FAQ & Blog

Frequently Asked Questions

My daughter works best with someone face to face, how do online lessons work?

Do you Have In Person Availability?

What Equipment Do I Need Before Starting Online Lessons?

Do you suggest a Basic Video Evaluation or a Premium Video Evaluation?

Which Do You Prefer, Group/Buddy Lessons or Individuals?

Personally, I believe group lessons are the best opportunity. Why? Because group lessons provide opportunities for leadership skills. If you’re with someone younger than you or at a different skill set level, you have the opportunity to step up and be a role model physically/mentally for the younger generation. Those skills are needed outside of pitching as well.

If you’re with someone around the same age & same skill level, it’s time to compete. Don’t compete with her... but compete with yourself. Take it to the next level. Learn from each other. This opportunity helps motivate you and expose you to the different competition.

I never did one individual lesson growing up. I always did lessons with 2-3 girls at a time since I was 9, and for a month I pitched next to 6 girls at once (a little too crazy for me). I believe these group lessons helped shape me mentally and emotionally about my role on the mound.

I was always with different skills and age levels and my mental game was challenged multiple times. I had to lead by example for the younger ones. My mental game was challenged by the older girls. I had to learn that I’m not always going to be on my A-game, but figure out ways to work through that anyways.

Just something to consider to all pitchers. You’ll need those mental skills when you get to the college level and in the real world. You shouldn’t need a pitching coach's 100% attention the whole hour.

One of my goals as an instructor is to develop y’all physically, mentally, and emotionally to figure out mistakes on your own and work through them without my guidance the whole time.

Reasons why I suggest my girls having a notecard with them at the field (keywords I use during lessons) to learn how to correct yourself without me in your ear... especially when my girls hit the 9th grade for recruiting reasons.

College coaches want to see you be coachable. Make adjustments. Be mentally strong. Compete. Ignore distractions and stay in the zone. Don’t let outside factors interfere with your performance.

Yes, I understand the upside to individual lessons... but there is more to being a pitcher at the next level than just your physical performance. I believe the advantages of group lessons outweighs the advantages of only doing individuals.

What do you prefer? No right or wrong answer. Just curious about others' opinions!

Why do you not use a radar gun regularly?

One thing I learned when I was at Kennesaw State University is that the specific number on the radar gun doesn’t matter, it’s if you’re getting the outs. Coach Doug Gillis always clocked me ‘with his eyes’. I appreciated that because it put less stress on me as a freshman trying to compete against two elite senior pitchers. My goal wasn’t to throw harder but to get more quality strikeouts. More swings and misses. Speed would have helped, but I also needed a better riseball because most of my pitches stayed low. At the time, my changeup wasn’t as consistent as I’d wish for that season. I’ll be honest, I have only pull my radar out 4 times a year for progress monitoring and personal records. I’m not a fan of using it more frequently, outside of making sure off speed/change ups are a good speed difference. I see girls over social media who say they throw 5-10 mph quicker than they actually look. I think it can get in parents heads of “who can throw harder” but in reality, it’s who can get the outs. Who can get the swings and misses? Who can hit their spots? Who can fight through the battles? Who can hit that changeup 9/10 times? Who is mentally stronger... etc. I tell my girls all the time that I can clock them with my eyes and I can see if they are quicker or slower. I also do a lot of videos for my lessons and will have girls slomo themselves to see what mechanical issue is going on if they look slower that day. Or what they are doing better if they are picking up their speed. I think that helps the mental process more, especially at a younger age. I want my girls to get excited about their speed, but I also want them to understand that there is more to being a successful pitcher than what # shows up on that radar gun. I’m not 100% against it, but the “clocking with my eyes” approach has eased my pitchers' minds mentally. Less stress & they are still competing against themselves each week to throw harder. I do think it is important for 9th grade & older to get used to the radar gun being around because I know they will pop up all over the place at showcases. My goal is to train my girls to not even see the gun. Ignore it. Block it out. Because in reality, that # is not the thing that defines a pitcher. It’s just one factor that I believe has “blown up” to be the most important thing in parents’ eyes.