitting-tips-being-confident-at-phe-plate/
It's a very simple, yet powerful tip that you can start using today.
Check it out.

2009-03-23T11:24:00.001-06:00

PRACTICE:

WE WILL BE HAVING A PRACTICE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT 630, AT SNOW PARK...IF YOU CAN NOT MAKE IT, A PHONE CALL TO COACH MEL WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
THANKS SO MUCH!

2009-03-16T15:14:00.001-06:00

We will be having a softball practice at 7PM this Wednesday, at Snow Park, behind Dixie High. We look forward to seeing you there.

Some help from an expert for you while things are a lititle slow at pracitce

2009-03-15T11:45:00.001-06:00

There's a big difference between swinging and hitting - namely making contact with the ball. Most practice drills involve helping our hitters improve their swings instead of how to improve their pitch tracking and pitch selection. Learn 4 exciting ways to practice Pitch Selection & Tracking so you can improve your hitters!
Think of the swing as a player simply swinging a bat, no pitch, just the swing. While that's a good start it's only that, a start. For a player to actually "hit" a ball they must see the ball coming at them, determine if it's a pitch they should swing at, and then swing their bat so it makes contact with the ball - on an area about the size of a postage stamp! Not so easy when I say it like that.
In a typical softball practice, teams will practice swinging about 90-95% of the time and only practice pitch tracking & selection about 5-10%. While it's certainly important for players to have nice swings we don't get style points in softball so "nice swings" don't count the way they might in sports like diving, or gymnastics that give out points for form. In softball, we only get points for runs no matter how nice or how ugly the swing looked. That's not to say that the swing doesn't matter - of course it does, but let's not forget that we've got to teach our players how to make that swing meet a ball, or else it's going to be a VERY long season!
Before we look at some ways to practice pitch tracking & selection lets first talk about what these are:
Tracking is seeing a ball as it travels toward you
Pitch Selection is making the right decision on balls you track. For instance, your batter might be able to see that the ball is over her head, but she swings at it anyway. That would be a case of good tracking but poor pitch selection. You don't have to swing at strikes, you just have to swing at pitches that you can hit well (for some hitters that might mean pitches that are a little out of the strike zone).
When our players are tracking pitches the 2 main things they must figure out - and as quickly as possible are:
Where is the ball going?
In or Out
High or Low
How Fast is it going there?
Fast
Slow
There are lots of reasons why we usually end up only practicing swinging instead of actually hitting, but we'll address those in another article. For now, let's look at a few quick drills to help our players practice seeing the ball better (tracking) and making better decisions about which balls to hit (pitch selection):
Ball or Strike Catching:
Pitcher is at the regular pitching distance and the batter has her fielding glove on instead of using her bat.
There is a small cone on the ground placed ½ way between the pitcher and the catcher.
The hitter stands behind homeplate, just like a catcher does, with her fielding glove on and a mask if necessary.
The pitcher pitches the ball and the catcher yells out, Ball or Strike, as the ball passes over the cone - and then she catches it. NOTE - it might take a few pitches without saying anything for the hitter to get used to catching the ball.
Do in sets of 10 and then switch with another hitter.
Note - This is much harder than it seems since the hitter has to see the ball and make a decision - out load. So expect some mistakes - things like late decisions, wrong decisions or no decisions. These are all normal mistakes and part of the learning curve.
Ball or Strike Hitting:
Same setup as Ball or Strike Catching but with the hitter now using her bat instead of her glove and she has her helmet on.
The batter will now stand in the batter's box but WILL NOT SWING!
Instead, she will get into her batting stance and say Ball or Strike as the pitch passes over the cone - working on her tracking & decision making skills.
Do in sets of 10 and then switch with another hitter.
Note - this drill will also involve some decision mistakes on the part of the hitter so expect them and be patient with them - ask the hitter what she saw to make her decision so she is learning how to improve her information, timing and decisions
Pitch Watching:
The hitter will have her helmet on, NO bat, and will stand in during pitching practice.
The pitcher will work on whatever type of pitch she would be practicing if the hitter were not there.
This drill is particularly helpful to the hitters if the pitchers are practicing lots of repetitions of the same pitch. For instance, if Pitcher 1 is pitching lots of drops, Pitcher 2 lots of riseballs and Pitcher 3 lots of change ups.
1 hitter for each pitcher will give your hitters lots of great practice learning to identify patterns in pitches to see how drops move differently than riseballs, and how both are different than changeups.
This is also a great drill to help your pitchers get more comfortable with having hitters in the batters box,
Have each hitter watch 10 pitches and then switch to another pitcher. Be sure to stand in against each pitcher as every pitcher's pitches move differently, particularly if they are right or left handed.
Disk Tossing:
This drill is done off of front toss instead of a live pitcher. Front toss is where either a player or a coach stands about 10-15 feet in front of the hitter (like an actual pitcher would) and tosses balls underhand to the batter. The tosser can either use the actual windmill pitching motion or else bring their arm back and then forward to pitch the ball. Pitches should start gentle and then get faster as the hitter proves they can be successful at the toss speed.
The batter has a Hitting Disk in her hands instead of a bat.
The pitcher will toss either a regular softball, a tennis ball or a Zip Ball™, and the hitter will swing the Hitting Disk and try and actually hit the ball with the disk.
This is a great drill to help the hitter direct her swing forward while also working on her tracking and pitch selection skills.

2009-03-10T21:52:00.001-06:00

THE PRACTICE CALLED FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11TH, AT 630 PM HAS BEEN CANCELED.
COACH MEL HAD A MAKEUP HIGH SCHOOL GAME CALLED DUE TO THE SNOW TUESDAY THAT WILL MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER TO BE BACK IN TIME.
PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS FOR OUR NEXT SCHEDULED PRACTICE.
SORRY FOR THE LATE NOTICE...COULDNT BE HELPED...

2009-03-09T11:34:00.002-06:00

PRACTICE THIS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, at 6:30 at the Snow Park Fields behind Dixie High School

See you there!!

PRACTICE REMINDER

2009-03-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

We have a practice this Wednesday, March 4th, at 630 PM at Snow Park, behind Dixie High School...see you there

2009-02-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

PRACTICE REMINDER

THERE WILL BE PRACTICE HELD ON WEDNESDAY 530 TO 730 FOR ALL PLAYERS AT SNOW PARK...WE WILL SEE YOU THERE!

"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."
—Babe Ruth

Tournament Details

2009-02-19T07:56:00.001-07:00

Team,

Practice at 530 Tonight is optional, Snow Park. Please attend if you can.

If you do not have payment for this tournament in, please bring payment with you, or bring it to the games. You must be paid to take the field.

Friday:

We will meet at Snow Park for warm up before the games at 5:00 ALL PLAYERS are to warm up and check in there ( both teams. )

If you play for Pegasus and have both uniforms, please bring your extra uniform with you to share with a pick up player...WE NEED THEM TO MAKE THIS WORK :)

16U will be wearing Navy Blue- navy socks

14U will be wearing Red- Red Socks

If you are borrowing a uniform, YOU MUST:

1. Provide your own Socks

2. Bring a change of clothes for both days, borrowed uniforms DO NOT LEAVE the field...way too hard to chase them down again. IF you are playing both days, we will wash and return the uniform to you...cant beat that for service :)

3. bring a matching color shorts...a few of our borrowed uniforms do not come with shorts. (Do your best (:)

Fields:

16U will play at the canyons game one, Field 1 at 7:15

14U will play at Little Valley game one, Field 3 at 7:15

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
—Vincent "Vince" Lombardi (1913-1970), athletic coach

President's Day Practice and schedule information for this week

2009-02-15T09:58:00.001-07:00

Hey Team,

We will be having Practice at the Snow Park Fields on Monday at 1:00 PM in preparation for the upcoming Tournament.

We will also have a practice on Wednesday at 5:30 at Snow Park, and an optional pre-tournament Practice Thursday at 530 on the same fields...

It will be a great opportunity to get a lot of knowledge and warm up work in so we will be ready for some tough competition this weekend :) ..Thanks to our coaches for being willing to donate so much time to get our girls ready to play.

All girls with Pegasus Uniforms Red and Blue are asked to bring all they have with them, and share with girls who still have uniforms on order, so we can outfit both teams for this tournament. Your cooperation is appreciated. Coach Mel will let us know which team will be in which color. Any Uniform you are not using but have would really help us make sure all girls are ready to play...Thanks for your help!

ALL PICK UP PLAYERS who were asked to play for girls that canceled for this tournament are also asked to attend these pracitces.

(A special thanks goes out to those girls who were willing to come and play with us at the last minute so we could play in this tournament...we wouldn't have been able to do it without you...THANKS AGAIN!!!!)

Tournament Schedule:

We do not have a schedule for the games this weekend, I will get that posted as soon as they finish the brackets and get that info to the coaches.

New Uniform Update:

We should have all of our new uniforms by next tournament. (Adidas willing :)) Those families who have not paid for a unfiform, and have not made arrangements to pay for a uniform may have to pay an addtional fee for their uniform, as the order is going in and the cost quoted was based on the bulk order. Please call Coach Mel right away and make arrangements to get your check to her, or if you are in St George you can call Coach Shayne, or reply to this email and I can make arrangements with you, as well.

See you tomorrow on the fields :)

PEGASUS PRACTICE REMINDER

2009-02-14T11:07:00.001-07:00

PRACTICE TODAY AT 1200 PM AT THE SNOW PARK FIELD BEHIND DIXIE HIGH SCHOOL

SEE YOU THERE!!!!

Team fees are Past Due and Practice Schedule

2009-02-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

Hi Team,

Practices this week will be :

Wednesday, February 11th, 530 to 730

Saturday, February 14th, 12:00 to 2:00

We had a Parent's meeting on Saturday, those of you who were not able to paritipate in that meeting need to make arrangements to pay for your registration and uniforms if you want to particpate in Pegasus this year. We need to be registered quickly so we will be able to play in the ASA tournaments that have been scheduled. I also need to order the uniforms for the girls and can not afford to float that for so many girls. I wanted to place the order today, but still dont have enough girls with fees in to go forward. We can go to one uniform to make things more affordable if that is an issue for families...please let me know by replying to this email and we will make any needed adjustments. We want the girls to play and do not want anyone not playing because of costs...let us know...

We can refund any money for the second uniform if we want to go that route, or credit you for your next tournament.

If you want to call me you sure can at 435-703-0186 or if you are in Cedar you can call Coach Mel at 435-531-0846 and make arrangements to get your money in. The amount requested to start is 215.00 We can make arrangements for part of that if there is a problem, just give us a call so we can make arrangements....

Looking forward to hearing from you, and have a great day!!!

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be road blocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

Practice and parent meeting....

2009-02-06T07:58:00.001-07:00

Practice at noon tommorrow at the Snow Park Fields...

Parents meeting at 145, bring your check books :)

See you there

Fwd: Fw: Red Desert Classic softball coaches clinic - FREE

2009-02-04T22:05:00.001-07:00

IF ANY OF YOU ARE INTERESTED THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY...

It is at Dixie High in the Lecture
Hall 100. It is directly inside the doors on the south entrance at
Dixie High. It is Free and open to anyone who wants to come.

Hope you guys can make it.

Randy

>

>     >     Coaches, parents and players.
>
>     We will again host the Red Desert Classic softball coaches
>     clinic. It
>     will be held on Friday night February 6th here in St. George. We
>     have
>     the following coaches committed to speak to us this year.
>
>     1. Todd Fairbourne - Utah Valley University
>     2. Gordon Eakin - Brigham Young University
>     3. Vaughn Alvey - Brigham Young University
>     4. Amy Hogue - University of Utah
>
>     I am looking for 1 or 2 more coaches to speak that evening as
>     well. I
>     will email out exact start time, location and final speakers as
>     soon as
>     those details are finalized. Last year we went from 6pm to almost
>     10pm.
>
>     This clinic is open to everyone and it is free. Please spread the
>     word
>     and invite all to attend. It's is a great opportunity to listen
>     to some
>     of the best coaches in the college game.
>
>     I have attached a copy of the game schedule for the Red Desert
>     Classic.
>     All of these games will be played at the Canyons Complex in St
>     .George.
>
>     If you have any questions about the coaches clinic, let me know.
>
>     Randy Simkins
>     Dixie High Softball
>
>

upcoming pracitce and PARENT MEETING

2009-02-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hi girls,

No practice tomorrow, as may have been mentioned to you this past weekend. instead it will be:

Practice will be held on Saturday, February 8th at 12:00 noon, at Snow Park, behind Dixie High School. There will be a parent's meeting regarding the upcoming season immediately following the practice. Please all plan on attending that meeting at 1:45. Anticipated costs and schedules will be discussed.

SET YOUR Calanders for FEBRUARY 20 AND 21...ITS OUR NEXT TOURNAMENT HERE IN SUNNY ST GEORGE both 14u and 16u will participate

uniform orders and jersy number requests

2009-02-02T18:54:00.001-07:00

Hi Team,

We are at a point where we need to order uniforms if we are going to participate in the tournament at the end of the month. I need adlut size for your player to get the order correct. Girls are welcome to request a number but if a player with a jersy already purchased take priority.

Please send me your size and request for number, first come first serve....I also need to know which team your daughter will be playing on 14 or 16, if there is a chance she will be playing on both teams then the jersey number can not repeat on either team...if that makes sense...

Anyway let me know which team, thanks.

Sherry

Uniform sizes

2009-01-29T00:51:00.001-07:00

For those girls who will be needing new uniforms...I will need your daughter's size on record so we can get them ordered in a timely fashion. Could you please reply with the size jersey, and short size your daughter will need. We would also like to have her cleat size on record. Thanks for your help. Looking forward to a fun season.

Sherry

703-0186

Hoodies will be in on Friday...

2009-01-29T00:47:00.001-07:00

Hoodies will be in for those that ordered them on Friday. I appreciate those who have prepaid for them. I have a list below of those who have already paid...if you have paid and your name is not here, please reply so I can check my records. All merchandise must be paid for before we can send it home...

If you want to pick it up, you can come down to the fields on Saturday, first game is at 10 :oo am...the 16U team is playing a tournament...come get your hoodie and cheer Pegasus on. They will also be available at the next team practice. please give me a call if you want to make special arrangements to pick it up. Looking forward to a great season...

Thank you for your hoodie Payment:

Sam Jones

Sabrina Tesch

Jordan Larson

Kimber Fielding

Alyssa Potter

Ki Ki Andersen

Shelby Holt

Andi Delianovan

Practice and Payment reminder

2009-01-28T14:12:00.001-07:00

Hey Team,

Remember we have practice tonight, prepare for cold weather...

Practice will be from 5:30 to 7:30

Hoodie Payments are due, and the hoodies will be ready this weekend. Tournament payment for all grils playing in this weekend's 18U tournament are also due.

Please make checks payable to Gold Glove Clinic

You are welcome to write one check.

Hoodies are 25.00

Tournament fee 25.00

Give me a call if you have any questions.

Thanks to Sam Jones and Kimber Fielding for making your payment...I will get those recorded.

Sherry

435-703-0186

Practice Wednesday at 530

2009-01-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

Girls we will be having softball practice this Wednesday, from 530 to 730 please make every effort to be there. Please call coach Mel if you will not make practice and bring any money owed. Checks should be made out to the Gold Glove Clinic.

THANKS

Here is the final Order...

2009-01-22T13:12:00.001-07:00

Official Order:

Shelby Holt Adult small 25.00 owed

Sam Richins Adult Large 25.00 owed

Andi Jacinto Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Lexi Parry Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Krista Dekorver Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Sabrina Tesch Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Carmen Kimber Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Shayne Dekorver Adult XL 25.00 owed

Jen Fielding Adult LARGE 25.00 owed

Kimber Fielding Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Melanie Nelson Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Jordan Larson Adult Small 25.00 owed

Sam Jones Adult Medium 25.00 paid

Ki Ki Andersen Adult Medium 25.00 paid

Sherry Andersen Adult Medium 25.00 paid

Jaycee Slack Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Andy Nelson Adult 2X 25.00 owed

Dennise Jacinto 2X 25.00 owed

Ginessa Delange Adult Small 25.00 owed

Alyssa Potter Adult Small owed

Hoodies PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF I HAVE YOUR ORDER RECORDED AND CORRECT, Thanks

2009-01-21T22:22:00.007-07:00

Hi There Girls.

Here is the new order list...if you see a mistake, please let me know...I am ordering these tomorrow...if you ordered a hoodie at practice...I need to know your size. So reply with it or I will be guessing.

If you do not see your name here that means I dont know you want a hoodie so reply so I can get you one. Be sure you let me know your size too.

Thanks

Official Order:

Shelby Holt Adult small 25.00 owed

Sam Richins Adult Large 25.00 owed

Andi Jacinto Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Lexi Parry Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Krista Dekorver Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Sabrina Tesch Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Carmen Kimber Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Shayne Dekorver Adult XL 25.00 owed

Jen Fielding Adult LARGE 25.00 owed

Kimber Fielding Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Melanie Nelson Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Jordan Larson Adult Small 25.00 owed

Sam Jones Adult Medium 25.00 paid

Ki Ki Andersen Adult Medium 25.00 paid

Sherry Andersen Adult Medium 25.00 paid

Jaycee Slack Adult Medium 25.00 owed

Andy Nelson Adult 2X 25.00 owed

Dennise Jacinto 2X 25.00 owed

Ginessa Delange Adult Small 25.00 owed

Alyssa Potter Adult Small owed

2009-01-20T14:10:00.003-07:00

Girls we have a practice this week, Wednesday the 21st of January at the Snow Park Fields. See you there.
For those girls that are interested we will be ordering hoodies with team logos...
Navy with White Logo...11 oz, adult sizes run $25.oo each...
I have three orders...need to have them within 48 hours so I can try and have them done for the girls playing in January. Parents and siblings are welcome to order too...
Children's sizes will be different price, possibly. I can also get tee shirts if you are interested, probably run around 12.00...send order back via email.

Optional Batting Practice Tuesday at Canyon View High School 6:00 PM see you there.

TRY OUTS TODAY

2009-01-07T07:43:00.001-07:00

TRY OUTS TODAY FOR ALL - WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!!!!

SNOW PARK FIELDS BEHIND DIXIE HIGH SCHOOL

500 PM TIL 7OO OR 730

BOTH OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE SKILLS WILL BE EVALUATED

PLEASE HAVE GIRLS DRESS FOR WINTER AND BRING WATER!

ALL GIRLS BORN 1992 OR LATER ARE WELCOME TO PARTICIPATE...

LET'S PLAY BALL!

Proper training for Softball Off Season Ideas

2009-01-07T07:33:00.003-07:00

Our body consists of three main energy systems:

System #1 - the speed system (a.k.a. anaerobic alatic systemor ATP-PC system): this system provides us with energy forany effort lasting less than 10 seconds. It is a very powerful system but it gets completely empty after 10-12 seconds. This is the first energy system to kick-in when we start moving.
System #2 - the speed endurance system (a.k.a. anaerobic lactic system or lactic acid system): this system provides us with energy for any effort lasting between 10 seconds and 2 minutes. This system is fairly powerful and has a bit more endurance than the first system.
It is also the system that produces a lot of lactic acid andgive us that muscle burning sensation when we workout or do some intense effort for more than 10 seconds.
System #3 - the endurance system (a.k.a. aerobic system):this system provides us with energy for any effort lastingmore than 2 minutes. This is system is not very powerful but can last for up to several hours.
In summary, for any effort that is short (less than 10seconds) and very intense, the first energy system will fuel that effort.
If an effort is a little longer but still fairly short(between 10 seconds and 2 minutes) and still intense, thesecond energy system will provide the energy to sustain thateffort.
Finally, if the effort tends to be longer (more than 2minutes) and less intense, the third energy system will take care of it.
As you know, you get better at what you practice. If you hit, you will get better at hitting and if you field balls,you will get better at fielding balls.
The same idea applies to energy system training. If you run for a long time, you are training the third energy system(endurance system) and will improve your ability to run for quite a while. If you do short, intense sprints, you are training the first energy system (speed system) and therefore improving your ability to be explosive and runfast.
Smart coaches train the energy systems that match thedemands of their sport. For example, Triathlon coaches willfocus on training the endurance system while sprint coaches will focus on the speed system.
That just makes sense.In the case of softball, most plays last 5 seconds or less.Therefore, it is the powerful - speed system - that fuelsjust about every action in softball.
As you can see, if someone spends too much time training theaerobic system (third energy system), they are not trainingthe right system for our sport. The endurance system(aerobic system) does not play a big role in softball.
However, there are still benefits for softball players to doing some "cardio" or developing a base of aerobic endurance.
A good base of aerobic endurance will serve as a foundation to develop the speed system much faster.
Here is a list of the other main benefits of doing "cardiotraining" for softball players:
- Control of body fat
- Ability to recover more quickly after an intense effort
- Increased stamina and resistance to fatigue
- Decreased tension and aid in sleeping
- Psychological benefits as exercise improves mood, reduces depression and anxiety
Moreover, it's also true that pitchers and catchers willbenefit from a certain base of aerobic conditioning becausetheir position requires more stamina.
However, overemphasizing aerobic conditioning is detrimental to all softball players; including pitchers and catchers.
Once you reach an acceptable level of aerobic conditioning(i.e. run at average speed for 30 minutes), there is no needto further increase it.
At that point you should mostly maintain your aerobic baseby doing 1-2 aerobic sessions a week (i.e. run for 20-30minutes at an average pace).
More than that will be detrimental to your game. Not only isit a waste of time because it's not useful on the field butit also hinder the development of speed, power, andstrength.
Is that what we want? Definitely not!For sprinters, doing aerobic conditioning is almost a sin.They avoid it because it is detrimental to theirperformance!
On the other side, long distance runners don't waste theirtime doing many sprints because they need to increase theirendurance! Softball players including pitchers and catchersare like sprinters; they need to be quick, explosive and powerful.
So, what I am saying is that a base of aerobic conditioningis beneficial for the reasons mentioned above. However,doing too much of it will be detrimental. Once you havereached a certain level of endurance, you need to focus onbuilding speed, power, and strength. This is what you truly need on the field!
Also, most of your endurance building work should be in theoff-season. In pre-season (2-3 months prior to the beginning of the season), you should mostly focus on building speed and power. During the season, your goal is to maintain yourcurrent fitness level where it is.
Stop running around and start sprinting. You game will thankyou.
So, are you still running around like a fool?

2009-01-05T09:08:00.000-07:00

“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” —Pamela Vaull Starr

Try Outs January 7th at 5:00 PM TRY OUTS

2009-01-03T19:59:00.001-07:00

Try Outs for the 2009 Season are upon us. All girls are required to attend this try out if they are planning on playing this season. Even if oyu are currently playing another sport

please come out to try outs on Wednesday to assure yourself the opportunity to play later.

Try outs are open to girls playing 12 14 and 16 and under. Any girl born in 1992 or later is welcome to attend.

There is a winter league that will be starting shortly for girls that are interested in that opportunity. The coaches will have information on that this Wednesday.

Please feel free to call with questions or reply to this email and I will get an answer for you as soon as I can.

Have your daughters invite any girl interested in playing to this try out, no additional try outs are planned at this time.

Thanks and we will see you on Wednesday!

Sherry

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

2008-12-31T09:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-12-30T20:59:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-25T11:43:00.001-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS GIRLS....

SEE YOU ON THE 7TH!!!

2008-12-23T23:11:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

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

2008-12-17T21:30:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

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? ;-)

2008-12-15T18:18:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-12-15T17:01:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-12T15:48:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-11T09:37:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-09T21:02:00.002-07:00

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.

2008-12-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

2008-12-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

2008-12-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

2008-12-09T12:09:00.002-07:00

TRY OUT reminder

2008-12-09T12:09:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-12-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-12-03T16:04:00.001-07:00

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

2008-12-03T08:22:00.002-07:00

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?

2008-11-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Today, I was talking to the coach of a 14U team who isstruggling at the plate.
They haven't been hitting well this year at all.
After asking him several questions, it became prettyclear what the problem might be.
You see - according to him, they work a lot on hitting.
I told him that they work a lot on hitting fundamentalsbut no so much on hitting.
He was puzzled and confused.
You see, hitting is a lot more than a sweet swing.
Hitting is...
1) Reading cues and tracking the ball well2) Making decisions (pitch selection)3) Ajusting to various locations and moving pitches4) Hitting according to the situation5) The approach to the plate and the mental part ofhitting
You see, if you only work on the swing, you are missinga bit part of the equation.
You have to integrate all of those other elements intoyour training in order to develop high-level hitting.
Having a "sweet swing" is a good start but you also haveto see the ball, recognize what pitch it is and whereit is going, decide if you will swing or not, makeadjustments, and more.
Make your hitting training much more than just "swing"training.
If you want to learn more about integrating all of theseperformance elements into your batting practices, get acopy of my Super Hitting Bundle.
http://www.softballperformance.com/products/super-hitting-bundle.html
Hitting is the most important part of the game withpitching. You've got to work on it!

Mesquite

2008-11-20T15:24:00.001-07:00

Weather to anticipate tomorrow in Mesquite:

Fri

68°F | 41°F

Dress appropriately...

See you at the Pioneer Park Fields at 5:00 on the fields...

PREPARE

2008-11-20T07:30:00.001-07:00

"Success (and winning) is a by-product of your preparation."
Without preparation, do you still have that "by-product?" Just something to think about. Okay, about the players...
During the off season, players can:Improve agility: dot drills and jumping rope are greatImprove speed & conditioning: high intensity stair workouts are awesomeImprove strength: if you don't have access to a weight room, light dumbbells and body weight exercises can go a long waySet goals for the season: why wait until the season starts to think about what you want to accomplish? Start visualizing and thinking about what you want to accomplish nowNail Academics: this is the perfect time to pick up, or solidify your grades! Study hard now so that you're not behind when the season comes. You know you're only going to get busier then. Work mechanics: the season is not the best time to mess with mechanic, but if there's an area you know you can improve in as far as mechanics go, work it now. Using a mirror at home can be a big help. You don't always have to throw a softball to work on throwing mechanics - use a nerf, or newspaper, or socks and work on your form in front of a mirror so you can get instant feedback on what you're doing

BIG MISTAKE ON THE SCHEDULE, PLEASE READ!!!

2008-11-19T09:57:00.001-07:00

OOPS,

OUR FIRST GAME WILL BE AT 6:15 (7:15 UT TIME) ON FIELD 3 AND SECOND GAME AT 7:30 (830 UT TIME) ON FIELD 2...

HAVE THE GIRLS THERE AT 5:15 (615 UT TIME) REMEMBER THE TIME CHANGE...THEY ARE AN HOUR BEHIND US...

CAR POOL NEEDS OR SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS GIVE COACH MEL A CALL. OUR NUMBER IS STILL ONLY 9 PLAYERS...WE NEED EVERYBODY THERE AND RARING TO GO...ANY GREAT PLAYERS YOU KNOW...GIVE MEL A CALL...WE WOULD BE BETTER OFF GOING WITH 11.

SEE YOU TONIGHT AT PRACTICE FROM 5 TO 7 ON THE CITY FIELDS AND I AM SO SORRY FOR ANY CHAOS THIS CAUSED...

IF YOU COULD PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL SO WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THE SCHEDULE CHANGE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL.

Mesquite Tournament.

2008-11-18T23:38:00.001-07:00

We will be playing at 7 PM on field 2 at the Pioneer Park fields in Mesquite, Nevada. We need to have everyone on the field at 6:00. It is important that you are there on time as we are, at this point only playing with 9 girls so if we are not able to get pick up players there will be no extra players for our tournament. Late players mean forfeit...yikes. Remember that there is an hour time change if you are living in UT...make the needed adjustments...Nevada is an hour behind UT. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get the girls there on time...Any need for car pool or place to stay on Friday night feel free to give me a call.

Mel has been on the phone trying to get 2 extra players to make sure we have a safety net. She is having no luck. If you have any suggestions for her of cabable players give her a call..

See you guys at practice, from 5 to 7 tomorrow.

Have the girls bring a new unwrapped toy to the tournament, the donations will help to make a child's christmas special...Each girl is expected to participate.

Directions to the Field:

Merge I15 south towards Las Vegas

Take exit 122

Turn left onto I15 Blue Pioneer Blvd. Continue to follow I15 BL S

Turn left onto Hillside Dr.

End 501 Hillside Dr.

REMEMBER TO BE THERE ON TIME...THANKS

Stolen CDS

2008-11-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

At the last tournament Coach Mel had a whole set of her music CDs stolen. Someone took them right out of her jeep. If any of you have any of these titles will you let me know...it would be nice to burn them so we could replace what she has lost...Or if any of you accidently grabbed them with the equipment and ended up with them let her know...

Here is the list:

Foo Fighters: "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
Jack Johnsen: "Curious George Soundtrack"
Dashboard Confessionals: "Places You have come to fear the most", and "Swiss Army Romance"
Counting Crows: "August and Everything After", "Hard Candy"
Whole Collection of Simon and Garfunkle
Dave Matthews Band: "Under the Table and Dreaming", "Crash", "Before These Crowded Streets"

Thanks.

Sherry

Practice and Tournament Schedule

2008-11-18T07:48:00.001-07:00

We will have a practice for the girls that can attend tomorrow from 5-7 at the city fields. Batting and Diving will be the focus...come and have fun.

The schedule will be available later this evening. If any of the girls need a place to stay Friday night please let me know and I can have them stay with me or with Jen Fielding...we are happy to help and the girls love a slumber party.

There were some concerns about playing time, and some comments...so Coach Mel and Coach Troy have decided to go to this tournament with fewer players...MAKE SURE that you are there so this strategy does not fail us...I think we are at 10 players...so that is tight. Last week we recruited and ended up with alot, as there was some uncertainty about attendance. The coach is fielding these calls again for this tournament. Once you commit to a tournament it is mandatory that you attend. Pulling out at the last minute is not fair to the other girls and their families who have all invested time and money...please let me know what we can do better to make commitment easier. We look forward to seeing everyone that committed there. Thanks for all the efforts for the good of these girls...Great parents make great teams...

I also want to take a moment here to thank our coaches that are volunteering their time...tons of it, that reaches way beyond the time on the field. Neither one of our coaches has a girl on the team and still they are donating countless hours of their time...we are so lucky...Thanks Mel and Troy. We sure appreciate you.

Learning new things...

2008-11-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

I realize more than ever than kids today want results now.

If it doesn't work right away, it's no good!

Why is that?

They are used to getting everything right away.

They live in a world with...

- Instant chat-
Instant texting-
Instant 24/7 news-
Instant download-
instant pain relief
- etc.

Even most of the advertising today for variousproducts promises quick, if not almost instant results.

Bottom line - young athletes are conditioned to instant results.
Today's society is losing track that success takes work, effort and time.

There is a quote that says:
"The only place where success comes before work, it's invthe dictionary!"

And that's true. More specifically... LEARNING TAKES TIME!
Learning a new skill or changing a bad habit doesn't happen over night. IT TAKES TIME!
And you need to work at it too.

Here's in a a nutshell how learning works:

At first, when you learn a new way of doing something, your performance doesn't improve, it goes down! Why? Because you are not used to this new way yet and you are thinking about it.
As a lot of coaches say: "It's not in your muscle memory yet!"
After a while, this new way will become more natural and it's only at this point that you will get better. You've got to be patient. If you fix your swing mechanics, it will not pay off right away. It will be off in a couple of weeks or even months.

Again, remember this: LEARNING TAKES TIME! And effort. And work.
When you learn something new, of course, it will not work rightaway and it is very likely to be worse than it was until you master the new technique!!!

Train hard. Play hard.

More from Marc

2008-11-14T07:49:00.001-07:00

Marc Dagenais - Softball to me show details 5:35 AM (2 hours ago) Reply
10 Rules to Shift the Odds In Your Favor
Hi Kirsten,
I'm a firm believer is shifting the odds in your favor.
Softball is somewhat of a complex game.
Yet, to be successful, it comes back to accomplishing afew very simple things.
Doing those simple things will "shift the odds in yourfavor."
What are these simple things?
Here's my top 10 list of rules to shift the shift the oddsin your favor.
1) Pitching - keep the ball low most of the time and on thecorners.
How many hitters do you know that can hit an inside or outsidelow pitches very hard?
2) Pitching - Throw strikes early. Get ahead in the count. Then mix.
3) Avoid walks at almost all cost except in a few situations.
I'm allergic to walks. Most of the time, almost 60-70% come toscore - especially when given early in the inning.
4) Don't give easy bases to any runner, especially to thetrail runner.
5) Always get at least one "sure" out. Lead runner if you can.
The team that gets to 21 out the fastest usually wins.
6) Catchers or any fielder - don't throw if you have almostno chance to get an out.
The team that makes the least errors usually wins.
7) Swing at strikes and if you are going to swing at a bad pitch -swing hard.
Even if you are chasing a bad pitch, at least, send a message orswing hard enough to maybe get a scratch hit out of it insteadof a lazy pop-up or weak grounder.
8) With two strikes and less than 3 balls - swing at anything thatlooks like a strike.
I would rather go down fighting and have a chance to hit than getbeat without a fight.
9) Be aggressive on the bases. Make the defense work to get you out.
10) Get the sacrifice bunt down in fair territory and don't aim forthe lines.
The purpose of the hitter in a sac bunt situation is not to be safeat first. It's the to advance the runner. Too many are trying outto bunt the perfect ball - often along the lines and it rolls in foulterritory.
Make sure the ball is in play well inside the lines and just try tobunt not directly at a fielder to make sure the runnerwill make it safely to the next base.
Bottom line...
Offensively - Put the ball in play. Swing the ball hard. Run a lot. challenge the defense.
Defensively - Get at least one "sure" out on every play. Avoid walkslike the plague in most situations. Keep the ball low most of the time.Get ahead in the count. Don't get easy bases. Force the opposite team to "earn" theirruns - don't give them to them.
These are somewhat very simple and very basic.
Yet, I see many youth teams forget about it. They often lose focus by focusing toomuch on the more advance strategies.
I'm been applying and "really emphazing" these basic rules withmy pitchers, catchers, fielders, and hitters very systematically overthe years - very successfully.
And at various levels of game from 12U to 23U.
The thing is that you have to always emphasize them untilit becomes second nature - even though most of them are very obvious.
Play to shift the odds in your favor and win A LOT more games.

Roster for this Tournament

2008-11-12T22:38:00.004-07:00

We are again running close on players, particularly on Saturday, and need to be sure we can count on you each to be there, we had a couple last minute cancellations. It is hard to keep everything balanced...too many on the roster means not enogh game time for the girls, but when we run a smaller roster it is really hard when we have last minute things come up. Emergencies happen, but it sure makes things exciting at the last minute... If you have not contacted coach Mel you are expected there on Friday and Saturday for the games...Thanks for your support we will see you at practice tomorrow...

This weekend's Schedule

2008-11-12T12:02:00.001-07:00

Game time will be Friday night at 6:00 PM on field 3 at the canyons.. Have the girls there at 430 for warm ups

Second game will be either at 8:30 if we win game one or 9:45 if we lose.

If you need directions to the fields you can contact me privately...thanks for everything and lets have a wonderful tournament...

Remember Practice at the Cedar City Fields from 5 to 7 tomorrow.

Great stuff from my buddy Marc

2008-11-12T07:55:00.001-07:00

Earlier this year, in the spring, I was working witha young hitter who also happened to be a very good pitcher. Let me rephrase that. I was working with a terrific young pitcher who was wasting her time swinging the bat - in her mind. You see, she was coming from a baseball family where pitchers(her dad and brothers are all pitchers) don't hit.

Furthermore, that perception was reinforced by her own coaches who didn't want her to get her hurt to protect their precious jewel the year before. Mind you - she was 12 years old.
Basically, in her mind, she was no hitter. However, today, I am not writing about whether pitchers should hit or not - that's not the purpose of this article.

It was just to set the table.

So, why was I working with her on her hitting then?
Because, a SMART coach saw how athletic she was and asked meto spend time with her on her hitting believing she could bea great hitting asset to the team. I saw the same thing. She could be a good hitter. Her swing was not good at all but she had all the tools to bea good hitter.
One exception - in her mind - she was not! She didn't see herself as a hitter.

Most of my work with that kid was spent telling her how great of ahitter she could be and working on having her SEE in the theaterof her mind that she was hitting beautiful, game-winning, line-drivedoubles and triples.

Of course, I fixed part of her mechanics - easy task with such anatural athlete - but most of the time was spent getting her tobelieve SHE WAS a hitter.

I spoke to the coach again yesterday. Guess what happened this past summer?
You probably guessed it. She became a great asset to her 12U team finishing the season with a .473 batting average and was considered by the coach her second best hitter.
And she got the MVP because she also threw a bunch of shutouts during the summer.
The lesson here is that you have to BELIEVE and SEE YOURSELF IN YOUR MIND being successful before you can actually be successful on the field.

What is the saying already?

"Yes, we can!"

Thursday Practice Schedule

2008-11-11T09:55:00.001-07:00

We will be having practice on Thursday evening on the Cedar City Fields. Please be prepared for cold weather. We will practice from 5 to 7 PM.

The schedule for the tournament is not available yet, we will have it posted as soon as we have it.

Thanks for your support and we will see you there.

News from Mark

2008-11-11T08:50:00.002-07:00

For those of you who don't know, in addition tocoaching softball, being a softball peak performance coach, I've also been teaching at the community college level for the past 10 years or so.

I currently teach nutrition, sports conditioning, and weight training classes.
I've also taught sports psychology and a few other fitness-related PE classes in the past.
Last week, in one of my nutrition classes, we were doing our traditional food log analysis.
I asked my students to keep a detailed food and exercise log for a whole week. After that, we input all the data into a popular online tracking software and look at the results.

This is the most significant exercise of the semester as students get to learn a lot about their own eating habits and are often shocked at what they find out!

One of my students is a 6'3", 18-year-old talented female basketball player that plays for the college team.

We were looking at her numbers and what she discovered blew her away.
Her estimated daily caloric expenditure is around 4000 calories which is totally normal for such a tall and active elite athleteof that age.

Her daily caloric intake for that week was around 2600 calories.

That's a 1400-calorie deficit per day! This is huge!

This is really bad news for an elite athlete.

Talking to her, i learned that she is often tired and has a hard time focusing in class, especially in the afternoon. And at that time, she had a cold that just wouldn't go away. Guess what?
All of that might have surprised her but I was not surprised one bit. This is VERY TYPICAL of student-athletes. Most of them are so busy with school and training that they don't eat enough.
And a lot of the time, they don't eat well either. And then they expect to perform well!

Try to run a car without gas - you will not go too far.
You've got to feed the machine!!! And you've got to feed with good stuff, not crap like highly processed or fast food. You have to eat more, eat more often, and make better choices more often if you want to perform well. And guess what - nutrition does play a role in softball, especially when you train regularly and play at a high level.

Here are a few additional nutrition tips for you:

http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips/sports-nutrition-tips.html
http://www.discussfastpitch.com/softball-training/274-nutrition-tips-softball.html

Eat more. Perform more.

How to maximize Off Season Time

2008-11-07T07:36:00.001-07:00

It's the off-season.
It's time to:
1) Rest and recover from last season.
2) Heal injuries.
3) Do conditioning to get faster, stronger, more powerful, andprevent injuries.
4) Work on fundamentals.
In other words, it's time to get better for next season!
Often, people wonder - what should I do more of?
In an ideal world - everything!
In reality, there is just not enough time.
Fundamentals is the most important as softball is a highlytechnical sport that requires you to master a variety ofcomplex skills.
Within fundamentals, should you more defense (throwing, fielding)or offense(hitting, bunting, etc.)?
My answer is: offense.
Especially if you are in an indoor environment for part ofthe year because of the winter.
Why?
Because hitting is like golf, it takes A LOT of time tolearn, refine, and master. It's even harder than golf becauseyou're hitting a moving object.
Because it's like pitching - you need to work on it for hoursto improve a little at a time. To get your mechanics and yourtiming right.
Of course, you need to work on defense. But you can change themechanics of fielding and throwing much faster than you canchange the mechanics of hitting.
Pitching and hitting should be the MAIN focus of the off-season.
Then, defense and conditioning are next in line.
If you want a split, I would spent 60-70% of the time on the firsttwo and 30-40% of the time on the next two.
Train hard. Play hard.

SATURDAY PRACTICE

2008-11-07T07:33:00.001-07:00

Team,

Remember we have a Saturday Practice at 2:00 PM at Canyon View High School. See you all there.

2008-11-05T12:12:00.001-07:00

WHEN DUANE KNUDSON, a professor of kinesiology at California State University, Chico, looks around campus at athletes warming up before practice, he sees one dangerous mistake after another. “They’re stretching, touching their toes. . . . ” He sighs. “It’s discouraging.”
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Horacio Salinas

The New York Times Sports MagazineGo to Complete Coverage »
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Illustration by Emily Cooper
STRAIGHT-LEG MARCH (for the hamstrings and gluteus muscles)Kick one leg straight out in front of you, with your toes flexed toward the sky. Reach your opposite arm to the upturned toes. Drop the leg and repeat with the opposite limbs. Continue the sequence for at least six or seven repetitions.
Enlarge This Image
Illustration by Emily Cooper
SCORPION (for the lower back, hip flexors and gluteus muscles) Lie on your stomach, with your arms outstretched and your feet flexed so that only your toes are touching the ground. Kick your right foot toward your left arm, then kick your left foot toward your right arm. Since this is an advanced exercise, begin slowly, and repeat up to 12 times.
Enlarge This Image
Illustration by Emily Cooper
HANDWALKS (for the shoulders, core muscles and hamstrings) Stand straight, with your legs together. Bend over until both hands are flat on the ground. ‘‘Walk’’ your hands forward until your back is almost extended. Keeping your legs straight, inch your feet toward your hands, then walk your hands forward again. Repeat five or six times.
NYT_VideoPlayerStart( {
playerType : "article",
videoId : "1194830066044"
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If you’re like most of us, you were taught the importance of warm-up exercises back in grade school, and you’ve likely continued with pretty much the same routine ever since. Science, however, has moved on. Researchers now believe that some of the more entrenched elements of many athletes’ warm-up regimens are not only a waste of time but actually bad for you. The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them. In a recent study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent. Also, stretching one leg’s muscles can reduce strength in the other leg as well, probably because the central nervous system rebels against the movements.
“There is a neuromuscular inhibitory response to static stretching,” says Malachy McHugh, the director of research at the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. The straining muscle becomes less responsive and stays weakened for up to 30 minutes after stretching, which is not how an athlete wants to begin a workout.
THE RIGHT WARM-UP should do two things: loosen muscles and tendons to increase the range of motion of various joints, and literally warm up the body. When you’re at rest, there’s less blood flow to muscles and tendons, and they stiffen. “You need to make tissues and tendons compliant before beginning exercise,” Knudson says.
A well-designed warm-up starts by increasing body heat and blood flow. Warm muscles and dilated blood vessels pull oxygen from the bloodstream more efficiently and use stored muscle fuel more effectively. They also withstand loads better. One significant if gruesome study found that the leg-muscle tissue of laboratory rabbits could be stretched farther before ripping if it had been electronically stimulated — that is, warmed up.
To raise the body’s temperature, a warm-up must begin with aerobic activity, usually light jogging. Most coaches and athletes have known this for years. That’s why tennis players run around the court four or five times before a match and marathoners stride in front of the starting line. But many athletes do this portion of their warm-up too intensely or too early. A 2002 study of collegiate volleyball players found that those who’d warmed up and then sat on the bench for 30 minutes had lower backs that were stiffer than they had been before the warm-up. And a number of recent studies have demonstrated that an overly vigorous aerobic warm-up simply makes you tired. Most experts advise starting your warm-up jog at about 40 percent of your maximum heart rate (a very easy pace) and progressing to about 60 percent. The aerobic warm-up should take only 5 to 10 minutes, with a 5-minute recovery. (Sprinters require longer warm-ups, because the loads exerted on their muscles are so extreme.) Then it’s time for the most important and unorthodox part of a proper warm-up regimen, the Spider-Man and its counterparts.
“TOWARDS THE end of my playing career, in about 2000, I started seeing some of the other guys out on the court doing these strange things before a match and thinking, What in the world is that?” says Mark Merklein, 36, once a highly ranked tennis player and now a national coach for the United States Tennis Association. The players were lunging, kicking and occasionally skittering, spider-like, along the sidelines. They were early adopters of a new approach to stretching.
While static stretching is still almost universally practiced among amateur athletes — watch your child’s soccer team next weekend — it doesn’t improve the muscles’ ability to perform with more power, physiologists now agree. “You may feel as if you’re able to stretch farther after holding a stretch for 30 seconds,” McHugh says, “so you think you’ve increased that muscle’s readiness.” But typically you’ve increased only your mental tolerance for the discomfort of the stretch. The muscle is actually weaker.
Stretching muscles while moving, on the other hand, a technique known as dynamic stretching or dynamic warm-ups, increases power, flexibility and range of motion. Muscles in motion don’t experience that insidious inhibitory response. They instead get what McHugh calls “an excitatory message” to perform.
Dynamic stretching is at its most effective when it’s relatively sports specific. “You need range-of-motion exercises that activate all of the joints and connective tissue that will be needed for the task ahead,” says Terrence Mahon, a coach with Team Running USA, home to the Olympic marathoners Ryan Hall and Deena Kastor. For runners, an ideal warm-up might include squats, lunges and “form drills” like kicking your buttocks with your heels. Athletes who need to move rapidly in different directions, like soccer, tennis or basketball players, should do dynamic stretches that involve many parts of the body. “Spider-Man” is a particularly good drill: drop onto all fours and crawl the width of the court, as if you were climbing a wall. (For other dynamic stretches, see the sidebar below.)
Even golfers, notoriously nonchalant about warming up (a recent survey of 304 recreational golfers found that two-thirds seldom or never bother), would benefit from exerting themselves a bit before teeing off. In one 2004 study, golfers who did dynamic warm- up exercises and practice swings increased their clubhead speed and were projected to have dropped their handicaps by seven strokes over seven weeks.
Controversy remains about the extent to which dynamic warm-ups prevent injury. But studies have been increasingly clear that static stretching alone before exercise does little or nothing to help. The largest study has been done on military recruits; results showed that an almost equal number of subjects developed lower-limb injuries (shin splints, stress fractures, etc.), regardless of whether they had performed static stretches before training sessions. A major study published earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control, on the other hand, found that knee injuries were cut nearly in half among female collegiate soccer players who followed a warm-up program that included both dynamic warm-up exercises and static stretching. (For a sample routine, visit www.aclprevent.com/pepprogram.htm.) And in golf, new research by Andrea Fradkin, an assistant professor of exercise science at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, suggests that those who warm up are nine times less likely to be injured.
“It was eye-opening,” says Fradkin, formerly a feckless golfer herself. “I used to not really warm up. I do now.”
You’re Getting Warmer: The Best Dynamic Stretches
These exercises- as taught by the United States Tennis Association’s player-development program – are good for many athletes, even golfers. Do them immediately after your aerobic warm-up and as soon as possible before your workout.
STRAIGHT-LEG MARCH
(for the hamstrings and gluteus muscles)
Kick one leg straight out in front of you, with your toes flexed toward the sky. Reach your opposite arm to the upturned toes. Drop the leg and repeat with the opposite limbs. Continue the sequence for at least six or seven repetitions.
SCORPION
(for the lower back, hip flexors and gluteus muscles)
Lie on your stomach, with your arms outstretched and your feet flexed so that only your toes are touching the ground. Kick your right foot toward your left arm, then kick your leftfoot toward your right arm. Since this is an advanced exercise, begin slowly, and repeat up to 12 times.
HANDWALKS
(for the shoulders, core muscles, and hamstrings)
Stand straight, with your legs together. Bend over until both hands are flat on the ground. “Walk” with your hands forward until your back is almost extended. Keeping your legs straight, inch your feet toward your hands, then walk your hands forward again. Repeat five or six times. G.R.