Athletes learn and develop at their own pace but the typical learning curve is 3 to 6 months of training. This “development phase” emphasizes basic mechanical movements, understanding of motion and problem solving. These three components will help your athlete make adjustments based on the softballs movement, location and what the athlete “feels”.o add a new question go to app settings and press "Manage Questions" button.

An athlete that practices regularly (2 to 4 times per week) for 8 to 10 months will retain muscle memory even after a typical 2 month break. Not everything will be perfect after 2 months of rest but 90 percent of the mechanical movement is retained.

I request that I see my beginner students 1 time a week (4 times a month) or 1 time every 2 weeks (2 times a month). I usually see my advanced students 1 time a week to as little as 1 time a month. This decision is based on the athletes goals and act as “maintenance” sessions.

I have a vast amount of ideas and drills to help train the body into making a particular movement. Depending on the athletes obstacle, I will incorporate work out bands, BOSU ball, balance disks, weighted softballs, among others. The idea is to stimulate muscle activation and muscle memory. If the athlete can feel it she can replicate it. Athletes tend to learn in 3 ways: 1) verbal instruction, 2) Watching movement in past tense (example; from a video) and 3) Watching movement happen currently (example; seeing themselves in a mirror).

The most important tool I use for teaching softball techniques is video analysis. I record the athlete performing their current mechanics from various angles. I then play the video back to the athlete in order to discuss what needs improvement. I also have many examples of myself and other young athletes preforming the same motion from the same angles to help ensure the understanding of what needs to be achieved.