Rain, rain go away - Hooray!

I do apologize for not having posted in some time.  Last week was absolute chaos with all of the rain.  Games were, of course, postponed and rescheduled.  The power went out, the heat went out, there was water everywhere, I could go on. . . Despite all of this, things are starting to acquire a bit of normalcy again.  With workouts, I have been doing weights, running, pilates, and yoga.  On Sunday, I mixed in some UBC and the rowing machine for part of my cardio.  This definitely has a very different feel.  It is so important to keep your workouts fresh and interesting.  Today I did yoga and threw for about a half hour (both right and left side).  My arm feels really good and I definitely think that doing yoga beforehand helped my concentration and stability.  I have really been working on the whip and trying to incorporate it into my lessons.  I hope that you guys are benefiting from all of this.

I have also been watching some baseball, and noting how some pitchers are more fluid and efficient than others.  Really concentrating on the motions is finally making baseball interesting to me.  I have always wondered why softball has just appealed so much more to me than baseball.  Of course, the game is much faster with slapping and bunting.  The pitching is much more interesting.  I could go on.   However, there are some things that we can learn from watching baseball pitching.  More aggressive pitchers in both softball and baseball tend to get a much better drive off of the back leg.  Some pitchers have better whip and some try to muscle or push the ball (any of this sounding familiar?).  Most interestingly, the baseball pitchers have a tendency to change their mechanics when they struggle just as much as you guys do.  I just watched the Red Sox starting pitcher sink down lower and start pulling his head out as the game progressed on Sunday (not surprisingly, that inning started with a walk).  It is amazing how athletes, no matter what level, tend to modify their motions in different scenarios.  Know your body though, and know when you are changing your mechanics for nerves versus changing your mechanics for exhaustion.  The latter can be a prelude to injury if you are not mindful.  Many pitchers tend to stop using the back leg or start pulling the ball when they are tired.  Some start slumping their shoulders or speeding up their motions to a point of inefficiency.  Watch for these characteristics in yourself to know when you've "hit the wall."   If you can prevent some of these undesirable changes, you will throw much better.  Either way, don't feel too bad if you're mechanics are a little shaky at points in the season.  You are not getting paid millions of dollars to do this!