GritShop Softball Combine
College coaches are increasingly looking at "measurables" to compare potential recruits. College athletics are becoming extremely competitive and athletes need to meet particular skill levels to qualify to play college softball. There are 5 main tools that softball players need to develop and that college coaches look into when evaluating a player’s athleticism;
Running Speed
Hitting for Power
Hitting for Average
Arm Strength
Fielding Ability
Unfortunately, due to the nature of softball, coaches may not be able to evaluate all of these tools when observing a game. This is one of the primary reasons as to why an athlete would want to participate at a combine. By performing at a combine, a player and/or coach are able to determine how the player ranks at each tool and can predict how a player may develop in the future. The second reason why an athlete would want to participate at a combine is so that they can assess which skills to further develop in addition to understanding their areas of strength and weakness. The areas of weakness will of course naturally develop as they continue to grow, but if an athlete can work on further developing those weaknesses at an early age, they will be able to advance their game quicker and have a much greater advantage when a coach comes to reevaluate and scout them.
Players will be individually and objectively measured in various skill sets:
Home-to-1st (foot down & contact)
Home-to-Home
Over-hand Throw Velocity
Grip Strength
Vertical Jump
Standing Broad Jump
Exit Velocity (Bat Speed)
Pitching Speed
Catcher Pop Time
Data will be collected, tabulated and emailed to each player after the combine.
This data will give each player an understanding where they rank among their peers and what they need to work on. GritShop will host the combines every 6 months so athletes can improve their baseline measureables and use this data in their recruitment process as outlined above. GritShop will also be hosting future clinics to specifically improve skill sets in the 5 main tool areas.
Check out how 231 Fusion 14U used combine results to create a player profile page.
Ask us how we can make this happen for your team!
