‘Tis the Season – Gift Ideas for the Softball Player in your Life
Looking for the perfect present for the softball player in your life can be tough, especially with the range of products and tools available out there. Here are some of our favorites this year that are worth the hype!
1) Jaeger Sports J-Bands
Taking care of your arm is SO IMPORTANT, the Jaeger Sports J-Band system is a must have for all athletes who throw. This system comes with an exercise manual to help guide you through how to properly these bands and there are also throwing program DVDs available to help strengthen and develop your arm. For under $35, it is a fairly affordable and highly beneficial addition to any players preparation. Check it out there: https://www.jaegersports.com/
2) Softball Power Drive
A tool that both hitters and pitchers can use to develop and train the use of their legs more effectively. This helps athletes maximize the push or drive of an athletes foot or toe while teaching proper movements. You can find it here: http://www.softballpowerdrive.com/
3) Back Spin Tee
An item that has gained a lot of popularity, the Back Spin Tee has changed the way coaches and athletes view tee work. Biggest advantage with the Back Spin Tee is that hitters get a better feel for hitting the lower half of the ball. Learn more at: http://www.backspintee.com/
4) Diamond Kinetics Pitch Tracker
This tool is great for pitchers, parents, and coaches alike! This system comes with a “smart softball” and app that collects tons of pitching data to provide instant feedback. Use this to help check improvements, identify areas for growth in your pitching, in conjunction with your pitching instructor to get the most out of your lessons, and more! The system runs $100 and can be found here: https://diamondkinetics.com/pitchtracker/
5) Libkepro
Fielders rejoin! The Libke Pro is a device that an athlete wears on their wrist and hand which puts them into “perfect fielding position”. With the Libke athletes learn muscle memory, the correct approach to the ball, perfect fielding position, soft hands and more. Get it here: https://www.libkepro.com/
6) The “Red Man”
A must have for all pitchers, the “red man” is a pitching dummy anyone can set up at the plate to simulate a real batter. This is crucial for pitchers to work into their bullpen practices. There are netted versions that can be dismantled for easy transport and storage or there are also full plastic models. Here is an example: https://amzn.to/2RoB84z
7) Zepp
A system like the above mentioned “Pitch Tracker”, this is for hitters! Zepp’s tracking device attaches to the bottom of an athlete’s bat and tracks hitting data to your device. Only downside with this, it can take some time to get used to working with the tracking device and syncing to your phone or tablet. But stick with it and reach out to them for help if need be, once you get it working it is an awesome tool! When working with the Zepp, the biggest key is allowing time for the swing to transmit to the phone/tablet. What I found was there needs to be a small amount of time between swings, so using them in a fast front toss situation will not work well. Learn more here: https://www.zepp.com/en-us/#
8) The Hitting Vault
A little more on the spendy side, The Hitting Vault from Matt Lisle is an amazing, fully comprehensive tool for growing your offensive game. With hundreds of videos, drills, and tips this platform is beneficial to players at any level of the game. Lisle is a renowned hitting coach who works with MLB and collegiate players alike. Look into it here: https://thehittingvault.com/
