Fastpitch

Starring:Darren Zack, Lila Leiter, Tony Hunhoff, Shane Hunuhunu, Jeremy Spear (II), Ken Billingley
Director: Juliet Weber, Jeremy Spear
Studio: New Video Group
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Not for baseball fans only, Jeremy Spear's heartwarming documentary will be a hit for anyone who yearns to pursue his own field of dreams. Spear, a New York artist and former college ballplayer, always dreamed of being a professional baseball player. At the age of 35, he began to crave "the thrill of competition." He gave up gallery openings for Opening Day as a shortstop for the New Jersey Gators, a "fastpitch" softball team. If you are not familiar with fastpitch, that is the point of this valentine to a sport "on the verge of extinction." Fastpitch once ruled the neighborhood diamonds of small-town America. But as one seasoned spectator notes, "The game is going downhill." Teams are disappearing "one by one, town by town." Fastpitch, Spear observes, "has a purity hard to find in sports today." But that purity is perhaps being threatened by one Peter J. Forcelli Jr., a junk-mail maven and owner of the Tampa Bay Smokers. While the average team operates on a budget of $30,000, Forcelli lavished $500,000 on his team. But the heart of the game beats on in people like Nick McCurry, who manages Ashland Abbott Labs (the Midwest team Spears eventually joins) and such local heroes as Maori slugger Shane Hunuhunu (whose girlfriend is forced to tack a note on his door warning adoring neighborhood girls to "back off") and Native American pitcher Darren Zack. Fastpitch does something wonderful. It makes you want to rush out to a park to watch a game. Or better yet, play in one. --Donald Liebenson
Description
When memories of his collegiate softball stint loom larger than a promising art career, filmmaker Jeremy Spears decides to step up to the plate once more before it's too late. Armed with dreams of athletic glory, Jeremy dives into the fascinating world of fastpitch softball, America's last barnstorming sport, and finds himself on the road with Ashland, Ohio's team.

In an intimate account of the once popular sport that is quickly fading from glory, the award winning documentary film Fastpitch takes a riveting look at the everyday lives of people chasing a dream on the back roads of America. And, come tournament time, when Ashland are still in the game, only money--and luck--stand in the way of a World Championship title.

Description

Without a doubt he is one of the premiere pitching coaches of our time. In the last 30 years Coach Ernie Parker has guided his pitching students, capturing nine ASA National Championships in the process. He has helped mold 29 students for success at the Division I level, including DeeDee Weiman of UCLA, Carrie Dolan of Arizona, and the unprecedented three-time Honda Broderick Award winner and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Fernandez. The only thing which precedes his success is his reputation for creating students with rock-solid fundamentals, dynamic ball movement and control.

Coach Parker frequently tours the United States conducting seminars and clinics for major teams and universities. And internationally he has shared his knowledge of pitching with students and coaches in Italy, Spain, Holland and China.

Plyometric drills have long been used by many Olympic athletes training in countries throughout the world. Through a combination of intense physical muscle reflex action and aerobic exercise drills, plyometrics will result in a finely tuned body ready to perform under pressure and in competition. In this easy to follow and fun video, Ernie Parker helps you develop incredible strength through the use of plyometric drills that will increase endurance, strength, speed and confidence.

Customer Reviews:

Ernie Parker Fastpitch DVDs.......2007-02-21

Ernie Parker is one of the premier teachers of Fastpitch Softball techniques. The drills were clearly explained and demonstrated so that I can now use the techniques to train my girls. A great investment.

Average customer rating:

A great slice of life
This is a really cool movie!
Interesting and profound

Fastpitch
Starring: Darren Zack , Lila Leiter , Tony Hunhoff , Shane Hunuhunu , and Jeremy Spear (II)
Director: Juliet Weber , and Jeremy Spear
Manufacturer: New Video Group
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Biography | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

Documentary | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( F ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Basics 1-2-3: The Basics & Fundamentals for the Windmill Pitcher
Power Pitching: Plyometrics and Drills
The Drills Video
Power & Distance: Seven Steps to Hitting Success
Fastpitch Softball : The Windmill Pitcher

ASIN: B00005J75U
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Amazon.com

Not for baseball fans only, Jeremy Spear's heartwarming documentary will be a hit for anyone who yearns to pursue his own field of dreams. Spear, a New York artist and former college ballplayer, always dreamed of being a professional baseball player. At the age of 35, he began to crave "the thrill of competition." He gave up gallery openings for Opening Day as a shortstop for the New Jersey Gators, a "fastpitch" softball team. If you are not familiar with fastpitch, that is the point of this valentine to a sport "on the verge of extinction." Fastpitch once ruled the neighborhood diamonds of small-town America. But as one seasoned spectator notes, "The game is going downhill." Teams are disappearing "one by one, town by town." Fastpitch, Spear observes, "has a purity hard to find in sports today." But that purity is perhaps being threatened by one Peter J. Forcelli Jr., a junk-mail maven and owner of the Tampa Bay Smokers. While the average team operates on a budget of $30,000, Forcelli lavished $500,000 on his team. But the heart of the game beats on in people like Nick McCurry, who manages Ashland Abbott Labs (the Midwest team Spears eventually joins) and such local heroes as Maori slugger Shane Hunuhunu (whose girlfriend is forced to tack a note on his door warning adoring neighborhood girls to "back off") and Native American pitcher Darren Zack. Fastpitch does something wonderful. It makes you want to rush out to a park to watch a game. Or better yet, play in one. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

DVD Features Region 1 Keep Case Full Frame 1.33 Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 English Additional Release Material Trailers 1. Docurama Previews Interactive Features Interactive Menus Scene Access Text/ Photo Galleries Text 1. THE ORIGINS OF FASTPITCH SOFTBALL

Customer Reviews:

A great slice of life.......2006-08-19

Jeremy Spear's journey into the world of fastpitch softball at the relatively old age of 35 would probably have been interesting enough on its own, but in documenting his first season, he also gives us a great deal more. The movie paints a compassionate portrait of small-town life in the U.S., and Jeremy's travels lead him to cross paths with teams comprised of New Zealanders, Native Americans, Canadians, and a somewhat obnoxious (but not all bad) junk-mail king from Tampa Bay. He also discovers his own familial connection to the Midwest.

Everyone in the film shares a passion for the impressively difficult game of fast-pitch softball - and if you've ever wondered, it really is harder to hit in this game than in baseball. Fastpitch by all accounts is a dying sport. The film captures Jeremy's 1996 season, and one is left wondering what's happened since. Nonetheless, it's a wonderful, warm film that everyone will enjoy, whether or not they're a sports fan.

This is a really cool movie!.......2003-01-07

I truly liked the story told by the filmmaker.

Unlike a lot of sappy Hollywood sports movies or network TV programs, this movie goes into the depth of real human characters, who must face both victory and defeat, integrity and compromise.

The sport itself is quite interesting, and I would not have known about it except for this film.

Interesting and profound.......2001-06-29

I agree with the excerpted review comments from the New York Times, "Intelligent, insightful, touching," which are printed on the cover of the VHS box.

Filmmaker Jeremy Spear respects the viewer enough to include many complexities of his subject matter. For example, the gross and tacky elements in the character of Peter Porcelli, the financier of the sport's highest paid team, are obvious. Yet beyond Porcelli's inflated self opinion, Spear also shows that the man has admirable qualities: that he cares for his family, yearns for camaraderie with his players, and is devoted to revitalizing and promoting the game. Several other characters also are shown to be multifaceted, which is refreshing to see.

Beyond the subject matter of sport, some interesting themes surface in the film, such as changing demographics within the United States. The economic decline of Midwestern farming communities mirrors the decline in popularity of the game in places such as Ashland, Ohio, from where much of the documentary footage is taken. As legendary Eddie Feigner recalls, just one generation ago, every small town in the US had a fastpitch softball team. Now, most Americans have never even seen a game of men's amateur fastpitch. This fact can be linked to the general decline of local community, as American people grow up watching professional baseball on national television, rather than experiencing a comparable game live in the fields of their own hometowns. Also, the sudden emergence of the Smokers (a team assembled and financed by a junk mail tycoon from the city of Tampa Bay) is no surprise, for American life has become increasingly dominated by corporate businesses.

Description

If actions speak louder than words then Palomar College head softball coach Mark Eldridge need say very little. The list of achievements he has produced at the helm of his softball program include an impressive 12 Pacific Coast Conference championships and 10 consecutive California State Final appearances, twice winning the state title. Even more remarkable than his winning accomplishments is his ability to mold junior college talent into Division I athletes, a skill of which he is in a class of his own with an average of six scholarships awarded to his players annually from such major Division I colleges as UCLA, Tennessee, Boston University, Oklahoma State, Cal State Fullerton, Purdue, and many others.

In this easy to follow video, Coach Eldridge shows the drills and techniques for optimizing a batter's potential for maximum power. Learn the key elements for spotting and correcting wasteful movements in a batter's swing. Achieve perfect balance through muscle memory for increasing your batting average. And experience the drills that will help your muscles attain the muscle memory necessary for optimum execution for the perfect rhythm and swing.

Customer Reviews:

K West.......2007-03-08

This DVD and the first DVD "Power & Distance (7 steps)" did give me a better understanding about hitting.

Learning the Fundamentals of the Killer Rise

Average customer rating:

Learning the Fundamentals of the Killer Rise
Starring: Ernie Parker
Director: Maven Productions
Manufacturer: Maven Sports Videos
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sports | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Special Interests | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Mastering the Drop
Maximum Ball Movement: The Curve & Screw
Change Up
Increasing Speed: Troubleshooting Tips and Drills for Increasing Pitching Velocity
Power Pitching: Plyometrics and Drills

ASIN: B00014E9I4
Release Date: 2003-11-26

Description

Without a doubt he is one of the premiere pitching coaches of our time. In the last thirty years Coach Ernie Parker has guided his pitching students, capturing nine ASA National Championships in the process. He has helped mold twenty-nine students for success at the Division I level, including DeeDee Weiman of UCLA, Carrie Dolan of Arizona, and the unprecedented three-time Honda Broderick Award winner and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Fernandez. The only thing which precedes his success is his reputation for creating students with rock-solid fundamentals, dynamic ball movement and control.

Product Description

Catching instructional DVD by the 2-time Gold Medal winning catcher for the US Olympic Softball team - Stacey Nuveman. Learn everything from how to wear the equipment, proper stance and setup to working with your pitcher - it's all in this DVD.

Average customer rating:

Mastering the Drop
Starring: Ernie Parker
Director: Maven Productions
Manufacturer: Maven Sports Videos
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Sports | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sports | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Special Interests | Independently Distributed | Stores | DVD | Video

Independently Distributed | Indie & Art House | Stores | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Learning the Fundamentals of the Killer Rise
Change Up
Maximum Ball Movement: The Curve & Screw
Increasing Speed: Troubleshooting Tips and Drills for Increasing Pitching Velocity
Power Pitching: Plyometrics and Drills

ASIN: B00014E9IE
Release Date: 2003-12-01

Description

He is, without a doubt, one of the premiere pitching coaches of our time. In the last thirty years Coach Ernie Parker has guided his pitching students, capturing nine ASA National Championships in the process. He has helped mold twenty-nine students for success at the Division I level, including DeeDee Weiman of UCLA, Carrie Dolan of Arizona, and the unprecedented three-time Honda Broderick Award winner and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Fernandez. The only thing which precedes his success is his reputation for creating students with rock-solid fundamentals, dynamic ball movement and control.

In this easy to follow video Coach Parker helps the young athlete learn the mechanics and theory to mastering the drop ball. Two different styles are presented, the peel drop and the turn over drop. Each method is clearly demonstrated and explained with emphasis on muscle memory and repetition. Included are drills designed to give the pitcher instant feedback on how it feels and looks when you execute the drop ball correctly.

Description

In this easy to follow video, Coach Eldridge shows the key elements for identifying and exploiting a batter's weakness. Learn the strategies of the pitcher-catcher battery that will disable a batter's strengths. Watch as Eldridge describes a live game action scenario, explaining what the pitcher should be thinking and what pitches to throw for optimum results.

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