- Mar 4, 2018
- 126
- 28
First question. How do you teach a team or player softball IQ? Why do some players seem to pick up softball scenarios so much faster than others?
My daughter plays on a 10u team. One player (we will call her Betty) in particular just really seems to understand the game and picks up everything quickly. Betty plays mostly SS when she is not pitching.
Couple scenarios that make her stick out in terms of softball IQ. Runner on first and the batter bunts. Betty knows she should cover 2nd base on this play from the SS position but she also notices that nobody covered third on the play after the ball was fielded. Betty runs to third to stop the runner on 1st from going 1st to third on the bunt.
Another thing Betty does is steal bases very well, especially 3rd base. I would say she reads the ball out of the pitchers hand batter. She knows the ball is going to be in the dirt as soon as the ball leaves the pitchers hand. She also knows when she can beat the SS to third base if the SS is covering. Very good at delayed steals also. Very good base runner all around.
Betty is also very good for a 10u player at double cuts or relay throws. She gets to the correct spot everyt time. I have seen this girl throw a bunch of runners out at 3rd base or home. The team does practice these relay plays but Betty is the one player that just has the instinct to know where to be on every play.
My daughter plays on a 10u team. One player (we will call her Betty) in particular just really seems to understand the game and picks up everything quickly. Betty plays mostly SS when she is not pitching.
Couple scenarios that make her stick out in terms of softball IQ. Runner on first and the batter bunts. Betty knows she should cover 2nd base on this play from the SS position but she also notices that nobody covered third on the play after the ball was fielded. Betty runs to third to stop the runner on 1st from going 1st to third on the bunt.
Another thing Betty does is steal bases very well, especially 3rd base. I would say she reads the ball out of the pitchers hand batter. She knows the ball is going to be in the dirt as soon as the ball leaves the pitchers hand. She also knows when she can beat the SS to third base if the SS is covering. Very good at delayed steals also. Very good base runner all around.
Betty is also very good for a 10u player at double cuts or relay throws. She gets to the correct spot everyt time. I have seen this girl throw a bunch of runners out at 3rd base or home. The team does practice these relay plays but Betty is the one player that just has the instinct to know where to be on every play.