Spaulding Pitching Academy

Session 3 of Beginner Academy is in the books! 🥎🩵

These girls have been WORKING! We love watching their confidence grow, their movements start to click, and all that hard work turn into progress week after week.

The foundation might not always be the flashy part—but it’s the part that everything else is built on. 💪

So proud of this group and the effort they continue to bring each week. Keep learning. Keep working. Keep getting better.

Can’t wait for Session 4 next week! 🙌

🚨 NEWS FLASH: We work on speed too. 😏

We just might have a different definition of what “working on speed” looks like.

At SPA, we absolutely believe velocity matters. We measure it. We train it. We set goals around it. We use strength training, Rapsodo, pitch design, movement patterns and individualized development to help our athletes throw harder.

But we’re also going to build the FOUNDATION that allows an athlete to create that speed efficiently, consistently and safely.

Because throwing hard is great.

Throwing hard with command, movement, deception, multiple speeds and the ability to compete?

That’s pitching.

And while college softball is changing rapidly, we will never measure the value or development of a young girl/woman by how much scholarship money someone is willing to give her.

Our job isn’t to develop a dollar amount.

Our job is to develop a PITCHER and PERSON.

Build the foundation.
Develop the athlete.
Teach her to understand her body.
Teach her to understand the ball.
Teach her how to compete.

And yes… THEN LET’S THROW GAS. 🔥

Speed matters.

It’s just not the only thing that matters.

Train with purpose. Compete with confidence. Lead with character.

Inside a lesson with hailey🥎 🩵 one of my very first students back in 2018 🥹Has one of the best curve balls in Vegas! Always trying to make it better 👍🏼

Our job as coaches isn’t to give you every answer.

It’s to ask the right questions so YOU can find the answer.

What did you feel?
What did the ball do?
What needs to change?
Can you make the adjustment and repeat it?

When we’re working through a pitch, there are going to be reps that don’t work. Sometimes A LOT of them. 😂

You’re going to miss it.
You’re going to get frustrated.
You’re going to make an adjustment…and still miss it again.

That’s learning.

Because mastering a pitch isn’t about doing it correctly once. It’s about understanding what your body is doing, learning what the correct movement FEELS like, and being able to repeat it over and over again.

And then there’s that moment…

The ball finally does EXACTLY what you’ve been trying to make it do.

And that smile says it all. 😏🙌

You WILL fail while learning something new. Failure is part of the process. But when you finally figure it out yourself?

There’s no better feeling.

Our goal at SPA is to develop pitchers who don’t constantly look to their coach for the answer.

We want pitchers who can feel it, understand it, adjust it, and repeat it.

That’s how you create independent, confident pitchers. 🥎

Train with purpose. Compete with confidence. Lead with character.

Inside a lesson with Melia 😂🥎

I’ve been working with Lia since she was 10 years old, and let me tell you… her lessons NEVER disappoint. 😂

The majority of our time is spent trying to keep her focused between the most random thoughts, stories, and questions that somehow need to be discussed RIGHT NOW. 🤦🏽‍♀️🫠

Case in point: it took me 5 videos just to get her to do this drill correctly because girlfriend was EXTRA chatty yesterday. 😂

But don’t let this fool you—she is an incredibly hard worker and always shows up ready to get better. This is also such a good reminder that training doesn’t have to be serious 100% of the time.

We work hard. We coach hard. We hold our athletes accountable.

But we also laugh. We’re goofy. We build relationships. And we have FUN.

I’ve gotten to watch Lia grow up through this sport, and these are the moments that make coaching so much fun. 💙

Because sometimes it takes 5 tries to get the drill right… and sometimes your pitching coach just has to accept that you’ve got a story to finish first. 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

Train with purpose. Compete with confidence. Lead with character.

I’ve been talking about this a lot lately because it’s one of the biggest mistakes I see in softball…

More is NOT better. Better is better.

Ryker Zane Chason explains it perfectly in this video. Think of your body like a gas tank with a crack in it. You can keep pouring gas in, but if it keeps leaking out, you’ll never be full.

The same thing happens with pitchers.

If you never give your arm a chance to recover, you’re not getting stronger—you’re just digging yourself into a deeper hole.

That’s why I’ve been encouraging so many of our athletes to take a true break from pitching after a long summer.

⚠️ A break from pitching does NOT mean sitting on the couch.

Keep lifting.
Keep working on mobility.
Keep building strength.
Keep improving your conditioning.
Keep taking care of your body.

But step away from the pitching motion for a few weeks.

Recovery isn’t falling behind—it’s part of the training process.

The athletes who are willing to rest when it’s time are often the ones who come back healthier, stronger, and throwing harder when it matters most.

Trust the process. Your arm will thank you. 🥎🩵

One of the biggest takeaways I had from this year’s Kerri Foster Nelson / Founder Foster Fastpitch retreat came from Olympic Pitching Coach Kyla Holas

We spend so much time talking about speed. Parents ask about it. Athletes chase it. Social media celebrates it ;and we will always celebrate our kids reaching these goals too)

But here’s the question she challenged us to think about…

What can you actually DO with the ball?

Can you locate it when the game is on the line?
Can you move it in and out?
Can you change eye levels?
Can you create spin that hitters struggle to read?
Can you throw different pitches for strikes?
Can you make adjustments when something isn’t working?

Velocity is a tool—not the goal!

A pitcher throwing 58 mph with command, movement, and confidence will often outperform a pitcher throwing 62 mph who can’t consistently hit spots.

At SPA, we absolutely train for velocity! We strength train. We build power. We develop efficient movement.

But we never sacrifice command, movement, and understanding of the craft just to chase a number on the radar gun.

The best pitchers aren’t always the hardest throwers.

They’re the ones who know how to use (and master) every pitch they have.

Train with purpose. Compete with confidence. Lead with character. 🩵🥎