Archive for the ‘Softball Equipment’ Category
So Much Stuff!
My daughter started playing softball last year, and it’s amazing how much equipment is required for beginning a new sport. I never realized how expensive it is to get into a new sport. Before her first practice, I had to buy her more than $200 in supplies. She needed softball turf shoes, a helmet, a gear bag, a uniform, knee guards, and countless other things.
When she found out she would be the catcher, I was happy for her. But I was soon saddened to hear I would have to purchase her even more gear. It turned out catchers needed chest protectors, leg guards and a special face protector! On top of that, during the first game my daughter’s right baseball turf shoe got chewed up by our family dog and I ended up having to buy her a new pair!
For me the most effective way to practice hitting is to use a batting tee and a bag of wiffle balls. Tee it up and start hacking. The sooner you can hit a wiffle ball cleanly off a tee, the sooner you will become a better hitter. When you hit a wiffle ball off a tee correctly, it acts like a knuckleball. You can hear the air going through the ball. When you don’t hit it correctly, you create spin on the ball and it goes all over the place. When the ball spins alot, I make adjustments to correct my swing.
Since I’ve joined a local softball league, I’ve started breaking out the tee and wiffle balls. It’s not the most exciting thing, so you have to be creative. I put my headphones on and listen to my favorite music while I concentrate on my hitting technique. The weight of softball bats is distributed differently, so it has taken some getting used to. If you find using a wiffle ball slightly embarrassing, you could still use a standard tee.
When you stop to think about it, the catcher is truly the unsung hero of any softball team. Pitchers tend to get most of the glory – after all, it’s their stats that are affected most by a win or a loss – but the catcher is probably the closest thing to a leader a team can have. Just think of all the roles a catcher must play in a single game. There’s the question of suggesting which pitch to throw, of course, followed by actually catching the pitch.
Catchers have to do more than just prevent passed balls with their Akadema softball gloves, however. When runners try to steal second base, it’s up to a catcher to be alert and prepared to make a spirited throw. Those who really pay attention to the ins and outs of softball know that the catcher is something of a field general, controlling the pace of the game and calling many of the shots.
Softball and baseball are relatively unique among sports in that players are forced to switch seamlessly between surfaces. Basketball players stick to concrete, tile or wood floors, and football players know going into a game whether they will be playing on natural grass or field turf. In softball, a player must be prepared to transition from grass to dirt and back again at a moment’s notice.
As such, it’s crucial that a softball player have a pair of softball cleats. Cleats are especially useful for wet, slippery conditions because they aid in the gripping process. Some situations – such as an indoor game – are better suited for turf shoes, which are really just slightly modified sneakers. Cleats help baserunners gain traction outdoors, and they boost an outfielder’s ability to scramble toward a fly ball.
If there was ever a more influential pitcher in the game today, I am almost positive every young female athlete
would start listing the USA Olympic team, and within moments Monica Abbott would be mentioned. To simply list her accomplishments would not do this amazing justice for she has more softball accolades then most could even dream up in one life time.
She accredits her success to her parents and Tennessee’s Softball program in whole, but she’s also one of many athletes who chose to endorse a product that she believes in. In Monica’s case, it’s a fastpitch softball glove, and she went with the Akadema.
In my youth softball days, the other girls on the team nicknamed me “Rickey Henderson.” I took that as a serious compliment seeing as how Henderson set every significant stolen base record in the major leagues and also scored more runs over his career than any other player in history. I admired him for his willingness to take risks, his hard work ethic and lightning quickness.
My own success in softball had little to do with God-given talent, however. From the time I started T-ball, my dad started coaching me on the art of the bent-leg slide. At the end of every softball game, I would be the player with the dirtiest softball pants – the one who wasn’t afraid to be scratched and bruised if it meant leaving the diamond with a victory. The real Rickey would have been proud.
Whether an athlete is wanting to stick out of the crowd or follow their teams lead, there is no easier way then to own a very personal 
. There are multiple different styles of bat bags and softball equipment bags.
Some of the bags are huge and have multiple pockets for the athlete with a lot of equipment. These bags often have rollers to make the commute easier on the softball player. I have found it fairly common for most catchers to have these huge softball equipment bags; whereas the majority of the team typically prefers a somewhat smaller and lighter equipment bag. The ‘bat packs’ have made a huge splash in recent times, and I think this is primarily due to the convenience of wearing the the bag. Much smaller in design, these bags are still plenty big for the necessities.
It doesn’t matter what position or how serious of a softball player you are because a softball equipment bag is a must. There are a variety of choices and I know there is a right bag out there for everyone!
Very few softball pitchers have the ability to blow the ball right by a batter. Although it matters to an extent in baseball as well, the art of the finesse pitch is crucial to a softball pitcher’s success. By mixing up the speed and spin imparted on the ball, the pitcher can keep batters guessing. As soon as the batter starts to get a read on the pitcher’s habits, it becomes easy to predict when to swing.
From a hitter’s perspective, you should observe an opposing pitcher intently while your teammates are up to bat. This will help you to get a read on any physical ticks or tells. Make a mental note about the pitcher’s “stuff” – how many distinct pitches he or she possesses. Watch your teammates as they swing their Miken softball bats, and by the time it’s your turn to step into the batter’s box you’ll be ready to wallop one.
It’s the bottom of the seventh inning; the game is on the line. Your team trails by a run, and there are runners on second and third base. As you grab your bat and run to the on-deck circle, you realize that your batting gloves have been misplaced. No big deal. You take your stance in the batter’s box and foul off the first pitch. Ouch! The friction caused by a cold bat striking a softball sends reverberations up your arm, and the pain won’t subside for several minutes. By that time, the game is over.
Softball batting gloves serve two crucial purposes – that of protection and grip. Without high-quality gloves, even the best players would struggle to complete a successful at-bat. In cold weather, the gloves serve as a line of defense between you and the shock of impact. And no one wants to deal with the embarrassment of losing a grip on the bat. By wearing a reliable pair of gloves, you can take those possibilities right out of the equation.
Softball, like its cousin baseball, is a very popular team sport in the United States. It was originally intended to be a way for baseball players to keep in practice during the winter months. For a long time, it was referred to as Indoor Baseball.
Softball bats are used by the batter and are made of metal, wood or composite materials (carbon fiber, etc.). Sizes may vary. In fast pitch softball, wooden bats are not allowed.