"Defense Wins Games".........?

[obbay]

I hear this all the time, but I've always had trouble with it. Lack of Defense surely looses games, but defense is only one side of the coin. I've never heard "Offense wins games"-but it does.


The only reason I ask is that I'm thinking I am missing something that everyone else gets.

 

[Mark H]

Defense gives you a chance to win games.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Candrea only worries about hitting and pitching. He said recently that good pitching will beat good hitting. But, maybe you need a good defense to aid good pitching.

 

[calgofo]

IMO, and its just that, my opinion, (N=1), of the triad of hitting, pitching and fielding, the most controllable element is defense. To me it has the most chance of success for the time put into it. If I had a team with Cat pitching and 9 Babe Ruths for the lineup, I probably wouldn't care too much about defense but I think for most teams, you will do better in the long run with a strong emphasis on defense.

Having said that, regardless of how good your d is, its not going to compensate for competing against a considerably better team. At least with strong d you don't beat yourself.

In this years college playoffs, N Dakota got farther with less talent than anybody out there and I attribute that to their strog defense.

Again, JMO

 

[FJRGerry]

To me good pitching and defense keeps you in the game, but without smart batting/hitting a team's chances to win are very low. I'm looking at this at the 12U level, where we've played many games where we had good pitching and defense, but the decisions made at the plate were poor (swinging at very obvious balls, way ahead of slow pitchers, etc...) and cost us games. "You can't win if you don't score runs!" (and you can quote me on that ;-) )

 

[obbay]

the most controllable element is defense. To me it has the most chance of success for the time put into it.

I can buy that.

I just have seen some coaches focusing on Defense to the exclusion of Offense, and they've been doing it for years, so they "know" they're right.

Drives me crazy! It's a multi-faceted game, embrace it all.

 

[llabtfos]

candrea could have used some offense in the Gold Medal game last time, no?

btw the ol' saying is...offense wins games, defense wins championships. it's an old football adage, i think vince lombardi coined the phrase. certainly pitching and defense is highly important, but if you can't scratch a run across the plate then you aren't going to win either. I will say, in fastpitch -pitching is the most important thing though.

 

[CoachKevin]

I can buy that.

I just have seen some coaches focusing on Defense to the exclusion of Offense, and they've been doing it for years, so they "know" they're right.

Drives me crazy! It's a multi-faceted game, embrace it all.

I agree you must work on both sides of the ball.

I also agree that the defense can win or lose games for you. Take two evenly matched teams. Typically the team that doesn't make mistakes on defense wins.

I counted up our games this year, and we lost 10 games strictly due to errors. Giving teams 4,5,6 outs per inning will cost you.

 

[JC heir]

Personally , I find it easier to turn a bunch of reasonably talented athletes into a solid defense than & I do turning the same bunch into great hitters or pitchers...... In my book, give me a good hitting & pitching team & I can teach them defense enough to win games.

 

[Bill Bollinger]

A good offense will win games...

A good defense will keep you from losing games...

A good coach will be able to look at what they have to work with and focus the team on the things that give THAT team the best opportunity to win. If you are weak on pitching, then you better be able to hit. If you are weak at hitting, you better be good at defense. You must know and be honest with the talent you have IMHO.

Bill