Softball - Steps to Success - Diane Potter and Lynn Johnson

Softball - Steps to Success

by Diane Potter and Lynn Johnson

NEW, 224 pages

Get other Softball books here

About Softball - Steps to Success

Improve your play at the plate, on the base paths, and in the field by mastering the essentials of the game. Softball: Steps to Success offers a comprehensive, progressive approach that combines in-depth instruction, crisp illustrations, and 127 drills. Any player can become fundamentally sound and be ready to take the field.

You’ll find detailed instruction on every individual skill necessary for success in the game: catching, throwing, fielding, pitching, hitting, and baserunning. This updated edition also includes these features:

• Responsibilities of each position on the field and every batter in the lineup
  
• Offensive and defensive tactics for specific game situations
  
• Emphasis on the short game, covering five types of bunts and the running slap hit
  
• An expanded section on pitching that includes seven types of pitches for modified-pitch, slow-pitch, and fastpitch games
  
• Skill-development drills with assessment scoring systems to gauge progress along the way

About Diane L. Potter

Diane L. Potter, EdD, is professor emerita at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. Dr. Potter has more than 40 years of experience in physical education teacher preparation, and she has coached the Springfield College softball team for 21 years. In addition, she played Class A fastpitch for 15 years in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA).

Dr. Potter has been an international clinician in softball, conducting clinics in Aruba, Italy, and the Netherlands. She took Springfield College teams to the Netherlands in 1971, 1975, and 1982, competing against the Dutch national team and various sport club teams in addition to conducting clinics for the Dutch youth programs. In 1982, she was awarded the Silver Medallion by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond (the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association); she is the only woman so honored.

Dr. Potter is an outstanding leader in women's sport. She has served as a member of the AIAW Ethics and Eligibility Committee and was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1989, she was inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame. The Springfield College softball field has been named in her honor.

About Lynn V. Johnson

Lynn V. Johnson, EdD, is an associate professor in the health and human performance department at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. Over the past 30 years she has taught K-12 physical education in Vermont and has been a physical education teacher educator at three institutions: Springfield College, the University of Vermont, and Plymouth State University. Johnson coached high school softball in Proctor, Vermont, served as the assistant softball coach at Springfield College for three years, and was the head coach at Springfield College from 1985 to 1989. In addition, she was the assistant softball coach at the University of Vermont from 1991 to 2006. Johnson played softball at Springfield College from 1974 to 1977, playing in the College World Series in 1977. She continues to play slow-pitch softball on a tournament team that has competed together for more than 20 years.

Dr. Johnson is committed to the profession of physical education and sport. She is actively involved at the professional level, having served as the president of the Vermont Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and as vice president for the Eastern District Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (EDA). Johnson was awarded the Outstanding Professional Award from the EDA in 2004 and the Higher Education Physical Education Teacher of the Year from VAHPERD in 2002.

Reviews

"Softball: Steps to Success is an exceptional resource for teaching the fundamental skills of softball, whether in a physical education class setting or in a more competitive environment. The authors provide a comprehensive breakdown of each skill and tactic, drills for improving execution, and final challenges to augment development. It's a must-have resource for the softball enthusiast!"

BJ Ferguson
Head Softball Coach, University of Delaware
Associate Professor

About Softball

Softball is played between 2 teams on a large field, with nine players from one team on the field at a time. The field is usually composed of a dirt or brickdust infield which contains the quadrilateral shape and running areas, and a grass outfield. However, the field also can consist of all dirt, grass, artificial turf, or, in areas such as New York City, asphalt . There are 4 bases on the infield (first base, second base, third base,and home plate); the bases are arranged in a square and are typically 45 to 65 feet (13,7 to 19,8 meters) apart. Near the center of this square is the pitcher's circle, and within the circle is the "rubber", a small flat rectangular area. The object of the game is to score more runs (points) than the other team by batting (hitting) a ball into play and running around the bases, touching each one in succession. The ball is a sphere of light material, covered with leather or synthetic material. It is 10 to 12 inches (or rarely, 16 inches) (28 to 30.5 centimeters) in circumference. The game is officiated by one or more neutral umpires. Players and umpires are generally free to ask for a brief stoppage at any time when the ball is not in play, or immediately following a play once its outcome is clear.

The game is played in a series of innings, usually seven. Youth leagues sometimes have 6 innings. An inning is one series of both teams playing offense and defense. Each inning is divided into a top half and a bottom half indicating which team is playing which role. The offense bats and attempts to score runs, while the defense occupies the field and attempts to record outs in a variety of ways. After the defense records 3 outs, the half inning is over and the teams switch roles.

To start play, the offense sends a batter to home plate. The batting order must be fixed at the start of the game, and players may not bat out of turn. The defense's pitcher stands atop the rubber and throws the ball towards home plate using an underhanded motion. The batter attempts to hit the pitched ball with a bat, a long, round, smooth stick made of wood, metal or composite. A pitch must cross within a small area known as the strike zone, which is determined by the umpire behind home plate, and primarily ranges from the knees to just below the shoulders the ball must cross over the plate, and it must be within a certain height restriction. A pitch which does not cross the strike zone is a ball, and if the batter reaches 4 balls, the batter is awarded the first base. A pitch which crosses the strike zone is a strike, and a batter who reaches 3 strikes is out (a strikeout), and the next batter in the order comes to bat. A strike is also recorded on any pitch that the batter swings at and misses entirely, and also on a pitch that is hit foul (out of play), a foul ball may or may not result in a strikeout dependent upon what association and local league rules. However, bunting a foul ball does result in a strikeout. Bunting is not allowed and results in an out in some associations and leagues.

The batter attempts to swing the bat and hit the ball fair (into the field of play). After a successful hit the batter becomes a baserunner (or runner) and must run to first base. The defense attempts to field the ball and may throw the ball freely between players, so one player can field the ball while another moves to a position to put out the runner. The defense can tag the runner, by touching the runner with the ball while the runner is not on a base. The defense can also touch first base while in possession of the ball; in this case it is sufficient to beat the batter to first base and an actual tag of the batter is unnecessary. A runner is said to be thrown out when the play involves two or more defensive players. Runners generally cannot be put out when touching a base, but only one runner may occupy a base at any time and runners may not pass each other. When a ball is batted into play, runners generally must attempt to advance if there are no open bases behind them; for example, a runner on first base must run to second base if the batter puts the ball in play. In such a situation, the defense can throw to the base that the lead runner is attempting to take (a force out), and the defense can then also throw to the previous base. This can result in a multiple-out play: a double play is two outs, while a triple play, a very rare occurrence, is three outs. Runners with an open base behind them are not forced to advance and do so at their own risk; the defense must tag such runners directly to put them out rather than tagging the base.

A ball which is hit in the air and caught before hitting the ground is an immediate out, regardless of whether the ball would have landed fair or foul. A fly ball is a ball hit high and deep, a pop fly is a ball hit high but short, and a line drive is a ball hit close to the horizontal. In any such situation, runners must remain on their bases until the ball is touched by a defensive player or hits the ground. If a runner leaves the base before a fly ball, pop fly, or line drive is touched or contacts the ground, the defense can throw the ball to that base, and if the base is tagged before the runner returns, the runner is out as well, resulting in a double play. If the runner remains on the base until the ball is touched, or returns to the base after the catch but before the defense can put him out, he is said to tag up and may attempt to advance to the next base at his own risk. If there are less than two batters out and runners on 1st and 2nd bases and the batter hits a pop fly in the infield, the batter is automatically out to prevent unfair play by the fielders. Unfair play may result from infielders deliberately dropping the ball to try and achieve a double play. This rule is called the infield fly rule.

Offensive strategy is fairly straight forward, revolving around hitting the ball to let the batter reach base safely and to advance the base runners towards home plate to score runs. Defensive strategy can be more complex, with particular situations calling for different positioning and tactical decision making. For both sides, there can be a trade-off between outs and runs: the offense can sacrifice a batter to advance runners, while the defense may allow a runner to score if the remaining runners can be put out in a double play.

Softball - Steps to Success