Everything Fastpitch - The Podcast
588 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 79 ratingsEverything Fastpitch is a podcast hosted by Coach Tory Acheson and Coach Don McKinlay. Tory and Don are former college coaches that are now full time instructors and travel ball coaches. Since retiring form active collegiate coaching they have committed themselves to providing educational materials to the fastpitch community. This podcast is one of the resources they are providing. Their website has 500+ blog posts and they have a YouTube channel. All of these cover fastpitch softball from coaching and training beginner athletes up through college athletes. It is a great resource for players, parents and coaches. Whether it be training tips, mental aspects, coaching methods, recruiting etc. it is all covered, hence the name Everything Fastpitch.
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Episodes
Catcher Positioning - Get your catcher where they belong
July 23, 2021 20:00 - 11 minutes - 8.14 MBWe discuss the fact that many catchers are way too far back of the hitter. Move them up where they can perform better. The further back you are opens the door to making the pitcher, catcher and umpire have a harder time. When you are close, breaking balls are easier to catch. Low balls don't hit the ground. Umpires get a better read. And the pitcher has a tighter zone to throw into. Support the Show.
Part 2 Interview with Justin McCleod / End of Summer Season / Advice on close of season for coaches
July 21, 2021 20:00 - 52 minutes - 36.3 MBThis Week's Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter just played her last travel ball tournament forever. I am really depressed about it. What can I do? (@11:24) Paige's Power Play (@:15:34) Part 2 of our interview with Justin McCleod. We cover the Transfer Portal, NIL, etc. (@20:41) Wrap up of the end of the summer season. Make sure we are preparing ourselves to finish well. (@38:32) Coaches - wrap up the summer season and then take a break and decompress. (@45:41) Sup...
Why? Preparing players to understand.
July 16, 2021 20:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBWe need to train and educate our players so they understand that the strategy choices we are making and to execute them accordingly instead of wondering why. Why distracts from executing. Support the Show.
Interview with Justin McCleod / Impact of National Organizations on Travel Softball / Coaches you are going to be judged either way
July 14, 2021 20:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MBThis Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What to do about a rained out tournament? (@8:36) Paige's Power Play (@14:29) Discussion with Justin McCleod about the state of college softball (@18:35) National Organizations are taking over travel softball. (@45:01) Coaches you are going to be judged either way. (@54:15) Support the Show.
Get more warmup time before your game by making a simple adjustment.
July 09, 2021 20:00 - 9 minutes - 6.38 MBWhen games are being played back-to-back on the same field a lot of time is spent waiting on the team that just played to get out of the dugout and your team to get in. Why wait? Why not warmup? Support the Show.
Big Changes in the College Game / Umpire Shortage / Wasting Field Time
July 07, 2021 20:00 - 51 minutes - 35.7 MBThis Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter is 8. Is it time to spend some real money on a bat? (@9:37) Paige's PowerPlay (@13:17) Big Changes in the College Game (@15:37) Umpire Shortage is Real (@39:21) Field time is valuable. Use your field time to do on the field stuff! (@44:32) Support the Show.
Don't confuse the players by saying things that are contradictory.
July 02, 2021 20:00 - 13 minutes - 9.21 MBSometimes we tell our players things that when looked at from all angles they don't make sense. For instance if we tell our pitchers to pitch down so that they get ground balls because we have a better chance of getting outs. Then we tell our hitters to hit it on the ground. If it is good for the pitcher how can it be good for hitters. There are many examples where we contradict ourselves and confuse the players. Support the Show.
Team Jumping / Why are a lot of catchers good hitters / Cutoffs, Relays & nightmares
June 30, 2021 20:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Does it hurt my daughter's development by playing on a team with a great and dominant pitcher? (@7:25) Paige's Power Play (@14:25) Team Jumping (@19:55) Why are a lot of catchers good hitters (@33:49) Cutoffs and Relays and the nightmare that can occur if not done correctly. (@41:51) Support the Show.
Training players to transfer the ball from the glove to throwing hand or picking up a ball.
June 25, 2021 20:00 - 14 minutes - 9.69 MBActively training players to actually get a ball into the hand to throw is not practiced enough. It is a skill that can be taught and make the difference in a game. Picking up a ball off the ground is too often mishandled by not getting a firm grip on the ball. Transferring the ball from the glove to the throwing hand needs to be efficient and in a method that minimizes losing control of the ball. Support the Show.
Tribute to Coach Bob Heck (Father of fastpitch in Georgia) / Part 2 Joey Myers Interview / Recruiting Picture / Backing up in the Outfield
June 23, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 65.7 MBThis weeks lineup: Tribute to Coach Bob Heck. Bob Heck was the first coach of fastpitch softball at any college in Georgia. He campaigned for high schools to change over to fastpitch. He established the sport at Georgia State University by backing the program with his own resources. Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock joins Coaches Tory and Don who have known him for many years. RIP Bob Heck Warmup Segment: (@37:33) Listener Question: I have been made the all-star coach and would like some...
Working on recognizing defensive spacing and making the correct decision.
June 18, 2021 20:00 - 13 minutes - 9.65 MBOften during the course of a game, a fielding play will take the defensive player to an awkward position related to the space between a base or another player. How often have we seen a play where the fielder throws the ball to another fielder when it would be quicker and simpler for them to just make the play. Or they make a throw that is difficult for the other fielder to handle. It all boils down to instantly recognizing the space between them and where they want to make a play and making...
Interview - Joey Myers, Hitting Performance Lab / Lesson learned from college season / Coaches continuing to grow
June 16, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 44.3 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question. Would the path Odicci Alexander took to play college ball work for me? (@11:57) Paige's Power Play (@15:12) Interview with Joey Myers of the Hitting Performance Lab. If you have interest in the scientific aspects of body movements, this is a must listen. (@19:03) Lessons learned from the college season. (@50:10) Coaches we need to think of every way we can to continue to be better coaches and give our players better experiences. (@59...
Our job is not to teach the skills but to teach our players how to learn the skills.
June 11, 2021 20:00 - 12 minutes - 8.43 MBDuring a game the player is fielding, catching and hitting without a coach on the field telling them what to do or how to do it. So the players need to understand the skills needed and why certain things work and some don't. If they don't really understand the skills they tend to act robotically. Between the white lines they are their own coach, so train them accordingly. Support the show
Our job is not to teach the skills but to teach our players how to learn the skills.
June 11, 2021 20:00 - 12 minutes - 8.43 MBDuring a game the player is fielding, catching and hitting without a coach on the field telling them what to do or how to do it. So the players need to understand the skills needed and why certain things work and some don't. If they don't really understand the skills they tend to act robotically. Between the white lines they are their own coach, so train them accordingly. Support the Show.
NCAA Tournament Thoughts / Rethinking some defensive things / Overcoaching hitters in a game
June 09, 2021 20:00 - 56 minutes - 39 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter seems like she has plateaued, is this normal? (@13:30) Paige's Power Play (@20:09) NCAA Tournament Thoughts (@24:10) Rethinking some defensive things (@37:44) Overcoaching of hitters in a game (@45:56) Support the Show.
Tribute to legendary college coaches retiring.
June 08, 2021 20:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBCoaches Tory and Don are joined by Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock to discuss the retirement of Coach Candrea from the University of Arizona and Lu Harris-Champer from the University of Georgia. They also cover the retirement of Kennesaw State University's 30 year baseball coach Mike Sansing, which all three of them have had close connections to for years. They also touch on the College World Series and should changes be made to the format and facilities. Support the show (https://www.pat...
Tribute to legendary college coaches retiring.
June 08, 2021 20:00 - 29 minutes - 20.1 MBCoaches Tory and Don are joined by Hall of Fame Coach Scott Whitlock to discuss the retirement of Coach Candrea from the University of Arizona and Lu Harris-Champer from the University of Georgia. They also cover the retirement of Kennesaw State University's 30 year baseball coach Mike Sansing, which all three of them have had close connections to for years. They also touch on the College World Series and should changes be made to the format and facilities. Support the Show.
Handling demands of two teams at the same time.
June 04, 2021 20:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBCoach Tory and Coach Don discuss the issues with trying to please 2 coaches at the same time. When school ball and travel team games and practices overlap, what is a player to do? Each coach has the best interests of their team as a number one priority so the player either has to make a choice or do all that each one requires. Support the Show.
Thoughts and predictions for the College World Series
June 03, 2021 00:00 - 4 minutes - 3 MBCoach Tory gives his predictions for the College World Series. Support the Show.
College Softball News / Balancing Practice Schedules / Approaching an Umpire
June 02, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 42 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: College teams play far less games in a day that travel teams. Does tha make sense? (@12:21) Paige's Power Play (@18:56) Observations from watching the CWS regionals and the transfer portal. (@21:39) How to handle schedules when you have a mix of players with completely different high school schedules. (@43:15) How should I approach an umpire when I have a question about a call? (@52:14) Support the Show.
Teach your players how to run
May 28, 2021 20:00 - 10 minutes - 7.13 MBRunning incorrectly can hinder your players performance. It is difficult to track a moving ball if your eyes are bouncing around. Proper form makes it much easier to make the plays. Support the Show.
Bonus Episode - Thoughts on the D1 Super Regionals this weekend
May 28, 2021 16:00 - 5 minutes - 4.11 MBCoach Don and Tory discuss the Super Regionals that are being played starting on Friday the 28th Support the Show.
Good time home to first / Part 2 of interview ofTristan Hildebrandt / Last Game / Better jump on the bases
May 26, 2021 20:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MBThis week's lineup: Warmup Segment Listener question: What's a good time from home to first.? (@7:02) Paige's Power Play (@14:22) Part 2 of interview with Tristan Hildebrant of Anderson Bat Company (@17:36) The last game. Many players are playing their last game. Some thoughts. (@33:07) Better jump on the bases. (@40:24) Support the Show.
Pick-off plays. How valuable they are and how to take advantage of them.
May 21, 2021 20:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBA discussion of pick-off plays. When are you ready to add them to your toolbox and what you have to understand to use them. Support the Show.
Interview with Tristan Hildebrandt of Anderson Bat / Pitcher Only - good or bad / DP Flex
May 19, 2021 20:00 - 53 minutes - 37.1 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter pitches behind often but still gets strikeouts. Is this a problem? (@8:51) Paige's Power Play (@12:50) Part 1 of an interview with Tristan Hildebrandt of the Anderson Bat Company. A great discussion on the bat manufacturing business. (@14:56) Listener question discussion. What do we think about a player being a pitcher only especially at the younger ages? (@38:12 Discussion of the DP Flex rule (@48:02) Support the Show.
Vacation Softball
May 14, 2021 20:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBCoach Tory discusses his experiences with coaching in a softball tournament at a vacation destination. There are pros and cons. The family gets to combine a vacation with going to the tournament. The hosts market the tournament as a destination location because of the attractions. But for softball those attractions are really distractions. They can be detrimental to play. Just make sure everyone is on the same page as to what the number 1 objective is. Support the Show.
Pitcher - Catcher relationships / Regular recruiting calendar is back / Playing time
May 12, 2021 20:00 - 55 minutes - 38.1 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: I live too far for access to instructors. What are some alternative options? (@10:00) Paige's Power Play (@15:02) Pitcher - Catcher relationships. The catcher can be valuable in getting better pitching performance. (@19:53) The D1 recruiting calendar is back on and players need to be prepared for returning to somewhat normal. (@33:22) The million dollar question. How does a coach determine playing time. They have to have a method an...
This could be the one - Keeping that every pitch focus
May 07, 2021 20:00 - 14 minutes - 9.81 MBIn this episode we discuss the need for emphasizing the need to have an every pitch focus. Players need to understand each pitch could be the one that they need to react to. It's easy to lose focus, but we have to dial back in at pitch time. Support the Show.
Part 2 of Interview with Jerrad Hardin / College Softball News / Unusual skill for better practices
May 05, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 41.6 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Pickup Players playing instead of team members (@15:30) Paige's Power Play (@21:15) Part 2 of Interview with Jerrad Hardin (@30:46) College Softball News (@45:03) Unusual skill for better practices (@51:36) Support the Show.
Keeping emotions within the boundaries of top performance.
April 30, 2021 20:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBAll sports have an optimum arousal level. When our emotions are below that level or above that level we don't perform as well. This week we discuss the need to monitor that level and make sure our players are not trying to execute while their emotions are out of bounds. Support the Show.
Interview with Jerrad Hardin / College Highlights / Greatest weakness in Softball
April 28, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 49 MBThis weeks line:up Warmup Segment Listener Question: How to handle different coaching styles. (@10:20) Paige's Power Play (@16:46) Interview with Jerrad Hardin. Coach, instructor, camps and author. (19:02) Highlights in the world of college softball (@49:26) An error can open the flood gates. Work on pitcher's fielding. (@01:02:24) Support the Show.
Don't waste a minute. We can give our team more innings.
April 23, 2021 20:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBMost of us have to adjust to time limit games because of the number of games that are scheduled on a field. It is the environment we live in. Because of that, it is mandatory that managing the clock has to have a high priority. In this episode we discuss how much playing time is lost to wasted minutes. Each minute lost waiting on someone, changing sides, discussing calls, etc. is a measurable percentage of our playing time. Let's give our players more innings. Support the Show.
D1 Recruiting Changes / Regional Playoff Sites / College Softball is really good/ Slap Defense
April 21, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 43.9 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment: Listener Question: What are our thoughts on walk-up music (@13:50) Paige's Power Play (@20:15) College D1 Recruiting Changes (@27:45) D1 pre-selecting Regional Playoff Host Sites (@32:18) College Softball is Really Really Good (@38:05) Slap Defense 2nd baseman up close (@49:37) Support the Show.
A Strikeout is just an out
April 16, 2021 20:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBWe have had a lively Facebook discussion of our blog post on "a strikeout is just an out". The coaches discuss the concept that it is very difficult to have multiple swing mechanics. At the next game you attend watch the reaction of players, fans and coaches between going back to the dugout after striking out and after just poking the ball to the infield. Often we see shame in striking out even if it was a good at bat versus "good try" on a dribbler to the infield. Listen and get their opini...
Umpire shortage and challenges umpires face / Safety Bases / Preparing to play in bad weather
April 14, 2021 14:00 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: Disappointment over not being team captain. (@16:27) Paige's Power Play: (@19:31) Interview with a Texas umpire on the shortage of umpires and the challenges facing umpires today: (@23:08) Safety Bases should be used at all levels: (@49:44) Preparing your team to play in bad weather: (@58:39) Support the Show.
Baserunning - practice judging balls
April 09, 2021 20:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBThe coaches discuss how to set up practice to make our baserunners better. The quickest way for a runner to advance is for them to be able to judge the ball and determine if it should get caught, might get caught or won't get caught. By the time a coach makes the determination and telephones it to the runner we probably have lost a base. But how much time do we practice this? Listen as they tell you how to set up practices to train them. Support the Show.
Why are parents unhappy / Crazy endings and what we can learn / Stacking buckets
April 07, 2021 20:00 - 51 minutes - 35.6 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Are parents just unhappy and what is the root cause. Do we really have that many bad coaches or are people just generally unhappy. Let's find the middle ground. (@19:56) The coaches talk about some strange endings to games and what we can learn. If high level teams can get confused, so can our teams. (@32:47) When you coach long enough you have a stack of buckets. How many times have you seen adults at the field trying to get a stack of buckets unstuck. ...
Pitching staffs and how to manage their innings
April 02, 2021 20:00 - 14 minutes - 9.68 MBManaging pitching staffs and allocating innings to the different pitchers is a difficult task. It takes a plan. You need to blend the objectives of the team and the development of the pitchers. One thing is for certain, to develop pitchers you have to play more games. To play more games you have to win more so that you go deeper into the tournaments. The coaches discuss different concepts that will help you come up with a plan for your staff. Support the Show.
Softball is now 4th ranked sport / State of umpiring crews / Work on weaknesses
March 31, 2021 20:00 - 52 minutes - 35.8 MBThis Weeks Lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: My daughter struggled during her first big tournament, should I panic? (@9:50) Paige's Power Play (@14:53) Softball has moved up to the 4th ranked sport in college athletics. (@20:19) State of the umpiring crews. We have a serious shortage of umpires and coaches, tournament directors and parents have to get onboard with helping improve the situation. (@31:03) Coaches we have to do a better job on identifying our player's weaknesses ...
Coach Prep - So you want to be a college coach
March 26, 2021 20:00 - 16 minutes - 11.5 MBA listener asks the question of how to become a college coach. Tory and Don give their experiences and discuss what you need to do and how to go about it. If you have ever given it a thought, you need to listen to this episode. Support the Show.
Part 2 Justin McLeod Interview / 1 Knee Down Catching / Defensive Positioning
March 24, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 47.5 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup Segment Listener Question: What are our thoughts on putting together a schedule. (@9:38) Paige's Power Play (@16:00) Part 2 of interview with Justin McLeod of Justin's World of Softball. (@22:22) What do we think about the 1 knee down catching technique? (@49:56) Setting your defense. (@1:02:11) Purchase Square Cuts Training Discs fastpitchprep.com Support the Show.
Coach Prep - Coaching the bases is a full time job
March 19, 2021 20:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBCoaching the bases is a full time job. It is the coaches responsibility to be totally focused on the base runners and continuously remind them of the situations. Just as players strive to be great, coaches need to strive to be great base coaches. Players need to practice to get better, coaches need to practice with them to get better. Support the Show.
Justin McLeod Interview / Field Conditions / Play the sun fields
March 17, 2021 20:00 - 1 hour - 44.1 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup segment Listener Question: Should I get a catcher's glove? (@9:38) Paige's Power Play (@12:24) Interview with Justin McLeod of Justins World of Softball (justinsworldsb.com) (@17:30) Field Conditions and the situations we experience in tournaments. (@46:45) Playing the sun fields on defense. (@56:45) Purchase Square Cuts Training Discs fastpitchprep.com Support the Show.
Coach Prep - Strategies to use when your team is not having success
March 12, 2021 21:00 - 13 minutes - 9.06 MBWe have all seen it. Team is struggling and the coach is not changing anything. The bench players and their parents are not happy because they are not getting a chance to see if they are better. The coaches discuss this problem and give our coaching friends some strategies to use in this situation. In fact, some of these strategies should be put to use even if you have a winning team. Purchase Square Cuts Training Discs Support the Show.
Sportsmanship - what coaches should do / Grab bag of questions / Signals - Don't overdo it
March 10, 2021 21:00 - 49 minutes - 34.1 MBThis weeks lineup: Warmup segment Listener question: My daughter says she wants to play high level college ball but doesn't realize the work ethic needed. (@11:24) Paige's Power Play (@16:16) How do you handle Sportsmanship questions when you run rule a team. (@23:40) Grab bag of questions (@33:38) Signals - Don't overdo it (@44:12) Purchase Square Cuts Training Discs fastpitchprep.com Support the Show.
Coach Prep - We need to teach our players the difference between TRY and DO
March 05, 2021 21:00 - 10 minutes - 7.2 MBThe verb "Try" means to attempt something. The verb "Do" means to achieve or complete something. Try has a built in level of failure. If we attempt to do something and don't make it we can always say we tried. It makes it too easy to quit. If we attempt to do something with the attitude that we will "do it", we will keep trying until we achieve it. Trying is just one of the steps to doing something, not the goal. Simple things like this can alter our player's mindset and help them perform at...
Amazing Plays are practiced / Team Chemistry / Coaches being prepared for stuff going wrong
March 03, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 42.5 MBThis weeks lineup: Warm up Segment Listener Question: My daughter is a super freshman and her coach never gives her a chance to play. During the recruiting process she was told she would be a starter. Do you have any advice? And should she transfer? (@12:20) Here is a link to an article describing what the coaches were talking about. Some Quotes from the article: “Coming in I knew I had to compete,” Brito said. “We’re at a collegiate level now that everybody is good. Coming in I didn...
Coach Prep - Weather is bad, but indoor practices can be effective with the right attitude.
February 26, 2021 21:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBIt is still winter although we want to treat softball practice like its spring. Indoor practices are the only option for a lot of the country due to weather conditions. With the right attitude indoor practices can be very beneficial and can give us the opportunity to work on things from a different perspective. And sometimes these can make improvements better than out on a field. Support the Show.
Recap College Softball / College Camps Phenomenon / Throwing and Catching
February 24, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 43.6 MBThis weeks lineup: Lead off segment Listener Question: Coach is putting together his summer schedule. A lot of doubts about what will happen. Wants coaches opinion of what they think about how to put the schedule together. (@12:10) Paige's Power Play (@17:51) Recap of College Softball Kickoff (@25:50) Phenomenon of college coaches coaching teams at recruiting camps (@40:38) Throwing and Catching: Fundamental skills that players are not doing on their own. (@52:03) Support the Show.
Coach Prep - A key to winning is closing the gap between the best players and the weaker players.
February 19, 2021 21:00 - 17 minutes - 12.1 MBAll teams have players at different skill levels. Could the difference between winning at the end of the season be how much you players with the lessor skills have advanced? You have weaker hitters and fielders with weaker skills. If your practice plans push those players as well as your top players they will close the gap. Often starters or the best players receive the most reps because we view them as the key to winning. We want you to think about if my weaker players can contribute more h...