AMANDA CHIDESTER
- Team USA Softball (2020)
- NPF Player of the Year (2019)
- All-NPF Team (2019)
- 2x Big Ten Conference Player of the Year
- 2x National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American
“DO THE WORK”
As an athlete, we’re all searching for the feeling of complete confidence in our game. I have found over the years that the discipline to prepare, both physically & mentally, has been the key to my confidence, enabling me to succeed at the highest levels of our sport. I am mindful of every single detail that goes into making me an elite athlete. This includes how I approach nutrition, workouts & trainings. Four months before leaving for Team USA: ‘Stand Beside Her’ tour I implemented HitTrax into my training, adding many layers of detail to how I was able to prepare & attack my training.
here’s how:
Immediately, HitTrax added a competitive piece to how I trained. I LOVE THAT. When I’m away from the team, it’s so hard to get a competitive game-like feel, but HitTrax brings it. I would often turn up the pitching machine as fast as it can go, or program it to throw some nasty off-speeds and make the cage as challenging as possible. My training partner (Anissa Urtez, Team Mexico) and I would play different games going head-to-head and often be neck and neck heading into our final at bats. What HitTrax allows me to do is feel the pressures of a game and help me to learn how I compensate when I’m against them.
For example, the biggest thing I’ve noticed when I’m competing is that I try to ‘overswing’. Although I’ve been told this in the past, HitTrax gave me the feedback that I needed to understand what that meant in relation to my performance. Even though I can hit the ball 91 mph does not mean I am able to maintain consistency against fast speed/moving pitches with that all-out mentality.
In HitTrax, I can compare my videos, and in doing so, I looked at my swing with a 90 EV/2 LA ground ball and compared it to my 77 EV/21 LA home run. What was the difference? Intent. Then, in my trainings, I started paying attention to this. What percentage of intent do I have to sacrifice to maintain consistency in all parts of the strike zone? I found my sweet spot to be right around 75-mph (85% intent) where I’m hitting the ball hard enough to see success, but not sacrificing consistency in any part of the zone. My trainings turned into focusing on feel and recreating that movement, then in competitions, executing it.
Overall, what helped me immensely in preparing for the tour was the ability to track my trends and identify the parts of my game that needed work. TIMING & PITCH SELECTION became things I could work on – on my own. I could track how my nutrition and workouts were impacting my overall performance. I could analyze different warm-up routines and their impact on making me game ready. I could keep track and make certain that I was improving in all areas needed for success.
HitTrax helped me hold myself accountable day in and day out. This led me to feel more prepared and confident than ever heading into USA Training.
