ASA Fastpitch Softball!

Thanks for stopping by my fastpitch blog! My name is Kate, and I’m currently playing on a 18U ASA girls fastpitch softball team. We played almost twenty tournaments last year, so having a break around the holiday’s was nice! Join me while I post up all my hard earned softball tips and resources over the coming months. If you have a daughter who is playing softball now, you need to make sure that she has the right equipment and instruction early!

Throw them out This combines several of the concepts we have learned in some of the other earlier drills. Fielding the ball and making a throw while there is a runner running to different bases is a skill that needs to be repeated over and over in order for the skill to improve and become second nature What you need (set up): Field an entire infield to start this drill, along with a line of runners at home plate for when the coach hits the ball to the players. How this drill works: This is your standard throwing drill ? except this one has a runner headed to first base. Now the pressure is on. The runners try to outrun the throw. The coach will go through each position and hit a grounder to them to field to first base. Award one point for the fielders if they can complete the out, or award a point for the runners that outrun the ball or make it to first base. Make it a competition between runners and fielders. What should be stressed is collecting the grounders, making solid and accurate throws, and then the ball needs to be caught. Results: By adding the runners and testing the composure of the players, they will quickly learn to make the right play, and make it well. One of the most common reasons for losses in Little League baseball are errors. While errors are a part of baseball limiting them is one of the keys to victory. Repetition of basic plays will help eliminate the errors made by your ball team.

There are several different variations of this drill that your team can use. You can hit shallow fly balls into the outfield and then try and tag out the tagged up runner. You can hit line drives through the infield and if the players catch it, they have to throw to the base with the runner to try to get them out. Results: The results of this drill is that your players will have a better understanding of when they should be tagging out a runner, and when it might be a force play. This is an important element of the game. The younger you can teach it to a player, the better off they will be in baseball. Know where to go Sometimes when the ball is hit, players just don?t know where they are supposed to go. Often times, they will just sit around and watch the play develop and not go to where they really should be. This is a great drill to help them understand their responsibilities on the field.

Inefficient Time Use Time is one of the biggest assets a coach has, but it has to be used appropriately. When a coach arrives to practice unprepared or overwhelmed, athletes will immediately pick up on that and follow suit. Pretty soon, you have endured a frustrating, useless practice. Everyone leaves in a bad mood, realizing that nothing was accomplished and blaming someone else. When coaching, your job is to lead your players through drills, improve technique, prepare them for competitions, and build self-confidence and team unity. If you do not have your practice planned, none of these things will occur. Just like a teacher, a coach must have a ?lesson plan? of sorts. Certain things should be kept constant in practice. There should always be time for a warm-up and stretching at the beginning of a practice. During this time, you should help your team transition into ?practice mode? and focus on the work at hand. You should help them prepare their bodies sufficiently for the physical exertion ahead and help them concentrate on what they individually need to improve.

Pitchers Well, this can vary from one team to the next. Not many teams that are below high school level will have a dedicated pitching staff. In order to keep number appropriate, the pitchers are pulled from different position on the field to come in and play. Some teams may have a small pitching staff, but it isn?t always likely. Finding any pitchers who exhibits a good power and control combination are the most valuable pitchers, but they don?t always come along every year. Pitchers that are also valuable fielders would be my next choice, and then pitchers that have overwhelming power, or great control, but not both at the same time.