National Fastpitch Coaches Association

Paying Attention to YOUR Mental Game: Building a coach's toolbox for success

Coaches often find themselves overlooked and lacking support regarding opportunities for growth and mental health. This seminar will provide practical tools and strategies to respond effectively to the unique pressures, challenges, and opportunities coaches face. Enhance your coaching effectiveness by adding tools to your mental game and increase your well-being while elevating your program to new heights.

Get the most recent information on the college recruiting process direct from the source as an expert panel of coaches and administrators help prospective student-athletes, parents, and coaches navigate their recruiting journey.

Featuring: Collegiate Coaches and NCAA Rules Experts from all Divisions of play!

Many topics will be covered throughout the session including but not limited to:

• The NEW NCAA scholarship models
• Name, Image, and Likeness
• The transfer portal
• Understanding recruiting terminology
• Visits, phone calls, and camps
• What to expect from coaches
• Prospect responsibilities
• The role of the parent
• The 'Myths and Truths' of recruiting
• The Role of Social media
• The NCAA Eligibility Center & National Letter of Intent

• Short Game Defense - Karen Weekly & Aubrey Leach (Tennessee)
• Elevating Your Team's Outfield Play - Kayla Braud (Alabama)
• Infield IQ for Today's Game Speed - Jordan Clark (Florida Atlantic)
• All About That "Base" - Jason Gwyn (North Texas)
• Infield Fundamentals - Michael Shehorn (Wilmington)
• Drills, Drills, Drills: Defense - Hunter Veach (Texas Tech)
• Drills, Drills, Drills: Catching - Whitney Wyly (UT Tyler)

This Virtual Clinic features two sessions with different content covered in each segment. Designed for 8U - 14U coaches and parents, the content includes catching non-negotiables, including stance, receiving, mechanics, common flaws and fixes, throwing, pitch calling, and frequently asked questions. Unlock the keys to developing youth catchers in this two-part educational offering featuring some of the game's best instructors.

Join leaders in pitching technology, player development, strength & conditioning, biomechanics, and winning to learn how when all facets of pitching are trained together, the next level of pitching can be unlocked.

You may be surprised how the connection with student-athletes allows for on-field success. Join Coach Rick Fremin as he discusses the ways he has built the Southeastern Louisiana program into a consistent postseason team.

Dynamic offenses do many things well. Learn how facets of hitting, base running, situational execution, and more all work together to create scoring opportunities in droves.

Bring your questions and curiosity to this year's assistant coach panel. You can help guide the conversation on topics that assistant coaches deal with every day such as conflict resolution, networking, career advancement, on-field strategy, recruiting, and more.

Building on the basic fundamental skills of infield defense will help your team become more sound on the dirt, and provide a basic skill set that will progress into elite game play.

Choke up? No stride? Timing hit? How do you teach a 2-strike approach? Or do you? 2024 National Champion ETBU saw their two strike approach change the way they owned the batter's box in 2024 and now Coach Shirley is going to share it with you.

If you want a competitive pitcher, build them in the bullpen. If you want a competitive staff, foster the competition in a way that is collaborative and conducive to high-stakes success. Carson Owens shares his strategies for building the ultimate competitors in the circle in this session.

From NFCA All-American to ESPN Analyst and back to the coaching ranks, Kayla Braud breaks down outfield instruction and shares the impact player development can have on your last line of defense.

We've got drill work, mobility and conditioning workouts, managing workload, and creating a training plan for your pitching staff on the agenda for this session. Proper programming is crucial in ensuring pitchers are ready for competition from game one until the final out of the year. Learn how to best prepare your pitchers for the unknowns of a season with Clarisa Crowell & Alexis Gallagher.

Back by popular demand this "live" session on the main stage will showcase three pitching minds answering YOUR inquiries on how they create, plan, and execute everything from recruiting to scouting and bullpens to in-game decisions.

Community involvement, social media best practices, increasing engagement with your fans, and creating a brand are just a few things that may not fall under your job description, yet you likely find yourself thinking about their strategies and implementation. In this session, Keena Lynch from the BIG 12 CONFERENCE office will take you through different ways you can get the most out of your digital content.

Whether you are a Director of Operations or a coach who wears many different hats, this programming will help you become more efficient when it comes to event management, travel planning, and more. Join Elizabeth Benn, a veteran in logistics for Major League Baseball and start working smarter today!

When looking for the separating factor for your team, look no further than the trust factor. Former baseball coach and current leadership coach Travis Wyckoff will teach you how to invest in the most important part of your program.

Don't leave the development of your catchers up to chance. Building intentionality of catching skill progression into your practices and bullpens can help elevate one of the most important positions on the field.

Your practice plans are as unique as your fingerprints. From roster size to facility, coaching staff composition to time constraints, there is no magic potion for putting the best practice plans into action. There are however best practices and new ideas to ensure you're putting your team in a position to get better every day and you can learn about them in this session.

Discover the strategies that will allow you to build accountability and buy-in from your pitching staff during games, practices, and everyday interactions. The more you know about your pitchers, the better coach you will be for them and the better they will be for your team.

Get in on the action with three unique 25-minute sessions jam-packed with drills you can implement right away. 

Get in on the action with three unique 25-minute sessions jam-packed with drills you can implement right away.

We know some metrics can help determine the likelihood for a pitcher to generate a swing and a miss, but how do you use that data to determine the ways your pitching staff can be better together? Krista Stoker and Ashley Sunshine of OGX will go in-depth to explain how you can deploy a staff approach for optimal results.

2024 - Youth Virtual Coaches Clinic: An introduction to pitching. This Virtual Clinic features two sessions with different content covered in each segment. Designed for 8U - 12U coaches and parents, the content includes pitching non-negotiables (grips, stance, mechanics), common flaws and fixes, accuracy / velocity, and frequently asked questions. Unlock the keys to developing youth pitchers in this two-part educational offering featuring some of the game's best instructors.

There is a lot of action that occurs around the 15" of a base during a softball game. This session will cover positioning, receiving, tagging, and more to ensure that your defenders are ready to make the play when it counts the most.

Today's game is faster than ever. Exit velocity. Foot speed. Arm strength. With these components raising the speed of the game, your infield IQ has to be sharper than ever. Elevate your defensive play with this session.

From pre-season workouts through game-day adjustments get the insight on how you can build a year-round hitting program for championship results.

If it feels like your role as a head coach is changing to more of a general manager, this is the session for you. Learn lessons of effective management from within the field as you take-away tips to be the most impactful leader for your team.

2024 NFCA Convention Videos - Full Package

Short game defense: Tighten up your defense against the triple-threat athlete with the help of Aubrey Leach & Karen Weekly from the University of Tennessee. Learn how shifts and other defensive alignments can improve your chances for converting hits to outs and keeping runs off the board.

Looking for ways to maximize the DP/Flex options on your lineup card? Come learn from the masters as Rachel Lawson, Cara Clark, and Cindy Ball-Malone explain how they get the most out of every situation.

In the current climate of athletics, coaches are dealing with more off-the-field issues than ever. Join us virtually and learn effective coaching strategies to navigate today’s athletic departments, parents, and student-athletes. You will:

• Discover how your coaching style can have maximum impact on your athletes;
• Improve your effectiveness in dealing with recurring issues like playing time, teamwork, discipline, confidence, slumps and change;
• Learn to better manage team meetings, conflict and negativity;
• Develop effective protocol for pre-game, pitching changes, substitutions, practice, travel, games and team membership;
• Discuss the art of scheduling and game planning;
• Learn strategies for goal setting, listening, communicating and delegating;
• Identify fatal coaching flaws and discuss how to fix them.

Growth for assistant coaches happens in a variety of ways. Leadership, communication, and relationship building are just a few of the areas where assistant coaches develop along their career path. But, what about the non-obvious ways, are you ready to embrace those as well? Jump into the unknown with Travis Wyckoff and learn how to build your confidence and success.

No big nets? Limited staff? Non-existent field space? No problem. Use your imagination and create high-level practice plans with the bare minimum of equipment, space, and staff.

Practice Planning on a Budget - Benet Higgs (New Mexico State)

Building a Program Through Connection - Rick Fremin (SELU)

Designing Creative and Efficient Practice Plans - Ricci Woodard (Texas State)

Coaching Development Isn't Always Obvious - Travis Wyckoff (Kingdom Coaching)

Changes in Collegiate Athletics: A panel discussion 

Offensive results come from maximizing each athlete's unique skill set. Join hitting instructor Bobby Tewksbary to learn how you can identify the separating factors of each individual hitter to get the most out of their competitive performance.

2024 - Youth Virtual Coaches Clinic: An introduction to hitting. This Virtual Clinic features two sessions with different content covered in each segment. Designed for 8U - 14U coaches and parents, the content includes non-negotiables of a swing, upper and lower body mechanics, common flaws and fixes, timing / sequencing, and frequently asked questions. Unlock the keys to developing youth hitters in this two-part educational offering featuring some of the game's best instructors.

Coaches are dealing with more off-the-field issues than ever and as an assistant coach, you have unique development needs. Join us virtually and learn effective coaching strategies to navigate today’s athletic departments, coaching staff dynamics, and student-athletes. Tailored specifically for you, the assistant coach section will meet you where you are in your professional growth. You will:

• Learn best practices for developing and maintaining a healthy relationship with the head coach,
• Discover how your coaching style can have maximum impact on your athletes;
• Improve your effectiveness in dealing with issues like playing time, teamwork, discipline, confidence, slumps and change;
• Learn to better manage team meetings, conflict, and negativity;
• Learn strategies for goal setting, listening and communicating;
• Identify fatal coaching flaws and discuss how to fix them.

2023 NFCA Convention Videos - Full Package

Get your pencils ready! 25 minutes of short-game drills will be coming at you at a fast and furious pace during one of the most can't-miss sessions of Convention. 

Athletic Communications and Coaches panel discussing scorekeeping.

The basics matter and if your student-athletes do not have a grasp of proper throwing mechanics early, they will not find the physical health or on-field success that they are looking for later. Join Austin Wasserman to learn what you can do at the youth level to ensure all your defenders are using proper mechanics and technique every time they let the ball fly.

Get your pencils ready! 25 minutes of pitching drills will be coming at you at a fast and furious pace during one of the most can't-miss sessions of Convention. 

Join Pitt State coaches Jenny and Brad Fuller as they take you through a plan of implementing the non-negotiables for young hitters in a way that is manageable to put into action at the grassroots level.

Get your pencils ready! 25 minutes of outfield drills will be coming at you at a fast and furious pace during one of the most can't-miss sessions of Convention. 

A 90-minute conversation with three of the game's best. Get insights on practice, fundraising, and developing culture as you re-live one of the favorite sessions from the 2023 Convention. NOTE: This is not a laundry list of drills but rather a look at how these coaches apply various concepts within their programs.

Practicing indoors at the youth level can be a challenge. Whether you have a single cage, a basketball floor, or a full facility, this session will cover the components of creating an indoor practice plan that won't sacrifice your team's growth despite moving inside.

By evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the pitchers in your program you can revamp your approach to bring the most growth to individual performance and team success. From pitch-calling to bullpens this is the start of breaking it all down to build it all back up.

Join proven program-builders as they share strategies and best practices on how you can turn around a program and find the next level of success right where your feet are.

Moderator: Rhonda Revelle (Nebraska)

The outcome that you want in the batter's box comes from the intentional preparation and teaching from a coach to every student-athlete. Hear from Tony Baldwin on how Georgia has created its offensive success by implementing these principles daily.

If you can't throw, you can't win. Join Austin Wasserman for a deep dive into his patented High Level Throwing® Program to learn the skills elite throwers have and how you can coach your student-athletes to be at the next level of overhand throwing.

2022 National Convention Full Package

Whether starting your endorsement journey or looking for a way to dominate the circle, this selection of pitching favorites will help you reach your pitching staff goals. Drills to raise the competitiveness of the bullpen, ideas to get the most out of your hurlers, mental training concepts to elevate the battery, and techniques to add that dynamic spin and velocity you desperately need. This selection of videos is exactly what you're looking for.

PLEASE NOTE:  If you attended the 2022 National Convention and/or purchased the Full Convention Package, you have already received endorsement credit and CAN NOT count both the full Convention Package and this endorsement for credits toward the endorsement. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the NFCA.

Whether starting your endorsement journey or looking for a way to put more runs on the board, this selection of offensive favorites will help you reach your high-scoring goals. Drills to kick-start your practices, ways to get the most out of your short-game athletes, vision training concepts to elevate the output of every hitter on your team, and baserunning techniques to add an extra 60 feet of offense, this selection of offensive drills is exactly what you're looking for.

PLEASE NOTE: If you attended the 2022 National Convention and/or purchased the Full Convention Package, you have already received endorsement credit and CAN NOT count both the full Convention Package and this endorsement for credits toward the endorsement. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the NFCA.

How we use our brain to hit a ball (How we actually see a ball being hit and how that should and could completely revolutionize practice)

Rapid Fire Infield Drills - Fast-paced infield drills that focus on TEAM defense.

Outfielders are more than a "ghost runner" alternative on the bases. Excellent outfield play can take runs off the scoreboard and create huge momentum swings for your team. Listen in for drills and practice plans that can elevate your team's outfield play this season.

Want to build a sustainable program? Use the assets you have. It's easy to play the comparison game and focus on the "don't haves" when you're in the middle of the grind, but changing your outlook will change everything.

When it comes to training, connecting the body to sport skill is key. Get specific information related to traning student-athletes for ultimate efficiency in rotational power.

Sports Analytics is driving diamond sports behind the scenes. We are sharing insights to increase your team performance and highlight metrics we found that have direct correlation to success in softball. Join us as we bring together leaders and competitors in measurement for cutting edge conversations on sensor data and predictive performance metrics.

How to Influence Pitching Patterns: Designing Training Environments vs. Designing Drills - For drills to be effective, they must translate to the motion. In this talk we'll discuss the criteria drills must meet at S2 Breakthrough, and how we use plyos to influence and maximize a pitcher's patterns.

Tracking the management and approach in terms of load for development of both the individual and pitching staff.

Gain a better understanding of why and how slapping / short game skills can be utilized to promote offensive production. Learn the techniques involved in developing triple-threat athletes directly from one of the best coaches and athletes in the game today.

Using data and analytics in training - Interactive session on ways/techniques to immediately help your players move in a more efficient way offensively. These drills can be used by players just learning to hit or hitters at the highest level.

Move, Move, Move - Interactive session on ways/techniques to immediately help your players move in a more efficient way offensively. These drills can be used by players just learning to hit or hitters at the highest level.

Want to train to steal more bases? Come learn about the mechanics of acceleration and shaving time off steal starts.

From Grassroots to NFCA All-American Pitcher. Gilman will share her pitching philosophy emphasizing arm whip and finger pressure, as well as training techniques that you can implement with your pitcher from 10u through college. Learn ways to improve velocity and spin immediately and for the long term.

Increased athleticism will improve your catcher's blocking, throwing, receiving, and more. Learn how to unleash their athleticism to get the most out of the position.

Spinny Rebel Variability - Pitching drills manipulating ball weight to help influence hand position and create spin variability.

The best infielders are the best decision-makers. Go beyond fielding percentage to learn how the Georgia Tech program has embraced a "plus/minus system" to elevate their defense and ensure their on-field output is not just consistent but game-altering.

How to use the TOOL of the Enneagram to understand yourself and others better in order to build the best staff and team culture possible! An interactive and engaging participation event! Relevant and life changing!

An in depth look at how to revamp practices, bullpens, and warm-ups to increase competition and get your pitchers game-ready every step of the way.

Join a panel of five dynamic offensive coaches as they cover a variety of topics to help you unleash your program's high scoring offense.

With game film available for an increasing number of teams, there are more and more opportunities to scout your future opponents. However the question remains, where do you start? We will cover that and more in this first-of-its-kind Convention session.

Take a deep dive into the offensive scenarios first and thirds offer in order to gain more total bases and elevate your likelihood to score runs.

Roster management is a difficult concept these days. Did you know that you can use the DP/Flex in defining roles that both engage and inspire your entire roster? Find out more in this session with Yvette Healy.

Additional Content Added - The NFCA Softball Scoring Seminar (digital download) is a useful tool for the fastpitch softball community. It is designed for coaches, sports information personnel, players, parents, and anyone else who wants to learn how to accurately score a game. 

Arm health is a paramount concern for athletes at all levels. Listen to coach Taylor Smartt and learn new and different ways to optimize the arm health of your student-athletes through specific drills, movement patterns, and throwing programs.

A Systematic Approach to Pitching Success 

The Journey of a Pitcher's Development

Challenging Your Pitching Staff During Practice

That resumé got you the interview … now what? Listen in as two new hires, Dr. Megan Brown and Lacy Wood, share their experiences in interviewing and offer you tips for preparing and acing your next interview.

NFCA MEMBERS: This video is available to you for free within your members-only "Coach's Box" through the Education tab under Video Vault. Visit NFCA.org to log in.

From international-competition glory to dominance at Oregon and a newfound emergence at Texas, Mike White continues to redefine success on the softball diamond. Now, Mike’s daughter, Nyree White, has carved her niche into the development of young pitchers. Join this father-daughter duo as they show you the New Zealand way of developing the next generation of softball pitchers.

NFCA MEMBERS: This video is available to you for free within your members-only "Coach's Box" through the Education tab under Video Vault. Visit NFCA.org to log in.

Recruiting is more than understanding the physical gifts that an athlete has. How do you know what makes them tick? How can you assess their resilience and mental toughness? Learn how Major League Baseball, Michigan State, and Ryzer are approaching recruiting from a “moneyball” perspective, and how the change can immediately impact your culture.

NFCA MEMBERS: This video is available to you for free within your members-only "Coach's Box" through the Education tab under Video Vault. Visit NFCA.org to log in.

Abbott. Nuveman. Osterman. Venturella. Watley. OH MY. These five women have combined for numerous medals, titles, and accolades on the international stage. Join them to hear insight and never-before-told stories on what it takes to build a championship mentality. Panelists include: Monica Abbott, Stacey Nuveman, Cat Osterman, Michelle Venturella, and Natasha Watley. 

NFCA MEMBERS: This video is available to you for free within your members-only "Coach's Box" through the Education tab under Video Vault. Visit NFCA.org to log in.

Are you confused about Pitching? Do you need to help your pitchers become mentally stronger? Could you use some great drills to help your pitcher get faster, or have better pitch movement and control? Have you ever wondered why your pitchers look great in practice and then struggle during games? If you’ve asked yourself these questions and more, then this over 3-hour session, presented live at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) convention, is exactly what you need!

Elite pitching instructor Cindy Bristow presents this very detailed clinic on Pitching that includes: video of every drill mentioned, downloadable print ready notes, and tons of fantastic information.

You’ll learn how to simplify what you teach your pitchers and the important difference between simple and easy. This video will guide you through the world of Pitching by showing you what’s really important, why it’s important and HOW you can lead your pitchers to success!

It's all presented by Cindy in her easy-to-understand manner with a complete and thorough verbal and visual explanation each step of the way.

There are many ways to use the DP/Flex rule to maximize team personnel, but it can be confusing. No matter your role, join Rachel Lawson as she shows multiple strategies for offensive production, defensive flexibility and the may ways to operate within the DP/Flex rule. This webinar is great for coaches, umpires, strategy enthusiasts and scorekeepers alike.