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Just Get It Over, Sarah, Just Get It Over
by Dave
Friday, July 08, 2005
 One of the more frustrating experiences is to sit for two hours watching a youth softball game ending with the score 16-15 when neither side gets a hit the entire game. Walk, steal, walk, steal, walk, walk. It is worse when your kid's team is on the losing end. Worse still is when your kid is in the circle. You sit there unable to get a grip on yourself hoping, praying that this pitch is going to be a strike. Please, god, let my kid throw a strike. To me the only thing worse is watching the parent of a pitcher who is suffering control problems yelling every couple of pitches, "just get it over." Does the parent suppose the kid isn't trying to "get it over?" Does anyone suppose any pitcher is content to stand out there throwing balls?
There is no question that youth softball games can be won and lost solely based on whether the pitcher does or does not throw strikes. Parents and even coaches are content to find the one or three kids who throw strikes frequently even when that kid has almost no velocity on the ball. Often in unsophisticated leagues a girl who doesn't even windmill is chosen. The chosen one gains confidence because she is the pitcher. Ask her what she does in softball and she'll say something like, "I'm the pitcher. I throw strikes." But I am willing to lay it on the line here that within two years the 10-12 year old "control pitcher" will have completely given up pitching, perhaps the sport, or if she still is in the circle, she will be getting hit hard.
It is absolutely wrong to emphasize control over velocity. The reason is relatively quickly the batters will begin to get better and as they get batter their mouths will water when they see a pitcher who throws slow strikes. A pitcher who throws slow strikes is a batting practice pitcher. Beginning and intermediate pitchers need to develop their motion and arm speed long before they begin concentrating on the strike zone. If you or your kid's coach begins to emphasize control over speed, your daughter will begin making adjustments to her delivery in order to "just get it over." Eventually she will get it over and soon thereafter the batters will begin "getting it over" your outfielders' heads.
The most important aspect of pitching is the quality motion. You want pitchers to obtain the motion which allows the greatest force on the ball but that is a subject for a different day. The second objective after you have obtained an efficient, powerful motion is to lock that motion down so it can be repeated frequently. As your child's repetitions of a good motion rise, she will be able to throw well no matter how tired she gets. After that, your focus must be on arm speed.
If your daughter has locked down a good motion and you are looking for ways to strengthen her arm and build arm speed, there are a couple of drills you can try. First try having her throw from a distance greater than the current pitching distance. If her league has a 35 or 40 foot distance, try having her throw from 45 or even 50 feet. In order to get you the ball, she will begin throwing with greater and greater force which will cause her to unconsciously pick up her arm speed.
Another drill you can try, is to have her neal down on one knee, preferably with something to cushion the knee, with one leg extended in front of her pointing directly at you. She will have her glove hand shoulder pointing at you and the ball in her throwing hand down by her thigh. Have her raise her glove hand and, pointing it at you, windmill the ball to you. This drill removes a primary source of power, the legs, and forces her to use only arm speed to get you the ball. At first you will want to do this from a close distance. As her power grows, you can eventually move back to pitching distance. Modifications of this drill are to have your daughter stand up, facing you sideways and throw without using her legs just like she was doing from one knee. You can modify this by having her step with her landing leg. Then you can add a pushoff with her drive leg. I like to refer to this as "three quarters motion" because it involves three quarters of the full motion and is kind of like "pitching from the stretch" in baseball. It is a good warmup drill on game days as well as being a good drill to gain arm strength and speed.
One other drill I have seen which seems to build arm speed is the "walking pitch." In this drill the pitcher stands at about pitching distance on a flat surface and takes a couple (say 4) steps backwards to find the beginning point. Then she walks towards the pitching plate in order to get there with her push off foot. If she is a righty, have her walk left, right left, right, pitch. For some reason this drill causes the pitcher to build adrenaline as she approaches the pitching plate and seems to result in a faster arm motion. I remember the first time I caught a high school pitcher who was warming up in this manner. This also happened to be the first time I had caught somebody who threw over 50 and I was afraid my life was going to end anyways. But when she started this walking pitch thing it occurred to me that she might actually be trying to kill me! I asked her about it and she told me it was something she did to get her arm speed up. I didn't doubt that it was working.
A good way to work your young pitcher is to have her start by warming up. Next she can throw from one knee followed by throwing from three quarters motion. Next have her throw from long distance followed by walking into the pitch. Finally you will have her pitch her regular motion from the pitching plate. A good workout for a young pitcher is to work each of the five stages (on knee, three quarters, distance, walking, and normal pitching) for 25 pitches. This adds up to 125 pitches which if you follow baseball seems like a lot but it really isn't and this regime can be completed in 15 - 30 minutes. If your daughter really wants to throw more, expecially from full motion, let her do it. Repetitions are a better way to develop the control everyone craves.
I have given you four ideas for working on arm speed. I hope I have also instructed you about putting speed ahead of control. Your young pitcher should practice pitching as frequently as possible. The windmill pitching motion does not place the same kind of strain on a pitcher's arm that overhand baseball pitching does. She should be able to pitch several times each week. When your young pitcher practices frequently, has a good, locked down motion, and works at it, control will happen naturally. She wants to throw strikes but if she repeats a proper motion frequently, the strikes will come. And if she has power to go with control, she will be a good pitcher for years to come.
If you have committed to emphasizing speed over control and you are your daughter's primary practice catcher, here is a good piece of advice, get yourself a big bucket and two dozen balls. When she throws the ball 15 feet over your head, reach down, pick up another and keep practicing. Don't so much as flinch when she throws the ball way out of your reach. If you do, she'll know you are frustrated with her lack of control. Instead you want her to know that you are supporting her and since you don't have to go retrieve the ball, nobody cares that she just threw a bad pitch.
If you hear yourself at games yelling "just get it over," take a good listen to what you sound like. Here's how your child hears it: "You stink, pitcher, find another position." This will likely be one of those rare times your child listens to you.Labels: pitching
Permanent Link: Just Get It Over, Sarah, Just Get It Over
 
Choose Your Weapon Wisely
by Dave
Thursday, July 07, 2005
 There is no way in this small space to create a perfect guide to selecting a bat. But if you are relatively new to softball bats, here are some general principles. The general characteristics of bats are: weight, length and ... cost. Well, there's more to it than that but I want to make one point crystal clear. There is no such thing as a really good bat this is very cheap. If you don't want to spend money for a decent bat, you won't get one. I know. I made this mistake.
I purchased a clearance bat online for .., never mind. I'm embarrassed to admit how cheap it was. The bat I bought did not have that characteristic PING we often associate with metallic bats. Instead it was more or less of a dud which made a thud when making contact. Good bats make good sound like a finely tuned violin. The best bats are like the best golf clubs, they add distance to the struck ball because they bounce back against the ball when the two come into contact. More expensive bats are made of better materials and made in a better fashion so they sound and feel right, and they drive the ball.
If you are paying less than $50 for a new bat, you are most likely getting a cheap bat. $50 and up is a good rule of thumb. If your daughter is playing 12U, you are going to have to go for around $100. As she grows up, you'll be spending more. A good bat for a girl playing high school varsity ball is going to cost you around $300.
As far as the total weight of the bat goes, your daughter must be able to stand holding the bat in her stronger hand straight out to her side in a 90 degree angle for 20-30 seconds without feeling the weight of the bat pulling her down. If she cannot do this, the bat is too heavy for her. If you think maybe she'll grow into it, think again. Not only will she not grow into it, it will likely cause her to strike out a lot and maybe even learn to hate the game. If you fear paying a lot for a bat and having her outgrow it in only one year, don't buy a bat. Instead let her use the team's bats so she can get to know which ones she prefers. Then break out your wallet and buy her one. Don't buy something for the future. The future is now.
After price and total weight, the next consideration is weight distribution but this is often a function of price. I thought my daughter was doing really well with her new bargain basement bat until I noticed that it was changing her swing because it was weighted poorly. She was dropping her hands and the barrel head not because the total weight was wrong but because the distribution of weight throughout the bat was very poor. She actually began dropping the barrel head below her hands which makes it impossible to hit the ball well. When you have a bat which is the correct weight for your daughter and the weight is distributed properly, she will enjoy much greater success. If you thought you purchased a decent bat of the correct weight and you see your daughter dropping her hands and/or the barrel head, you may have purchased a bad bat. Compare the weight distribution of her bat with that of her teammates' bats. Take both bats in your hands and wave them up and down. Now switch hands since one hand is stronger than the other. Do this several times to see if you notice a real difference. If one "just feel betters," you have determined the one with better distribution. In my experience, more expensive bats generally not only have better sound and hit the ball further, they also have better weight distribution. Within a given brand of bats, you will see a fairly broad spectrum of prices. Check out the full spectrum and see if you agree on the price vs. distribution theory.
Length is maybe the most personal choice you make once you establish the correct weight of your softball bat. A good sporting goods store will have a broad selection of bats of given brands and types in various lengths. You have to at least in part gauge where your daughter stands in the batters box to determine the proper length. Also you have to consider how strong her wrists are. Remember, a bat is really a lever and even though you have the right weight and the bat you have chosen has good weight distribution, you need to have the correct length for her to be able to roll her wrists properly. Also you need to make sure the bat allows your daughter to hit the ball in the "sweet spot" as frequently as possible. If she constantly nubs the ball off the end of the bat in practice, I tend to blame it on the bat being too short. If a longer bat makes her swing seem wrong but is needed in order for her to make good contact, consider dropping the weight one ounce.
As far as particular manufacturers go, there are several which are good. I like Easton softball bats. I grew up on wood bats and never used an aluminum bat until I played softball as an adult. There were a bunch of different brands available to me but I always found Easton bats to be best so I'm not about to change my mind now. Easton provides a good guide to determining the right length to weight ration based on the size of your child. Click here for the guide.
As a final consideration, read lots of bat labels. The best ones will have guides rating the materials, explaining weight and length ratios and other considerations. They will tell you how strong the materials are. Take the time to do a study of this information. If you are spending a lot of money, you want to get educated on the various products available and spend your money wisely.
To sum up, if you want a good bat, be prepared to spend time and money. Judge the weight for your daughter for right now, this season. Length may not be as important as weight but it is certainly not unimportant. Weight distribution, although probably more a factor of price, must be considered. Remember that the first real fun you get out of baseball and softball is hitting. The choice of a good bat may make all the difference to whether your child learns to love the game or not.Labels: hitting
Permanent Link: Choose Your Weapon Wisely
First And Third, The Runner Goes!
by Dave
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
(Revised April 19, 2007)
If you've ever spent much time (more than a day) around this sport, no doubt you've seen this situation. Runners on first and third, the pitch is thrown and the runner from first goes. Often, the runner from first will do a delayed steal, jog or run slowly to second, even stop between the bases in an attempt to cause a pickle and allow the runner from third to score. Generally the team in the field indifferently allows the runner to steal second without so much as a look. This frustrates me almost as much as seeing the catcher do something useless or harmful like throwing the ball immediately through to second or right down to third. You don't want to throw through to second unless you are willing to give up a run - say you're up by 8 runs and there's already an out or two in the late innings. Throwing immediately to third usually doesn't surprise anyone and can cause an error, so you might just as well throw the ball back to the pitcher.
I once watched a state championship softball game in which the catcher immediately threw the ball to third. An experienced runner knows how to get into the way of a ball thrown to third by the catcher. This runner did and the ball hit her in the helmet, careened into left and she scored the tying run. The runner stealing second was able to advance to third on the overthrow from which she scored the game winner on a sac fly. A good high school baseball team seldom makes this mistake but even some college softball teams practice defensive indifference or have the catcher throw to third. There are other options.
Obviously game conditions determine what you should do with first and third. If it is late in a close game, you want to put the pressure on the batter to do something. You don't want to give up a run or possibly two by playing aggressively in the field and handing the game to your opponent. On the other hand, if you're up by a few runs, you may not care about the runner at third and be willing to trade an out for a run. But if it is the first inning, nobody out and you have reasonable expectations of touching up the opposing pitcher, you may want to do something to make a statement. In any event, you need to practice the first and third situation many times before using it in a game. Practicing this can be an excellent tool to teach and practice situational defense of all sorts so you are not simply wasting practice time by doing something you will use seldom if ever.
There is a basic way to handle first and third once you reach a point at which the girls can throw well and are reliable as far as catching a thrown ball. I think this can start at 12U. 10s can't handle it very well unless your players are January 11s with strong arms and some experience. 14Us should definitely have some sort of play to handle this situation as well as many others which aren't often addressed at younger age levels.
The play basically involves throwing the ball to a middle infielder standing between the edge of the circle and second base. The middle infielder throws the ball immediately to third if the runner is off base but not breaking for home. If she breaks, the throw, obviously, goes to home. If the runner on third isn't paying attention for some reason or is heading back to the bag, you can let the throw go through to second base.
Who catches the throw from catcher and makes the play is up to the coach. This decision really depends on the abilities of your team and the age of the players. At 14U, I would hope your second baseman is fairly capable and has a decent arm. That's not always the case. At 12U, unless you are an "A" team, second base is usually a place where you put a kid who can field grounders reasonably well and has some range, but she may not have the strongest arm. In any event, the qualifications you want in order to run this play are 1) the ability to catch a throw from the catcher including an offline one, 2) the ability to get the ball out of the glove quickly when making a throw, 3) a strong (or strong enough) throwing arm, and 4) a little mental toughness. For the purpose of brevity, we'll refer to the player standing between the pitcher and second as the "cutoff." The other middle infielder will cover the bag at second in case the runner from third does not go and you want to let the throw go through. We'll call her the "cover."
So, it's first and third and the runner from first goes. Your catcher comes up throwing and her target is basically, like on any other steal, the bag itself. If the fielders were already in position, that would be about in line with where the cutoff's head or chest is located. But they won't be in position yet since they weren't really moving until the ball reached the catcher. When the catcher releases the ball, they are moving into position and maybe about half the way to their destinations. Somebody has to call whether to cut and throw to third or home, or let the ball go through. This could be the coach in the dugout but the cutoff probably won't hear the coach. I think the best bets for play caller are either the first baseman or the rightfielder. The rightfielder has no other responsibility on the play and has the best view of the whole field. But there's nothing wrong with having the firstbaseman call the play since she doesn't need to see the runner from first all that well. It's the runner on third whose actions determine the play.
In practice, you want to make sure you set up the play properly but don't let your middle infielders cheat because that makes it too easy. You want them first playing for a hit ball and then covering in accordance with the play you have designed. If you let them cheat in practice, the results in the game are either they'll forget and get started late or they'll cheat and the batter will hit a basehit past one of them.
You also don't want to have your first baseman randomly call the play. Put somebody on third and give them instructions or a sign to have them A) not be paying attention - not go, B) run immediately home without watching the play, C) get a big lead but go nowhere, D) get a lead and then start down the line after the catcher throws but come bag to the bag, E) any other variation you like. This is a good opportunity for your outfielders and other players to practice their baserunning skills too. So your first baseman keys off what the runner at third does and makes the call accordingly. Your middle infielders get used to getting the play call from the first baseman.
A visitor to the site suggested, if I understand him correctly, that you can use the cutoff as a decoy. In his view, the SS is the cover and 2nd is the cutoff but she's really just a decoy. The throw always goes through to the SS but 2nd makes it look to the runner on third as if she is going to cut off the throw. This should make the runner freeze or go back to the bag after which you tag out the runner from first. The runner on third does not have enough time to break for home and if she does, a decent throw by the SS will nail her.
I don't disagree with this approach. It is less complicated and involves less decision making. Nobody has to "call" the play but somebody has to tell the SS if the runner from third is going. Like I said, this is less complicated and probably as effective. The one reservation is I don't want the ball to frequently go through to second base. I want the cutoff to make the play most of the time since I believe once the runner at third sees the catcher release, she will break for home. Throwing through every time takes away time to make the throw home. And if the throw is offline to the first base side of second, that can blow the play for you. If the cutoff gets the throw, even an offline throw can result in an out at home - that takes the pressure off the catcher to make a perfect throw. Also, inducing the runner from third to get off the base, in the event that she doesn't break immediately for home, can help you get her out at third.
In any event, these suggestions are your basic first and third play. Maybe your team can do it perfectly the first time and every time. Maybe they can't possibly do it. Or maybe with some practice they can do it well 75% of the time. I can't speak to that. But I do know that if you never try it out in practice, they won;t ever be able to get an out in this situation. And if you don;t practice it and then try it out in a game, you will never know whether they can pull this off or not. if you can do this, get an out, and not allow a run to score, you are going to have that over your opposition and discourage them from running all over you.
If you just let things happen, if you don't bother trying this out in practice, I can almost guarantee that some of the time your catcher is going to throw the ball down to second. I can almost guarantee that the SS is going to turn and throw the ball back to her too late without having gotten an out at second. Then most likely, there is going to be a play which causes your catcher to lose track of the ball or collide with the runner from third which will in turn allow the runner at second to move up to third. Then your pitcher is going to get mad at her fielders and walk the next batter, leaving you with first and third again! I've stood in the dugout watching girls I thought to be good ballplayers do this. Actually I've seen this happen multiple times consecutively. Guess what we did in our next practice!Labels: defense
Permanent Link: First And Third, The Runner Goes!
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