Beginners Guide to Learning Fastpitch Softball

What do you get when you put a group of football fans and boxing gloves inside a boating club? Have any ideas? Well, the answer would be softball. In fact, that is exactly how the game came about. During the 1920s, softball officially started as an amateur sport in the United States and greatly increased in popularity outside of North America (Britannica). In 1976, softball became a professional sport, lasting four years, and in 1982, the National Collegiate Athletic Association created championships which are now called the Softball World Series (SportsNowHow).

Fastpitch softball is a sport that has both women’s and men’s teams. A variation of baseball, it is played on a smaller diamond and uses a larger, softer ball. The first standard set of rules and regulations for softball were published in the 1920s (Britannica). Fastpitch softball is a two team sport, each team consisting of at least nine players. To determine a winner, seven innings must be played. An inning is a period of play where each team gets the opportunity to bat with a three out limitation, while the opposing team is fielding. By the end of the seventh inning, the team with the most runs wins. A run is scored when a player moves around all three bases and touches home plate. If the score is tied after the seventh inning, additional innings will be played until one team scores more runs than the opposing team in a single inning.

As stated before, a softball team consists of at least nine players, each representing a defensive position on the field. These positions include a pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, left fielder, center fielder, and right fielder. 

To be a good defensive player, one should always keep their eyes on the ball and always use two hands to catch the ball. One hand is for catching the ball in the glove and the other hand is for covering the ball to prevent it from bouncing out of the glove. Defensive players should always call for the ball loudly and repeatedly by saying, "Mine!" This will prevent collisions.

After fielding the ball, the defensive player wants to make a quick accurate throw towards where the play is to be made.  To do this, the player should grip the ball with her fingertips while turning her head towards the target.  She should rotate her body sideways, extending her glove at the target for balance.  Next, she should pull the ball back and step towards the target, extending her arm forward.  The ball should be released when it is in front of her by snapping her wrist.  Finally, she should follow through by moving her arm out and down across her body.

Left field, center field, and right field are the outfielders. They are positioned in the grass, which is the farthest area of the field from the batter. They can see the whole softball diamond and have the most area to cover. When preparing for a hit, outfielders want to be aware of three things.  They need to know where the base runners are so they can anticipate the best play; they need to lean forward and be on the balls of their feet; and when the ball is hit, they need to read the ball and hustle to make a play. The first move should always be a step back because it is much easier to lose the ball in front of you rather than behind you. Outfielders do not have players behind them, so they want to do their best to keep everything in front of them.

First base, second base, third base, and shortstop are the infielders. They are positioned on the dirt, equally spaced between the bases. Before each pitch, the infielders need to communicate with each other, letting everyone know who is covering what base during each play. The key to being a good infielder is to always stay low, which allows for quicker and smoother movements. Infielders want to be on the balls of their feet with their gloves close to the ground, butts down, and heads up. If a ball is hit to the outfield, the infielders are in charge of being the cut-off man. The cut-off man is someone that lines up between the outfielder and the base where the play is intended to be made. They act as a relay allowing the outfielders to be able to make shorter, quicker throws in order to avoid overstraining their arms.

The next two positions, catcher and pitcher, are the most demanding positions. First off, we will discuss the catcher, who is positioned behind home plate. A good catcher needs to be strong both mentally and physically. If you are the catcher, you act as the eyes of the team. You can see the entire field; therefore, making you in charge of letting the rest of the team know where the best plays are before and during each play. Physically, you need to be flexible and quick. You should be on the balls of your feet in a squat position with your glove hand held out in front of you and your throwing arm placed behind you to avoid injury. You need to be ready for anything.  The goal for a catcher is to stop every pitch that is thrown at you. For balls going over your head, you need to quickly jump up to catch them; for balls in the dirt, you need to quickly drop to your knees to stop them. A catcher also needs to be physically durable to take hits. It is better to have a tuff, wiry catcher who can take the hits rather than a bulky catcher prone to injuries.

To help aid in catching and avoid unnecessary injuries, the catcher receives special required equipment consisting of a face mask, patted glove, shin guards, and chest protector. This equipment allows you to use your whole body to help keep the ball in front of you.

The next demanding position is the pitcher. One of the main differences between softball and baseball is the pitching. In fastpitch softball, the ball is pitched underhand instead of overhand. Without a dedicated pitcher who can maintain a good attitude, it is difficult for a team to be successful because you are the one who starts each defensive play. Pitching has seven steps to take into consideration, which include setting up, initiating the windmill, body location, leg stride, wrist snap, balance, and follow through (SYA Fastpitch).

When setting up for pitching, you should have your right foot resting on the front of the rubber and your left foot resting on the back of the rubber, shoulder width apart. The ball should be gripped by your fingertips and thumb of the pitching hand and should not be resting on the palm. Once you are in a comfortable position, you can initiate the windmill rotation. Start by rocking back while pulling both hands towards your stomach. Then, rock forward and start a windmill motion with your pitching arm. While initiating the windmill motion, you need to incorporate body position, and leg strides. Your hips should be square with the catcher at the beginning of the pitch, open towards third base while your arms and strides continue forward, and then back square with the catcher at the end of the pitch. Your strides should be aggressive and powerful. The more of a push you gets off the rubber, the more speed you can add. Finally, at the end of the windmill, which is when your arm is at your hip, you need to snap your wrist. Having a proper snap is the key to speed and control (SYA Fastpitch). Once the ball is released, you should be in an upright position, keeping your weight balanced. Your arm should follow through in a natural motion.

The only offensive positions in softball are hitting and base running. The same players on defense are the same players who will bat. Each inning a team gets up to three outs, and then, the opposing team gets to bat until they have three outs. The proper batting stance is having your feet shoulder width apart, weight back, knees slightly bent, eyes on the ball, and hands by your ears gripping the handle of the bat. When the pitch is delivered and you choose to swing, you want to have a level swing while rotating your hips and pivoting on your back tow. Each at bat, you are allowed up to three strikes, which are when balls enter the strike zone, when the batter swings and misses, or when the batter hits that ball in foul territory, and up to four balls, which are balls that are thrown outside the strike zone. If the batter receives three strikes first, the team receives an out, and if the batter receives four balls first, the batter gets walked and is placed on first base. When you are walked or if you get a hit, then you become a base runner. The base runners job is to make it around all of the bases to score a run for the team.

Softball is a team sport. You cannot be successful without having your teammates. Each player needs to contribute to the team and work together as one. Combining everyone’s talents and having fun at the same time makes softball an exciting sport to play and watch.

"History of Softball." Sports Know How. SportsKnowHow.com., 2004. MysticMedia.com 22 Oct. 2006. http://www.sportsknowhow.com/softball/history/softball-history-2.shtml

"Pitching Fundamentals." SYA Fastpitch. SYA Softball, 2000-2006. 22 Oct. 2006. http://www.syasoftball.com/pitchingfund.html

"softball." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2006. Answers.com 17 Oct. 2006. http://www.answers.com/topic/softball