What Parents Teach Us About Little Leagues: From Struggle to Strength

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What Parents Teach Us About Little Leagues: From Struggle to Strength

Youth softball thrives not because of fancy facilities or big-name coaches, but because of the passion and dedication of parents who care. While hiring a professional coach can be helpful, the heart of any successful league or travel organization lies in the hands of parents—those who organize, communicate, cheer, and show up every week because they genuinely want their daughters to grow, improve, and have fun. It’s not about being an expert; it’s about being invested. The most effective programs I’ve seen aren’t run like corporations—they’re run like communities, led by parents who love the game and want to build something meaningful for their kids.

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Do You Have A Clueless Coach?

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Do You Have A Clueless Coach?

I wanted to title this blog “Am I a Clueless Coach?”… but figured that might tank the click-through rate.

That said, I try my best to minimize my cluelessness when I head off to the ultimate coaches' clinic most every year: the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) Convention. It’s where DI, DII, DIII, and NAIA coaches from across the country gather—basically, all the ones you see on TV—sharing what they know and what they’re still learning.

But this email isn’t just about me. It’s about you—especially those of you coaching your daughter’s team or considering stepping into that role. I want to share why you should seriously consider attending a coaches clinic, too.

After attending my first conference, I left twice as confident in my coaching and ten times more eager to learn. Whether you're a volunteer house league coach or leading a competitive travel team, you’ll find clinics more energizing—and more practical—than any YouTube rabbit hole you’ve fallen into at midnight.

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3 Must-Haves to Make It at the Highest Level

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3 Must-Haves to Make It at the Highest Level

After running our first successful college evaluation event with Coach Erica Hanrahan, I wanted to share with you some thoughts I had on playing at a high level before you get to college. 80% of current Practice Pro pitchers are eight grade an under. I believe there are three attributes an athlete must posses to reach A or B level travel play, or regional-level high school play.

I would never discourage anyone from learning to pitch because they probably weren’t going to pitch in the Olympics, but I do believe there are certain attributes and life circumstances a player must posses to play in college.

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How to Prevent the Downward Spiral

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How to Prevent the Downward Spiral

I hear it all the time, “Is there some kind of trick that I can use during a game to prevent me from going into a downward spiral?” It’s frustrating (and even more confusing) to start off well and then lose this “groove” later in the game.

While at first it seems sometimes coaches over-analyze what could have happened…”she got tired”, “she lost it mentally”, “she stopped performing her mechanics properly,” and so on, at second thought, I believe this is an under-analysis or a faulty analysis without proper work on the back end to diagnose issues and adjust practice accordingly. In order to identify the issue take a cue from college teams. They are always recording a huge amount of stats throughout the games. For them, there is no “guessing” when it comes to the issues they face during game time. They try to make it as objective, and therefore easy, as possible to make decisions.

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More Survival Tips for Parent Catchers

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More Survival Tips for Parent Catchers

The most successful pitchers have involved parents. This can be tricky, because that means you’ll have to put a high percentage of effort as well. That’s why I call it a partnership. It’s best if you both decide to take on the challenge together.

If you want to give her the opportunity to reach her full potential, you'll have to catch for her - a lot. Here are a few catching techniques to get you through the times when you don't quite feel like getting out there with her.

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What's the Best Follow-Through?

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What's the Best Follow-Through?

To moms and dads who obsess over YouTube pitching videos: I’ve been there to. You love the “forearm fire,” Bill Hillhouse, and Amanda Scarborough’s Power Drive.

Bill Hillhouse promotes a cross-bodied follow through to the opposite-side shoulder. Below I will clarify what he means when he talks about this and why I teach something else. The follow through others teach is a straight-arm one with the hand pointing to the target at the end. I call this the “hand-shake” follow-through. I teach most players to point their elbows, not hands, to the target, referred to as “hello elbow.” I’ll discuss each follow throughs and what they mean to your pitcher.

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