Nutritional Guidelines

It is important to stay in shape while playing softball, or any sport for that matter. This includes drinking lots of water; lay off the caffeinated drinks! Even when you are not thirsty, have a glass of water, you do NOT want to become dehydrated during a game or practice. Eat healthy. Salads, grapes, blueberries, salmon...these are all on the grocery lists of some of the world's best softball players. It also best if you eat fresh and organic food and not processed food. Get lots of rest the night before a big game. This will give you tons of energy for the game, and it'll be easier to get out of bed in the morning. You especially need to get a lot of sleep at a tournament for those early games. If you follow these nutritional guidelines, you'll be on your way to becoming a hot shot softball player!

Amazing Sportsmanship

Equipment

Gloves, bats, helmets, ball…these are all the necessary equipment needed to play a game of softball. Gloves are required to field and catch balls that are hit or thrown to you. Bats are used to hit the ball when the pitcher throws her pitch to you. Bats are pretty much a long metal or composite stick; the smaller the barrel, the faster the swing. Helmets protect batters from getting hit in the head with balls that are pitched, thrown, or hit towards you. It’s probably a good idea to put a face mask on your helmet as well, especially if you are playing fast pitch. Last, but most definitely not least, the softball is what you throw, catch, pitch, and hit. This 12 inch ball is usually made with a mixture of cork and rubber and has a yellow or white covering. Despite the sport’s name, softballs are not soft at all, so I would highly recommend a mouth guard as well to protect those pearly whites.

All-American Softball Player: Jennie Finch

Although she recently retired, Jennie Finch is still known as one of the best players in softball history. Jennie started her softball career when she was 5 years old, and started pitching at the age of 8. She attended the University of Arizona and played softball all 4 years. Eventually, her number, 27, was retired at a ceremony on May 9, 2003. At the Summer Olympics in Athens in 2004, Finch led her U.S.A. team to the victory of gold medals. And, in the Summer Olympics of 2008 (Beijing), the U.S.A. team earned a silver medal after a sad loss to Japan, 3-1. "She set the standard for softball in a new era of being able to be feminine and play this sport," says fellow U.S.A. teammate, Jessica Mendoza, "Not that you have to be feminine to play this sport, but I see hundreds of thousands of little girls now with glitter headbands, hot pink bats, makeup....when I was growing up, it wasn't like that." Jennie now is living a happy life with her husband/MLB pitcher, Casey Daigle and their son, Ace, and she will be remembered as the greatest player in the sport of softball.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_Finch

Defense

How many positions are there on the typical, fast pitch softball field? Do you know the answer? If you said 9, then you are correct! Now, do you know all of the positions? Well, there’s the pitcher, the catcher, the third baseman, shortstop, second baseman, first baseman, left fielder, center fielder, and finally, the right fielder. The pitcher is lined up exactly 43 feet away from home plate, which is where the catcher is. The third baseman stands about 2 feet from the foul line and a few steps in front of the base. Shortstop stands in between second and third base; the shortstop is also the leader of the infield…telling them how many outs there are in the inning and the next possible play(s). The second baseman’s position is located between first and second base. The first baseman is in the same spot as the third baseman, but instead of being by third base, she is by first. The outfielders (left, center, and right) can all be found in the grass area of the field. Left fielder stands behind shortstop, center fielder stands behind second base, and right fielder stands behind second baseman; the outfielders are crucial to the defense, especially when the offensive team has “big” bats.

How Do You Score Points In Softball?

Softball is becoming a popular, competitive sport for girls of all ages to play. Whether it’s fast pitch or slow pitch, this sport will suit anyone willing to get dirty. The object of the game is to see which of the 2 teams can score the most runs. Runs are scored by the batter hitting a ball and having the runner advance to the next base. Eventually the runner(s) will cross home plate equaling 1 run. A “home run” is when the batter hits a ball and runs around all 4 bases (first, second, third, and home plate). Hitting a “home run” might possibly be the best feeling when playing a game of softball.

2008 Summer Olympics Slideshow

Check out this video/slideshow of pictures featuring the U.S.A. softball team during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.