2013 WCWS Champions; first ever WCWS champion to lead the nation in scoring and ERA;
Distinguished member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Hall of Fame (2012); Back-to-Back Big 12 Coach of the Year (2012-13); 6x Big 12 Coach of the Year; 2012 WCWS Runners-up, 2000 WCWS Champions, Over 1,000 career victories
As Patty Gasso says and many coaches would agree, defense wins championships. In this DVD, Coach Gasso explores the aggressive defensive mindset, strategies, and drills that have helped her Oklahoma Sooners win two NCAA National Championships. She begins with bunt and slap defense, moves on to defending the steal, covers first and third situations, and touches on relays.
Bunt and slap defense
The defense can better prepare itself if it knows what to expect from the offense. Coach Gasso begins her presentation by explaining the different defensive approaches she uses with a runner at first base, a common bunting scenario. Coach Gasso explains how her team handles bunt defense, and has her defense demonstrate coverage. She also delves into defending against slappers and bunt coverage with multiple runners on base, situations that place pressure on the defense to execute.
Steal
With one or more runners on base, many offenses will choose to challenge the catcher by stealing to advance runners, rather than give the defense an out with a bunt. Coach Gasso shows how to neutralize the steal, using good communication between the fielders and different steal coverage. A steal attempt requires the defense to be quick and accurate, so knowing how to anticipate steals and position the defense accordingly is critical.
Double plays
Coach Gasso believes in an aggressive style of defense with fielders playing to get the lead out when runners are on base. This opens up the door for double plays. Coach Gasso and her team demonstrate turning double plays from all positions on the field. A defense that can convert a double play when there are runners on base has a better chance at getting out of the situation without giving up a run.
First and third situations
First and third situations put pressure on a defense to execute as players must make quick decisions and accurate throws. Even though first and third situations don't happen very often, Coach Gasso places special emphasis on them. If these situations aren't handled correctly, the offense can score without the batter ever touching the ball. She has six options for defensive plays that she runs against a first and third situation. Gasso has her defense demonstrate the plays, and offers advice on when to use each option.
Relays
A good relay will get the ball from the outfield to the infield quickly, preventing an offense from advancing and scoring. Coach Gasso's team demonstrates different ways to handle relays depending on where the ball is hit, and offers advice on how to set up the cut-offs.
Although offense is becoming a focal point of the game of softball, a good defense can help neutralize an opponent's powerful offense. If an opponent can't score on your team, they can't beat you. Coach Gasso shows you how to keep an opponent's offense at bay by creating an airtight defense. The results will show in the win column.
54 minutes. 2014.
SD-04526B: with Patty Gasso, Oklahoma University Head Coach;
2013 WCWS Champions; first ever WCWS champion to lead the nation in scoring and ERA;
Distinguished member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Hall of Fame (2012); Back-to-Back Big 12 Coach of the Year (2012-13); 6x Big 12 Coach of the Year; 2012 WCWS Runners-up, 2000 WCWS Champions, Over 1,000 career victories
In this incredible DVD, Patty Gasso offers her ideas and strategies on building an aggressive offense that can capitalize on defensive miscues to score more runs. Coach Gasso delves into rundowns, bunting, moving runners with hit and runs and angle-down plays, how to use slappers, first and third plays, and squeezes.
Rundowns
Properly executed, an aggressive offense can use a rundown to pressure the defense into making a mistake. Coach Gasso outlines situations that can result in rundowns. She discusses what the base runner should do to avoid being tagged out and also demonstrates how to stay in a rundown for as long as possible, thus increasing the chance of a defensive miscue.
Bunts
Bunts are a good way to advance runners because they allow the batter to place the ball wherever the defense is weakest. Coach Gasso explains five options for bunting and advancing runners, including the sacrifice, split grip, bunt for a hit, show-pull backslap, and the bunt-and-run. . Having multiple bunting options keeps the defense guessing and gives you the opportunity to select the option that you think will work best.
Slappers
Slappers are an important part of an aggressive offense because their speed puts pressure on the defense to get outs even on routinely hit balls. Coach Gasso shares five options for advancing runners and/or getting on base themselves. Having so many options will make defending the slapper nearly impossible.
First and Third Situations and Squeezes
First and third situations offer the chance to score runs without ever having a batter touch the ball. By putting runners in motion, the pressure is shifted almost entirely to the defense, forcing them to make decisions about which runner to attack and which play to execute. The more pressure an offense can put on a defense, the more likely they are to make mistakes. A first and third situation is also an ideal time to call a squeeze bunt, which has the potential to score a run and advance a runner.
Many teams rely solely on power hitting for offensive production. While this is a valid strategy, an aggressive offense will put pressure on defenses and result in more consistency in run production. Let Coach Gasso show you how to put together an aggressive offense that will frustrate the defense and score more runs.
54 minutes. 2014.
SD-04526C: with Patty Gasso, Oklahoma University Head Coach;
2013 WCWS Champions; first ever WCWS champion to lead the nation in scoring and ERA;
Distinguished member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Hall of Fame (2012); Back-to-Back Big 12 Coach of the Year (2012-13); 6x Big 12 Coach of the Year; 2012 WCWS Runners-up, 2000 WCWS Champions, Over 1,000 career victories
See how Patty Gasso molds her team into one of the best, year after year. Coach Gasso opens practice with aggressive angle-down plays and drills, and then moves on to infield and outfield defensive drills. Finally, the team takes batting practice in the cages and pitchers get a quick pitching workout in the bullpen.
Here's a breakdown on how Coach Gasso proceeds through her DVD presentation.
Team Drills: Angle Down, Range, and Ball Reading Drills
Coach Gasso begins practice with angle-down plays, as players alternate between hitting in this situation, and running the bases. This is a very quick-paced routine with lots of offensive skills being practiced in a short period of time. Players are then challenged to extend their range as they move on to infield and outfield drills. Gasso pulls the entire team together for ball-reading drills, in which coaches hit bloopers between the infielders and outfielders. This gives the defense a chance to improve communication and overall awareness of the field.
Infield drills
Coach Gasso breaks the team into positions and focuses on the foundation of a good defense. The infielders use smaller gloves and balls to perfect their footwork and glove work before moving on to practice executing on balls hit to either side, throwing on the run, and double plays. You'll see Coach Gasso's time-based drill, where the infielders try to beat the clock. This is one of several techniques that Coach Gasso to prepare her defense for pressure they'll encounter in game situations.
Outfield drills
Similar to infield drills, the fundamentals and drop steps of outfield drills are practiced using smaller balls and no gloves. Players gradually progress to drills where they must track batted balls and field fly balls from a pitching machine. Coach Gasso spends a significant amount of time working with her outfielders on balls hit into the gaps. These plays require the outfielder to cut off the ball and come up throwing quickly, while keeping the arm action of the throw short. By getting these balls cut off and back to the infield quickly, the defense can stop runners from advancing and scoring.
Batting cages
The action shifts to the batting cages where the hitters rotate through four different stations. Multiple stations enable hitters to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. The Sooner hitters work on fundamentals from two tee stations. They also have a front toss and live cage, allowing them to see several pitches thrown live to them, giving them a chance to practice their timing and approach.
Bullpen Pitching
Coach Gasso's practice session ends at the bullpen, where one a pitcher goes through a series of drills, preparing to throw live on the field. After performing a few drills to work on fundamentals, the pitcher warm-ups up all of her pitches in a specific sequence. The first few drills are physical drills, but the final drill is a performance drill involving pitch sequence combinations. It is important to work both on physical drills and performance-execution drills, as pitching live to hitters requires proficiency in both.
One player at a time, position by position, until they're working in unison, Coach Gasso shows you her secrets for preparing her team. This is a must-see video to help bring your team to the next level.
93 minutes. 2014.