Jenni Finch

Jenni Finch was one of the greatest pitchers in softball, she is a legend. Finch is on the USA Olympics softball team. She has won a Gold and Silver Olympic medal, and a world cup champion ship. She has accomplished many amazing things in her career of softball, many people look up to her. She even has her own line of softball gear. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2002. Finch was a three time All-American pitcher and first basemen. She is one of the most respected people in softball.

Catching

Catching is a position, besides pitching, that is one of the most dificult positions in softball. You have to have many things to succeed as a catcher. The most important thing is to have a good conection with your pitcher and the rest of your team. You also need to know whats going on in the game, and one that has a voice of incouragement. This position is really hard on your knees sinc you are pretty much squating the whole hour and thirty minutes you are playing. There is so much equipment you have to wear as well; and in the 90 to 100 degree weather it feels like its about a billion degrees in that. This is a main position that not many people could even do, but if you know how to it is a lot of fun to do. Except it is a lot of work trying to stop all the balls you can and throw out all the players that try to steal.

Positions

There are 9 positions in softball. Catcher, Pitcher, 1st Base, 2nd Base, Short Stop, 3rd base, Left, Right, and Center feild. All of these positions are very important, but some are more important than others. You defintely need a pitcher and catcher if you are going to succeed at all in the game. Short stop and first base are important as well, most of the balls are hit to short or third and you need to throw it to first to get an important out. Center feild is also important to have as well bacause they tell out feild where to go, they also need to be really fast and not afraid to dive and get down and dirty.

Hitting

When hitting, there are many things you need to know to be able to hit the ball well and strong. First your feet should be about shoulder width apart, and both hands holding the bat; with your left hand on the bottom and your right on top and your knuckles lined up with each other. This will help you to be able to roll your hands over after making contact with the ball. When hitting the ball you need to have all of your body into the motion, when making contact with the ball your hips shoud twist and your back foot should twist as well, creating as much power as you can. This will help you get as much power as you can.

Pitching movements

There are many different pitches you can do. There is a fast ball, drop ball, change up, curve ball, rise ball, screw, knuckle ball, and many others. A fast ball is held with four seems and you just snap it at your hip, it doesn't have much of a movement to it. A drop ball is like a fast ball except of just snapping it straight you snap it and then roll your had over so your palm faces the ground; this makes the ball drop right across the plate to pych out the batter. While a rise is ment to do the same but it rises up insted of down. And a change is ment for a batter to chase after the ball.

Reading a pitch

Reading a pitch is a very advanced thing to do in softball. This is something that many girls learn to do in 16 and unders. This is also the time when you get to learn all of the fun and tricky pitches. But all these pitches have a different way you can read them, some you can't see coming until it passes the plate. Most pitches that girls get caught on are change ups and rise balls, it all depends on who is hiting and who is pitching. You always need to learn about the pitcher you are facing before going up and hitting the ball. You should always know what her pitches are and what works best for her, and what pitches are her strong ones. If the pitcher is having a really hard day you can guess she wont be throwing her hardest pitch she has.

Difference between High school and Competitive.

There isn't really that much of a difference between High School ball and Competitive. You have to compete for your spot in both. There isn't that big of a difference in the age groups, so it isn't very scary for any freshman to play with senior. Because they could be teammates on a competitive team. The only difference from High School and competitive that i could think of, is in high school no one will be cut from the team; but in competitive if you aren't good enough for their team you will be cut from it. This is why it is a good thing there is a varsity team and a JV team, but they are mostly like A and B teams in competitive leagues, so there really isn't too much of a difference between the two.

Leave it all out on the feild.

All that coaches ask for is to have you give a 100 percent effort and leave it all out on the field. This is what they are always impressed to see. They also like a girl with a great attitude and try to help your teammates in any way possible, from helping them with their technique to just being for them. Being a good teammate is what anyone would ask for, someone that will be there to help you through anything; or just being there as a good friend always helps you improve your game. Even if you have a problem with a player on your team, they're still your teammate and you will have to treat them with respect; you can't accomplish anything if no one on your team doesn't get along. It's not a healthy thing and coaches don't like to see it.

This is my game. This is why i play.

For a lot of people softball isn't just a sport it's a passion. Something that they think about all the time, something that isn't forced upon them but stuck to them. Most do it for fun, but many do it because it brings out the competitor in themselves. It's one of those sports that isn't known well to others, and may think it's just another cute little girl sport. But those people are very wrong, this sport can get rough and intense a lot of the time. It's definitely one of those sports that can keep you on your toes.

Difference between Baseball & Softball

The difference between baseball and softball is not that much of a difference. In softball the bases are 60 feet from each other while in baseball they are 90. Also a softball is 12 inches a diameter of 3.8 inches, and a baseball is 9 inches in circumference. And when pitching a baseball you throw over hand but in softball you throw under hand. Even though some balls still have the same movement for each. A baseball travels farther than a softball does because it is so much lighter, and a lot easier to hit and throw. These are a few distinctions between the two sports.

Ptiching Throws

There are several types of pitches you can throw. But the main ones people know are fast ball, drop ball, rise ball, change up, curve ball, screw, and knuckle. Most pitchers know how to throw fast, drop, change, and rise because they are the easiest to grip and throw. The fast ball and change up are the only two that have the same grip among all the others. All you need to do is grip the ball on four seems with all fingers spread out evenly. But the way you throw it is the exact opposite from each other. when throwing the fast ball you snap forward with your palm facing up, and on the change you snap forward with your palm facing down, this creates spin on the ball to make it go fast or slow down. But on throwing a drop you grip the ball on four seems like the fast ball, but you put your index and middle finger together. And throwing the ball is the same as the fast but after you snap you turn your had over so the ball makes a spin so it drops when it gets past the batter. There are lots of other pitches to learn about, but these are the main ones.

Pitching Rules

There are many rules that you must know before you can pitch. One very important rule is you can't wear any jewlrey while pitching or anything on your arm. Like a band aid or a sweat band. You also can't have any blood on your uniform or you can't pitch. Another crazy rule would be not being able to step off the pitching mound with both feet in the air or else the batter gets a ball called on the count. This rule is called a crow hop and it is when you leap with both feet off the ground insted of one. You also can't have your nails painted while pitching. These are some of the many rules that pitchers have to follow during fast pitch.