HITTING

We believe in a compact, rotational swing, understanding that the longer you can wait to recognize a pitch and make a decision to swing, the better hitter you will be.  We also recognize the importance of "going with the pitch" - pulling inside pitches, hitting middle pitches through the middle of the diamond, and driving outside pitches to the opposite field.  We do not believe in "cloning" hitters, yet we understand that certain fundamentals of hitting are "absolutes" - these fundamentals must be adapted to your style to achieve maximum success.  Our approach to hitting must be aggressive, yet disciplined.  Our desire is to hit line drives and hard ground balls, always believing that "something hard, something low, something good will happen".  Realize that 20% of fly balls produce base runners, 40% of ground balls produce base runners, 80% of line drives produce base runners.  Make every effort to make every at bat a quality at bat - make outs one at a time and move a base runner with every out.  Lastly, always remain confident, regardless of the result of your last at bat.

PITCHING

We believe that the pitcher's main responsibilities are to keep the hitters off balance and allow as few base runners as possible.  These responsibilities are accomplished by attacking the hitters tracking (vertical zone), timing (horizontal zone), and pattern (bat and hand movement through the zone). The vertical zone is attacked by throwing rise balls, drop balls, and by throwing to upper and lower zones with other pitches.  The horizontal zone is attacked by throwing breaking balls, moving pitches inside and outside, and changing speeds.  The pattern is attacked by interchanging speed pitches, off-speed pitches, and change-ups, and by pitching to the horizontal zone.  The pitcher must be able to identify and exploit a hitter's weaknesses.  Understanding that there is no defense against a base on balls, the pitcher must establish in the umpire's mind that they have control of the strike zone and must work ahead in the count as often as possible.

BASE RUNNING/SLIDING

We believe that games are won and lost many times on the base paths.  A team with an aggressive base running plan can have a devastating effect on a defense, often causing them to make errors on even routine plays.  Although the rule of thumb that you "never make the first or third out of an inning at third base or home plate" applies to our team on most occasions, there are certain situations when the possible result makes the risk worthwhile.  We desire to be unpredictable and ready to exploit any and all weaknesses of our opponent.  Each player must be aggressive and able to accurately make split-second decisions when the opportunity to advance one or more bases exists.  A good base runner knows what slide to use in each situation.  Remember the rule of thumb:  if in doubt, SLIDE.          

DEFENSE

We believe in the importance of making all of the routine plays, realizing that more games are lost because of defense than are won because of offense.  It is critical to our success to get the first batter out in each inning. We must always be aware of the inning, score, number of outs, speed of each base runner, and speed and ability of each hitter so that we can properly position ourselves to execute on each play.  Each individual on defense must be willing to and capable of making the big play by giving every effort possible to not allow the opponent the opportunity to score runs or move runners into a better position to score.  We must realize the importance of backing up all plays and all potential plays so that we never are caught out of position and minimize the chance that an error will result in a run for our opponent. We understand that a minimal number of physical mistakes are unavoidable, however, mental mistakes are unacceptable. It is imperative that each individual thoroughly understand and properly execute all defensive responsibilities and strategies.

        TRAINING & CONDITIONING

We believe that training and conditioning is imperative to complete the process that will ultimately lead us to the pinnacle of success.  Weight training is a critical element; we want to be as powerful and explosive as possible.  We recognize the benefits of utilizing phases in weight training.  A cool-down after working out is just as important as a warm-up prior to working out.  A good cool-down is important for the removal of waste products built up by exercise.  It is also where we will acquire the most gains in flexibility.  We also understand that training and conditioning must include speed training.  In order to become fast you must train fast.  Only 20% of softball involves the aerobic systems, the remaining 80% is all anaerobic. 

TEAMWORK

We believe that the deciding factor between winning and losing is mental attitude, mental toughness, and mental dedication of the team as a unit.  Good teams know what they want, have a plan to get there, and are relentless in their efforts to get it all year long.  We realize that softball requires both physical and mental endurance.  It is passion and desire that keeps you going each and every day.  The team that sustains over the long haul will most likely come out on top at the end.  It is a challenge to stay inspired and driven for an entire season.  We know that the effectiveness of any sport group to achieve and realize their goals is dependent upon each athlete’s ability to understand, accept, and actualize team philosophy, standards, norms, and goals.

        THE MENTAL GAME

We believe that the ability to excel in the mental game is the final ingredient in transforming a good team into a champion.  The first element of the mental game is goal setting.  Setting personal goals is essential for gaining control of your potential; properly selected goals become your most important tool.  Goals set based on ability and confidence usually become personal standards of acceptance. We recognize that the fuel for an athlete’s performance is motivation.  It cannot be seen, but it can be felt by a competitor; it is intangible, but the athlete is keenly aware of its presence or absence.  Another important element of the mental game is responsibility.  The accountability for behavior and actions begins with a “willingness to acknowledge who you are, what you are, and what you want to become”.  We also realize the importance of being in charge of our attitudes.  Our attitude is our state of mind as we approach and experience our lives, and we believe that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.  Confidence is another important tool in the mental game.  Confidence is simply believing that your ability is equal to or greater than what is demanded by the situation or task.  It is also choosing to focus on your strengths instead of your weaknesses; the attitude that you will perform successfully.  We know that it is imperative to never stop learning if we truly desire to be a champion.  Learning can be both “acquired knowledge” and an “acquired skill”.  It is very important to continually reevaluate what we believe to be “the best way” of doing things.  When we fail to learn, we’ve learned to fail.  The next step to mental game success is preparation; the act of control - controlling behavior and environment in order to be ready to attain a goal.  Preparation demands mental and physical conditioning and conscious planning.  A player who is just “ready” and not “totally prepared” is a risk and a liability to the team.  A prerequisite for effective preparation is to combine mental practice with physical practice.  A key element in mental practice is visualization.  Visualization is the ability to recall information in physical forms and images, instead of words; it is mental rehearsal.  The process begins in the imagination and can be described as “practice and play on the mind’s field”.  We understand that the ability to develop the mental game relies heavily on concentration.  Concentration is the control of attention, directed externally or internally, on the function or task at hand.  The focus of concentration is the foundation of consistent and confident performance.  Developing a mental routine is taking the innate ability to concentrate and consciously direct the focus in the right direction.  Relaxation is the prerequisite to concentration and is an extremely valuable mental skill; it prepares the mind for performance - enhancing imagery, and confidence and building thoughts.  Finally, we know that mental discipline ties the rest of the elements together.  It is the ability to control your thoughts and feelings; its keeps you consistent in your actions so you can accomplish your purpose.