It's not only the pitching. From the age of 12 I was calling all of the defensive alignments and rotations from the F4 position. I don't know if I would have enjoyed the game nearly as much if I didn't have that responsibility and confidence from my coaches and teammates. That said, a lot of...
I don't normally comment on these kinds of thread because I'm from a different era, different country and boys/mens fastpitch but this is a subject I just can't get my head around. In 30 years of playing competitive fastpitch the only time a coach ever called a pitch for us was when he called...
Excellent summary. I agree that it was very well handled by the crew. They were calm, communicated well, got it right, and got the game going again. It could have been much uglier. However, sitting behind the dugout I can tell you that one coach was definitely not good with the call and...
This was Twins vs Hill United, Game 68
Go to 46:30 in the video. They didn't get a shot of the actual catch/drop on the video. Maybe a good lipreader could translate the conversations with the officials.
Looking at the video now it seems I misremembered the result. R2 ended up scoring on the...
I witnessed something new today at the ISC Men's Fastball Championships.
ISC plays under USA rules.
Outfield is 4ft temporary sport fence.
R1 and R2, 0 out. 3rd Inning 1 run game.
Batter hits deep fly to CF. F8 is backpedalling to the fence and makes the catch just as he makes contact. He...
I try not to overthink/overcoach this. Pitchers should be experimenting with all sorts of different grips and finger pressures. Once they learn to pay attention to what they are doing and make those adjustments they will see what each one does and find what works best for them. Everyone is a...
My positioning was pretty close to what's in the OP for both positions. The requirements/expectations for 3B are very much dependent on the level of play. Having played my share of 3B in Sr. level men's fastpitch I can tell you that I would have dug a bunker two feet down if they'd let me...
Good discussion. I'm living this with a U16 Boys team right now. This is the most introverted bunch I've ever worked with. It took a couple weeks before I even knew what a few of their voices sounded like. I try to incorporate signals and verbal calls into every action we do as a team so...
I've used this at higher ages (U16 Boys) quite effectively. It requires a hard throw. SS gets half a step ahead of baserunner and throw is to the SS, just far enough ahead they can't pass before it gets there. Most times the runner will either duck for freeze and be an easy tag out. If...
+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...
Thanks for the youtube link, kjs23. I think being able to show her the video will help tremendously on top of doing those drills. My next question is, would you guys do these progression drills on slick/wet grass or dry grass?
Hesitation about diving to catch I think often has to do with the...
I like this series of 3 videos for teaching defensive diving skills. Systematic buildup of skill and confidence is the key.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNmNL7tOf9A
I don't think there is one answer to when kids should be left to sink/swim in the circle. Obviously travel programs need a unified ruleset but rec often has the ability to tailor the rules to the kids involved. Play a game with all kid pitch and one with modified coach rescue then ask ALL of...
I had also created google doc files for Drive Mechanics and IR in the Classroom (indexed plus some added bonus material from the discussion). All of the .gifs are embedded in the gdoc files or you can save as HTML so you can open with your browser.
See link for previous post...
My experience has been that in most places the kids simply have no concept that they can play this or other sports without "organization" and adult prescribed rules. On the first night of our pickup games the kids grabbed some balls and proceeded to play catch and warm up...for half an hour! I...
We started doing this in our small town association last August after the competitive season ended. We have two diamonds so U10 and U12 play on one and older kids on another. We provide equipment for those that need it and the kids run the show. It helps put the game in perspective for the...