First Round State Playoff scores!

No offense but if the only run you scored was off the squeeze play that the coach called you may be directing your anger at the wrong person. You still had two runners on with your "big hitters" coming up sounds like it was them that didn't produce. Maybe the coach felt like the only way they could score a run was doing the squeeze and turns out he was right.

 

I talked with Coach Anderson this morning and she said the ump told Taylor and her that other parts of her motion were illegal and she was lucky he was only calling what he was calling. He badgered the kid from the 3rd inning on.

 

Got To Try Something !!

Read ::

May 18, 2009
Volume I, Issue 5​

Keys to the Short Game!​

The short game is, and will always be, a key component of offensive success in fast-pitch softball. Our ability to maximize scoring opportunities by moving runners is crucial to the success of any team. The development of short game skills is the foundation for success in fast-pitch softball. Short game skills are much easier to perfect than the swing itself. By having the proper knowledge of the fundamentals and consistent practice of the skills, anyone in your line up can have productive at-bats and increase your opportunities to score runs.
One of the most underrated aspects of executing the short game is the pressure it puts on the defense. By having the ability to put runners in motion and getting the ball on the ground, you increase the chances of defensive mistakes and forcing quick decisions that must be made by the defensive players. Speed kills in our game, even with average speed and forcing the defense to move laterally, you open opportunities to move runners and score. As you get to higher levels of fast-pitch softball, you will find that the game is played on the ground. A groundball has to be fielded properly, thrown with accuracy and caught. A fly ball just has to be caught. The successful execution of the short game will win championships and the inability to execute those skills will increase your chances for defeat. Obtain proper knowledge, practice the execution and be 100% confident that your team can perform in game situations. Everyone can be a good short game player!
Perfecting your team's short game can help them achieve success on the field with practice, hard work and consistency in their play. Half of teaching life lessons to our kids through sports is learning the fundamentals of the game and teamwork. Responsible Sports offers an entire section dedicated to the other half called Coaching Beyond X's and O's.

The best coaches build opportunities for character education into their program, creating, recognizing and capitalizing on teachable moments. Beyond the X's and O's, Responsible Coaches teach athletes life lessons in persistence, teamwork, sacrifice, effort, empathy, discipline, leadership and overcoming adversity. Teaching our players to be better at their sport is rewarding, but not nearly as rewarding as feeling that we've actually helped shape the values they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

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Bunting:
The most often used short game skill is the bunt. The most common bunts are:

1. Sacrifice Bunt
2. Push Bunt
3. Drag Bunt (Sneak Bunt)

The sacrifice bunt is named as such because the hitter is sacrificing their at bat to advance a runner already on base. The sacrifice is used to advance a runner into scoring position. Every hitter needs to be able to execute the sacrifice bunt.
The two basic techniques used to execute the sacrifice bunt are squaring around both feet and pivoting the back foot only. Which ever method you choose to teach your team, here are some common thoughts to execute the sacrifice properly:

• Bunting from the front of the batters box increases the amount of fair territory to work with.
• Achieve a balanced athletic position with adequate plate coverage.
• Bat held at the top of the strike zone.
• Bat held level or barrel slightly above the hands.
• Always adjust from high to low by using your legs as an elevator. Never allow the barrel to drop below your hands or reach for a pitch.
• Bunt to the middle of the field — the pitcher is usually the farthest defensive player from home plate in bunt situations.
• Grip should be firm but not tight.
• To soften a bunt — contact should be made toward the end of the barrel.
• Attempt to bunt strikes only — most pitchers will try to make it tough on the first two pitches, be selective!

Aggressive corners will overplay the bunt and this will open some other options. One option would be the push bunt . The push bunt is executed by holding the bat tighter in your top hand and using your legs to push the ball towards the second baseman or in the seams between the corners and pitcher. We are attempting to bunt the ball hard enough to get it past the corners and pitcher. The key is to look for a good pitch that you can bunt easily. Right-handed hitters would look for a pitch middle-out to push toward the second baseman. Remember — the second baseman covers first base on the bunt so watch for infielders that cheat! This would present a great opportunity for the push bunt.
The drag bunt, or some call the "sneaky bunt," is sometimes used in a sacrifice situation but most commonly used to get a base hit. The drag is shown much later than the sacrifice and depends on the element of surprise.
From the right side, the drag bunt is executed by dropping the right foot back into a sprinters position as the bat is placed in a bunting position. Having our hands and bat head out in front of our center of gravity is crucial to our contract position. This allows for better vision and increases our ability to keep the bunt fair. Once again, it is not so important the direction of the bunt but the distance from home plate. Far enough from home plate that the catcher cannot field the bunt too quickly.
From the left side, the drag bunt becomes the foundation for any slapper that is an offensive threat. Most left hander's will use the same footwork as they would for the slap which are the straight-crossover, the step-back and crossover, and the shuffle.
A key factor for quick left handed slappers is their ability to explode out of the box. By running hard through the box, you gain valuable distance & time in getting to first base. The drag can be executed off any of these foot works with effectiveness. Everyone can be a great short game player if they choose to understand the importance of proper execution and the tremendous affect it has on developing a productive offense. Watch for a future article where we will go into more detail on the left-handed slap and how you can utilize speed to become an offensive weapon.
Until next month,

Coach Candrea
ASA Softball is proud to partner with Liberty Mutual Insurance to bring the youth softball community the Responsible SportsTM program, dedicated to championing and celebrating responsibility in youth sports. We believe that some of the most influential individuals in young people's lives are parents and coaches. Visit ResponsibleSports.com to learn more.

 

Agreed. Toss the ump!! Tough break Taylor. We have played against Taylor several times and she is a great pitcher. This has never been a problem for her before. Good luck girl!!

 

Did the ump say what she was doing that was illegal? Did he consult with the other ump? With the coach? Anyone have pictures or video?

Either the ump or the pitcher one needs to know for sure if something needs fixing.

 

Well not only that, but why only in certain games, or certain pitchers? I've not seen anything that should be termed illegal in a long while. There's no way one is perfectly right and the other perfectly wrong. Somebody has told these guys to concentrate on it, so they lose sight of their job. This needs to be addressed with the right people, whoever they are??????

Let two good pitchers go at it. If they are doing something illegal to gain an advantage, correct it, but don't ruin the game just for the sake of it, or to get attention. I hope the guy doesn't do somebody else the same way. I wasn't there, but from what I can gather it was a sham. I've seen both pitchers, and both are perfectly legal!!!!!! Come watch them this summer, and see if anything happens?

 

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE

Softball GURU Definitely words of WISDOM...

 

Taylor and Coach Anderson were given three different answers and when Coach Anderson pressed him for clarification, he said there was a "multitude of infractions and we were lucky that he wasn't calling them all". It was such a ridiculous spectacle that a couple Ledford parents apologized to me personally after the game.

And yes, one of the Ledford Coaches was bending the field umpire's ear after Taylor's second shut-out inning, and it was all down hill from there. It was pretty obvious the guy was not competent or knowlegeable enough to make up his own mind, much less to call a play-off ball game.

It is just a shame that he took a 5 inning 0-0 nail biter away from both teams. He definitely cast a shadow on the outcome. Neither team deserved that. Anyway, it's over. I just hope at some point someone will take a look at this issue and put a stop to the cheapening of this great game. Let em play ball!

 

I haven't seen the girl in this case so I can't comment on her specificlly but just because someone hasn't been called on it before doesn't mean they aren't doing it wrong. Most umps don't even look for illegal pitches unless a good opposing coach notices the infraction and points it out to them. If they do and the ump sees it and doesn't start calling it then they are not doing their job. The rules are there for a reason some on pitching I don't agree with but they are still the rules. Look at how college did this year in marking the pitching lane. By not making this call over the years it got out of hand. Mowatt won a national championship at Arizona and never threw a legal pitch. There is a picture of a girl from the cvac tournament throwing a pitch with both feet way off the ground and someone commented it wasn't illegal because she did it all year and it hadn't been called. The umps need to call illegal pitches or do away with the rules and just let them throw it any way they want

 

Same deal with Franklin frosh sensation Jessica Scott i believe is her name...had never ever been called for an illegal pitch until yesterday at Rutherfordton all because of a zealous ol man in the stands!!!! She has been pitching AAU school showcase for years and not ONCE???? gain the umpire woes fire em allllllllllllllllllllllllllll