Winter Softball Training Opportunities Starting Soon:

• December is the start of winter softball training opportunities that are fully covered/paid for by MVSA.  These opportunities ensure all athletes have the opportunity to practice and improve in the off season.  The off season is where players are made.  We look forward to seeing all the athletes out throwing, catching, hitting, and pitching, as they get better for the 2024 season and beyond. 
  • Open gym’s starting on December 4th.
    • These sessions are held for anyone 10U-HS to come and work on the following:  Playing catch, hitting off a tee, soft toss, pitching practice, catching practice, fielding work.  Bring a friend, teammate, sibling, or parent and get some practice is.
    • From 5:30 – 7:15 at Valentines Hills Elementary School
    • December dates: 12/4, 12/6, 12/12, & 12/18
  • Pitching Clinic/Practice with Cass from Powerhouse Mechanics
    • This is a chance to work with one of the premier pitching instructors in the twin cities area. 
    • Sessions will start at 5:30 & 6:30 at Valentines Hills Elementary School.  Come to either time that works for you.  Ensure you bring a catcher for the session.
    • December Dates:  12/13 & 12/20.  We also plan to have dates in January.  All pitchers welcome from beginner’s to advanced.
  • Hitting Practice:
    • We will have Sunday hitting practice as well starting in December.  More info on that coming soon.

Local Training Opportunities:

Outside of the association you can also look into training options through Optimize and Complete Game:

• Softball hitting academy and pitching academy see Complete Game website:  completegamebaseballtraining.com
• General Softball Training at Optimize:  https://www.optimizephysicaltherapy.com/softball-training
• Sport specific strength & conditioning all summer https://www.optimizephysicaltherapy.com/strength-and-conditioning 

At Home Training:  Here are few of the things to always be doing to improve your game. 

Play Catch

• Play catch, play catch, play catch!  We can’t say it enough, but the more you play catch and work on throwing and catching the better.

Swing a Bat

•  Swing a bat either by itself, hit a ball off a tee, or do soft toss into a net.  Each one of these you can practice your swing & repetition is key.

Be active – play another sport

• Being active and getting more agile and stronger vastly improves your softball play.  Sports that have lateral movement and explosive activity are the best.  

Do drills

• Doing drills on specific softball skills helps a lot.  This can be a fielding drill, a hitting drill, a pitching drill, a catching drill, you name it, the more you practice the better.

Watch Softball / Baseball

• The more softball / baseball you watch the more you can learn the game.  Knowing what to do in all different situations is a huge way to improve your softball play.

Reach out to Craig Benson – Training Coordinator on the MVSA Board if you have any specific questions.