DFM Softball

2 special young lads coincidentally called Will are playing up a storm at the State 10-12 Schoolboys state champs. 🥎 I love how our game brings people together from all over. Go get ‘em boys 💎

📷 Sarah

Quite a few of my "You Should Know Her" legends were together last night, including Lorraine Woolley, the winning pitcher from Australia's 1965 World Championship team.
Sadly, I couldn't be there, but seeing these photos brings a smile to my face. These are the women who paved the way for generations of Australian softballers and on whose shoulders we now stand. 💚💛

🥎 Champions are built when nobody's watching.

While I'm away on personal business, softball learning doesn't stop.

This week's DFM Rule Knowledge article covers one of the most misunderstood rules in our game, the Pitcher's Circle Rule.

You don't need a bat, glove or field to become a better softballer. Sometimes improving starts with understanding the rules and making smarter decisions.

Take 5 minutes, have a read, and see if you can learn something new.

📖 Read it here: 🔗 https://dfmsoftball.com.au/%f0%9f%a7%a0-rule-knowledge-smarter-play/

Every Rep. Every Play. Every Day. 🥎

I might be slightly biased but this is my club! ❤️🖤 It truly is fabulous with the culture (TPC) and the partnerships that we have to allow our members to severely or completely deplete their season fees. If you want to know more, shoot me a question and I’ll fill you in. Raaaarrrr 🐾

🥎 Looking for a club in 2026/27? ❤️🖤

Panthers Softball Club continues to be one of Brisbane's leading softball clubs, combining success on the diamond with a strong and welcoming club culture off it.

Following another successful season across multiple grades, we're excited to continue building on that success while welcoming new and returning players into the Panthers community.

Whether you're looking for a new challenge, returning to the game after some time away, or simply searching for a club that values culture, development and community, we'd love to hear from you.

✅ Competitive teams
✅ Supportive club culture
✅ New Albion Hotel partnership
✅ Panthers Clubhouse Day – 15 August
✅ Opportunities for players of all abilities
✅ Strong pathways from juniors through to seniors

Expressions of Interest are now open.

👉 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WRXb3GuGqn

🐾 TPC

❤️ Community
🖤 Development
❤️ Inclusion
🖤 Integrity
❤️ Fun

📢 CLINIC UPDATE

Just a reminder that due to personal family circumstances, I won't be hosting tomorrow's FUNdamental Softball Clinic. Thank you all for your understanding and support during this time.

While we won't be together on the diamond, there's no reason DFMers can't spend a little time working on their game at home.

🥎 Fielding & Hands Drill (5-10 minutes)

https://fb.watch/Ix0QtBoxQq/

This is a great fielding and hands drill that was passed on to me by Ned, Australia's Futures Next Gen32 Coach. It's a simple but effective way to work on hand-eye coordination, receiving the ball and developing soft hands.

🥎 Hitting & Separation Work (10-15 minutes)

https://youtu.be/tOnehjx6Eeg?si=p8iM5HMwL-AOBw6k

My favourite - MegRem Softball shares a good separation drill that I really like. It focuses on creating good separation and sequencing in the swing. Before trying the hitting drill with a bat, I'd encourage players to spend a few minutes working through the PVC Pipe Separation Drill.

Remember, we're breaking the swing down into individual parts so players can understand and feel the sequence. In a real swing, everything overlaps and happens in fractions of a second. The goal of the PVC Pipe Separation Drill is to help players feel the lower body initiating the movement while the hands stay back during the early part of the hip drive. The hands don't stay back for the entire swing, obviously 🙄. As the hips continue to rotate, the hands come with them and work together to deliver the barrel to the ball. I’m not trying to create pauses or disconnected movements. I’m simply training the body to move in the correct sequence so the swing can be efficient, powerful and repeatable.

✅ PVC Pipe Separation Drill (3 x 10 quality reps)

✅ Progress to dry swings with a bat (20-30 swings)

✅ Then have a go at hitting if you do have a tee

If you'd like some feedback, feel free to send me a video of your PVC Pipe Separation Drill or your dry swings. Many of our younger players won't have their own Facebook accounts, so Mum or Dad can send the video through using their account and I'll be more than happy to have a look and provide some feedback.

Thank you again for your understanding. I look forward to announcing a new clinic date soon and getting everyone back on the field.

💙🥎🧡

These girls deserve some recognition. 🥎❤️
At the Blacktown International, our Australian Under 14 Pathway team (the first one ever named from the first ever U14 squad), made up predominantly of 11, 12 and 13-year-olds, took on older, bigger and more experienced opposition, including talented players from the USA. Before we left, I told the girls I had no expectations around results - I simply wanted them to enjoy the experience, learn, and have a red-hot go 👊🏻. Well, they certainly did exactly that! They showed courage, resilience and absolutely no fear. More importantly, they embraced the DFM philosophy of being “Better than the time before”. Every day they improved. Every day they learned. Every day they grew. One of the things I often say is that young athletes can borrow my belief until they have enough belief of their own. We keep filling their cup until it's full. This group took hold of that belief and ran with it.

As proud as I am of the girls, I'm also grateful for the opportunity to learn myself. After more than four decades in softball, this was my first tournament as a head coach, and it reminded me that no matter how long you've been in the game, there's always more to learn. I've had to take a step back from being physically involved in softball for a little while, so this experience was a special one. Everything I've learned, and everything I'm continuing to learn through this program, I can't wait to bring back to my DFM athletes.

My goal remains the same as theirs: Be better than the time before. These girls certainly were. Proud is an understatement. 💚

💙🥎🧡