This clip is a direct result of a discussion going on at DiscussFastpitch.com. In this clip I do a little experiment to see just how “easy” it is to reach a runner sliding away from a defender if a defender is “giving up” the basepath by standing to the inside.

One poster over at DiscussFastpitch.com said that I would be surprised at just how much territory can be covered if a defender is standing off to the inside of a basepath (in order to avoid obstruction) basically saying that an average person would have the reach to make a tag from this position.  I was arguing that the defender shouldn’t have to give up that lane and make things easier for the runner.  This person was trying to tell me that the defender can still be make the play even if they do give up the basepath.  So I had to do a little experiment to see if that person was right.

Another issue that came up was path to the bag/plate. Some coaches feel the best route to a bag is always directly at it - why go any other way?  Find out in this video. Continue reading »

Yesterday I hooked up my video camera to my new Macbook for the first time. I had some softball clips I took yesterday that I wanted to get onto a DVD.

I also came across some other fun softball video clips from last year. This one is part of an 8U game. I love watching this age level because the girls just have so much FUN playing the game…even when things don’t go exactly right (as you will see in the clip).

Check it out and let me know what you think…(leave me a reply below)

Quick tip for defense to help you get more outs and win more games.

As stated in the video: obviously every defender should try to make their throw as easy to catch on the receiving end. However, many more balls go from ss or 3b to 1b to try to get an out than from outfield to the infield yet most coaches aren’t too concerned with how the ball gets from 3b/ss to 1b so long as it gets there relatively straight and catchable. This is why I wanted to point on this situation so that coaches can help their SS and 3b get better and so that players who play those positions can make themselves better.

After all, if you play SS or 3b and you’re fighting for a starting position and the 1b can always catch your ball with no problem to get the out and the other person playing SS or 3b has a tougher ball to catch and the 1b is dropping 1 of 10 or even 2 of 10 balls, who do you think is more likely to get the playing time? Just something to think about…