As mentioned earlier this week, Emily Allard, who graduated from Northwestern this year and then had a fantastic rookie campaign for the Chicago Bandits during the summer, is teaching a slapping clinic tomorrow in Minnesota.

Here’s more on this event as well as how she came to be tied into the clinic through Bandits teammate Sara Moulton.

I had a chance to talk to Emily this morning about her club and high school days, her approach to slapping and much more.

I loved the conversation, by the way because, like most softball players who reach that level—be it the pros or the National team—Emily is articulate, funny, smart and tells great stories.

Definitely the type of athlete that parents would want their daughters to follow as a role model!

Emily comes from Northern California and at Deer Valley High in Antioch, Calif. she was a 1^st Team All-State honoree who was, surprisingly, a great pitcher. She had the athletic ability, though, that a smart club coach recognized and he wisely suggested she convert into the speedy slapping shortstop she is today.

Congrats are in order to her too as Emily was just hired as Manager of Marketing at NFCA headquarters in Louisville where she’ll be from January to May. For the rest of the year, though, she’ll be in Chicago and then after her winter stint at the NFCA return back to the Windy City once the NPF schedule kicks in next spring.

“I’ll follow the opportunities in front of me,” she says, “and wherever it takes me, that’s where I’m going.”

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FullCountSoftball.com: Talk about your club and high school experiences. What stands out from your early days?
Emily Allard: There are a couple of things… in high school I played with some talented teammates including girls who went D1, like one went to New Mexico and others to smaller schools in California. We were pretty talented but the thing I remember most is that we had fun. It was an escape from the pressures of club ball. But my favorite part was that I got to play basketball. I was a huge fanatic and my mom told me I had to choose another sport so if I got tired of softball I had something to fall back on. I actually got recruited by a couple of basketball schools and it was heartbreaking to them when I said I was going the softball route. So high school was fun. Travel ball was interesting because I was a pitcher my whole life, from t-ball through the last pitch of my senior year. Phil Mumma, my coach at the Sorcerers Gold, was my main man, he pulled me aside my sophomore year about the time the mound was getting moved back to 43 feet and said, “You can continue pitching if you want to do it, but it will be challenging to go to D1 and be an impact pitcher.” We had a real heart-to-heart conversation and he said, “We can switch you to the left side of the plate, teach you how to run the bases and put you in the outfield and you can do some really big things. I remember sitting with my mom and dad around the table and we decided that from that day on I would not focus on being a pitcher and I think it worked out well for me! Phil guided me through the process, it was a tough thing to hear, but the best thing I could have ever done.

FCS: Was it a difficult transition becoming a lefty?
EA: That’s a good question. When you’re young and up by 15 runs in 10U, you’ll switch to the other side of the plate for fun but you tend to go with what you’re comfortable doing. I had a high school game my sophomore year and I hit a home run right-handed. I had a hitting lesson with Phil soon after that and I was excited and telling him about the home run and he said, “If you ever hit from the right side again you’ll no longer be on my team.” Thus the decision was made, because he was saying “I don’t care how many home runs you hit, if you don’t commit to this you won’t have success.” That day I left behind the dreams of being a home run hitter and as a 15-year-old I decided to do whatever it would take to get on base to help my team, even if it was hitting the ball three feet. It was hard to let go, but I had the right mentor in Phil leading me every step of the way and I’m thankful every day he was there to guide me.

FCS: Sounds like a serious case of “tough love!”
EA: I actually left the organization for one fall because I was so intimidated by Phil, but my dad talked to me and said if you want to reach your goals you need to be with him and the Sorcerers. I went back and it was one of the best things I ever did. Phil was like, “OK you get it now, this is the commitment you have to make.” And I did.

FCS: What was the process of learning to slap like… was it a struggle or did it take quickly?
EA: It was probably my favorite thing I’ve ever done in softball. Slapping is a game within a game and it started with Phil. In the beginning he would give me signs when I was at the plate and after the at-bat—whether I got a hit or out—we’d talk about it, like, “What was the defense doing?” or “Where were the corners?” or “Why didn’t you bunt?” Then at Northwestern we elevated that approach to the next level. I was not allowed to get in the box without looking at the defense! When I was transitioning to shortstop that helped a lot too because I knew what the batters were thinking. Now, I think I have a well-rounded knowledge of slapping but realize it’s not being taught to the best of the young players’ abilities. I’m excited to take this to kids and make it fun.

FCS: What’s your mindset when you walk to the plate—are you looking for keys such as where the defense is playing or shifted?
EA: Yea, since I’m still playing, I’m not going to give you everything I know (laughs). When I retire, I’ll let you know my secrets! The first thing is to keep your hands up high or you’ll pop up. It’s important to put the ball on the ground because speed kills and, as Phil always taught, “Speed never takes a day off.” As long as I keep my hands high I’ll keep the ball in play. I have a checklist of things to look for which depends a lot on the situation like if there’s nobody on or out, or if the runners are or are not in scoring position. I’ll read the corners and where are we in the situation: Do I have the green light? Do I know what her best pitch is? What happened the last at bat? I look at it as what do I need to do to be successful. Sometimes, if runners are on I might even get an RBI and have to focus to not be overly excited. There are many things that I’m thinking about walking to the box but once my feet are in there I just go. At that point you have to trust your instincts and let all the over-analyzing go.

FCS: When you work with young people like you will tomorrow at the clinic, what is the thing you emphasize most?
EA: At a young age, I think what has really become apparent is they are taking a hitting approach into slapping and that will not set them up for success. The mechanics of a swing versus a slap are two different things. Many are running through the box and swinging as hard as they can. The key thing is you have to commit to the thinking that these two swings are different and you have to differentiate between the two if you’re going to be successful. The earlier you can grab ahold of that concept, the better off you will be.

FCS: What else to young slappers need to be aware of?
EA: Another area slappers tend to make mistakes is around their feet in the box. When you move to the left side, especially if you’re not a natural lefty, you can line up in the middle of the batter’s box. A lot of times the crossover step is in the middle and the hitters still have two or three feet before they get out of the box. When they get to first they’ve left themselves three feet behind. I was one of those kids who was in the middle and I’d be out at first by half a step. We finally watched film of me and saw it immediately, it was like, “Well, no wonder!” I am fast but wasn’t getting on like I wanted to and that’s stuck with me for a long time and the first thing we talk about with young slappers.

FCS: What do you love most about being a slapper?
EA: As a slapper you have to start something from nothing and when I get up to the plate I have to get the momentum rolling. That’s what fuels me the most, the opportunity to create something. You do that correctly, it’s tough to defend. And what I love about slapping is if I do it right, you have to be perfect to get me out!