Florida State University Head Coach;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2018 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year;
Back-to-Back-to-Back ACC Coach of the Year (2013-15);
Back-to-Back ACC Champions (2014-15),
2014 Women's College World Series; three straight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2013-15)
As the head coach and pitching coach at Florida State, Lonni Alameda coached 2014 USA Softball National Player of the Year and two-time ACC Pitcher of the Year, Lacey Waldrop. Under Coach Alameda's guidance, Waldrop was a three-time All-American and finished in the top five all time on four different FSU pitching lists, including the all-time record for wins and third all time in strikeouts. She was the third overall pick in the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) draft.
With offensive numbers continuing to increase at all levels of softball, pitchers are under attack. Successful teams need pitchers who can withstand the pressures of the position and catchers who can effectively communicate with the pitcher to make them better during games.
Lonni Alameda, Florida State University head coach, will show you how to structure your pitching practice to produce mentally tough pitchers who are ready to compete on the mound.
Bullpen Work
Bullpen work is vital for developing the relationship between the pitcher and catcher, which will help them become more successful together on the field. Coach Alameda introduces a four-step progression she uses with her pitchers, taking them from loosening up their arms to throwing pitches to mock batters with simulated counts and situations.
Throughout the pen work, Coach Alameda offers ways to get the catcher and pitcher on the same page while holding each other accountable so they can pull the best out of each other in the biggest moments of the game. Great communication is necessary to deliver the best performance, and you'll learn how to teach your catchers to effectively talk to your pitchers
Creating Competition
Coach Alameda introduces a "PIG" drill she uses with her pitchers to create competition and teach them to execute pitches under pressure. Each pitcher must throw a specified pitch to the desired location and match what the other pitcher has accomplished in the round. Opposing pitchers in the drill can try to distract each other, teaching the pitcher to focus in clutch situations.
Pitcher Fielding Practice
A pitcher who's great in the field can help take pressure off the rest of the defense by making plays on balls hit back up the middle. Coach Alameda works with her pitchers to develop them as the "fifth infielder." You'll be able to help your pitchers become more athletic and efficient fielders using proper footwork and throwing fundamentals.
Coach Alameda's pitching session shows you how to help your pitchers translate successful bullpen work into being dominant in the circle. Better pitching will lead to more success on the field for your team!
58 minutes. 2016.
SD-04953B: with Travis Wilson and Craig Snider,
Florida State University Assistant Coaches;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
; 2018 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year;
Back-to-Back ACC Champions (2014-15),
2014 Women's College World Series; three straight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2013-15)
Coaches Wilson and Snider have been a big part of the offensive explosion at Florida State over the past four years. In the past three seasons (2013-15), the team has had at least 335 runs scored, 460 hits, 50 home runs and 300 RBI. In 2015, the Seminoles were among the top three in the conference in eight categories and led the ACC with 18 triples. At the start of the 2016 season, seven of the top eight home run, the top four walk, four of the top six RBI and three of the top seven run totals in Florida State single-season history have come from players coached by Snider and Wilson (2012-15).
Creating successful hitters happens by design. Craig Snider and Travis Wilson bring you an in-depth look at Florida State's hitting philosophies and show you what they do in the cages to improve their team's offensive statistics.
Included in this presentation are more than 15 hitting drills ranging from tee work to front toss so you can enhance every aspect of your team's hitting process. Eye control, upper and lower body control, hand control, bat control, mental routine, situational hitting and plate coverage are all covered by Snider and Wilson.
Approach to Tee Development
Coach Wilson demonstrates several tee drills to help batters hit pitches in any part of the strike zone and isolate the upper and lower half of the body. He shows drills working the plate outside and inside and discusses mechanics for increased power with an inside stack alignment of the load leg to generate maximum force production. The softball swing happens in fractions of a second, so isolating certain components of the swing will help players achieve better results.
Approach to Front Toss Development
Front toss is a large part of batting practice at Florida State. It's a great for eliminating flaws and enhancing both general and specific components for building explosive hitters. Coach Snider teaches how to use the front toss to increase offensive production and reinforce good hitting habits. He covers more than 30 progressions, breaking down keys to success, mechanics, hand placement, bat direction, and plan of action for how to attack the ball up into the zone.
One particular drill uses seven numbered softballs laid out in front of home plate to help to train the batter's eyes along with their bodies to recognize what pitch is coming. It also helps hitters identify where the pitched ball crosses over home plate. Batters who understand what pitches to look for will make solid contact more frequently.
Situational Hitting
Having the ability to advance runners will help you win close games. See how Coaches Snider and Wilson help their hitters practice common situations like the sacrifice bunt, hit and run, runner at second base, and runner at third base with a front toss drill. If your hitters know where to hit the ball in certain key situations, your team will be more successful.
Approach to Crushing the Change-up
Hitting the change up is one of the hardest things for an aggressive batter to do. Coach Wilson believes the change up is one of the easiest pitches to hit, and shares the secret of how to dominate it at the plate.
Building great hitters doesn't happen by accident. Learning and implementing what Coach Wilson & Snider teach will improve the mechanics, conditioning, explosive hitting power and hitting I.Q. of your players and any athlete who wants to compete at a high level.
62 minutes. 2016.
SD-04953C: with Lonni Alameda,
Florida State University Head Coach;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2018 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year;
Back-to-Back-to-Back ACC Coach of the Year (2013-15);
Back-to-Back ACC Champions (2014-15),
2014 Women's College World Series; three straight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2013-15)
and Travis Wilson, Florida State University Assistant Coach
As the phrase goes, defense wins championships. Speedy base runners are a challenge for even the best defenses, as fielders are forced to work efficiently, wasting no time or movement. Lonni Alameda and Travis Wilson use over 15 drills to prepare their defense to be fast and efficient, to get out even the fastest runners.
Coaches Alameda and Wilson spend time breaking down the technique necessary on tag out procedures at each base, proper footwork at each base and how to provide a variety of feeds to those bases to ensure more outs on defense.
Catchers
Plays at the plate are some of the most exciting and most difficult plays catchers will encounter. Catching the ball and applying the tag with a runner approaching is critical because any failure or inefficiency in either the catch or tag could result in giving up a run. Coach Alameda explains the proper mechanics and offers a drill to work on catching and tagging from the left and right side of the field.
Infield
The average runner in softball gets to first base in less than three seconds, so defenses have to play fast! With so little time to get the out, it's important to be efficient with footwork and throws. Coach Alameda shows you in-depth information on how your players should position themselves at each base when applying a tag out as well as force out.
Coach Wilson breaks down how to turn a double play from any position on the field. Footwork from both the second basemen and shortstop are covered while turning a double play as well as three different types of feeds to the base. The flip feed, the pivot throw and the outside turn throw are all thoroughly discussed and demonstrated. Coach Wilson also covers a few key aspects of corner play, such as footwork and picks at first base and cut offs.
Throwing
Different defensive positions on the field require different throws. You never know exactly where the ball is going to be hit and, in turn, fielded. It is extremely important to be able to provide accurate throws to the proper bases based on where the ball has been fielded. In one drill, Coach Alameda uses a hula-hoop to give outfielders a visual of where she wants their throw to bounce to give the catchers a long hop, which is easier to receive on a play at the plate. Coach Wilson runs through five drills with the infielders to perfect their inside and outside turns, load and throws, glove flips, and throwing on the run.
Outfield
Train your outfielders to make "do or die" throws to the plate utilizing proper footwork and throwing mechanics. Throws on the run, which are crucial for bang bang plays, are also discussed and demonstrated.
Great defenses make the whole team better because they take pressure off the pitcher and the offense. Let the Florida State coaches show you how to help your defense go from good to great by making them more efficient.
41 minutes. 2016.
SD-04953D: featuring Lonni Alameda,
Florida State University Head Coach;
2018 NCAA National Champions;
2018 NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year;
Back-to-Back-to-Back ACC Coach of the Year (2013-15);
Back-to-Back ACC Champions (2014-15),
2014 Women's College World Series; three straight NCAA Super Regional appearances (2013-15)
and Travis Wilson and Craig Snider,
Florida State University Assistant Coaches
Keeping a team practice organized and efficient is a challenge all coaches face. It's difficult to cover all the facets necessary for success within the time constraints of practice. In this presentation, the Florida State coaching staff runs through a typical practice with their team that hits on all major factors of the game and shows the viewer how to prepare a team for any situation.
Baserunning
Smart and aggressive baserunnning can help teams win close games, which is why the FSU coaches have their players work on baserunning often. You'll see players run through a seven step baserunning progression which covers almost every typical baserunning scenario.
Defense
The FSU coaches have an innovative drill called Sheet Knock to work on defense while keeping all of your players involved. This drill encompasses fifteen different defensive scenarios, including outfielders, infielders, pitchers and catchers throwing to each base. Sheet Knock offers a great way to cover many situations and plays in a quick and efficient manner.
Batting Practice
You'll receive a blueprint for running an efficient batting practice by splitting your team into groups and having those groups go through several different hitting stations. One group hits on the field while other groups run bases, shag batted balls, and hit in the cage. This batting practice system provided by the FSU coaches will keep your players moving around and engaged in productive activities while minimizing time spent standing around waiting to hit.
Pitching Bullpen
Coach Alameda takes her pitchers to the bullpen where they participate in a quick workout. She explains ways she helps her catchers develop strong working relationships with each pitcher during bullpen work. The group works on throwing pitches in different mock situations before practicing pitch-outs and pick-offs. At the end of the workout, pitchers practice executing a pitch in a pressure scenario, throwing a 3-2 count, 2 outs pitch with the bases loaded.
The FSU coaching staff will show you how to maximize productivity with minimal practice time. You'll run through a team practice and learn to prepare your team in all aspects of the game.
102 minutes. 2016.