explosive rotational hitting

Ground Balls

Most of the hits at your level of the game are going to be ground balls, or "grounders." These are often tricky to catch. The important thing is to get in front of the ball so that it gets to you, you are in a position to block it if you get a bad hop, or if it bounces out of your glove.

If a ball is hit to you, bend your knees, put the backside of your glove fingers on the ground in front of you, and put your other hand over your glove, ready to trap the ball if it tries to squirt out.

Most of the time the ball is not hit right to you. MOVE YOUR FEET. RUN two or three steps to the spot where you think you can get to the ball. When you get to the spot, slow down, get under control, and get into position to field the ball.

Some times the ball will be hit really slow. DONT WAIT FOR IT. Remember, it's a race to first base. GO GET THE BALL! Run up to it if it is hit slowly.

Sometimes the ball will be moving so slow you can pick it up with your bare hand and throw it. Your glove is there to protect you, and to catch fast moving balls. If you can pick it up easily with your bare hand YOU SHOULD! Why, because think about how much time it takes to pick it up with your glove, transfer the ball to your other hand, cock your arm, and throw. You want to throw that runner out before she gets to first!

Here is a video of fielding ground balls. All of these are hit at the fielders, but look how quickly they get in position, and see how quickly they throw the ball to first base.


That coach says "There's nothing wrong with your hands but your feet." What does that mean? That means you need to move your feet to get where your hands can field the ball. Most of the time, the ball is not just gonna roll up to you and hop in your glove. You have to move to get in position. Here is a good video of how to get in position if the ball is hit a little bit to your left or right. Practice this shuffle step.

How to hit a softball

Here is a good video of a coach teaching the "load, stride, and swing technique."

How do I throw a ball?

Baserunning - 2nd, 3rd, and HOME!

Remember how you were taught to run THROUGH the base at first base.

Well forget it. You are now running to second, or third base. You must not run through these bags or you will be tagged out. You must stop on the base, unless you think that you can keep going and make it to the next base without being tagged out.

See this guy up here? He thinks he can make it to third base so he is running as fast as he could around second without slowing down.

In the big leagues, ball players will SLIDE into the base if it looks like they are going to get tagged out. You are too young to slide, so you must be careful to stop on the bag if you are not running to the next base.

Remember. Listen to your base-coaches. They will tell you to "take two!" or "Take three!" Watch your first base coach when you run to first. Watch the third base coach when you are running to second and/or third base. They will tell you to stop or keep going.

Now you are running to home plate. Just like running to first base, you want to run straight through, do not slow down or stop.

Here is a great video. The batter hits a ball very hard and the runners start flying around the bases. Look at the third base coach telling the runners what to do. He waves his arms like a windmill telling the first runner to keep going to home plate. But uh, oh, the play at third base is going to be close for the next runner. See the coach hold up his hand telling the runner to stop. Then he throws his hands to the ground telling the runner to slide. Because this runner is not "forced" to run to third, the third baseman will have to catch the ball from the outfielder and TAG him out. Does he?

Baserunning--Running to First

The first rule of baserunning is listen to your coach.

There will be a coach at first base, and at third base, telling you what to do. But there are some general rules. What you decide to do as a baserunner depends on how and where the ball is hit.

Lets start with the batter. You are up, taking some mighty hacks. You hit the ball hard and take off running. Put your head down and steam towards first base as fast as you can. DO NOT SLOW DOWN to stop on the base. You will be running through the base as fast as you can. Step on the bag, and veer to your right, towards the fence.

If you slow down to stop on first base, that gives the other team more time to throw you out. Remember, it's a race to the base.

Sometimes, though you may hit the ball really hard, and it might get through the infield. Keep your eye on your first base coach. If he yells at you to "take two!" or "go to second!" then keep running, take a wide turn, step on the first base bag and race to second base before they tag you out.

Tagging a runner

A baserunner is always out when you tag her with the ball (or your glove, if the ball is in it.)

If a runner is not "forced" to run, then you must tag the runner out. As we discussed before, a runner is not forced to run unless the ball is hit on the ground and there are runners on all the bases behind her. A runner standing on first is also always forced to run on a ground ball.

So pretend a runner is standing on second base. There is no baserunner behind her on first base. She will not be forced to run if the batter hits the ball. She may WANT to run, but she doesn't HAVE to run, because there is no runner on first base behind her.

Pretend the batter hits the ball on the ground. If the runner standing on second decides she wants to try to get to third base, then you must tag her before she gets to the base.