University of Houston Athletics
Softball Opens Practice Conditioning in the Cold
1/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Photo Gallery Jan. 11, 2011
HOUSTON - The University of Houston softball started practice a little differently this spring when the whole team reported a week early for the first day of practice Tuesday afternoon.
Referred to as "pitcher and catcher hell week," head coach Kyla Holas and her staff requested that the position players join the pitchers and catchers for the week of conditioning that precedes the beginning of normal spring practices.
"Usually, we just throw them right in after the pitchers and catchers have reported a week earlier," Holas said. "So they've gotten their conditioning base and they're ready to throw that first week, while (the position players) are catching up. We decided that it was such a huge advantage for the pitchers and catchers, that we're going to do it for the whole team."
Holas, her staff and strength coach Dale Jones will center the opening week of practice around conditioning to assure her team is prepared for game-speed drills and scrimmages that will start as early as next week.
"For a lot of them, the conditioning is the scary part," Holas said. "But we're all human and that break is really nice to have. So we're going to take that fear out of it, so next week when we get to softball - it's about softball."
The first week of practice will also serve as a way to ease muscles, especially throwing arms, into the rigors of a long upcoming schedule. The extra time will give Jones the opportunity to help the Cougars work through soreness and prevent overuse injuries that typically arise in the early weeks of the season.
Tuesday's practice starts the one-month countdown before the Cougars open their season when they play host to Michigan on Feb. 11. According to Holas, her players are always ready to ditch practice to start playing games by the end of the month. The coaching staff, however, knows a lot needs to get done during the quick preseason.
"It gets long, trust me," Holas said. "They're so tired of practicing by the end of this month, but as a coaching staff it seems short because we know all of the things we need to accomplish in this month. There are so many things we need to touch base on, and even then we still find things that we wished we would've covered more. But for them, they are always ready to play." Unfortunately for the Cougars, the cold found its way to Houston as they started practice in 40-degree weather. Although they donned sweatshirts and ear warmers Tuesday afternoon, the team can look forward to its normal Houston weather soon. The temperatures will reportedly climb back into the 60s and 70s by Sunday.
"It's cold this week," Holas said. "Most of the time, though, we get very lucky with our weather and are able to be outside from now until the season starts."
Houston will open the season with back-to-back tournaments at Cougar Softball Stadium. The Cougars are slated to face Michigan in their first game of the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational on Feb. 11.
