Playing softball can be a lot of fun. Winning at softball makes playing fun. One of the best ways to win a softball game is to make sure you score more runs than the other team. Yes this makes perfect sense but to accomplish this requires that your outfielders know exactly what to do in almost any situation.
There is only one way to ensure that your outfielders produce in a winning manner. This one way is to practice. There is an old saying that says, “practice makes perfect”, but I totally disagree with that statement. I prefer to use one of my own, “perfect practice makes perfect”. For you see if you practice but do things wrongly then when these things occur in a game you are more than likely to do the same thing wrong. Do your best to practice as perfectly as you can as you begin these four drills for outfielders in softball.
The first thing that needs to be practiced by any outfielder is the act of catching a fly ball. Yes this is an understatement but please bear with me. To be able to catch a fly ball the first thing that must be done is the outfielder must see the ball in the air. However, before he/she see the ball in the air it is imperative that your outfielder picks the ball up coming off the bat. Being able to do this means that the outfielder will be able to quickly determine where the ball is going and then have a good idea as to the best path to take to get to it.
I am sure you will agree that there is more to catching a fly ball than having it fall into the glove. Another type of hit ball that can be very difficult on any outfielder is the line drive. Here the ball is usually no more than ten feet off of the ground and usually is moving at a high rate of speed. Again being able to see the ball come off of the bat is essential to being able to catch the ball for the needed out. As a quick reaction that is usually required to get into position to catch a line drive picking up the ball as soon as possible is the key.
The next area that needs to be discussed is the ball that is a grounder that makes it way thru the infield or is hit over the infield and then begin to roll along the ground. Here it is very important for the outfielder to get in front of the ball. If the ball is traveling straight at the player it is easier to get into the correct fielding position to make the play. Now then, if the ball is not moving directly at the outfielder he/she will have to run it down. With this type of play the fielder will have to be able to bend at the waist and knees to be low enough to pick up the ball before it rolls beneath the glove.
The last drill that needs to be completed is throwing the ball back to the infield. Here arm strength is not being questioned but baseball knowledge is. If no runner is on base and a ball is hit to the outfield that is not caught for an out the ball must be returned to the infield as soon as possible. It is important to never throw behind a runner. So if the batter takes a wide turn at first base do not throw to first. If you do this then the runner will be able to advance into scoring position by moving to second. If there is a runner on second and the outfielder has a strong arm then it is smart to try to make a plate at the plate. However, if a strong arm is not there then allow the run to score and do all you can to hold the batter to only a single.
If your outfielders can master these four drills then you are one step closer to limiting the number of runs your oppositions scores. Getting into position to make a play, whether the ball is hit into the air or own the ground, and knowing the correct base to throw the ball to is a very important part of the game. The only sure fire way to make this happen each and every time is to do your best to develop a mind set of perfect practice makes perfect. Once this is done and taken to heart you should be able to win more than you lose.
