4x Women's College World Series qualifier (2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017);
former Head Coach at Florida International; 2x Sunbelt Conference Coach of the Year;
former USSSA Florida Pride Head Coach (National Pro Fastpitch League);
pitched for the University of Florida; 60 career wins (tied for fourth all-time at UF)
Join LSU Head Coach Beth Torina as she teaches and demonstrates the pitching mechanics and drills that have helped the Tigers rank among the nation's best in ERA on an annual basis.
Coach Torina's program starts at the ground level with the initial push to create forward motion and then moves into the stride, front side resistance, the arm circle and the wrist snap.
Initial Push and Forward Motion
With proper use of her legs, a pitcher will be more explosive in creating speed and drive toward the plate. And she will take stress off of her arm.
Are you creating timing issues and "hip hitting" with your coaching? Coach Torina breaks down the forward push and the mechanics of loading the legs and driving forward. You'll see six drills she uses to practice the load and drive.
Torina also talks about the forward motion and how to avoid "hip-hitting" with the arm circle. She shares the drills you need to perfect timing and to get your pitcher's arm in the slot so they can effectively execute their spins and pitches.
The Stride and Front Side Resistance
Improve your pitcher's power and control! Coach Torina offers three drills to perfect your pitcher's power line, stride length and improve explosiveness and accuracy.
You will also see three drills to develop front side resistance and learn how to troubleshoot pitchers who lean forward or backward. With optimal front side resistance, your pitchers will create more power from their stride, allowing them to throw harder.
Arm Circle and Wrist Snap
The pitcher's arm circle should be loose and relaxed to create fast circles and maximize whip. Coach Torina introduces six drills you can use to get great whip from the arm and wrist. The arm circle and wrist snap are essential for producing that final burst of speed on a pitch and for maximizing movement on your pitches.
From Bullpen to Live Game
How do you transfer practice fundamentals to a live game? Pitchers often struggle transferring what they practice into game situations. Torina offers ideas to make bullpen practice more game-like and competitive. She also offers ideas on how to teach your pitchers to make location adjustments and control the game.
It is easy to see why Beth Torina is one of the best pitching minds in the game. She offers an extensive knowledge of pitching mechanics, but also has a vast array of fun and innovative drills to practice and perfect these fundamentals.
53 minutes. 2013.
SD-04344B: with Beth Torina, LSU Head Coach;
4x Women's College World Series qualifier (2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017);
former Head Coach at Florida International; 2x Sunbelt Conference Coach of the Year;
former USSSA Florida Pride Head Coach (National Pro Fastpitch League);
pitched for the University of Florida; 60 career wins (tied for fourth all-time at UF)
LSU Head Coach Beth Torina gives you the tools necessary to stifle opposing batters with two pitches that look enticing, but jump out of the strike zone with late breaking movement - the Drop Ball and the Rise Ball.
Coach Torina fully explains the mechanics of each pitch and demonstrates drills that coaches and athletes alike can use to perfect these pitches.
The Drop Ball
The drop ball is safe for young arms, because it has a similar spin to a fastball. It also keeps the ball in the ball park. The drop ball is great when you need a ground ball or to keep the ball in the infield.
Getting the drop ball to spin correctly is critical, since the spin dictates when and how the pitch will break. In this segment, you will learn three ways to release the drop: the peel, turnover, and half turn. These options will allow your pitchers to select the drop ball that works best for them.
To ensure success, the drop ball should break late, right as it approaches the hitter. To do this effectively, Torina introduces six drills to practice getting the correct spin on the pitch.
Your pitcher's forward body position is another essential part of what makes the drop ball move in a downward path. Coach Torina demonstrates five drills to help the pitcher achieve a slightly forward body position. She also offers four drills for practicing the whole pitch and working on break points. If the pitch breaks too early or too late, it will not be nearly as effective, as the batter will either recognize the pitch and/or hit it.
The Rise Ball
Keep opposing hitters off balance with a killer rise ball!
Coach Torina explains five spin drills your pitchers can use to get their rise ball to jump versus being just a high pitch.
Unlike the drop ball, the rise ball pitcher wants her body position to be slightly back. Coach Torina explains the correct technique and offers six drills to work on achieving optimal body position to throw the rise. In addition, she explains two more drills that can be used to work on getting the pitch to break at the proper time - right as it approaches the batter.
This video is an excellent resource for coaches and pitchers alike aiming to develop or improve two pitches that are crucial to any pitcher's or team's success.
48 minutes. 2013.
SD-04344C: with Beth Torina, LSU Head Coach;
4x Women's College World Series qualifier (2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017);
former Head Coach at Florida International; 2x Sunbelt Conference Coach of the Year;
former USSSA Florida Pride Head Coach (National Pro Fastpitch League);
pitched for the University of Florida; 60 career wins (tied for fourth all-time at UF)
Each phase of a year round pitching program is important and has its own goals and objectives for maximizing your pitchers' abilities. Beth Torina, head coach at LSU and with the USSSA Florida Pride, guides you through the thought process for building year round workouts.
Off-Season
Fundamentals and conditioning form the back bone of Coach Torina's off-season pitching workouts. Torina lays out how the Tigers structure their off-season workouts breaking down each pitch and developing their pitchers' spin and body position.
Off-season workouts are essential to ensure that your pitchers come into the season with their pitches working, as there is not a lot of time for major overhauls once the season begins. This is also an important time to focus on conditioning and speed development, and Torina offers four drills to develop this area.
Pre-Season
At LSU, the pre-season is a time to work on a little bit of everything. One major focus of the pre-season is location. If a pitcher misses their spots frequently, they will either give up a lot of walks or hits. Torina offers eight workout drills to practice location, as well as throwing "believable balls" on 0-2 pitches. She also provides ideas for working on the break points of pitches to make them deceptive and for getting the pitcher in shape to throw 7 innings (a full game).
In-Season
Now it's time to get results! Although it's important to continue to maintain fundamentals, Torina explains how you can develop workouts that involve situations and counts on imaginary batters. Learn how you can get your pitchers thinking in terms of game situations and their thought process behind each pitch, because the pitcher should understand and have confidence in every pitch she throws.
Using Coach Torina's ideas and philosophies, any coach can easily develop a structured plan for how to best prepare their pitcher for when the games mean the most.
59 minutes. 2013.
SD-04344D: with Lindsay Leftwich, LSU Assistant Coach (Catchers/Hitters);
All-conference player at Northwestern State
Lindsay Leftwich shares her extensive knowledge of the catching position including framing, blocking, throwing, and fielding bunts. For each skill, Coach Leftwich provides you with a thorough explanation of the mechanics involved, explains why the mechanics are such, and offers several drills and work-ups.
Framing
When done properly, framing can help make borderline pitches look like strikes to the umpire. Coach Leftwich has her catchers demonstrate four drills to practice framing fundamentals. She also demonstrates the basic stance catchers should assume to ensure move quickly and effectively receive the ball.
Blocking
Being a good "blocking" catcher will give your pitchers confidence that they can throw any pitch in any situation, because they know their catcher will stop the ball, no matter where it goes. Coach Leftwich explains the correct mechanics of blocking and offers eight drills and work-ups to help catchers master the skill. You'll see how to block pitches right at the catcher and pitches thrown to either side.
Throwing
Learn the quickest way to transfer the ball from glove to throwing hand and learn the footwork required for throwing to each base. Ball transfer and foot quickness can compensate for average arm strength or enhance a catcher with a strong arm. Leftwich also explains several drills and work-ups for throwing out runners attempting to steal second base, as well as pick off throws to first and third base.
Bunts
Take the pressure off of corner infielders and stifle your opponent's short game! Catchers who are proficient at fielding bunts can wreak havoc on your opponent's offense. Learn the drills, footwork techniques and approaches to the ball that your catcher needs to make plays on any bunt.
Coach Leftwich does a great job not only explaining the proper mechanics for the catching position, but also the "why" behind her philosophy and teaching, often citing research and video analysis.
This video will produce a more productive and efficient catcher to get your pitcher more strikeouts and to get those tough outs on defense.
68 minutes. 2013.
SD-04344E: with Howard Dobson, LSU Assistant Coach;
2016 USA Women's Softball National Team Assistant Coach;
Assistant Coach for the 2014 USA Softball Elite Team; former Southern Mississippi Head Coach
Not every hitter is the same, but to be successful, every hitter needs to master the basic fundamentals of hitting.
USA Softball Elite Team assistant coach Howard Dobson explores every facet of the swing, showing some of most common flaws that hitters exhibit, while demonstrating his overall philosophies on hitting to develop the correct mechanics a hitter needs to be successful at the plate.
The Stance
As elementary as it may seem, the batting stance has a significant impact on the swing, setting a hitter up for success or failure. Coach Dobson develops the swing from the ground up, because power and force come from the ground. He covers every detail of an effective set-up for the lower body - an athletic, balanced position with the body stacked.
Bat Placement
By starting with your body in the correct position, there are fewer moving parts that can break down. Dobson delivers an essential demonstration lecture on gripping the bat, bat placement, body posture, head angle, and more. Each technique relates back to minimizing bat movement to create a quicker, more effective swing.
The Stride
Coach Dobson takes on a somewhat contentious topic in softball, the linear weight shift. He begins by discussing the load and stride, and also explains when to load based on the pitcher you are facing. He also explains the correct technique for the stride, which part of the foot should land first, and purposes of the stride. A proper load is necessary for good weight transfer, and a well-timed stride will help enhance timing.
Contact
Learn why it's important to keep the hips behind the barrel and the hands close to the body. Good hip movement helps batters deliver strong contact on an outside pitch. Learn how to extend through the ball to stay in the zone and develop consistency in your swing.
Finishing
At times, too much emphasis is placed on the finish of the swing. According to Coach Dobson, the finish of the swing should happen naturally. He also tackles questions like where to stand in the box and how to make adjustments to box position based on the pitcher. Each pitcher throws differently and will dictate a somewhat different approach.
It is easy to see why Coach Dobson has produced some of the best hitters in the game. His passion and enthusiasm for the art of hitting are contagious!
87 minutes. 2013.
SD-04344F: with Howard Dobson, LSU Assistant Coach;
2016 USA Women's Softball National Team Assistant Coach;
Assistant Coach for the 2014 USA Softball Elite Team; former Southern Mississippi Head Coach
Howard Dobson shares twenty-seven of the drills he uses at all levels of the game to build better hitters starting from the ground and working up.
These are the same drills he uses with his hitters at LSU. Dobson provides a thorough explanation of how to correctly perform each drill - including any variations. He explains drills to work on every aspect of the swing working from the ground up, starting with the legs and moving on to the upper-body.
Lower Body
Power for hitting comes from the ground. By leveraging their legs correctly, your hitters will maximize their power in every swing. Coach Dobson introduces several drills that will develop your hitter's lower body.
These drills help the hitter get their legs in the correct position and set them up for a correct load, stride, and weight shift. Each drill is designed to help the hitter recognize the correct feeling associated with whatever hitting skill is being taught.
Upper Body
Develop your teams' ability to make consistent contact with the ball and stay long through the zone. Coach Dobson introduces drills designed to teach the hitter the correct grip, path to and through the ball, and finish. He shows how proper hand placement during the swing brings the contact point out in front of the body allowing the hitter to have better control of ball placement.
Dobson also shares a few drills he uses to improve a hitter's bat speed, which is an important component for power.
Using Coach Dobson's innovative drills, your hitters will develop the feeling of a correct, mechanically sound swing, which will ultimately help them reach their potential and put runs on the board.
102 minutes. 2013.
SD-04344G: with Sharonda McDonald,
University of Florida Assistant Coach;
Chicago Bandits (NPF) Head Coach;
former Texas Tech Associate Head Coach; former LSU Assistant Coach;
4x All Big 12 performer at Texas A&M; is second all time on Texas A&M's career hits list (249) and holds the program's sixth-best career average (.338); won the 2005 Golden Shoe Award as the nation's best best runner (led the nation with 48 steals that year); a six year National Pro Fastpitch career that has included an All-Rookie team selection, an All Star honor, and in 2012 shared the NPF's Golden Spikes Award (given to the player that led the league in stolen bases)
As the common phrase goes, 'speed doesn't slump.' In this video, Sharonda McDonald shares the mechanics, strategy and 20+ drills for multiple types of slaps and bunts.
Slapping
Coach McDonald teaches and demonstrates correct footwork, the crossover step, and the ideal contact position that will improve your slappers' ball placement to the left side and their explosive movement after contact. McDonald offers five effective drills she uses with her slappers to practice the basic mechanics of slapping.
Power Slap
Depending on where the defense is playing the slapper, she may need to use a power slap to drive a ball through the infield. Coach McDonald explains the strategy and mechanics of the power slap, as well as how the power slap differs from the basic slap. She demonstrates four drills to master these fundamentals.
Soft Slap
Another weapon you can use to pressure the defense is the soft slap. The soft slap is a great option if the defense is playing deep on the slapper. Coach McDonald explains the mechanics and introduces five drills to perfect the soft slap. The soft slap is all about speed, so McDonald also highlights five drills to quickly get your slappers out of the batter's box.
Bunting
Another option for the slapper to use when the defense is playing deep is the bunt. Coach McDonald explains how to drop a bunt from the slapping position. She explains the mechanics of drag bunting to help keep the defense at bay for as long as possible. She also offers three drills to practice bunting.
Coach McDonald provides you with all the tools you need to disarm any defensive alignment.
40 minutes. 2013.