R.

G De Castro Colleges

Bulan , Sorsogon

1st Semester , S.Y. 2021 - 2022

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"SOFTBALL "

Ecompilation of ;

▪ WARM - UP FOR SOFTBALL

▪ COURT DRILLS IN SOFTBALL

▪ BASIC SKILLS IN PLAYING SOFTBALL

▪ UMPIRE HAND SIGNALS IN SOFTBALL

Submitted By :

● PATRICK G. HABAL

● CHRISTOPHER D. LlABREZ

● DEO JESS G. GRAFIL

● EJ D. ENTERESO

Submitted To :

ANACLETO OTIVAR

P.E Instructor

SOFTBALL

Warm up:
Dynamic Warm-up Principles:

 Warm-up to throw, not throw to warm up.

 Focus on the purpose of every warm-up exercise
 Keep your head over your hips
 Stay in the Universal Athletic Position on the balls of your feet
 Whenever possible, maximally dorsiflex (extend) your foot and toes upward
 Perform each exercise through a complete and full range-of-motion
 Perform each exercise over a distance of 10-15 yards
 Lateral movements should be performed to both the right and left.
 In the beginning the dynamic warm-up make take anywhere from 20-30 minutes. Once proper
technique is programmed into the athlete’s warm-up, it should take approximately 10-15
minutes to perform.

Warm ups Description

JOG OUT, BACKPEDAL IN Jog forward (down) emphasizing pocket-chest arm

movement with good knee punch; backpedal with same
emphasis; repeat 2X
KNEE PULLS Walk forward pulling knee to armpit every other stride;
everyone down, everyone back
TOE PULLS Walk forward reaching down placing heel on ground and
grabbing toes pulling back every third stride; everyone
down, everyone back
WALKING LUNGE Walk forward lunging with square shoulders placing
elbow to ground planting opposite hand; everyone down,
everyone back
HURDLE KICKS Walk forward kicking leg every other stride with
shoulders on top of hips and reaching out front; everyone
out, everyone back
SLIDE AND STRETCH Side to side stretch with two infielder shuffles in between
everyone down, everyone back
HIGH KNEES Run forward emphasizing knee lift, pocket-chest arm
movement and forward lean; everyone down, everyone
bac
BUTT KICKS Run forward emphasizing calf to hamstring movement
setting off cycling action; everyone down, everyone back
DOUBLE TOUCH SKIPS Skip forward touching each foot twice emphasizing
stepping off power pad, good arm movement
LATERAL SLIDE SKIPS Skip sideways touching each foot twice emphasizing
stepping off power pad, good arm movement and knee
push
SKIP AND SWING Skip forward (down) with rotational arm swing forward;
skip backward (back) with rotational arm swing backward
SLIDE AND GLIDE Heel to heel shuffle (don’t cross feet) sideways down and
back with side-to-side arm swings
CARIOCA Carioca sideway down and back keeping shoulders
square
TAPIOCA Tapioca sideway down and back keeping shoulders
square while emphasizing fast feet and fast hips
 FAST FEET Run forward emphasizing putting feet up and down as
fast as possible; everyone down and back
START- STEALS Run forward from crossover start emphasizing staying
low, stride length, and chewing up ground, everyone
down, everyone back
FALL-STARTS Lean forward until you begin to lose your balance, once
you reach the point of no return, begin running/sprinting
emphasizing staying low, stride length, and chewing up
ground, everyone down, everyone back

Court drills:

 Hitting Drills

1. Pepper - Stand about 22 feet from three of your teammates, who should be about two feet
apart from each other. Your teammates will act as fielders and you are the hitter. To begin, hit
the ball into the ground in order to make it bounce to one of your teammates. Stay focused,
because one of your teammates in the field will retrieve the ball and throw it back to you so
you can deliver another ground ball.
2. Colored Ball Soft Toss- Stand at the plate ready to hit. Your coach will be on the mound
with two different colored balls in their hand. They will throw both at the same time, telling
you which color to hit. Your job will be to focus on the two balls and concentrate on hitting
the right color. You can add a third ball if necessary.
3. Double Tee- Set up two tees right in front of each other, both will have a ball on top.
Stand behind the first tee and get ready to swing. Take a practice swing to make sure
you are hitting the ball with full contact.
4. Flat Bat- Set up a tee at home plate. Take a bat and shave two sides in order to make
it flat like an oar. Have the player hit the balls off of the tee with the flattered bat. The
goal is to teach players to hit through the ball. In order to generate more power, you
must fully swing the bat.

 Pitching Drills

1. Long Distance Throws- Take steps backward from the bond, pitching a ball at each
step you take. Keep moving backward until the ball can no longer reach the catcher’s
glove while in the air. Begin to work your way back to the mound by pitching to the
catcher repeatedly from each spot. This helps power as well as accuracy due to the
longer distance from the normal pitching mound.
2. Knee Up- Get ready to pitch from the mound. Instead of staring in a normal position,
lift your knee opposite from your throwing hand. Then begin the rest of your pitching
motion. The key to this drill is balance, helping you make sure that your pitches are
always on target.
 3. Pitching From Your Knees- This drill also helps with balance, but this time with the
rotation of your throwing arm. Kneel down in front of a fence or net. Begin your
windmill motion and throw the ball off of the fence or net. Repeat multiple times until
your windmill motion feels stable.
4. Spot work- Set up the mound with a catcher at home plate. You will pitch to the
catcher, but in specific locations. These locations can be decided by either the catcher
or coach. This drill teaches you to be accurate with your pitches.
5. Speed Pitches- Set up the mound. Your coach will start a timer for 30 seconds. Your
goal is to pitch as many balls as you can to the catcher before the timer goes off. This
drill teaches endurance as well as accuracy. You will build up strength from the
number of repetitions you complete during the short time frame.

 Fielding Drills

1. One Knee Fielding- The purpose of this drill is to keep the ball in front of you. Set
up in the infield standing up, and your coach will slowly roll you a series of softballs.
As the ball approaches, get on one knee and guide the ball into your glove. Next,
return to your feet and throw the ball to the correct base. Make sure your throw is
accurate and makes your teammate in time!
2. Diving- Set up in the outfield grass. Get ready on one knee, as your coach will stand
with a bucket of balls about 15 feet away from you. He will toss a ball towards you
that is just out of your reach. It is your job to either catch the ball or field it by diving
towards it. This drill teaches timing as well as form when it comes to catching a ball
slightly out of your reach.
3. Fence- Set up about 10 feet from the outfield fence. Your coach will toss a ball
towards you that is high and deep in the air. Your job is to find the fence behind you
while searching for the ball. You can do this by stretching out your throwing hand.
Once you find the fence, make the catch by either jumping or standing still.
4. Infield Bounce- This focuses on releasing the ball quickly when the opponent is
almost at the first base. Place a fielder on third base. Slowly roll balls away from the
field of play so that the third baseman is to quickly retrieve the ball, turn, and throw it
low toward first base. If done correctly, the ball will bounce right before reaching the
glove of the first baseman.

 Baserunning Drills

1. 3-2-1- Place three softballs about three-fourths of the way from third to home. Place a
runner and a fielder both on third base. When the drill starts, the runner on third must
make it to second base before the fielder can retrieve and throw all three balls to
second base. If the runner wins, their team gets one point. If the fielder wins, their
team is awarded a point. Make sure to swap runners and fielders so they can get
practice on both offense and defense.
 2. Tennis Ball- Have a coach stand in between first and second base. Place a runner on
first base. The coach has a tennis ball in his hand at about eye level. As soon as the
coach drops the ball, the runner has to catch the ball before it bounces twice.
3. Thunder Ball- Have a fielder on first base and third base. Set up a tee by home plate
and have a hitter hit the ball. The hitter must reach as many bases as they can before
both of the fielders reach the ball that was just hit. For every base reached, one point
is awarded.
4. Score from Second- Have a player on second base, with three outfielders behind
them. Have either a coach or teammate hit a base hit into the outfield. On contract,
the runner on second must try and make it to home plate before they are thrown out.
This teaches the fundamentals of base running as the runner must use good angles in
order to quickly make it home. Sliding is also practiced in this drill if the throw home
is close.

Basic Skills in Playing Softball:

 Softball Fielding Skills

1. Throwing- One skill that sets softball apart as a sport is throwing. Throwing a
softball is key for every position on defense. Since a softball is bigger and heavier,
having a strong arm is crucial in order to make accurate, long throws. One great way
to improve your throwing skill is to play catch, especially long toss, where you and a
partner throw the ball and forth further and further apart.
2. Catching- Is another crucial defensive skill no matter what position you play on the
field. In the outfield you have to be specifically good at catching high fly balls. In the
infield you have to be able to catch short throws from other infielders, especially at
first base. The position where it is most important is aptly named catcher. There, in a
squat, you have to catch fast pitches from your pitcher.
3. Pitching- The most important skill that is not one of the “five tools”. Pitching is a
very technical skill, reserved for only one player on the field. Pitching is different
than throwing in softball because it is underhand and more athletic of a motion. To
improve pitching, you have to do it a lot. There are various drills as well but the most
important thing is to pitch a lot and take care of shoulder strength.

 Softball Batting Skill

 1. Hitting for Contact- This skill is your ability to make contact with the ball while
hitting. Hitting for contact is especially important for hitters who might not be as
strong as it is even more important to get base hits.
2. Hitting for Power- This skill is one that not everyone has, but is very coveted in
softball players. Hitting for power is the combination of making contact with the ball,
but also hitting it as far as possible. Usually only one or two players on a softball
team will be power hitters, hitting home runs and driving in lots of runs. If you can
improve this skill by lifting weights and working on your swing.
3. Running- This applies to both offense and defense, the only tool that does. Running
is especially applying to outfielders on defense, as they have to cover more ground to
get to balls. It is especially important on offense though, with base running. Being
fast is a huge advantage, leading to more hits and more runs.
4. Bunting- Bunting is an important skill of small ball softball. Instead of swinging and
hitting the ball, you put your hand up on the bat and tap the ball, usually down one of
the baselines. This is for fast runners to get base hits and also to advantage
baserunners.
5. Slap Hitting- A batting technique specific to softball where you hit the ball directly
at the ground, trying to create a big bounce so you can outrun the ground ball. This
skill takes a lot of work to perfect, but can be an important tool for any left-handed
batter to get on base.

Hand Signals:

 Umpire signals in softball

1. Count
Signal: The umpire will show the number of balls using the fingers on his or her left
hand and the number of strikes with the right. The numbers will also have to be called
out loud too, starting with the number of balls, then the number of strikes.
What it means: This helps to update all the players on what is going on in the game.

2. Delayed dead ball

Signal: A clenched left fist, stretched out at the side.
What it means: A live ball refers to a ball that is in play. When the defensive side
commits an error, the ball should be called dead. However, if the offensive team is
already running and has a chance to score, the ball’s so-called death may be delayed.

3. Double
Signal: Right arm is put up, displaying two fingers, along with the call, “two bases”.
What it means: The batter has hit a fair ball that eventually bounces out of play, but
manages to run past first base and reach second base before that happens.

4. Fair ball
Signal: Using the hand that is in closer proximity to the infield, the umpire will point
to the ball. He or she will also point towards the infield space with the other hand.
 What it means: If it is not clear whether or not a ball has landed on fair territory, the
umpire will have to wait till it ceases all movement before declaring judgment. If the
ball is considered fair, this signal will be presented.

5. Foul ball
Signal: The dead ball signal - two palms raised and facing outwards at either side of
the body - will be shown, along with a call of “foul ball”.
What it means: When an action on the field is deemed illegal, the ball will be called
dead.
6. Foul tip
Signal: Bringing the fingers from both hands down to meet in front of the chest, the
umpire will follow the foul tip signal with a strike signal - by putting his or her right
hand to face the ear, then folding it back down at the elbow with a clenched fist. No
verbal notification will be given.
What it means: When the batter bats a ball straight into the catcher’s hands, a foul tip
occurs. This is counted as a strike, and the ball remains in play.
7. Hold up play
Signal: The umpire will raise the hand that is nearer to the pitcher with his or her palm
facing out like a stop signal.
What it means: This signal notifies the pitcher not to start the game yet because the
batter is still not ready to bat.
8. Home run
Signal: Right fist rotating in a counter-clockwise motion while raised. The umpire
will also declare “home run”.
What it means: The batter has hit the ball far enough to allow him to run back to
home base, having run through the first, second, and third bases as well.
9. Infield fly
Signal: Right fist displayed, along with the call “infield fly”.
What it means: If the umpire decides, while the ball is in mid-flight, that the defensive
team will definitely be able to catch it easily, they will call the batter out under the
infield fly rule.

10. Play ball

Signal: A wave to the pitcher, using the hand that is closer to him or her. “Play ball”
will also be announced.
What it means: This is the signal for the pitcher to throw the ball and start the game.

11. Strike/out
Signal: Beginning with both hands in front of the chest, the umpire will raise his or
her right hand to face the ear. Following that, he or she will form a clenched fist and
put it back down, resuming the original position by bending at the elbow.
What it means: A strike happens when the batter misses a pitch. Three strikes become
one “out”.
12. Trapped ball or safe
Signal: Arms spread out at the sides, forming a horizontal line, palms down. The
umpire’s decision, whether “trapped ball” or “safe”, will also be announced.
What it means: Trapping occurs when a ball hasn’t been caught properly, hitting the
ground before the player catching it can scoop it up. It is up to the umpire to make the
final decision whether or not the ball is safe or trapped.