By Coach D | DR3 Fastpitch

Have you ever finished a bullpen and asked yourself...

"Did we actually get better today?"

If you're like most softball parents, the answer is probably...

"I think so?"

Maybe your daughter threw harder.

Maybe she threw more strikes.

Maybe her rise ball looked bet...

If you've ever watched a softball pitcher and thought:

"How does she throw that hard?"

"Why is she struggling with accuracy?"

"Why does one pitcher look effortless while another looks like she's fighting her body?"

The answer usually isn't found at release.

It's found much earlier in the pitchi...

The Changeup: The Pitch That Separates Good from Great

Velocity gets attention.
But speed change wins games.

The changeup is often the first pitch that teaches a pitcher how to outthink a hitter. It’s not about throwing harder — it’s about throwing smarter.

A great changeup requires:

• Consist

  ...

One of the biggest mistakes parents make is thinking more throwing equals faster results.

It doesn’t.

For beginners, the goal is consistency without burnout. Pitchers should aim to get 1% better every day, but that doesn’t mean throwing a ball 7 days a week.

Improvement can look like:

• Spin w

  ...

If your daughter wants to throw harder, with better control — this is what needs to click:

1. Wind-Up

• Leg lift

• Hip separation

• Shoulder rotation
  This phase sets the tone for rhythm and momentum.

2. Stride

• Transfers energy from back leg to front

• Builds power from the grou

  ...

Sometimes, the fix isn’t physical—it’s visual.

Here’s a fast (and often surprising) way to help your daughter throw more strikes today:

Adjust her eye level.

Yep. It’s that simple.

If she’s consistently throwing high?
👉 Have her aim lower.

If she’s constantly spiking pitches in the dirt?
👉 Tell...

Want to fix your pitcher’s control issues? Don’t start with the arm. Start at the feet.

Yes, you read that right. The most overlooked part of a pitcher’s accuracy is often her plant leg.

Here’s what I teach every athlete I work with, from 9U to college commits:

“Your front side is your brake pe

...

It’s the bottom of the fourth. Two outs. Runner on second.
Your daughter gets the sign, winds up… ball four.

Another missed spot. Another missed chance.

Naturally, most parents and coaches jump to the go-to solution: “She needs to fix her mechanics.”

But what if I told you that’s not the real iss...

She took a deep breath… and threw a strike.

Then the next girl did the same.
And the next.
And the next.

One by one, these little pitchers were dialed in — calm, focused, smooth… and throwing absolute strikes.

This was one of my favorite clinics from the fall, hosted in Louisiana with the amazing...

 I was 20, sitting in the training room with tears in my eyes… again.

Injured. Again.

Frustrated. Again.

My junior year—and my seventh injury since I was 14.

But this time… it felt different.

Not just physically, but mentally. Emotionally.

My identity as a pitcher, a leader, ...