Softball Type Activities
Skills Covered
1. Throwing and catching
a. Throwing
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Eye on target
Grip the balls with the thumb and 3 (or two) fingers.
Preparatory action – “wind-up”…Extend the
throwing arm behind the body.
Opposition of throwing hand and lead foot…Lead
with the opposite foot.
Transfer of weight…Shift your weight to the lead
foot as you throw.
Follow Through…Continue your arm action after the
release, following through with that arm towards
your target.
b. Catching
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Assume a good ready stance…head up, knees bent, hands up and held in front
of your body
When catching a throw, hold your glove up as a target.
Fingers up to catch a high ball
Fingers down to catch a low ball or “grounder”
Keep your eye on the ball.
Absorb the impact when catching.
Catch with two hands if possible.
c. Fielding
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Charge all slow moving grounders
Receive the ball with one foot slightly ahead of the other. (The foot opposite
the throwing hand should be in front.)
Absorb the force of the incoming ball and use both hands to catch the ball.
Transfer the ball to the throwing hand after making the catch.
The same concepts apply for fielding “fly balls”.
d. Pitching
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Start with feet together.
The pitching arm swings backwards and forwards from the shoulder.
Step forward with the foot opposite the pitching arm as the ball is being
delivered.
Transfer your weight to the lead foot as you pitch.
Follow through with your pitching arm towards your target (home plate) or the
catcher’s mitt.
2. Batting
a. Stance
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b. Grip
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Feet shoulder width apart.
The side of the batter should line up towards the
pitcher.
Bat is held off the shoulder as the pitch is delivered.
Hands hold the bat at the “butt” of the bat.
The grip should be firm, not squeezed tight.
The hand of the arm that is closest to the pitcher is
nearer to the “butt” of the bat. (No Crossed Grip!)
Some batters will “choke up” on the bat to help
them have a stronger swing action.
c. Swing
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The Field
Step towards the pitcher with the foot that is closer to the pitcher as you start to
swing the bat at the ball.
Swing through the ball, keeping your eyes on the ball at all times.
Push your body forward using the rear foot to contact the ground.
Follow through with the bat by twisting your body as you swing. The back foot
should stay to the rear with your weight on the ball of the foot.
Drop the bat after you hit, never throw the bat down.
Softball Rules
Simplified
THE GAME
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There are 9 players on a softball team (sometimes 10).
The playing field is divided into the infield and outfield
The lines between the bases are 60’ apart and when joined they form a “diamond”, inside the
baseline is known as the infield
Outside the baseline but inside the playing field is called the outfield.
Any ball going outside the 1st or 3rd base line is a foul ball ( runners can not advance and the
batter gets another try unless the ball was caught in the air, which translates to an out)
An official game is 7 innings (a inning is when both teams have had their turn to bat)
PITCHING
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The pitcher must have both feet on the pitcher’s rubber and can only take one step forward while
pitching.
The ball must be thrown underhand.
Both hands must be on the ball at the start of the pitch.
BATTING
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Batters must follow the same order throughout the whole game
The batter is out if and when:
a) three strikes have been called
b) a fly ball is caught
BASE RUNNING
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Runners must touch each base in order
Runners may overrun 1st base only, all other bases the runner may be tagged and called out if
they are off the base.
Runners can not lead off a base, they must be on base until the ball as left the pitcher’s hand
After a fly ball has been caught the base runner must tag the occupied base before advancing to
the next base
One base runner can not pass another base runner that is ahead of them.
Stealing a base is not permitted
A runner is out if:
a. they are tagged with the ball before reaching a base
b. the ball gets to 1st base before the runner
c. they run more than 3 feet out of the base line to avoid being tagged
TERMS:
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Ball - a legally pitched ball that does not enter the strike zone (four balls equals a walk)
Grounder- A ball that is hit so that it bounces on the ground
Force out - when the runner has to advance to the next base to make room for the following base
runner.
Fly ball- ball hit up in the air
On deck - the next batter
Pop up- ball hit up in the air to the infield
Strike - term used when a ball is swung at and missed or is called when the ball enters the strike
zone and is not swung at all.
Strike zone - the ball passes the batter over the plate between their chest and knees