EASY BAKE OVEN TECHNIQUES
Do you have an Easy Bake Oven at home? I know I sure did when growing up. You might be asking: Why would she be asking that? How is that relevant to softball? If any of you know me, you know I am going to bring it on home for you. I have realized over the past few years of my coaching career that players out there and even some coaches (including myself at one point) want things so difficult. When it comes down to techniques for all aspects of the game including: hitting, pitching, fielding, catching, and etc, we make things so complicated. We should have technique-yes; however, not to where we are looking like robots or doing unnatural movements. I have been training the girls lately in a way that they need to realize how important it is to become fluid and natural even after learning proper techniques. For some this becomes problematic because they get so focused on technique it takes away the natural ability they really should be concerned with. If any of you has had a Easy Bake Oven, then you know that it takes at least 15 steps to make a cake that would be equivalent to the size of a quarter aka 25 cents. Now to me that is extremely annoying because we are doing so many steps, so many things and the result we are producing is slim. I am not a pro at baking, but if you were to bake an adult cake, there is for the most part 4 steps. Put the mixed flower in a bowl, crack two eggs, and pour some oil, stir and BAM! Pop it in the oven and there you have a much bigger cake. Why is it that we allow our players to be super deep, doing all these steps, and then disappointed when we see small results! Things just don't have to be that deep! We need to be taking some steps away that aren't even necessary so that we can produce bigger and better results! Please don't miss what I am saying: certain steps are necessary, certain techniques are necessary, but if they do not bring any benefit to what your main goal is for that particular aspect of the game; then get rid of it!!!
