Softball

Howdy i was just wondering if anyone could give me some tips on softball b/c i could all the help i could need. It is my 1st year playing. plz and thank u.

I played for a while and my sister got a scholarship to Manhattan College as a Varsity Softball pitcher. Don't have any advice though, good luck :)

I suck. I'm sports challenged.

Yeah, I know that doesn't help...

Keep your eyes on the ball. Catch the ball in the leather pocket of your mitt, or at least try to. Catch and throw, while looking at where you're going to throw. Don't look down at the ball, unless you're almost sure you missed it. When throwing, aim with your mitt hand by pointing it at the target you're throwing to. Throw to the upper-middle section of a person's body. Mitt hand upside-down below the waste, right-side-up above the waste. Grounders aren't usually flat on the ground. The ball bounces. Follow the bouncing with your eyes and place your mitt accordingly. When catching a grounder, your open hand should be behind, supporting your mitt hand. When throwing, practice giving your ball a slight curve--Like a sideways parenthesis. Hmm...when at bat: When hitting, your feet should be parallel to each other, about a shoulder length apart. Keep your bat high and behind you, when swinging, it should be perpendicular to your body. Don't watch the pitcher, WATCH THE BALL. Remember to breathe and zone in. If you concentrate, the ball will come at you in slow-motion. Trust me. If you're uncertain whether the ball is in the strike zone or if you're too wobbly to hit the ball, don't swing. Even if the ball is a strike, the catcher may still call it foul. If the ball looks pretty good, SWING. Remember to drop the bat, not throw it, before you start running. You can run through 1st base (so don't slow down) and not be called out, but you can't do that on 2nd or 3rd. You have to stop when you get to them.

Have fun!

I did not understand one word bob said...lol

^haha i can tell your a hardcore baseball fan then

i have never been to a baseball game in my life not very popular here. but i doubt you've been to a cricket game though. basketball however i have played

Haha nice bob love the shorts lmao!!!!
Well yea i appreciate it.

Try not to catch the ball with your eye. I did that once and it hurt like bloody hell!

Umm... gosh this is going back a fair while. If you're fielding on a base (1st etc) and someone is throwing the ball to you to make the out, position your feel on resting on the side of the bag (not on top) - this will make sure the runner doesn't trip over your ankle and break it. But you're still considered to be touching the bag. Always know where the runners are positioned on the field. If someone is on 3rd and 1st (and no one is on 2nd) then the person on 1st is more than likely going to try to steal a base (hoping the catcher will throw the ball to 2nd for the out, while the person on 3rd runs home). If you have a good enough catcher (who is quick) and a good enough 2nd who reacts fast with catching, tagging the runner (as you have to tag if its not a forced run) and throwing accurately back to the catcher, then you can make the double out).

Umm... rather run IN to catch a ball than run backwards - so if you're in outfield, stand a bit further back if you know the hitter is a big hitter.

Sometimes a bunt is just as good as a big hit if the fielders are not prepared for it. Acting comes into the game quite a bit if you haven't already noticed - faking your feet positioning before the hit, pretending your going to steal a base even if you're not to put pressure on the pitcher and catcher can cause a bad pitch or a missed catch and an open window for a home run.

Good luck and have fun! I miss it now... ohhh where is Leroy... thats my mit's name!

Oh wow Bob - you look so athletic!

"who wears short shorts... da da da da da da da... BOB WEARS SHORT SHORTS!"

I think he got the nair out just kidding haha and mo i will try not to catch the ball w/ my eye. =D

Yep we are playing fast pitch
my gloves name is steve haha he is my friend
(looks around) WHY ARE U STARING AT ME!!!!!!

Dont make fun of steve >=(

j/k

I could rlly use the help any one else

Haha umm dont think i need that kinda cup ima girl haha

Omfg!! did u kno theres cups for ur boobs?? lmao that mite not have been nice ta say but still... they rele are.. i think? lol

Oh i didnt know umm i feel stupid but as i said i havent played b4. haha lmao

^lmao bob, my dad says the same thing..i can tell he really hated those school principals and their punishments.

i always thought cricket would be easier. the bat has a larger width=easier to hit the ball. i am surrounded by boys/men on the street i live on. and all they can talk about is cricket, union and leage. you'd think nothing else mattered. lol

Oh thx for the advice on that if n/e one still has n/e thing to say say it!

Bob - my Leroy was so oiled and flexible it made Nadia look like she scored a 5 out of 10 on the floor...

I used to sit on him while I watched tv after dinner every night. He looks a bit sorry for himself at the moment... not quite so loved anymore. *OH LEROY IM SO SORRY!!!!!!*

haha

I was knocked unconscious once and my coach had to run on and carry me off field (as he was the one talking to me while 'batter'sup!' decided to whallop one at my head. He felt really bad because I was only about 11 when it happened. He was my coach for another 8 years - best darn coach in the world.

Haha umm musta hurt ouchie

I need more help and how could u get the ball to go farther in hitting and throwing?

Plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz pplz i rlly want to make the team and could use n/e help i can get so pllzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Its kewl thx for checking it out though

Throwing and batting further just takes practice- you gotta learn where on the bat you need to hit it to get the full OMPH out of it. Know what I mean? You have to learn where you stand in the box, how to hold the bat, when to swing etc (its often not about how hard you hit it but just that you hit it in the right spot to make it go far). You'll learn as you go along.

Throwing further (but remember that ACCURACY is ten times better than distance with throwing - or you could cost your team dearly), you can use your body weight a bit (like a flick action works too)... but once again its trial and error - you cant teach someone that over an internet site!!! :) Ask your coach to show you and keep asking if you think you're getting it wrong.

I can still throw further than most guys - to their disgust. Softball will help you with so many things (balance, aim, accuracy, strength, hand/eye coordination, speed, fear, catching... its a great sport).

Sliding in to home base... now THERE is something I dearly miss. Occasionally I do the POWER SLIDE (as demonstrated by Tenacious D sometimes) just to get the feeling back, but its not the same - and you end up with carpet burn on your knees. Ouuch. Give me grass stains anyday!

Woo go mo thx haha thx guys ill practice a lot. yep i bet ur slide is the beast. =D