I also wanted to share with each of you a workshop I am putting on this Saturday at the shop in Redding. It is completely optional so no pressure if you are busy. I just wanted to share the opportunity to attend with you.
I have a new website and company I started @ www.BuildingaBetterAthlete.com I urge you to visit it, subscribe to the blog and take a look at the workshop details here
Date: Sat March 2
Time: 10-12
Cost: $10.00
Please visit the site and sign up to hold your spot!
Thanks,
Tasha
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
What we need to work on...
Hello Girls,
Hope you have all recovered from last weekend and are having a great week. I wanted to share a few videos to help with some of our situational play that we struggled with last weekend. Please see below:
Getting in Position on a Cut
Blocking, Yup I know You Catchers Love This One:
Footwork for a Fly Ball, This is something I would love to see our outfielders get better at.
These are all great videos, even though they are for baseball they still have the same principles you need to work on. Please be ready for a great practice on Sunday. It will be more structured and we will have certain goals we want to accomplish.
Hope you have all recovered from last weekend and are having a great week. I wanted to share a few videos to help with some of our situational play that we struggled with last weekend. Please see below:
Getting in Position on a Cut
Blocking, Yup I know You Catchers Love This One:
Footwork for a Fly Ball, This is something I would love to see our outfielders get better at.
These are all great videos, even though they are for baseball they still have the same principles you need to work on. Please be ready for a great practice on Sunday. It will be more structured and we will have certain goals we want to accomplish.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Building a Fastpitch Softball Player
Dear Fastpitch Softball Parents,
With our first tournament approaching I thought it was
perfect timing to share a more personal experience. Most of you may know that I
played fastpitch softball in college, however, what you probably don’t know is
that I had to really work for every opportunity. You know when you watch games
or players and can just see that someone was naturally talented, that wasn’t
me. I was slow, and a rolly polly. I was constantly being viewed as average on
the young teams I played for. Coaches would see the flashy players and focus
their attention them, and I often got the short end of the stick. However, with
the strong support system of my family and some close family friends I worked
my butt off to earn the right to call my self a contender in fastpitch
softball. With that said, the road to becoming a collegiate athlete was filled
with many positive and negative events in my career. For this blog, I am going
to focus on the negative and how it can affect a fastpitch softball player and
any athlete.
Before we start this season, I want to write and remind you
that everything you say and do impacts your children. You are parenting an
athlete, scratch that, you are building an athlete! You have the power to shape
your children into positive, confident, and strong young women. I really want
to emphasize that everything you say to your child sticks to them, some is
forgotten but the criticism and negative comments about their abilities and
skills will have a lasting imprint on them.
“Dad’s especially need to remember that what they say to their daughters is written in Sharpie. It can’t be erased.”
-Sue Enquist, UCLA Head Coach
The Good, the bad, and the Ugly of an Athlete
Growing up in an athletic family the competitive nature and
attitude was coursing through my veins even when I was in my teens. I remember
every coach who doubted my abilities, and I remember the negative comments made
when I didn’t perform well in Fastpitch softball. I especially remember, the
comments made by my parents. As most of you may know, my Dad is somewhat of a
hard head, and extreme competitor. Luckily, he had daughters who just get angry
and it drives them to be better. But trust me this wasn’t, and isn’t always the
case. As parents, you will slip up, you will watch your daughter strike out
time and time again, make error upon error. It is up to you how you handle
these situations as a parent. But I would like to remind you that pointing out
all their mistakes and faults, yelling at them until your blue, and shaking
your head when they make those mistakes will be imprinted in their memory, and
will effect the way they play for the rest of their lives.
Your Words Have a Lasting Impact
As a player, when we make a mistake and see our parents
shake their head, or stomp away from the field. We see it! Most young athletes
look at their parents after every play and at bat. Weather they do good or bad.
When they see a face of dissapointment they are heartbroken. They then start to
doubt their abilities. This doubt is all it takes for a 12 year old to spiral
out of control during the rest of the game. Seeing your disappointment directly affects their attitude in
the game. Worst of all…when they mess up, they dread the end of the game and
meeting you face to face after having a bad game. Don’t be the parent that
harps on every error and mistake, without any encouraging words. Don’t be the
parent that curses and yells at their child over how they played. Don’t be that
parent. At 12 years old your
daughters just want to make you proud and do well, they are just as disappointed
as you when they make mistakes. Don’t let this disappointment stick around,
once a game is done it’s done. Now its time to focus on the next game.
She's 12, She Will Get Over It...
You may think that just because your daughter is 12 years
old and not playing for an 18 gold team that all this doesn’t matter. I ask you
to reconsider. I was 12 once, I have been cursed at, yelled at, and cut down by
coaches and sometime parents. I remember those comments and how it felt. I have
also seen first hand when a young athlete feels the pressure and disappointment
of their parents or coach and have quit playing fastpitch softball. They give
in, give up, and throw in the towel. Not because they weren’t good, but because
someone got to them and made them feel unsuccessful and it wasn’t worth it. When
someone loses love for the game it is heartbreaking. I encourage you to talk
positively to your young athletes, show them that you support them 100% and
don’t show doubts in their abilities. There is a difference in constructive
criticism and cutting down a player. Remember, you have to say 10 positive
comments, to make up for 1 negative when dealing with attitudes and self
esteem.
“Softball and baseball are two of the only sports that you
can fail 7 times out of 10 and still be considered successful.”
Failure in Fastpitch Athletes
I hate to break it to you, but your child will fail. As the
quote says above, you can fail 7/10 and still be successful. Your athlete will
have to cope with a lot of failure, and learn to be strong willed and have a
good mind-set. This is one of the hardest things to teach young athletes,
coaches can’t do it alone, we need your help. We need the people at home to be
on board too, and help support the players and encourage them to use their
errors and strikeouts as a teaching tool for their next at bat. There is always
something to be learned from failure. Athletes who don’t cope well with failure
and have a bad attitude are like a cancer to a team, and to themselves. When an
athlete throws bats, helmits, gloves, and shuts down after a strikeout it is a
sign of weak character and poor sportsmanship. This will not be tolerated or
supported on our team.
The Story of a Fastpitch Softball Player
I will leave you with this story. The summer before my
Senior year of High School I was playing at a big tournament in Sacramento. All
the coaches I had been talking to were going to be there and said they would
come watch. I was extremely nervous, excited, and just wanted to do well. I wanted a scholarship! The first day went
well, I hit pretty good and fielding was impeccable. Sunday rolls
around…everyone is their to watch, San Jose State and St. Mary’s are right
behind home plate watching me. Bad news, looks like this was not my game, I
sucked it up! Not only did I have an error at third, I couldn’t hit a ball to
save my life! It was like I had just picked up a bat for the first time. Every
error I could see the disappointment on my dad’s face. I knew I screwed up.
After the game was over I wanted to ball, but I held it together. My dad
started in on me, telling me how I was never going to get a scholarship playing
like I did, and that they just left and how bad I had did. I was heartbroken I
thought I failed my team, my family, and my dad. I have never forgot that
feeling. But I still didn’t break down, I stayed strong. As we walked out to
the car, we saw SJSU and St. Mary’s they both wanted to talk to me! They said
they were waiting to see me fail and see how I handled failure. Apparently they
had seen me do really well at other games, were just waiting to see if my
attitude changed in times of pressure and failure. Who would have thought! They said they were so pleased with
how I handled my strikeouts, and how much I lead my team that they wanted me to
come on official visits. These visits eventually lead to a Scholarship at San
Jose State.
The truth of the matter is, even though my dad had a slight
freak out. (You can’t always be perfect.) He had taught me to deal with failure
and how to have a poker face when playing. He often says “ Don’t show emotion,
don’t show your weakness.” I remembered these words from when I was 10 or so
and they have always stuck with me. I believe without my families encouragement
and competitive nature to push me I would never have been given a scholarship.
I wish this for every one of your daughters, that is our goals as coaches. Your
child can’t become a D1 athlete over night. So all I ask is that you remember
that everything you say and do will mold them into the player they will become.
Think before you criticize, and always show your support.
Good luck this weekend!
Natasha Hawkins
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Homework - Are You Up for the Challenge?
Part 1:
Find a long piece of PVC Pipe or a broomstick. Make sure your pvc pipe is long enough that with the widest grip you can get over head is possible.
PVC TRAINING BARS – This is a simple yet effective training tool to use for warm-ups as well as scaled down workouts and instruction.Your friendly hardware store should have this available.
Sizing: around 1 inch diameter and 60'' long.
If you really want to get tricky buy end caps for your pvc pipe, later on you will be able to add weight in the pvc pipe and cap it off. (This is optional)
Remember if you don't have pvc available you can always use a broomstick.
*We will use this in future workouts
Part 2:
Complete Each Item at Least Once this Week:
1. Hit off a Tee, yes a Tee!
Remember what you have worked on with your coaches and what you need to work on. Keep your back shoulder up, keep the knob in front of the bat - no casting your bat out and around. Use those powerful hips!!!
2. Play catch with a friend, sibling, or parent
Work on using your stop signs and bringing your glove straight to your shoulder after you catch it. This should happen as fast as you can! Remember to take your time and do it right. Don't rush through it and try to throw as hard as you can. This is about doing it right not taking someones arm off.
3. Complete 150 air Squats for time
Exactly how it sounds. Complete 150 air squats as fast as you can. Time yourself and post your time in comments. Remember but stays back and down and your butt should be below you knee at the bottom of your squat.
4. Work on Your Leads
Prentend your on first base, have a parent, friend, or sibling do the pitching motion. Practice your take off. Remember to leave at 12' O Clock. You should take 3 steps and get back. Now pretend your on second and take 5 steps. Do at least 10 rounds for each base.
5. Find a video or drill on the Internet that you would like to share with the team
Is there a special or inspirational video you would like to share with your team mates? Maybe a drill you really want to try? Put the url of where you found it and say what it is in the comments.
6. Do this mini workout
25 Push Ups
50 Sit Ups
100 Jumping Jacks
50 Toe Touches
25 Leg Lifts
7. Work on Your Position
Catchers: 30 drop and blocks for time
Pitchers: Work on your rotations - up close and just spin the ball
Third Base: Pretend your fielding a bunt. Work on sprinting in and fielding - Visualize this you don't need a ball
First: Work on foot work when getting back to the bag. Just like we worked on in practice.
Middle infield: Have someone roll you a ball and work on your approach up to the ball while fielding. Dont forget the top hand.
Outfield: Have someone throw long with you. Stretch out those arms and work on throwing down hill
8. Do this Mini Workout
4 Rounds of :
10 Sit Ups
10 Push Ups
10 Squats
10 Sprints (20 yards)
9. Run 20 Sprints (15 yards)
10. Write down how you feel about this week in your journal.
-Write down what workouts you completed, how you felt, how long it took you. Whatever you would like just write something down.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Your Body Type - Ectomorph, Mesomorph or Endomorph?
Body type influences how you respond to diet and training. Understand
your body type in order to plan your muscle building training and diet
program. This is a great article I found on http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/body-types-ectomorph-mesomorph-endomorph.html
One final point I want to mention is that no matter what your body type you can build a big, ripped, muscular physique. Even the skinniest of guys can bulk up. Yes, it’s harder but if you’re willing to put in the hard work it can be done. I have about the skinniest natural build possible and at the time of writing this article I have gained about 30kg (66lbs) of lean muscle mass.
Ectomorph
An ectomorph is a typical skinny guy. Ecto’s have a light build with small joints and lean muscle. Usually ectomorph’s have long thin limbs with stringy muscles. Shoulders tend to be thin with little width.Typical traits of an ectomorph:
- Small “delicate” frame and bone structure
- Classic “hardgainer”
- Flat chest
- Small shoulders
- Thin
- Lean muscle mass
- Finds it hard to gain weight
- Fast metabolism
Mesomorph
A mesomorph has a large bone structure, large muscles and a naturally athletic physique. Mesomorphs are the best body type for bodybuilding. They find it quite easy to gain and lose weight. They are naturally strong which is the perfect platform for building muscle.
Typical traits on a Mesomorph:
- Athletic
- Generally hard body
- Well defined muscles
- Rectangular shaped body
- Strong
- Gains muscle easily
- Gains fat more easily than ectomorphs
Endomorph
The endomorph body type is solid and generally soft. Endomorphs gain fat very easily. Endo’s are usually of a shorter build with thick arms and legs. Muscles are strong, especially the upper legs. Endomorphs find they are naturally strong in leg exercises like the squat.
Typical traits of an Endomorph:
- Soft and round body
- Gains muscle and fat very easily
- Is generally short
- "Stocky" build
- Round physique
- Finds it hard to lose fat
- Slow metabolism
- Muscles not so well defined
A Combination of Body Types
These body types aren’t set in stone. In fact, most guys have a combination of two body types. These combinations are either ectomorph/mesomorph or mesomorph/endomorph. It is not uncommon to find a pure mesomorph that gains weight like an endomorph for example.So which body type are you?
Given the information above you should be able to identify your body type. You may also want to optimize your diet and training to suit your body type.One final point I want to mention is that no matter what your body type you can build a big, ripped, muscular physique. Even the skinniest of guys can bulk up. Yes, it’s harder but if you’re willing to put in the hard work it can be done. I have about the skinniest natural build possible and at the time of writing this article I have gained about 30kg (66lbs) of lean muscle mass.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Burgers! That's Not Healthy....Says Who?
Triple Hamburger / Cheeseburger Slow Cooker Meatloaf
Cheese is optional, toppings are encouraged.
Yes, the cheese is purely optional, yet it is still at least a triple hamburger and a meatloaf at once! This is a simple concept idea that you can really tweak to your own liking. I used chard leaves as the lettuce of the “burger” knowing it wouldn’t get too mushy, yet you could also use spinach or kale. I also used sliced onions, jalapenos, and dill pickles. You may decide to add in fresh tomato slices, mustard, or bacon. It’s your burger meatloaf, put what you want in it. I’ll Just show you how to make one and you can decide later.
First off you have to make sure you work with a lean cut of ground beef. I used Wisconsin raised 91/9 grass feed beef that I ordered from Tropical Traditions. The reason you want such a quality lean cut, is that extra fat will simply render off your meatloaf and pool in your slow cooker. This does happen a little still with the 91/9 but not nearly as much and this came out great.
What you need:
The Meatloaf:
- 2.5 pounds of grass fed ground beef, about 90% lean
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp granulated onion
The Toppings / Fillings:
- 4 ounces grass fed sharp cheddar cheese, sliced thin (optional)
- Large handful of chard or kale leaves
- 1 medium white onion, sliced thin
- 2 jalapenos, sliced medium
- 1 large dill pickle, sliced into hamburger sized pickles.
- Other options: Bacon of course, fresh tomato slices, mustard, chili, etc.
The Ketchup topping:
- If you are super pinched on time and don’t care about the paleo police, just find a sugar free ketchup at the market, and top with sesame seeds. How much ketchup? Just enough to form a decent cover to your loaf, about a quarter cup.
How you make it:
- In a large bowl, combine your ground beef, 2 eggs, and spices. Mix by hand really good (let the kids to it) until an even consistency is reached.
- Divide your meat into 3 equal portions. They don’t have to be perfectly equal in size, just close. This is meatloaf not math.
- Lightly grease the bottom of your slow cooker with a small amount of coconut oil. A tsp will do.
- Press one of your portions of beef down into your slow cooker. You want to form an even base for your meatloaf leaving just enough room for your fingers to rest between the cooker and your loaf. Keep in mind I cook in a 6 quart cooker.
- Add your toppings to the first layer, leaving the outside 1/2″ of the layer untouched for crimping with the next layer. I added chard leaves first, then my cheese slices, onions, and jalapenos.
- Take another portion of your meat and flatten it out on your counter top so that it is large enough to cover the first layer. Place it on top of the first layer and use your fingers to crimp down the edges of the meat so that they join with the first layer. Tuck any toppings that are sticking out back into the loaf.
- Add your second layer of toppings. For this layer I used dill pickle slices instead of jalapenos.
- Use your 3rd portion of meat to form one last layer, and apply it to the top just as in step 5.
- Make sure no toppings are sticking out of your loaf, push them back in if they are! Use your hands to seal the layers of the loaf shut.
- Top your loaf with your tomato sauce / ketchup and sprinkle on some sesame seeds for garnish.
- Cook on high for 2.5 hours or on low for 5.
- When cooking is finished, allow loaf to cool before attempting to remove or slice it. Use some potholders to remove your slow cooker’s lining and transport it to your stovetop where it can sit and cool. You may also want to use a turkey baster to remove some of the fat that has rendered down into the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Enjoy! Do let me know if the comments what toppings you used in yours.
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