Softball players spend countless hours working on hitting, pitching, and defense — but how much attention are they giving to simply becoming better athletes?
In this episode of When the Cleats Come Off, Ashley sits down with Colleen Fozkos, former Notre Dame Softball Strength & Conditioning Coach, for a conversation about what it really takes to develop stronger, faster, and more athletic softball players.
From teaching young athletes how to move properly to building strength, developing speed, preventing injuries, and prioritizing recovery, Colleen breaks down the physical foundations that can help athletes perform better now while preparing their bodies for the demands of higher-level competition. She also shares how her own experience battling injuries as a collegiate soccer player shaped the way she approaches training athletes today.
Teach Athletes How to Move First
Before athletes worry about how much weight they can lift or how fast they can run, Colleen emphasizes the importance of learning how to move well.
Young athletes are still developing coordination, body awareness, balance, and control. Giving them opportunities to build those foundational movement skills can make every piece of their athletic development more effective later.
Rather than rushing toward advanced training, Colleen encourages athletes, parents, and coaches to think about building a strong foundation first.
Strength Training for Softball Players
Strength training can play an important role in helping softball athletes become more powerful, durable, and confident in their bodies.
Colleen shares some of her favorite strength movements for softball players and explains why training should focus on developing the entire athlete rather than trying to recreate softball movements in the weight room.
The goal is not simply to lift heavier. It is to help athletes become stronger movers who are better prepared to produce force, control their bodies, and handle the physical demands of the game.
Developing Speed and Agility
Speed is another major piece of athletic development, and Colleen explains why athletes have to intentionally train it.
Ashley and Colleen talk about developing acceleration, agility, coordination, and overall athletic movement rather than assuming athletes will simply become faster from playing more games.
For softball players, those improvements can show up everywhere — exploding out of the batter’s box, stealing a base, covering ground defensively, or reacting more quickly to a ball.
Training for Performance — and Longevity
Colleen’s own experience with injuries as a collegiate soccer player deeply influenced the coach she became.
She shares how those challenges shaped her understanding of injury prevention, recovery, and the importance of preparing athletes' bodies for the workload they face. Rather than treating recovery as something athletes only think about once they are hurt, Colleen encourages them to view it as an essential part of training.
Developing great athletes is not just about helping them perform today. It is also about giving them the physical tools to stay healthy enough to continue developing tomorrow.
Why Softball Players Should Train Like Athletes
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is simple: softball players are athletes first.
Skill work will always matter, but strength, speed, coordination, mobility, and movement quality create the foundation underneath those skills. When athletes become stronger and more capable movers, they give themselves more opportunities to maximize what they can do on the field.
For parents and coaches, that means thinking beyond another hitting lesson or another tournament and considering how the athlete’s entire body is being developed.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why young athletes should learn how to move properly
Building coordination, control, and athletic foundations before rushing into advanced training. - Which strength movements can benefit softball players
Developing stronger, more powerful athletes through intentional training. - How to approach speed and agility development
Training athleticism rather than expecting speed to develop on its own. - Why injury prevention and recovery matter
Preparing athletes to withstand the physical demands of training and competition. - How Colleen’s own injuries shaped her coaching philosophy
Turning personal adversity into a better understanding of athlete development. - Why softball players need to train like athletes
Using strength, speed, movement, and durability to support softball-specific skills.
About
Colleen Fozkos
Colleen Fozkos is a strength and conditioning coach with experience helping high-level athletes become stronger, faster, and more resilient. A former collegiate soccer player herself, Colleen’s experience navigating injuries gave her an early appreciation for proper movement, thoughtful training, recovery, and long-term athlete development.
As a former Strength & Conditioning Coach with Notre Dame Softball, Colleen worked with elite collegiate athletes to develop the physical qualities needed to perform at the highest levels of the game. Today, she continues to educate athletes, parents, and coaches about building better movers and developing the complete athlete rather than focusing solely on sport-specific skill.
Follow Colleen:
- Instagram: @colleenfozkos
