By Michele Smith, Olympic Gold Medalists
Most players and coaches know me as a pitcher, but I am also a pretty decent hitter ... if I do say so myself! During my career I was the top hitter in the Japan Pro League many times and know full well how important good hitting can be for a successful season. So, this month I decided to point out some keys to becoming a good hitter. This is not an article on head to toe hitting mechanics, but more ideas and concepts that have helped me over the years. If you will implement these concepts into your hitting, I believe it will make a profound difference to you and your team.

By Michele Smith
In fastpitch softball, the power position is one of the most talked about parts of the pitching motion. It is also one of the most misunderstood. The body moves in natural, basic patterns. Getting into and out of those patterns properly will enable you to use your body more efficiently. Efficiency can loosely be defined as putting the least amount of energy in and getting the most amount of performance—or power—out. Getting into a proper power position will help you to minimize the amount of energy needed to produce the most powerful—or fastest—pitch. Your goal should be to pitch as efficiently as possible. You do not need to over tax your body to be a good pitcher. Good pitchers understand the importance of the power position and know that it will help them to efficiently transfer power to the ball.