Another article of mine from the archives. This one on "Back to The Basics. Originally drafted in 1986. See also the article on The Team Concept below on this page. Over the next while I'll be publishing various articles and materials of mine from my 25 plus years involved in softball and baseball plus suggestions and excerpts from other material I found useful over the years. Here's one on The Team Concept excerpted from our soon to be republished "Better Performance Softball-Baseball" ebook. If you want to read more of my philosophy here's a reading copy of the motivational piece "3 Step Approach To Better Softball Baseball-Web and a pdf printable copy of "3 Step Approach to Better Softball Baseball-Print"


GETTING BACK TO THE BASICS OR WHAT TO DO FIRST IF YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE.

"Proper consistent execution under pressure will produce the real champions in the end. Luck and game breaks play a part in any game but 'for my money' consistency is not built on luck. A consistent winner executes the basic fundamentals, all other things being equal".-Pat Harrison.

Consistently high levels of execution of our basic skills are what separates the winners and the losers. In softball as in other team sports we add another wrinkle, we have to execute individually and then our teammates have to continue the mistake free action. for example a double play, a relay play, etc.

What are those skills?
Hitting/Bunting-making contact rather than striking out frequently, hitting the ball on the nose (in the middle or slightly above or below) place hitting, bunting on the ground and to various positions

Throwing-accurately to the specific spot required-high for a force out, cut off or relay , low for a tag, on the body-2'wide, spin backwards for accuracy., distance, speed, accuracy.

Pitching- high speed and variable speed, excellent control (slowpitch most important, stuff and control together.

Base running-start as ball released, slide away from tag,

Catching a ball-2 hands, fingers up or down depending on ball location

Catching a flyball-up high, body in position for throw, timing run and arm reach up

Fielding a ground ball-glove on the ground and fielding by bring ball up, give on the glove, getting to the balls

You have to learn to walk before you run is a phrase we often tell our children. Practice the basics before you get too complicated because they are the necessary parts of anything more complicated. Whether you execute a successful double play or only one out might matter in the ISC championship where the teams are even but it likely will not affect the outcome of many games. So one of my most important rules I learned through experience is don't complicate this game for those who play for fun-improve the basic skills until you are successful 95% of the time (95 times out of a 100). Even for those who play the game competitively the time spent on items that might lead to marginal improvements should always be kept in proper proportion to the time spent on learning, relearning and practicing the basic skills.
The key teaching points for skill execution are:

-Ensure your weight is evenly spread on the balls of your feet ready for movement in either direction.

-Your body weight should shift in the direction of the movement and you need to use the whole body in executing the skills.

-Step onto the front foot pointed at the target and release the ball with a backward spin. Use a wrist snap to impart speed to the throw.

-Catch the ball with a slight give by the glove hand with the throwing hand nearby to grasp the ball and throw it.

-Begin your fielding position with the weight forward on your balls of your feet and react in either direction with a sidestep or cross over step to field the ball with your body behind the glove if possible. Always field from the ground up. Field balls taking a step or steps into the ball and using a crow hop step throw the ball to first base. Watch the ball off the bat. Throws on force outs such as at first base must be above the waist within the body

-In preparing to run the bases ensure that your body weight is on the push off foot no matter what lead off or takeoff position you use.

-In batting take a comfortable and relaxed stance in the box, weight on the balls of the feet and while watching the ball all the way from its release and your body cocked to move forward start your swing from the resting position of the hand and with a slightly downward (f.p) or upward swing(s.p) make contact with the ball in the middle of ball with the thick meaty part of the bat. Extend your arms fully if possible on all swings. Keep your shoulders and hips in as long as possible.

-In sacrifice bunting pivot to face the pitcher and let the top part of the ball hit the bottom half of the bat with the slight recoil of your arms to deaden the ball.

-In catching a ball in the outfield get to the ball without losing track of its flight if possible and when in position turn your body so you are in the proper position to make a throw to the required base. Reach up with your glove and keep the throwing hand as close as possible. The throws are generally low or on the bounce into the infield and must be on the target.

The secret ingredient to successful execution is of course repetition - repetition of the skill, not necessarily the specific drill. What is meant by this is that you can use the many different drills to practice the same skill.

SUMMARY
-The basic fundamental skills of softball are: throwing a ball accurately, catching moving balls in the air, fielding ground balls and throwing accurately, hitting the ball sharply, bunting balls on the ground, pitching with control and speed, running quickly to and around the bases.

-Basic skill execution involves weight equally placed on both balls of the feet in the ready position, the transfer of weight in the direction of the body movement, the body movement must be directly at the target and you must use your whole body to perform each skill in order to generate maximum body force

-Constant repetition of each skill in practice under game like conditions will lead to flawless execution in the actual game .