Coach's Guide to Game-Winning Softball Drills »

Michele Smith has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. National Softball Team and was inducted into the American Softball Association Hall of Fame. An ESPN commentator for the Little League World Series, she runs popular softball clinics through her company, Michele Smith Inc. (michelesmith.com). She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Lawrence Hsieh is a writer, an attorney specializing in sports law, and a volunteer youth sports coach.

“Mastering these drills will arm your players with one of the biggest intangibles necessary to perform well—confidence.”

—Michele Smith

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Fame pitcher Michele Smith throws one right down the middle with this big collection of more than 250 skill-building drills developed especially for coaches of fast-pitch recreation league, travel ball, and high school softball players, ages eight to eighteen.

Straight from the Michele Smith Gold Camps and Clinics, these drills are designed to give you all the tools you need to teach the entire range of offensive and defensive softball skills. With Michele's expert guidance and instruction, you'll coach your players to:

• Master the mechanics of footwork for fielding with hustle
• Swing for the fences and hit the fastest pitches
• Catch the ball proactively and throw it quickly and accurately to its target
• Defend the infield and outfield with speed and confidence
• Run the bases swiftly and strategically
• Refine fast-pitch skills so they can windmill like Michele
• And much more

Michele Smith has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. National Softball Team and was inducted into the American Softball Association Hall of Fame. An ESPN commentator for the Little League World Series, she runs popular softball clinics through her company, Michele Smith Inc. (michelesmith.com). She lives in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Lawrence Hsieh is a writer, an attorney specializing in sports law, and a volunteer youth sports coach.

Preface     iv
Acknowledgments     vi
Introduction     vii
Throwing and Catching     1
Fielding Footwork     29
Infield and Outfield Defense     50
Hitting     99
Baserunning     155
Pitching     169
Playing Catcher     205
Pregame Drills     229
Index     238