DIY sliding mat

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Apr 28, 2017
13
0
I coach a 12u team and want to work on sliding. I worked on it a bit last year and had the girls slide on cardboard. It worked ok but many of the girls were still pretty apprehensive and one girl ended up flopping down on her butt a little too hard and bruised something. I felt horrible about that.

I see there's a 'slide-rite' sliding mat that I could buy but it's pretty expensive ($300). I like it because it's padded.

I'm curious if anyone has made something like this on their own. If so, how did you construct it?
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
Go old school and find a big cardbox box - bonus points if has painted sides that make it slicker...
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
Buy the mat and share the cost and access to it within your program (if you can)...it is a really nice too and takes away fears. In addition to sliding you can also teach diving on it...will last a long time.
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
I have done a couple different methods:
1) indoors (maybe works best) (2) people hold a pole ( sturdy, like a shovel handle, could use a bat) played wear baggy sweats or Pajama pants and take turns running nd swinging under the pole, into a slide on th gym floor. The more they do it the better they get, they can lrogress to one hand and then no hands sliding under. Had sliding competions later, players run and slide from a line and see who stops the farthest out.

2) outside- on grass, stake down a disposable poly tarp / drop cloth, maybe 6 mil?. Dust it liberlly with (cheap) baby powder and explain how to slide and then have them try it. In between, add more powder.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
I coach a 12u team and want to work on sliding. I worked on it a bit last year and had the girls slide on cardboard. It worked ok but many of the girls were still pretty apprehensive and one girl ended up flopping down on her butt a little too hard and bruised something. I felt horrible about that.

I see there's a 'slide-rite' sliding mat that I could buy but it's pretty expensive ($300). I like it because it's padded.

I'm curious if anyone has made something like this on their own. If so, how did you construct it?

BIG, THICK cardboard box on a thicker lawn will get it done. Have them take off their shoes to start, or at least no cleats. Make sure they wear pants & full length socks...no shorts. Someone "apprehensive" can still hurt themselves on a Slide Rite or even Slip & Slide...have seen it happen. For those who had trouble, I took the player by the hand, another coach took the other side, and we cushioned the fall even more. It only took a couple of runs like that before the kid got it.
 
Last edited:
Jun 5, 2012
38
8
Ontario, Canada
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iG2T7Bk5_kU

Watch his videos, they use a bat to help them get started. It might be video 2 before they start with it.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

+1 to this link. We used to use use cardboard on grass to start but found that even once the players were comfortable and sliding well there, they were starting over mentally and physically when we moved to the infield. We use these progressions on the dirt now and it ends up being much more productive.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,478
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top