BaseballSoftballUK will run the first-ever Academy Softball sessions for co-ed slowpitch players on two weekend days this spring at the Osterley Sports and Athletic Centre in Isleworth, West London.
Training will be delivered by expert BSUK coaches, led by Robbie Robison and based around a carefully-designed programme of skills development. The sessions will be aimed at competitive B-grade slowpitch players who want to get game-ready and maximise their preparation for the 2019 outdoor season.
While there will be no age restriction on the sessions, the Slowpitch Softball Academy is primarily for adult players.
Robbie Robison is a former GB Slowpitch Team player and Assistant Coach, is currently the Head Coach for the GB U-18 Women's Fastpitch Team and is the Head Coach at both the Softball Academy and High Performance Academy, BaseballSoftballUK's established athlete training structures for fastpitch softball and baseball that are designed to develop players on a performance pathway towards national team selection.
The Slowpitch Academy sessions will use the coaching and training principles developed over the past few years at the Academy and HPA.
Dates and topics
The first two sessions will be held from 9.00 am to noon and then from 1.00-4.00 pm on Saturday 27 April and the final two sessions will be held at the same times on Saturday 4 May.
The sessions have been designed to be held indoors but with the opportunity to transfer to an adjacent outdoor athletics track subject to weather conditions.
Session topics will include:
Session 1 -- Batting (9.00 am-12.00 pm on 27 April)
Session 2 -- Fielding and Throwing (1.00-4.00 pm on 27 April)
Session 3 -- Position Specifics (9.00 am-12.00 pm on 4 May)
Session 4 -- Game Situations (1.00-4.00 pm on 4 May)
Players who attend will be given an Academy T-shirt, and insurance cover and water will be provided.
Players should wear personal playing kit and bring gloves and their favourite bat if they have one.
Venue details
The full venue address is: Osterley Sports and Athletic Centre, 120 Wood Lane, Isleworth TW7 5FF. Showers, changing rooms and toilets are all available onsite.
The sports centre is a 10-minute walk from Osterley Tube Station on the Piccadilly Line (Heathrow branch), and for those coming by car, there is free parking on site in marked bays.
Cost and registration
The cost for attending one, two or three sessions will be £30 per session, or £100 for all four sessions.
You can register your interest in attending one or more sessions here.
Once you have registered and your place has been confirmed, the team at BaseballSoftballUK will be in touch with next steps.
Commenting on the initiative, Joelle Watkins, BaseballSoftballUK’s Head of Commercial, said “Formal training opportunities aimed specifically at competitive slowpitch softballers have largely been missing till now. This initiative recognises and addresses that need and will serve players from across London’s dozen existing leagues such as the Greater London Softball Mixed League and the Advertising, Publishers and City Bankers leagues, as well as the nearby Windsor and Maidenhead Softball League. We then hope to roll out the format nationally.”