DD is a pain (this is a rant)

You all are Friggin' awesome!
Thank you!

sluggers said:

it might help to explain the difference between "practice" and "games".

Practice is to perfect technique. Pitching during a game is just pitching and nothing else...the mind has to be focused on the batter or the mitt, not on technique.

Click to expand...

Bingo.

A few years ago, I was watching the Golf Channel, and one of the female golfers was asked about how she handled not have her best stuff during a competitive round. She said, "I have to ask myself if I'm going to play golf or play golf swing." Meaning I'm I going to fix my swing (play golf swing)during the next 18 holes and be frustrated all day, or I'm I going to play golf and compete with the swing I have today.

Whenever I work with kids in a practice setting, I always tell them early on that I want you to think about your technique in our practice drills and train your body to make the right movements, but in a game I do not want you thinking about all the little things, I want you to compete. In my training sessions I use a scaffolding approach where the we working on the individual movements and build up to the complete motion. I usually finish the practice session with a game to put the athlete in a competitive situation where they can use the skill we worked on by going full speed. Sometimes I put pushups on the line for the competition. If you win I do push ups, if I win you do push ups. I always win the first one, make corrections after they do their pushups, then I always barely lose the second one.

Example: DD pitches to 3 imaginary batters. If the ball to strike ratio is 60% or better she wins, below 60% I win. The game should reinforce the goals you want them to achieve in a real game.