Softball is a great sport for athletes at
any level. Competative, recreational and even a beer leagues for those who wish to enjoy a refreshing "beverage" after every game! I have played
softball for seven years, four years of competative and three of recreational. Allow me to help you learn the complex yet exciting game of Softball!
There are nine positions to be filled in softball. There are
two subfields as well. The In-field is the red dirt part of the diamond. There are six players in the in-field.
The Pitcher: This position is centered in the in-field and the only position that does not
"guard" a base. The Pitcher is the one who throws the ball towards home base where the batter stands, waiting
to hit the ball to start the play.
The pitcher stands on the pitchers mound, which is a little white rectangle of rubber.
The Catcher:
This is the Darth Vader looking player on the field. The Catcher stands behind home base, other wise known
as home plate and catches the ball the pitcher throws to them. They also try to keep runner
from scoring.
First Base: As you move along the diamond from home;counter clockwise, the next base you encounter
is first base. The First Baseman stands three to five feet in front of the base
and is the (hopefully for the fielding team) the ender of the play.
This is the only base with an automatic force, meaning the batter has to run to first base
and if the ball gets there first, the runner is out. Also the first basemen covers home plate if there is a runner on third,
just in case the pitcher throws it past the catcher and the runner tries to steal home.
Second Base: The second baseman stands halfway between first and second and about three steps behind the baseline.
They act as a wall against ground balls, and as a cover on the throw to second, which is generally caught by the short stop.
The second baseman only goes to second if the play is on the other side of the diamond or there is a runner on second or third.
There isn't an automatic force to second.
Short Stop: This is the only player without a designated bag. They stand between second and third and guard both.
The short stop covers second if the play is on the opposite side of the field. They also cover the throws
to second from the catcher if there is no runner on third. The short stop guards third if the third basemen runs in on a bunt,
which will be explained in tips, or if the third basemen is covering a runner going home. Short Stop acts like a wall against
grounders and covers any throws to third that might get past the third basemen.
Third Base: This player stands five to six feet in front of the bag and about a foot to the left from the third base-line.
They guard third and are the mostly likely player to catch a line drive.
Out-Field
There are three fielders, one for each section of the outfield, left, center and right. Each fielder covers a respective bag and
catches fly balls, hard grounders missed by the in-field and any balls that get over thrown during the play.
Left Field: Covers third and stands 20 feet from the end of the diamond behind short stop.
Center Field: This player is the "captain" of the outfield, calling out directions to the other fielders.
They stand directly behind second, again usually 20 feet from the end of the diamond, and move to either side of second
depending which side the batter stands, ie left-handed or right-handed batter.
Right Field: This player stands about ten feet from the right base line and covers first. They do the most
amount of running to and from the infield as they cover the overthrows to first and are very important
as they can make the difference between a single and a triple.
The following will include batting stance and terms!
Batting Stance: First, you want to have a bat that fits your height and level of strength. Grab a
bat and hold it out in front of you with a straight arm parallel to the ground. If your arm wobbles and you aren't
able to hold it steady, the bat is too big. Also the bat should not be too long, if when standing in the batters box,
you can touch across the plate with a straight and you are several inches away from the plate, your bat is too long!
You want to cover the strike zone, not potential balls.
When holding the bat, align the second knuckle with the third of the other hand and vice versa. What ever hand you
write with goes on top, and when facing the pitcher is the arm facing the back of the diamond.
The front arm, the hand you don't write with, is bent at 45 degrees, in a V shape. the elbow points towards the pitcher.
The back elbow is bent in a v as well but is parallel to the ground. Your feet should be shoulder length apart.
For every pitch take a step forward to start your "motion" and if its a strike...swing!
Terms: there are several terms that I have written down that you may not know. Here are a few:
Bunt: The batter does not swing at the ball, instead they merely stick out their bat, parallel to the ground
and knock the ball to the ground just in front of home plate!
Single: The batter hits the ball and runs to first, is safe and stays there.
Double: The batter hits the ball and run around first and to second, is safe and stays there.
Triple: The batter hits it, generally in the out field, and gets all the way to third base and stays.
Homerun: The hardest and rarest hit. The batter hits is, usually a nice hit, over the
outfielders head and run all the way around the bases and score by stepping over home plate!
Grand Slam: The bases are "loaded" meaning there is a runner on every base, and the batter hits a
a homerun and all four get home safe!
Full Count: The batter has a count of three balls and two stikes, the next pitch decides if they are out or safe.
Out: Either the runner is tagged, or the batter strikes out, there are three in an inning, it means the runner
or batter did not succesfully get to a base, and will not score.
Safe: The runner gets to a base before the ball does. They get to stay on base and have the potential
to score
RBI: Runner Batted In. There was a runner on base when the batter hit the ball and scored. Usually it means the
batter is out.
Walk: the batter is pitched four balls, they get to go to first, not forced. There is no play, and
any runners on first base advance, moving any runners ahead of them to the next base.
Force: the runner has to advance to the next base, there is an automatic force on first, but
if there are runners on base, there is potential for a force on the other bases, in which case
the player merely need to tag the base instead of the runner.
I hope this helped! I actively encourage everyone to play softball,
whethere it is fast pitch or slow. Grab some friends, find an empty diamond and play a pick up game!
