WINNING Sof tba l l For GIrls xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 1 10/20/09 12:20:36 PM Sof tba l l The Winning Sports for Girls Series Winning Basketball for Girls, Fourth Edition Winning Lacrosse for Girls, Second Edition Winning Soccer for Girls, Third Edition Winning Softball for Girls, Second Edition Winning Track and Field for Girls, Second Edition Winning Volleyball for Girls, Third Edition xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 2 10/20/09 12:20:36 PM WINNING Sof tba l l For GIrls Second edition Mark Gola foreword by Gretchen Cammiso Varsity Softball Coach Harry S. Truman High School A MounTAin Lion Book xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 3 10/20/09 12:20:36 PM Winning SOFTBALL FOr girLS, Second Edition Copyright © 2010, 2002 by Mountain Lion, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gola, Mark. Winning softball for girls / Mark Gola ; foreword by Gretchen Cammiso. — 2nd ed. p. cm. — (Winning sports for girls series) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8160-7716-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8160-7716-9 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-4381-2670-8 (e-book) 1. Softball for women. I. Title. II.Series. GV881.3.G66 2009 796.357’8—dc22 2008054453 Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Text design by Erika K. Arroyo Composition by Hermitage Publishing Services Illustrations by Sholto Ainslie Cover printed by Bang Printing, Brainerd, MN Book printed and bound by Bang Printing, Brainerd, MN Date Printed: December 2009 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. wQ t A i j opS d T k P To the Norris Family: Randy, Carol, Robyn, Dave, and Kerry xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 5 10/20/09 12:20:36 PM xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 6 10/20/09 12:20:37 PM wQ t A i j opS d T k P ConTEnTS Foreword xv Acknowledgments xvii IntroductIon xix 1 hIstory, rules, And equIpment 1 History 1 Rules 2 The Field 2 The Game 3 Pitching 5 Batting 6 Running 7 Equipment 7 Uniforms 7 Head Gear 7 Ball 8 Bat 8 Gloves 8 Footwear 8 2 hIttIng 9 Confidence 11 Preparation 11 Quiet Confidence 12 Maintaining Confidence 12 xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 7 10/20/09 12:20:37 PM P k d S o j i A t Q w The Grip 13 Let the Fingers Do the Talking 13 How to Align the Knuckles 14 Eliminate the Tension 15 The Stance 15 A Workable, Comfortable Stance 15 The Textbook Stance 16 Weight Distribution 17 Stance Position 17 The Stride 19 Timing Your Stride 20 The Launch Position 21 Don’t Roll and Don’t Wrap 23 Separation 23 Weight Shift 23 Linear Movement to the Ball 24 Stiffen the Front Leg 24 A Bent Front Leg 25 Hip Rotation 26 The Swing 28 Level Through the Hitting Zone 28 Follow-Through 31 Hitting Zone vs. the Strike Zone 32 The Strike Zone 32 Hitter’s Counts 33 The Hitting Zone 34 Vision 35 Use Both Eyes at the Plate 35 Soft Center/Hard Focus 36 Picking Up the Pitcher’s Release Point 36 Faults and Fixes 37 Poor Balance in the Stance 39 Poor Flex in the Stance 39 Hot Feet 41 Stance Too Wide 42 Stance Too Narrow 44 Excessive Preliminary Movement in Stance 45 Poor Positioning in the Batter's Box 46 xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 8 10/20/09 12:20:37 PM wQ t A i j opS d T k P Bat Too Heavy or Too Light 48 Bat Too Long or Too Short 49 Overstriding 51 Stepping in the Bucket 51 Drifting 52 No Separation 54 Barring the Lead Arm 56 Little or No Hip Rotation 58 Chopping at the Ball 60 Pulling Your Head off the Ball 61 Dropping the Rear Shoulder 62 Overswinging 62 Cutting the Swing Short 63 Premature Weight Shift 64 Improper Grip 64 No Hip Rotation 65 Drills 65 Tee Work 65 Long Tee 66 Soft Toss 66 Hi-Low 67 Quick Toss 69 Front Toss 69 One-Handed Hacker 69 The Happy Gilmore Drill 71 Games 71 Opposite Field Fever 71 Three-peat 71 Indian Softball 72 3 FundAmentAls oF deFense 73 Throwing the Ball 73 Gripping the Ball 74 Step and Fire 74 Follow Through 77 Catching a Throw 77 Finding the Right Glove 77 Ready and Waiting 79 Get It Out Quickly 79 xx+220_WinSoftball.indd 9 10/20/09 12:20:37 PM