Perfect Form FastPitch

Everyone should watch! A replant is if your foot comes out of contact with the rubber and then when you come down if your cleats are facing down and you’re not on your toe or the side of your foot, it is considered a replant and it is illegal



Bullpens and Dugouts NFCA Rules Seminar on Pitching Replant ie Cleats Down

Locate, Locate, Locate! Learn command first!!

Everyone’s obsessed with the radar gun right now. 68…70…72… like that number is the golden ticket. Like if you hit it, everything else just magically falls into place.

It doesn’t.

I just called a game with Duke Blue Devils softball vs Tennessee Volunteers softball and let me tell you something… hitters were sitting on 77 and fouling it off like it was BP. Not guessing. Not late. On it. Because that’s the reality—these hitters see velocity ALL. THE. TIME.

You think your 70 is blowing it by them? It’s not.

Velocity is sexy. I get it. It turns heads. It looks good on social. But if you can’t locate for s**t and you’ve got one speed? You’re getting exposed. Maybe not at 10U… maybe not even at some travel ball tournaments… but step into the college game and it’s a different conversation real quick.

Because the separator isn’t how hard you throw.
It’s how annoying you are to hit.

Can you live on the edges?
Can you make them uncomfortable?
Can you change speeds so well they’re out in front one pitch and late the next?
Can you move the ball instead of just throwing it hard?

That’s the game now. And honestly… it always has been.

I’ve watched elite arms—elite—with ridiculous velo get rocked. Not because they weren’t talented… but because hitters weren’t fooled. Same speed. Same look. Same outcome.

And on the flip side? I’ve seen pitchers who don’t light up a radar gun absolutely carve… because they can spin it, place it, and mess with timing.

Stop chasing a number like it’s the only thing that matters.
It’s not.

Spin.
Location.
Change of speed.
THEN velocity.

If your whole identity is tied to how hard you throw, you’re building on a shaky foundation.

And if someone’s teaching you that velo over everything?
You might wanna rethink who’s guiding you.

There’s a window in this game that people don’t talk about enough… and it’s fragile as hell. Ages 8, 9, 10 — that’s not just development, that’s identity being built in real time. Yeah, we want them to learn how to compete. Yeah, winning matters. Yeah, putting in extra work, learning the game, sharpening their softball IQ — all of that is part of it. But let’s not lose our minds here… they are still kids.

When they boot a ball they should’ve made, when they strike out in a big moment, when they lose a game you know they could’ve won — that is not the moment to pile it on. That’s the moment they’re quietly deciding what this game is going to feel like to them. Is it pressure? Or is it possibility?

Because here’s the truth — the struggle at that age feels HUGE to them, even if it’s small in the big picture. And if we’re not careful, we can turn a game they love into something they start to fear.

So yeah, teach them the right way. Hold standards. Show them how to prepare, how to think the game, how to compete. But when it goes sideways? You better remind them they’re okay, they’re learning, and this game isn’t bigger than who they are.

Because that phase — where they laugh in the dugout, chase foul balls like it’s the biggest adventure ever, and still believe they can be anything out there — that doesn’t last forever. The older they get, the noise gets louder, the expectations get heavier, the pressure becomes real.

So while you’ve got them in that window… protect it, build them, let them fall in love with it. Because confidence, toughness, and resilience? That stuff sticks way better when it’s built on joy first — not fear.

Here’s a truth youth sports parents struggle with.

Your kid might not be the star right now.

And that doesn’t mean a damn thing about who they’ll be later.

Some kids peak early. Bigger, stronger, more coordinated at 11 or 12. They dominate youth tournaments and everyone starts throwing around big words — elite, next level, future college player.

But development isn’t linear.

Bodies change. Confidence changes. Work ethic changes. And the kids who are average at 12 sometimes become the ones nobody wants to face at 18.

Yet youth sports has turned into this race to label kids early.

More lessons. More teams. More showcases. More pressure.

All before most of them even know who they are as athletes.

And while everyone’s chasing the “next big thing,” a lot of kids are quietly falling out of love with the game.

The ones who usually end up separating themselves?

They’re the kids who still want the ball when they’re older.
Still putting in the work when it’s no longer cute.
Still competing when the game gets harder and the field gets smaller.

Youth sports shouldn’t be about crowning champions at 10.

It should be about raising athletes who are still standing when it actually matters. 🔥

So proud of Brook for chasing her dreams!

She was one of our pitchers about 12 yeara ago!


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1191949209587341&id=100063168193592o

I’ve been keeping a secret… and People is sharing it first 💙

people.com/brooke-lee-see-the-usa-in-your-chevrolet-exclusive-11899812

Feeling so overwhelmed with gratitude — truly couldn’t be more excited for this moment.