Sudden mood swings are seemingly par for the course when dealing with girl softball players. However, there might be more than meets the eye (or stomach) to blame.

The advantages of Slap Hitting in Fastpitch Softball cannot be overestimated. No other type of hitter puts as much pressure on the defense from pitch to pitch. While not every player is cut out to be a slap hitter, every team could benefit from having a few.

You are a coach looking to make the jump from Rec Ball to Travel Ball, or a Travel Ball coach ready to start his/her own program. Here's the first in a series of articles on how to do so.

ASA is considering a bunch of rules changes for 2011, including quite a few playing rule changes. Read on to see what may be coming down the pike, as well as my opinion on each potential new rule.

With a little bit of caution and common sense, you can practice on the very hottest days. During a seemingly endless heat wave, use the following tips to keep your players practicing safely (with a little bit of fun thrown in!).

It is just as important for the coach to be in good mental and physical shape as the players, if not more important. The coach has to stay mentally sharp and keep his energy levels high to give his team the best chance to win. Read on for more thoughts on the issue.

You'll get more out of your practices by ending a shorter practice on-time than you will by using the long, "just-one-more-drill" approach to practice. While this seems counter-intuitive, there are good reasons why this is so. Read on to find out why.

2 stars. Coach Latey mixes beginning and intermediate information in this recording of one of his pitching lessons. Read on to see my impression of the info provided.

I was surprised to learn that catchers are now being taught that they don't have to throw their masks these days. Here, I measure the area of view using a catcher's mask to determine how much having the mask on blocks a catcher's vision.

3 Stars. There is a lot of good information in this 2-disk DVD set, but finding it later can be problematic. A good reference for seeing proper mechanics of the various pitches, but the lack of fidelity in the Menu and the unique terminology that Coach Latey uses detracts from the info provided.