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BELL has at least one softball pitching machine to be shared among all the softball teams during the season. Contact Bob Darling to borrow it for your team.
Some notes from Bob Darling, VP of Softball:
There a couple of LL rules that you, along with your parents, need to keep in mind. These are not just rules that we enforce locally but real LL rules.
- Before and during a game no coach or parent may warm-up (catch for) a pitcher. It must be a player and the player must be wearing at least a catcher's helmet/mask. You can do it at practice but not at a game.
- The next batter (on-deck) is not allowed to swing at bat in or near the dugout before her turn at bat. She may take a few swings as she stands next to the batters-box as long as she has made sure it is safe for her to do.
- No player during their team's offensive half of an inning may enter the field without a helmet on. This includes batters, runners, players coaching the bases, and the designated player retrieving the bat after each batter.
- An adult needs to be in the dugout with the players at all times. I realize that at Sherwood Forest it's a little tougher to keep the girls organized since there are no dugouts, but please try to keep them all together behind the fences.
Please help our volunteer umpires by observing the rules.
The following are some notes from Bob and other coaches collected over the past year:
- Remember that it's the "home" team's responsibility to prep and line the field. Let your parents know that you need there help at least 45 minutes before the start of the game to get the field ready and the team warmed up for the game.
- When working with your pitchers, increasing arm speed is more important than accuracy. Every practice should include getting them to increase their speed. Accuracy will come with practice but getting them to slowdown their arms will not help them overall. We play "fast-pitch" not "slow-pitch" softball. Every good pitching coach I've ever seen has told me speed first, location second. They should be throwing at least 50 pitches a day. Always start them with proper warm up first before they throw hard.
- A player may attempt to steal second base on a walk even though the pitcher has the ball in the circle as long as the player does so without any hesitation. Normally you will see this done when the team at bat has a runner at third base. They will try to draw a throw to second and then send the runner at third home. They will also try this to draw an errant throw to second that allows the runner to continue to third or even all the way home.
The key to this is the runner cannot hesitate or stop. Once they start their trot to first they must maintain their speed or increase it as they go to first and then on to second. If any type of hesitation is perceived or interpreted by the umpire of a base runner in this case then the runner is out.
- The 2 hour time limit applies only when there is a game following. Other wise the time limit is 2 � hours. When it is decided by both teams and the umpire do to time at the beginning of what will be the last inning the inning then has unlimited runs. This can occur starting in the 4th inning.
- A ball or strike should not be called by the umpire until the ball passes the plate. Pitches that are thrown very short or very wide of the plate can be called a ball before reaching the plate (passing what would be considered the plane of the plate). A ball that bounces (touches the ground in any way) before it reaches the plate cannot be called a strike unless the batter swings at the pitch. The umpire should not have called the pitch a ball until the pitch was finished. Since he did call it a ball the pitch was then finished even though the batter swung at it. If she had of hit it he should have then called dead-ball, time-out and announced that the pitch was called a ball and the play was then over at that point.
- GOALS for THE TEAM
- Develop basic skills of catching, fielding, hitting and baseball strategy.
- Learn how to function as a team with open communication, respect and encouragement for one another.
- Sportsmanship and respect for the other team and their players, coaches, parents and yes, the umpires.
- To have some fun and win some games along the way.
- EXPECTATIONS for MYSELF (the coach)
- Create a safe and caring place for players to learn, practice and play.
- Be sure all of the players are instructed on safety.
- Be kind, approachable and make every player feel important.
- Set clear and reachable expectations.
- Be polite, positive and fair to all of the players.
- Warm up drills for the players before every practice and game.
- Make every practice and game active and fun.
- Be the model of good sportsmanship.
- Be patient and remember that players improve at different rates.
- Remember that the game is for the players.
- EXPECTATIONS of the PARENTS
- Timeliness. Please try to get your athlete to the field on time or 10 to 15 minutes early if possible.
- Let the coaches do the coaching during the game. Be supportive of the coach and the team.
- Volunteer to help out where you can. Like most things, you will only get out of something what you put into it.
- Ensure that your athlete dresses for the weather, especially during the early Spring part of the season.
- Encourage these young athletes, even if they make mistakes. Remember that the sport is for their benefit.
- Attend the games when possible.
- Cheer for all of the players on the team.
- Be a positive role model and demonstrate good sportsmanship.
- Be supporting when your child is successful or when struggling for success.
- Respect and support volunteers and umpires.
- Practice the skills of baseball with your child whenever possible, even if only for 15 minutes at a time.
- Help your child keep their baseball equipment together either in an athletic bag or plastic grocery bag.
- EXPECTATIONS of the ATHLETES
- Be a kind and respectful person.
- Listen to my coach and parents.
- Do my best.
- Hustle whenever I can.
- Be a good helper.
- Have fun.
- Be a good friend to my teammates.
- Be a good sport.
- Cheer for my teammates.
- Follow the safety rules.
- No eating in the dugout. Water consumption only.
Below are some softball coaching articles from various sources. Click on the link to jump to the article.
Using soft-toss to increase your hitting skills
Using a soccer ball to improve your softball skills
Using soft-toss to increase your hitting skills
In this drill we rarely use a full size "bat" or a full size "ball" when doing soft-toss. This is done to intensify the drill and the skill being taught.
How to do it
Position yourself to the batting side (right for right handed batters) and ahead of the batter. Toss the "ball" at the hip of the batter. You want them to impact the ball in front of their body. This is the "contact point".
The toss is important!! You do not want an arching, ugly type of thing, unless you are playing the old man's game of "slo-pitch", if so, you are on the wrong page. The toss should be crisp, but not too fast and out in front of the batter. Practice this to get it correct.
What soft-toss can do
We use soft-toss to teach and reinforce the proper mechanics of the swing. Make sure your batters are:
- Pivoting correctly and early enough.
- Rotating their hips with an explosion toward the ball.
- Unlocking their shoulders, elbows and wrists in sequence while throwing their hands straight to the ball (Watch for hands dropping and be sure to correct this).
- Watching the ball all the way to the "bat" and continuing to watch the "contact point" after the "ball" has been hit.
- Finding the right stance.
The proper stance is essential. It should be a balanced stance with 60% of the weight on the back foot, eyes level, bat in launch position (not rapped behind the head), knees slightly bent, and door-knocking knuckles lined up.
The stride should be a short, smooth lift and move type of stride. At impact with the ball and at follow-through, the body should be in a slightly curved position toward the ball (inward "c"). This insures that all the weight and power went into impacting the ball.
A drill with flexibility
We have used many things for "balls" and "bats". To increase concentration on the ball, try using tennis balls, practice whiffle golf balls, and coffee can lids (plastic ones like frisbees). My favorite (and the players' favorite) is to use black-eyed peas or popcorn. We start hitting them with a full size bat, but quickly move to a "thunder-stick" or a home-made "bat" I made which is about the same size as a "thunder-stick" but with less weight inserted in the end. We are trying to teach muscle memory and too much weight teaches a slower swing.
One of my favorite drills is the "Two-Ball" drill with the practice golf balls. I hold two balls in my hand and toss them into the "contact zone" and call out either "one" or "two". The player must hit the corresponding ball.
If the batters start to "cheat" on soft-toss drills, I hold one ball in either hand and rotate them (like juggling) and toss one up. This way they do not know when the ball is coming. They all hate this, but it works!! This is a shooting drill we do with our guards. I call it the 'Radar Drill.'
Provided by Active Camps for Active.com
Using a soccer ball to improve your softball skills
A drill that we use at the Universty of Mississippi is called the "Soccer ball drill." This drill consists of a tee, a small plunger (turn upside down and put in the tee), three to four soccer balls, and an old bat.
Purpose
- To build forearm strength
- To see the rotation on the ball (you want back spin)
- To teach young hitters to drive through the ball and not pull off.
The drill
Put soccer ball on upside down plunger which is inside top of tee.
Line up with tee and hit the soccer just like you would do it was a regular ball.
Provided by Mckewn Dannelly, Assistant Softball Coach of the University of Mississippi, For Active.com
This page last updated 2/13/07.