A stopwatch is a great coaching aide and an essential tool to have in your softball equipment bag. The bases are only 60 feet apart in fastpitch softball, so time is of the essence. It’s one of the big differences in softball and baseball. Fastpitch Softball is much more of a speed game than baseball. If you don’t know how long it takes each of your players to perform a skill, then you are just guessing at what your results will be on a play.

Once you have used a stopwatch, you will wonder how you ever got by without it. Information is POWER and with a stopwatch as part of your softball equipment, you will be well on your way to building a winning fastpitch softball team.

Running the bases could be the most overlooked skill in Fastpitch Softball. The object of the game is to outscore the other team so the faster you get your girls from one base to the next the better chance you have of scoring. How many girls do you have that slow down as they approach a base (especially first base)? How many of them are afraid to slide? How many just aren’t very aggressive on the bases? When you conquer these challenges, your team will turn into a high-octane scoring machine.

The first step to being successful running the bases, is to get your girls to understand the concept of their speed. Undoubtedly, some players on your team are considered fast and some considered slow, but do you really know, and do the slow girls know how fast they really are? It’s time to break out the stopwatch (please read the article about the greatness of the stopwatch ) and find out. Time the girls running from home plate to first base. A typical 12U team, the times ranged from 3.18 up to 3.75 with the bulk of the girls clocking about 3.5 seconds. An 8U goal is to get the times below 4.0 seconds. Most of the slower players will be amazed at how close they really are to the faster players and this will go a long way towards building their confidence on the bases. At the close of EVERY practice, have the girls line up at home, and time them running to first base twice. This helps the girls practice running in general, gives them a goal to achieve since they want to beat their teammates, and MOST importantly it teaches them to run through first base.

The next step is to make them understand the concept of time and distance. You will probably find this very enlightening as well. Have your players gather between home plate and first base, then mark off seconds on the baseline. For my 12U team I used 3.5 seconds as the average speed, so starting at home plate I paced off 17 feet and put a ball on the ground, then another 17 feet and so on until you have reached first base. Now explain to your team what you have done. Ask them questions like: how many times running the bases have you been thrown out by less than one step and have you ever been thrown out by 17 feet? Then explain, that one step they get thrown out by is only 1 or 2 tenths of a second. I believe you will start to see some enlightenment in their eyes. You will want to talk about getting out of the box fast and not watching the ball. When they hit the ball their eyes should be focused on first base and nothing else. To drive this point home, time one of your players running from home to first the correct way, then have that same player run one third the distance with their head turned to the left as if they were watching the ball. The point will have been made, and your girls will now understand time and distance, and the speed of Fastpitch Softball.

In Fastpitch Softball there are no lead offs, but you are allowed a running start if you know how to do it correctly. As you just learned, tenths of seconds make the difference in being out or safe, and ultimately in scoring or not scoring. Base runners should stand in a running position with their left foot on the base, their right foot behind them next to the base, and arms cocked. As the pitch is being thrown the runner should leave her left foot on the base, but begin running with her right foot. Do NOT ever let them stand on base in a set position with their left foot on the base and their right foot forward towards the next base. Feel free to break out the stopwatch and see what a difference this makes. In preseason practices, I will have the pitcher take the mound, have the girls line up on the first baseline, and have them practice timing the pitcher’s release and getting a running start. Generally they will catch on pretty quickly, however, the coach needs to be watching to see who is getting off too early and who is getting too slow of a jump. As the season progresses, I will go back to this drill if I notice some of the players getting lazy on their starts.

Slide, Slide, SLIDE!!! "OUT" Why didn’t you slide? You can hear these words at almost every Fastpitch Softball game. Hey coach, guess what? At least half of your players will not slide until you have taught them how and until they have practiced it and been successful. You also need to realize that some of the girls that refuse to slide are very scared of getting hurt. I don’t recommend practicing sliding on a dirt infield ESPECIALLY if the players are just wearing shorts. If they get scraped up even one time in practice, it will be almost impossible to ever get them to slide in a game. I have two suggestions. First, and the most fun, is to have a slip-n-slide day. Have a practice at your house and have the girls wear their bathing suits. Then break out the slip-n-slide and have fun. If you have a little more money, I suggest purchasing a sliding mat . A sliding mat is a perfect tool for teaching sliding. In the preseason, I take this to every practice and have each of the girls take about five slides. Pretty soon the girls will gain confidence in their ability and lose their fear of being injured. Once the season is underway, I will only use this drill about once a month or as needed. Remember, this game is won or lost on tenths of seconds. If your softball players aren’t sliding, then they are slowing down so they can stop on the base. Ouch, or should I say OUT.

Once you have taught your players the concept of speed and distance, taught them the proper technique for running starts, and taught them the proper technique to slide, you will have given them the confidence to be more aggressive base runners. Other coaches comment on how fast my players are, but it’s really not true. My players really aren’t faster than their players in a straight sprint. They just play fast by getting a good jump on the ball, concentrating on running the bases, knowing how fast they really are, and running full speed until it's time to slide. Running the bases, sliding, lead offs, and timed sprints will be a staple in the winning coach's practice routine.

I will start with the obvious, have I found a weakness on the field...1st, 3rd, pitcher? If so, that's the obvious choice. Attack the weak player or the player having a bad game. This could also be a weakness in their defensive scheme, for example if they don't have the 1st baseman crash the bunt. Always take advantage of a weakness and as often as possible.

Next, it depends on my primary objective. If my primary objective is to score the runner from 3rd, I typically want the bunt about 6-8 feet up the 1st baseline. 6-8 feet so it's far enough away from the catcher that 1B has to make the play. Also, towards 1B because I want the catcher to lose sight of the runner coming home. A perilous time for the catcher knowing the runner is about to score but can't see her coming. Makes for a lot of missed or bobbled catches. Also gives the runner an advantage as they can find a part of the plate to slide to.

If my primary objective is to get the batter to 1st, I would be more inclined to bunt towards 3rd base. Now the 3rd baseman must do a 180 to check the runner and then another 180 to make the play at first. Also, 3B will have a slightly longer throw to 1B than the 1st baseman. We are only talking about 10ths of seconds, but it can be the difference in safe or out. Under this scenario, the 3B Coach has the responsibility of picking up the shortstop to make sure she doesn't come in behind the runner at 3rd. The Runner should have the 3rd baseman in view and can lead off appropriately. Just don't get picked by the SS.

Also, whether you choose to bunt towards 1B or 3B, I want the ball well off the line. On a softball field, I want the ball placed more to the SS or to 2B than up the lines. When the batter squares to bunt, 1B & 3B should be breaking on the play. I want them to have to change the angle of their approach rather than be able to run full speed in a straight line to the ball.

I would be inclined to bunt towards 1B. I would be hopeful that 2B might go to 2B with the runner from 1st and thereby leave 1B uncovered. In softball it's virtually impossible for P to cover 1B. In baseball, that's not necessarily true, but may be true in a bunt situation if the pitcher breaks to field the bunt.

One final factor to consider is your batter's abilities. I have several players that bunt extremely well towards 1B, but seem to put a LOT of balls foul when going towards 3B. Maddening! If the first attempt goes foul, you have lost the element of surprise. So, play to your strengths.

Get in the habit of having the girls step out and look at the third base coach as part of their approach to the plate. She should always step out of the box and look down before each pitch. This also gets her in the habit of getting out of the way when there is a play at the plate.

Believe it or not, 7 & 8 year olds understand signals. For this age group I really like to use the Nose as an indicator. Which means that the very next thing you do after you touch your nose is the signal. I like to use the nose and explain it to the girls that "you knows the signal is coming". I know, really poor english, but they get it. For the bunt signal I like to use the hand on the chest. Explain that when they bunt they have to turn their chest towards the pitcher. For the hit signal, I usually make two fists, one on top of the other, and hit them together (almost like you are gripping a bat).

Don't get too elaborate with your signals. 8 year olds confuse easily. For example, don't give the bunt signal without giving the indicator and expect the girl not to bunt. If she sees you touch your chest, she will bunt regardless of you touching your nose or not. Also, don't run through 16 different body parts looking like you've got fleas. Keep it simple, and go through maybe 3 to 5 motions.

One more signal to know. If the player doesn't understand the signal then she should put one hand on top of her helmet. This lets you know to run back through the signals.

I will start with the obvious, have I found a weakness on the field...1st, 3rd, pitcher? If so, that's the obvious choice. Attack the weak player or the player having a bad game. This could also be a weakness in their defensive scheme, for example if they don't have the 1st baseman crash the bunt. Always take advantage of a weakness and as often as possible.

Next, it depends on my primary objective. If my primary objective is to score the runner from 3rd, I typically want the bunt about 6-8 feet up the 1st baseline. 6-8 feet so it's far enough away from the catcher that 1B has to make the play. Also, towards 1B because I want the catcher to lose sight of the runner coming home. A perilous time for the catcher knowing the runner is about to score but can't see her coming. Makes for a lot of missed or bobbled catches. Also gives the runner an advantage as they can find a part of the plate to slide to.

If my primary objective is to get the batter to 1st, I would be more inclined to bunt towards 3rd base. Now the 3rd baseman must do a 180 to check the runner and then another 180 to make the play at first. Also, 3B will have a slightly longer throw to 1B than the 1st baseman. We are only talking about 10ths of seconds, but it can be the difference in safe or out. Under this scenario, the 3B Coach has the responsibility of picking up the shortstop to make sure she doesn't come in behind the runner at 3rd. The Runner should have the 3rd baseman in view and can lead off appropriately. Just don't get picked by the SS.

Also, whether you choose to bunt towards 1B or 3B, I want the ball well off the line. On a softball field, I want the ball placed more to the SS or to 2B than up the lines. When the batter squares to bunt, 1B & 3B should be breaking on the play. I want them to have to change the angle of their approach rather than be able to run full speed in a straight line to the ball.

I would be inclined to bunt towards 1B. I would be hopeful that 2B might go to 2B with the runner from 1st and thereby leave 1B uncovered. In softball it's virtually impossible for P to cover 1B. In baseball, that's not necessarily true, but may be true in a bunt situation if the pitcher breaks to field the bunt.

One final factor to consider is your batter's abilities. I have several players that bunt extremely well towards 1B, but seem to put a LOT of balls foul when going towards 3B. Maddening! If the first attempt goes foul, you have lost the element of surprise. So, play to your strengths.