Videos by Level Up Softball. Hello! My name is Megan Newton (Hatfield) and I am a softball instructor on Oahu!
I still pitch these days, but itโs a little more casual here in Hawaii - flip flops + shades ๐ฉด
What Iโve been working on with all of my pitchers lately - a loose arm is a fast arm - relaxed muscles are fast muscles. ๐ช๐ผ
Whip = natural finish. No forced finish - just let the arm move freely to create spin. ๐ฅ
I still pitch these days, but itโs a little more casual here in Hawaii - flip flops + shades ๐ฉด What Iโve been working on with all of my pitchers lately - a loose arm is a fast arm - relaxed muscles are fast muscles. ๐ช๐ผ Whip = natural finish. No forced finish - just let the arm move freely to create spin. ๐ฅ
I missed World Softball Day yesterday here on social media, but I was at the softball field! ๐ค๐ผ Mailani just recently switched from pitching the 11 inch ball from 35 feet to now pitching the 12 inch ball from 40 feet - no problem for her! Mailani had a stellar 10u season & Iโm excited to see what she will accomplish in 12u. Great work, Mailani. Proud of you! ๐ช๐ผ Everyday at the softball field in Hawaii is a great day! ๐ฅโ๏ธ๐
Distance pitching with Kailani - check it out! Months of work have gone into this progress. Today Kailani was pitching lights out - her confidence was evident on the mound. Great job, Kailani! Proud of you! ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ช๐ผ
Malie & I started working together back in August when we first arrived in Hawaii. We have been working on her throwing strength and accuracy. Check out her awesome throw here! She made over 20 throws & catches with no drops/bounces! ๐ช๐ผ Interested in softball lessons?! Reach out so we can get started! ๐ฅ
Last nightโs pitching lesson with Shelby at HNL Ballpark! Shelby and I have been focusing on: - Keeping a strong front side at the end of the pitch and not falling off to the side. - Having a relaxed and natural finish. No locked elbows or tight shoulders. Relaxed = fast! Great work, Shelby! ๐ช๐ผ I have lots of openings at HNL! Contact me for scheduling! ๐
The balance beam is one of my favorite softball pitching tools! Hereโs why: 1. Pitchers must have good balance and this tool forces that. As a pitcher, you have to be able to explode powerfully off of the mound without losing control of going forward towards your target. 2. The balance beam encourages total body pitching. It helps build lower body and core strength. My body is able to stay on the beam throughout the pitch because everything is moving forward on the power line. Things like glove swimming, stepping to the side, or closing the hips will cause a pitcher to come off the beam/power line. 3. It gives immediate feedback when mistakes are made. The beam helps pitchers be more aware of what specifically they need to fix while pitching. Come see me at HNL Ballpark! ๐ช๐ผ
Iโm taking just a short break to show some of our family our beautiful new home! ๐ด I will be back to giving lessons at HNL Ballpark on Wednesday, October 19th. If you are interested in booking a lesson for that date or dates after that feel free to contact me here on my page, or call HNL! ๐ฅ๐๐๐ผ
Failure is part of learning to better yourself. I hated failing as an athlete, but no one is perfect. Itโs part part softball, any sport, and life in general. If you can handle failure and view it was an opportunity to learn to improveโฆ GREAT! Overcoming adversity and dealing with failure will benefit you long after your softball career ends. I have high expectations of myself and always have, but remember to be realistic. Sulking and letting failure mentally take over will not help you, but will hinder your success. Learn from your mistakes so you can improve in the future. ๐๐ผ
WORK ETHIC is the #1 life skill I strive to teach my players. If you want to be a pitcher you must practice on your own. Team practices and private lesson are not enough. Pitching is a skill that takes countless hours to improve at. If you as a player or if your daughter can learn how to be self-motivated from a young age in softball then this will carry over into other areas of life. Becoming disciplined and driven is essential in softball, but also in life. Your softball instructor doesnโt want to have to constantly get on you to practice at home because they want YOU to want to. They want YOU to motivate yourself to achieve your goals. This skill takes time to learn. Most young players do not have this drive naturally because they want instant gratification just like everyone in life. Itโs hard for young players to understand the importance of drills, spin work, or boring practice when they canโt see immediate results. That is why I love to teach them this skill. As a parent and a coach, stay patient with young players as they will often build more drive to practice as they grow-up! ๐ช๐ผ
Investing in a private softball instructor is expensive & time consuming. Physical softball skills are things your daughter will use temporarily in life during her softball career. That is why as an instructor I like to focus on things beyond just the basics of softball. Iโm going to share mental and life skills I love to teach my students that have impacted my own life. I have a lot to say about this topic so stay tuned for many upcoming videos on this topic! ๐๐ผ Also, I would love to hear from you allโฆ What life skills and lasting mental skills did sports teach you? ๐ช๐ผ
Reeseโs Lesson ๐ฅ
Hereโs a glimpse into a lesson. We worked on breaking the pitch into 4 steps:
1. Load
2. Explode out
3. Get open
4. Whip finish
Reese was specifically focusing on step 2. We wanted to get her glove arm, pitching arm, and legs all exploding straight out without any crossing or glove swimming.
Great job, Reese! ๐๐ฅ
Addalyn working on getting a strong and powerful leg drive! This drill has become a new staple to my pitcherโs leg drive drills. We are loving the results! ๐๐ฅ๐๐ผ๐ช๐ผ
Happy 10th birthday to one of my awesome pitchers, Kyleigh! Hope you had an amazing day! ๐ฅ๐๐ฅณ
Leg drive work! There are two steps to this drill... 1. Get your leg drive UP and OUT quickly. 2. Drag your toe to your front heel. Pull the bungee forward quickly to get back leg into the pitch. Brooklyn left this lesson with exhausted legs! Love the progress it creates in the leg drive! ๐๐ช๐ผ๐ฅ
Reeseโs Drop: Slow Mo ๐ฅ
Reeseโs drop ball is really sweet and itโs even better to watch in slow motion! ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ