Science Based and Data Driven Athlete Development for Softball Pitchers and More
I am a lifelong student of the game of softball with a passion for teaching the game from inside the pitching circle.
There is a lot of softball information on the Internet. If you are new to the game, it's impossible to decide the good from the bad, or the new from the old, (other than the choice of uniforms.) I have been training pitchers for over 16 years. I learn from my students and use the information to better my other students. I have taught the old styles of pitching, and I now sit on the cutting edge of the current styles of pitching. I currently own and operate Engineered Performance Lab in Huntsville, AL. At the lab, I use my training in Exercise Physiology combined with my engineering background to build elite athletic machines. Our focus is still baseball and softball heavy, with quarterbacks, volleyball, gymnast and the weekend warrior athletes using my proprietary testing process to advanced their movements and eliminate pain.
This is the part where I am suppose to tell you how great I am and how I know everything there is to know about fastpitch softball pitching. But I don't know everything. I am a student of the art of pitching and my students are teaching me something each day. I have a bachelors in Chemical Engineering, about as far from a softball coaching certification you can get. Fall 2016, I had the opportunity to sit in and guest lecutre for a Kinesiology and BioMechnaics course at University of Alabama in Huntsville where I provided detailed mechanics of the pitching motion and shared my knowledge of training young female athtletes. I love problem solving and all my techniques are highly calculated, tested and proven to elevate results. Everything in my life follows the scientific process: find a problem, pose a solution, test the solution, analyze results, then repeat. I make it a mission to constantly learn and I share the information with my students and website members first.
There is a lot of softball information on the Internet. If you are new to the game, it's impossible to decide the good from the bad, or the new from the old, (other than the choice of uniforms.) I have been training pitchers for over 16 years. I learn from my students and use the information to better my other students. I have taught the old styles of pitching, and I now sit on the cutting edge of the current styles of pitching. I currently own and operate Engineered Performance Lab in Huntsville, AL. At the lab, I use my training in Exercise Physiology combined with my engineering background to build elite athletic machines. Our focus is still baseball and softball heavy, with quarterbacks, volleyball, gymnast and the weekend warrior athletes using my proprietary testing process to advanced their movements and eliminate pain.
This is the part where I am suppose to tell you how great I am and how I know everything there is to know about fastpitch softball pitching. But I don't know everything. I am a student of the art of pitching and my students are teaching me something each day. I have a bachelors in Chemical Engineering, about as far from a softball coaching certification you can get. Fall 2016, I had the opportunity to sit in and guest lecutre for a Kinesiology and BioMechnaics course at University of Alabama in Huntsville where I provided detailed mechanics of the pitching motion and shared my knowledge of training young female athtletes. I love problem solving and all my techniques are highly calculated, tested and proven to elevate results. Everything in my life follows the scientific process: find a problem, pose a solution, test the solution, analyze results, then repeat. I make it a mission to constantly learn and I share the information with my students and website members first.
A little more about me, I am from Asheville, NC. More known for skiing, Biltmore House and basketball, not softball. I had a great high school career. In the circle I was undefeated as a freshman on JV, threw a perfect game followed by an 11 inning shutout as a sophomore to advance the varsity team in playoffs, and finished my senior season with 11 shutouts and 4 perfect games. I thought I was pretty good and for the area, I was very good. Then I decided I wanted to become an engineer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. They have an amazing Division II softball program. I accepted my academic scholarship and walked on the softball team. Let's just say, they play softball in Alabama a little bit differently than we did in NC and I had a lot of learning and catching up to do. After a great four years, three Gulf South Confrence Championships, and four apperarnces in NCAA tournament, two of the younger pitchers on the team wanted me to stay on as a student assistant and be their pitching coach. I accepted because I was not done with my college softball experience.
That year we competed in the 2009 NCAA DIvision II National Championship game. First time in school history. Came up short in the final but finished second in the nation. Still with unfinished business I stayed to help the pitching staff. Two years later we made our second appearance in the 2011 National Championship Game and once again finished second. Two of my pitchers during my three years of coaching got opportunities to play after college. With my degree in hand, success at the college level, and helping girls continue, I decided to focus on training the younger girls and help them reach their level of success.
That year we competed in the 2009 NCAA DIvision II National Championship game. First time in school history. Came up short in the final but finished second in the nation. Still with unfinished business I stayed to help the pitching staff. Two years later we made our second appearance in the 2011 National Championship Game and once again finished second. Two of my pitchers during my three years of coaching got opportunities to play after college. With my degree in hand, success at the college level, and helping girls continue, I decided to focus on training the younger girls and help them reach their level of success.
I got married to a baseball player of course. He was a professional catcher and former college coach. He proposed at home plate during a tournament we volunteer to coach each year. (Learn more about Brian at forty3training.com ). We have two amazing little boys. Our oldest is named Maddux Ripken. Yes after Greg Maddux and Cal Ripken Jr. our sweet new addition is Brooks Hudson, after Brooks Robinson and the great softball pitcher/coach in the above paragraph. :-) Our days involve talking about baseball or softball, playing catch with everything, going to a ball field and I cook a lot! We both work for ourselves and found a way to be apart of the games we love. Our joint efforts have led us to own and operate Engineered Perfomance Lab in Huntsville, Al.
If you are still reading, I hope you decide to become a member of the website. A free membership gives you access to downloads and members only content. You can also get a my exclusive information by joining my newsletter.
If you are still reading, I hope you decide to become a member of the website. A free membership gives you access to downloads and members only content. You can also get a my exclusive information by joining my newsletter.
Brian and Courtney are expert writes for STACK.com and contribute to baseball, softball, nutrition, and fitness topics. Read a collection of Brian and Courtney's articles below.
"STACK exists to inspire and empower the next generation of athletes. Our mission is to bridge the information gap between professional and amateur athletes. We attempt to level the playing field and democratize sport. We believe that every athlete should have the information and tools they need to reach their potential." Read more at http://www.stack.com/about-stack/.
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Testimonials
Our team has two pitchers, both of which has been taking pitching lessons from Courtney for several years. Both girls have improved their pitching skills tremendously and has helped lead our team to county championships. We have other coaches continuously asking "Where did your girls learn to pitch?"
~ Dixie Craft, Owens Cross Roads, AL
~ Dixie Craft, Owens Cross Roads, AL
When my daughter first showed interest in playing softball she wanted to be a pitcher. As a dad, I took it upon myself to teach her how to pitch like the college girls on TV. Well you can guess how that turned out...I taught her everything wrong! She learned bad mechanics and was great at crow hoping. We decided that our 9 year old daughter needed a pitching coach to fix all the bad mechanics that I had taught her. Luckily, we found Courtney Hudson! Within 2 weeks, Courtney Hudson had her windmill fixed and throwing consistent fastballs. By the age of 10, she was throwing very accurate fastballs and change-ups. My daughter dominated the local recreation league and the city even made up a rule to limit how many innings a pitcher could pitch in an effort to limit her pitching time and make the other teams more competitive. Needless to say, she has been playing travel ball ever since. At age 14, our daughter now throws over 58 mph and knows 7 different pitches. My daughter's travel team took 4th in State in the 13u division and just won the 14u NSA "A" World Series in 2011. She has very strong fundamentals and a real shot at a college scholarship thanks to Courtney! Courtney is not only a great coach, but she is also a mentor and a role model for our daughter.
~ Ricky Bates, Huntsville, AL
~ Ricky Bates, Huntsville, AL