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Despite the name, a softball is not soft. A softball is about twelve inches in circumference – three inches larger than a baseball. Thousands of children in the United States are treated in emergency rooms for baseball and softball-related injuries. Softball injuries to the head are involved more than any other part of the body.

The following safety tips are designed to help children play safe and prevent injury on the baseball or softball fields.

Softball Equipment Safety:

Children should use always use proper safety gear when playing. This equipment includes catcher’s gear, athletic supporters and cups, protective eyewear, and proper footware (which may include cleats). Good quality, double-eared helmets should be worn to protect the ear and temple region against ball impact. Catchers should also wear a helmet with full face and throat protection.

Breakaway/quick release bases should be used instead of standard stationary bases to reduce the impact forces generated from of a sliding player.

Protective screening should be used to protect players in dugouts and on benches, and the playing fields and facilities should be well-maintained. The playing field and facilities should be free of garbage and debris, and there should be no sinkholes, stumps or rocks in the infield or outfield. Fences, walls and posts should be padded to help prevent injury if players run in to them when attempting to catch a ball.

All equipment should be inspected regularly to make sure it is in good condition.

Playing The Game:

Children should be taught how to play softball correctly, and they should play with other children of the same skill level, physical maturity and weight. Players should be taught to perform proper streaching and strenghtening techniques before playing.

Players should wear sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of 30 or higher. The sunscreen also should be sweat and water-resistant and reapplied every two to three hours.

The coach should be made away of the player’s medical conditions. A child should not play if he or she is experiencing persistent pain, a loss of motion, or any other abnormalities.

All players need to be kept hydrated. Water should be made available before, during and after all games and practices. Water is best, but sports drinks and juices can be decent alternatives. Avoid caffinated drinks, as caffine is a diuretic, which acts to dehydrate the body.

In the Case of an Injury:

Adult supervision should always be present, and a person certified in CPR and first aid needs to be present at all practices and games.

RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate) is effective for most minor athletic sprains and strains. All injured softball players should receive adequate treatment and full rehabilitation before resuming play.

Finally, Spring is here and with it comes the beginning of Fastpitch Softball season for hundreds of thousands of little girls. Along with the start of Softball season also comes the recruitment of parents to become volunteer coaches. The FEAR, the anxiety, the hope that you don’t lead your daughter’s team to a winless season. Here’s the good news, like just about anything else, if the new coach will find a successful mentor the coach can quickly learn what skills and strategies need to be utilized to win. However, the large majority of new fastpitch coaches are dads that think since they played baseball 20 years ago they can easily transfer that knowledge to their team and be successful. After all, it’s just a bunch of 7 & 8 year old girls, right? Wrong. To be successful the new coach not only has to coach his team, he must also out coach all of the other dad-coaches.

If you think coaching doesn’t make that big of a difference, then please explain how a coach went 93-4-2 over a 5 year period in 8U fastpitch softball while coaching his daughters. That’s a very impressive record no matter what age you are coaching. And don’t think for a moment that it was talent that led to that record. I’m talking about a team that every year lost half of it’s players to promotion to the older age group and had to pick up 6 or 7 brand new players…typically girls that had never played the game. So how could this one coach pile up 5 straight 1st place finishes and compile a winning percentage of .960%?

It boils down to knowing what strategies and skills are most effective at different ages. That’s the only possible answer. For example, the three most important positions in 8U Softball are First Base, Pitcher and Second Base. As players get older it’s certainly true that talent can make a difference. But talent still has to be coached. An athletic player under a poor coach will never achieve her full potential. However, average talent can achieve superior levels under the guidance of a great coach.

Regarding offense, most new coaches tend to build a batting order similar to how professional baseball teams put together a batting order. That’s a sure way to lose games in 8U softball. The best advice is to stagger the strong hitters with weaker hitters mixed in. That way your team is able to bat further into the lineup, allowing for a couple of outs, yet scoring the maximum number of runs allowed. Many new coaches also forget to teach the girls how to bunt the ball. The younger the team is the more important it is teach girls to bunt as it helps to build hand-eye coordination while allowing the player to contribute to the success of the team.

Finally, most new coaches don’t know what training tools would be of greatest benefit to their team. Typically the league will issue a sack of softball gear that might include a couple of bats, a dozen balls, a few batting helmets, and some catcher’s gear and the new coach never gives it a second thought. However, regardless of age every coach needs to have a sack of plastic poly balls and a hitting tee just to name a couple of training aides. In the younger age groups a coach might want to have two or more hitting tees so his team gets plenty of practice time swinging a bat. As for the poly balls, not only are they perfect for batting practice, but they are also perfect for learning how to catch pop flys in order to prevent injuries.

Good Luck to all of the new softball coaches. Don’t assume you know it all, find a mentor, do some research, teach skills that are age appropriate, and have fun. It’s going to be a great season of softball and one that your daughter will never forget since her dad was the coach.

 

Dr. Ramzi Saad, along with his young daughter Amelia who is well-versed in sun safety, and his colleague Jeanne Gutowski of South Shore Skin Center spent most of the day providing the community with information about sun safety, skin cancer and the most effective way to apply sunscreen. Cetaphil, Neutrogena and SolBar sunscreen samples were given to all.

 

According to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, there are over a million new cases of skin cancer each year, which outnumbers all other cancers combined.

 

Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin cancer. Early detection is the only way to prevent it from becoming deadly. The New England area has the highest concentration of melanoma cases, partially due to weather patterns of intermittent, intense sunlight which

increases residents’ risk.

 

“We can reduce melanoma incidence by teaching skin cancer prevention and early detection. Anyone can develop skin cancer. It is easily recognizable and preventable. Educating kids and their parents/guardians is key. Sunscreen should be applied before UV exposure – and UV exists even on cloudy days. Children who play sports and spend a lot of time outdoors should always wear sunscreen,” noted Dr. Saad.

 

South Shore Skin Center

Founded in 1984, South Shore Skin Center is one of Massachusetts’ most progressive dermatology practices offering a wide range of medical, surgical and cosmetic services. 

 

South Shore Skin Center’s cosmetic services include Fraxel re:pair and re:store; Gentle YAG, innovative Laser, IPL (Intensive Pulse Light), Thermage and treatments for age spots, acne scarring, birth marks, tattoos and more.  The practice also offers a full range of affordable anti-aging services including Botox, wrinkle fillers, Microdermabrasion, laser skin resurfacing and chemical peels. 

 

South Shore Skin Center offices are located at 223 Chief Justice Cushing Highway, Suite 202 in Cohasset, Mass. (781) 383-3340, and 45 Resnik Road, Suite 102 in Plymouth, Mass., (508) 747-0711.  For more information, visit their website at www.SouthShoreSkinCenter.com.

                                                      

 

 

There are several assistances which can be useful in the training of your team of baseball.

Sliding.

The hour to teach the slip is when a boy starts to play the baseball. It is more close to the ground and eager to learn. Let grass increase 6 or 8 inches top in the stinking territory at the end of an enclosure or an outside the barrier of outfields. It is all the cushion which the player has need.

Place a base (insulated) coward in the center of the sliding sector. Each boy who is physically adapted should practise to slip it each time goes to the field, slide three or four times towards the line and three or four times towards the left so that it usually forms the correct model and do not have any fear of the slip. It should carry to slip of the trimmings, the trunks of basketball, or the heavy shorts of swimming to avoid burns of skin.

Target Of Pitching

The cords of pitching, presented at the professional baseball by Branch Rickey, provide a target for a jug. Two zones of strike are recommended. They are set up above the dishes at the house in the enclosure (the enclosures, in addition, should face in the same one with the direction like the monticule and the dish at the house of the pitcher .) They can be built timber of fall, painted white, and to be anchored to the ground with the pegs for this purpose.

Poles 2 by 4 inches can be wedged in the ground roughly 10 feet of distant with the sides 4-inch parallel with the monticules of the pitcher . the posts should be aligned so that the cords tied up between them are directly above before each dish at the house. A cord should be with the knee-high average size of the small league beats and the other cord with the average size of armpit of a majority of beats in each league.

The cords, which can be obtained in stores of material, should be strong white cord similar to a line of the inscription of the carpenter . once that the cross-cords were stretched, of the vertical cords to the width of each dish at the house should be tied up between the cross-cords directly above on the sides of a dish at the house to achieve the zone of strike.

Monticules of pitching of practice should be set up the suitable distance from pitching of the zones of strike, and still practise wafers of pitching can be built timber of fall, painted white, and to be anchored to the ground with the pegs.

When the jugs heat, while using the zone of strike for a target, this practice can be made more realistic while having a smooth stand of paste in the box of the batter . In this way the smooth paste is likely to judge strikes and balls and to be familiarized with the launched ball, and the jug obtains used to launch to a smooth paste.

After some sessions, the smooth paste can begin its oscillation and to draw then again with obtain the practice to check its oscillation when launching is bad. It is a good drill for the smooth paste, but it should never not go through par with the oscillation because it would break the cords and could wound elsewhere establishing somebody.

Handling range the beater

If there is space close to your field of play, develop a handling range the beater of part in T. A net or a fabric can be tied up between the posts or the buildings. The size of the sector is not too important, but a sector from 8 to 10 feet top and with 30 feet broad is recommended. This would take care of three handling parts in T the beater and beats at the same time it.

By employing a wool ball of practice, the sector handling the beater of part in T could be installed close to a building or any other barrier which would eliminate the need for going a long distance to seek the handled ball the beater. A wool ball of practice will carry rather far in flight to determine if the smooth paste strikes the line orders, grounders, or flies high, and will eliminate the rupture from the windows and other risks from this nature. Still if no sector is available, of the parts in T can be installed behind the regular thrust of field and of the balls can be struck against the thrust. Employ a baseball rubber-cover, a plastic ball, or a ball of tennis if the wool balls are not available.

With these some assistances, the training of your team can become much more effective.

If strength needs to be improved, it is in the hands and wrists.  The ability to use the body is also imperative.  Big guys and little guys can hit for distance if they incorporate body action in their strokes.  This  means they have learned to use their hips first, and hands last, with a powerful snapping action.                          

It is imperative that the batter develops a quick pivot and quick hands when giving your kids baseball coaching tips. 

Many young players never develop power because they are taught to just “meet the ball.”  It’s a common phrase in baseball.  As a result, many hitters stop their hands on contact and they never hit through the ball. 

Hitting is controlled aggression, while maintaining balance and control 

Another problem young hitters have comes from watching baseball on TV.  They let the top hand go too soon.  My suggestion—finish with both hands.  This will further incorporate hitting through the ball. 

Add to this the problem that many players are taught little league hitting tips by getting their hands out over the plate on contact.  Some times this is as a result of being taught incorrectly to get extension over the plate.  Extension does not occur on contact, but rather after contact.  When hitters try to extend on contact, it is like sawing wood, using too much arms and shoulders.  This method will not power the ball. 

In order to learn how to hit for power in baseball the hitter has to get his hands out in front of the body to contact the ball, with the top hand over the bat, and the bottom hand under the bat.  The top hand is then like a hammer on contact. 

Using the hands like this will increase bat speed at least 30-40% more than the arm swing.  

How to hit for power in baseball comes down to : 

A strong body Quick hips Especially quick hands, out front on contact Hitting through the ball Being aggressive 

We fully explain this powerful stroke and baseball coaching strategies in the Super 8 Hitting System, completely demonstrated in a series of baseball hitting videos.