Fielding lessons

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Does your kid take fielding (IF/OF) lessons and/or do extra work at home ?

  • Yes

    Votes: 13 100.0%
  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
Oct 26, 2019
1,375
113
I see a lot of baseball coaches referenced. Different game.
Are you implying the mechanics needed to field a grounder are different. I definitely acknowledge differences in the 2 games, but fielding grounders isn’t one of them.
 
Oct 9, 2018
396
63
Texas
Are you implying the mechanics needed to field a grounder are different. I definitely acknowledge differences in the 2 games, but fielding grounders isn’t one of them.
Are you implying that how a SS fields in softball and how a SS fields in baseball are the same?
 
Nov 20, 2020
995
93
SW Missouri
To me there is nothing more impressive than a smooth IF..I’d rather watch that then a good swing tbh.

DD has a school ball teammate (she’s played with her off and on since 10u) who has spent A LOT of work at SS. Her footwork and ability to field is truly fun to watch.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Are you implying the mechanics needed to field a grounder are different. I definitely acknowledge differences in the 2 games, but fielding grounders isn’t one of them.
The mechanics of fielding the ball are not any different. Back flat, glove out in front, catch the ball under your left eye, head buried, toes of left foot (for RH thrower) hitting the ground as ball is caught, bringing the ball to the middle to throw, replace the feet to throw, etc...eg





The way I look at there are certain types of balls (some guys call them zones) that get trained in baseball (backhand where you can take a step, ball which you square up where you can take an extra step or two) that don't need to be trained (or at least emphasized) in softball...that is pretty much the biggest difference.

@GunnerShotgun, feel free to explain yourself (or counter anything I said or which is explained in Antonelli's video of Bates) since you have brought this up twice already in this thread.
 
Last edited:
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
MLB vs FP I think is position-dependent. SSs can look and work a lot alike, the room to roam to both sides and need to come up throwing is similar. 3B is a completely different position MLB to FP -- in MLB there's more time to play deep, back-step and backhand if necessary and the long throw is a unique skill vs. FP constant attack and quickness. 2B arguably different too now that MLB 2B play so deep so often.
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
As for good vs. bad, the danger (in any sport) is that repetition burns in skills -- whether the technique and form is good OR bad. Some will argue that overspecialization is bad for kids. I agree multi-sport is great for overall athleticism and fun. But doing things the RIGHT and most OPTIMAL way over and over again from an early age is they key to high-level success for most kids (a few freaks notwithstanding). And burning in bad mechanics over and over is the reason B league and high school softball most often looks the way it does -- tough to change mechanics at that point: pitching, fielding, hitting, throwing, whatever.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
The game is of fastpitch is to fast for some of the fielding techniques that are taught to baseball players. It is like fastpitch can only take the aggressive fielding techniques from the baseball playbook.
Sure..and the mechanics are the same for those "aggressive fielding techniques". Like I said, the training only differs in the emphasis on what types of balls they will likely get. No point in training a double shuffle in FP for example. Also in baseball they often use a two cone drill to learn how to get to the right of the ball..in FP you should probably use one cone to teach a small move to the right (like Bates in the above video) versus a more banana like path. That said if ball is hit hard right at a good baseball IF, they too will just take a small step to the right (like Bates). The point is to understand a) how much time you have and 2) how you want to field it (under your left eye going towards 1b)
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,477
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top