how to teach softball

When we finish with our hands down low, it keeps that hand over the top of the ball to where we hit top spin on the ball and hit more balls into the ground. When everyone is ready, the coach will begin hitting ground balls to the fielders. Throwing/Running Drill: 3, 2, 1 Run. Detailed information is provided on each activity’s learning intention, band levels and skill focus, together with questions to encourage participant engagement. Softball was originally invented in 1887, as a winter version of the sport of baseball. Those leading the exercise need to be able to effectively hit balls, fungo style. That player will continue running towards and throwing the other two balls. All of our toes should be pointed toward home plate. The lighter the bat, the easier it is to swing. There is more than just one type of pitch in Softball, now is the perfect opportunity to go over with your child each one of those pitches and how they help to get the batter out. © 2020 Softball-Spot.com. The lesser the number value, the lighter the bat. After learning the rules as well as the roles of the fielding and batting team, you should now learn how to win a game of softball. Rent videos or books that teach children the fundaments, this is a great time to go over the rules of Softball, the innings, regulations and basic information on fouls and other important aspects of the game. So this step is the most important one: seeing the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand. Sometimes we use the focus of a window; they have a square or rectangle right at the hip. If you are using a screen reader or other assistive technology and are having problems using this website, or if you have any other difficulties accessing this website, please call 877-846-9997 for assistance. By going over these six softball hitting fundamentals with your team, you can ensure that they’ll be able to approach hitting during practice with a renewed attitude and understanding of technique and fundamentals. Once children reach this age group you can expand on the information of Softball. Preschool However, there are several differences that every beginner must be mindful of. Advice for Your Daughter’s First Softball Season, The Difference Between Fastpitch and Slow Pitch Softball Gloves, Gift Wrap Hacks: Two Ways to Wrap a Ball Glove, Field Maintenance Tips: How to Drag a Baseball and Softball Infield, Softball Coaching Tips: The Benefits of Positive Coaching, What to Know About Softball Fielding Faceguards, How to Choose a Pair of Softball Batting Gloves, Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents Only. We’re using our legs, our big muscles in our legs, to push that bat forward through a swing to hit that ball hard. This is a perfect age group for children to enjoy the benefits of a major league or college-level Softball game. Otherwise, coaches will have to create goals roughly 20 to 30 feet wide before starting the drill. These lightweight balls are easy to hit and help instill confidence into your budding ballplayer. We’re going to start off with our batter’s stance in the order of the steps we go through. But practice and conditioning doesn’t end once the season begins. So your hitter is going to get in her stance, she’s going to get her body in a good, comfortable, balanced position, and she’s going to shift her weight back and stop. Cookie Policy After we get through our stance, seeing the ball, our load, and our step, what we want to do is the swing portion. Start out with a practice softball, whiffle ball or tennis ball. Have each player stand in the area of the field they normally would. Grades K-3rd Our back foot’s going to turn, our hips are going to come around with it, and then our bat is going to swing while our shoulders rotate. However, by March teams have been conditioning for a few months to get ready. The loading process is going to start when the pitcher goes to throw and goes to separate to the apex before coming forward to throw. The mental approach or the mind is what’s going to control the hitter’s body to be able to take that swing and have success. The following are some tips to keep in mind when demonstrating a skill: Teach in proper progression Always use correct form Show the skill several times Break the action into pieces and slow it down for the players Demonstrate the skill from all angles Keep in mind that the littlest batters might benefit from “choking up,” holding the bat a little higher up on the handle away from the knob. Over time, your child’s swing will improve and their confidence will grow, helping to ensure they’ll enjoy playing for years to come. Give them a reason why it is important they learn the skill, and how it will help them become better players. Hitting, alertness, and running are all utilized as well. Demonstrate the proper grip when teaching proper throwing technique. The hitting team then moves up to where the ball was mishandled. The knowledge you acquire, then pass on, helps guide players to learn and also to develop key life skills. If she goes up with a good clear goal or an idea of what she’s trying to do at each at-bat–this is really important, especially in the younger hitters. If the player fields the ball cleanly, that player will remain in her spot in line. If the ball is out of bounds, the offensive team turns the ball over wherever it landed out of bounds. Keep it nice and small. We want to try to avoid stepping out. Months of practice can start to feel a bit monotonous. We don’t want to get too high when we do this and over-exaggerate it, but we want to stay down to the ball and finish. If you are unable to perform the skill correctly, find someone who can. So it makes sense to start practicing these techniques with a batting tee first, rather than hitting balls thrown by a pitcher. For most, it’s the backyard or the neighborhood park where they’ll first pick up a bat and glove, learning the basics as they hone their skills. Improve their skills. Feet should be shoulder-width apart, and staggered with the stride foot on, or slightly behind, the rubber. This is best played in a wide open space because the team will be dived into two groups, both needing quite a lot of room. The goal is to deliver three accurate balls to the person at 2nd. Any pop fly that is caught by the defense allows them to advance from the spot of the catch and add three steps. or Spice up practice with a couple fun softball drills that will continue to improve players’ skills. Therefore, softball hitting technique is essential. Master these steps, and you and your child will be ready to start making memories on and off the field together. We will never share your information. It’s good practice to have the pivot foot’s arch meet the front edge of the plate so the ball of the foot can push-off. Sign In. Players are itching to get on the field and play. Support & Feedback And we’re going to finish that swing all the way around to the hitter’s opposite shoulder. The goal of the fielders is to remain at the right most spot in line. For the coach, keep in mind that you should be doing your best to hit balls towards every player. Whenever the team that has the ball is closer than 30 feet to the opposing goal, they must move back to 30 feet out. During that time, it was called indoor softball and was intended for baseball players to keep in shape and in practice during the off-season. In fact, great softball players can come in any shape or size. The next step in our process is probably the most important one in hitting. This exercise is best for the infielders and pitchers. Running Shoes|Fitness Apparel|Sports, Daily Deals: Split up the team into small groups of three or four and have each group do this at once to eliminate downtime at practice. We also want to make sure that our bat is in a good position of torque, which means we don’t want our bat standing straight up, we don’t want it falling behind. Softball 101: How to Teach Your Child to Swing a Softball Bat STEP ONE: FIND THE RIGHT BAT It’s still taking a good, powerful, aggressive swing, trying to hit the ball as hard as you can, whether it’s baseball or softball. The object of the game is to hit the ball in or over the opposing team’s goal. Privacy Settings Watching the ball all the way into contact, keeping our head still through a swing. Footwear | Fitness Apparel | Outdoor Gear. Follow these six steps for a successful lesson. Sometimes it’s okay to step that front foot open just a little bit, where she takes and points it toward first base just a little bit. When your child is done swinging, their hips should be facing the pitcher and their back foot should pivot, not come off the ground. We want to make sure that our hands start above our shoulders and no higher than our ears. We want to use our body to move our hands. Look for this banner for recommended activities. Shop: When we finish, we want to try to get her hands up just a little bit higher so we create a downward angle to the ball and then a high finish when we swing. It’s what’s going on in your brain when you walk into the batter’s box. If we stay a little wider to help us take a smaller stride, that doesn’t affect our swing as much. For example, composite bats may not be approved. If the hitters are getting good at playing with two balls, increase the challenge by adding a third.