University of Iowa Assistant Coach from 2019 to 2022;
42 years as an Iowa high school softball coach (Adel-DeSoto-Minburn, North Polk & Danville);
3x State (IA) High School Softball Championships;
13x Conference Champion;
1,165-551 record as a softball coach;
2004 National Softball Coach of the Year;
7x Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) Softball Coach of the Year;
Upper Iowa University Hall of Fame;
IGCA Hall of FameThis is a video full of coaching gems and insight that is remarkable in its breadth and insight.
Everyone coaching softball needs to know this: What makes a good pitching coach? Coach Rick Dillinger believes you should always continue to learn. Don’t be afraid to seek advice from experienced coaches.
What are some basic pitching drills and skills? Coach Dillinger is a big proponent of charting pitches at practice and during games. Each pitcher is different, and Coach Dillinger has coached kids that hit their spots at practice but miss in a game on a certain pitch. This is where the pitcher needs to know by changing where she lands on the power line may solve this issue.
Why is it important for your pitchers to throw at a consistent pace? Coach Dillinger explains what a metronome is and why his pitchers use it. The goal of a hitter is timing and the goal of the pitcher is to disrupt the batter's timing.
Why is the index, thumb and middle finger so important in pitching? Coach Dillinger explains how applying more or less pressure from these fingers can change the speed of the ball and the spin. You can throw the same pitch but apply different amounts of pressure and change the velocity to disrupt timing. The pitcher is trying to trick the batter’s eyes.
What can be learned from pitch calling design? Coach Dillinger explains how he used the offseason to study every pitch thrown by his pitchers from the prior season. He learned the curve ball was hit harder than any other pitch. If you want to be recruited and be effective, you must move the ball more up and down and not as much in and out. Again, the goal is to trick the batter’s eyes.
Coach Dillinger discusses how the game has evolved and will continue to grow and evolve and explains “cybermetrics.”
What pitch appears to be the slowest for the hitter? Coach Dillinger explains how the outside fastball or curveball appears to be slower than a screw ball or fastball inside. At 20’ feet from the batter each pitch should look the same to the batter. Basically, each pitch appears to go through a tunnel. Regardless of the pitch called, each pitch going through the tunnel should be side by side or one ball slightly ahead of the other ball. Again, we are trying to create an optic illusion for the batter.
How to disrupt timing with a change up? Coach Dillinger shares a story while at Iowa and playing Northwestern. Northwestern was hitting the ball extremely well and Coach Dillinger advised his pitcher they would only throw changeups the last two innings. His pitcher was astonished but Coach Dillinger assured her they had this.
Every pitch the last two innings was a changeup either in, out, down or up and in. Again, the index, thumb and middle fingers were used to change the speed of each pitch. Coach Dillinger’s plan was successful. Iowa didn’t surrender any runs in the last two innings and held on to win the game.
The topics covered in this video are applicable for coaches at every level of softball.
72 minutes. 2023.