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Softball bats were at one time made chiefly of wood, but advances in technology have introduced materials such as aluminum, graphite, and composites. Each material has its positive and unique features.

Wood: Wood softball bats are very rare but are slowly regaining favor with softball enthusiasts who would rather hear a whack and not a ping when the bat meets ball. A wood softball bat is bottle-shaped and can weigh between 32-35 ounces (around 8 ounces heavier than an aluminum bat). Traditionally, wood bats have been made from ash. However, ash is light and soft and bats made from ash tend to splinter and dent fast. Wood from maple, oak, and bamboo is also used for these bats. Maple is harder and its grain is denser as compared to ash, making it less susceptible to splintering and chafing. Bats made from Chinese bamboo are the closest wood bat equivalent of an aluminum bat. Bamboo is extremely light-weight and ha a tensile strength higher than that of steel.

Aluminum: The increased research and engineering in the science of bat making has resulted in high-tech aluminum softball bats that can cost upward of $300. Aluminum bats are lighter thereby enabling batters to generate greater bat speed and control. They are stronger and more durable than wood bats and they do not break; however, they may dent or crack over a period of time. Aluminum bats are available in different alloy and weight combinations. Light aluminum alloys that are thinner are more resilient and provide a larger hitting zone or “sweet spot”. Aluminum bats are made in single-layer and double-layer combinations; double-layer bats are used by the power-hitters.

Graphite/Titanium lined: Aluminum bats are lined with graphite or titanium. These light, durable, and strong materials are added to aluminum bats with thin walls in order to make the bats lighter. Lighter bats help batters to generate more power in their swing. Bats lined with graphite or titanium have a greater hitting zone or “sweet spot”. These materials are shock-absorbent as well and aid in reducing the shock felt when a stroke is mistimed.

Composite materials: Bats made from composite materials such as carbon, glass, or Kevlar are light weight, rigid, and sturdy. Composite materials enable bat manufacturers to incorporate varying strengths and stiffness in different parts of a bat. The result is a bat with stiff bat handles for greater control, low stiffness hitting areas for better performance and reduced shock, and differentiated swing weights. Bats made from composite materials have a large hitting surface with a more pronounced “sweet spot”. However, the extreme velocities at which the ball rebounds off the bat can pose a safety hazard to the pitcher who has to react in a very limited time.

Softball Bats That Are Prohibited

If your league is anything like most leagues in Colorado, you probably receive a list of illegal bats at the beginning of each softball season. Maybe the list is handed out at your manager’s meeting, or maybe it is posted on your softball league’s website, either way, you need to be conscience of that list when selecting a bat.

Why are there illegal bats?

There are two main reasons that softball leagues issue illegal bat lists. The first is for the protection of the players, mainly the pitcher. Every day the bat companies are inventing new technologies that are equipping players essentially with bats that more resemble artillery launchers than traditional softball bats. This puts the pitcher, in particular in danger. Depending on your league rules, the pitcher will be around 40-50 feet from the mound after the release. (Also, depending on your league rules, the pitcher may be 4 or 5 beers into the evening after the release).

The strength of some of the players, combined with the new technology of the bats put the pitcher in a very precarious position as a line drive comes scream towards his/her head. And don’t forget the pitcher isn’t the only one who should be concerned for their safety, infielders, particularly third base and shortstop, when righties are up, and second base and first base, with lefties, also can get quite a lump on the noggin from a hot shot off some of these enhanced technology bats.

The second reason behind issuing illegal bats is fairness of play. Recreational softball should not be won by the team that can pay the most for bats, and rest assured the newer the technology, the higher the price.

Recreational softball is played by millions so that they can go out and have fun for an hour or so a week. If a team is plunking homerun after homerun into the lake on the other side of the fence, the game will get tedious and boring. Restricting the power behind the bats, will keep more balls in the park and make the game more fun for both teams.

These are the two main reasons that recreational softball leagues issue an illegal bat list. Before you purchase a bat, make sure you check the illegal bat list for your league.

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In the last 5 years the growing popularity and use of illegal substances like steroids in major league baseball has created a public outcry and led to indictments, arrests and congressional hearings. Some have even put major league baseball on par with professional wrestling as it is now a drugged or juiced game and old, lasting records by the greats like Ruth and Hank Aaron can easily be broken by lesser athletes on steroids and have become meaningless. Just look at Barry Bonds for an example.

Barry Bonds became depressed in the late 90s as new athletes like McGwire and Jose Conseco were becoming more popular for belting homeruns. Bonds was a great athlete, but he was aging and just like his father was headed for retirement. Bonds and everyone else knew that Conseco and the others were taking steroids. It was inevitable that Bonds would start taking steroids as he was very jealous and had an insatiable appetite for being the leader, he could not stand being in second place to anyone and he saw the great results of McGwire and Conseco.

Barry Bonds started taking numerous types of steroids through his trainer Greg Anderson. His physique, career and baseball would never be the same. Bonds was better after the steroids than anytime in his career. The steroids had elevated his career and possibly made him the best player in baseball history as he has now hit 722 career home runs. Only a few of the greatest players in Baseball history have ever hit into this range. It is similar to what Tiger Woods has done in Golf and his chasing Jack Nicklaus with his 18 career major titles. The difference is that Tiger Woods is a real champion and does not use illegal enhancers or drugs like steroids or cheat in any way. Kids can look up to him as a real hero.

Tiger Woods worked and trained very hard, he is also human as he went through a lot dealing with the loss of his father. Tiger woods through his great game and ethics has elevated professional golf and its fan base to all time highs. Barry Bonds, on the other hand, has devastated major league baseball and its rich history. Records are not meant to be broken on a daily or monthly basis. Records are just that records of greatness, by actual heroes like Joe DiMaggio, Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle and Ty Cobb. They never used steroids and were great players both on and off the field.

What every professional athlete needs to understand is that our kids see them as idols, heroes and mentors. Its not about the money, its about the game. Ninety nine percent of professional athletes never become a great like Rod Carew, Michael Jordan, or Warren Moon, but they are all imprinted in our children. Everyone remembers the negatives like McEnroe and his emotional outbursts, Rae Caruth and O.J. Simpson whom have abused the legal system and their fame to commit murder, steroids, gambling and the expulsion of baseball legend Pete Rose. The leaders of these professional sports must soon realize that these players have tainted and in some respects ruined the future of sports like major league baseball.

To see immediate evidence of this all one has to do is look at the dwindling number of visitors to the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY. It used to be almost every young boys fantasy to see the outfit worn by Babe Ruth, the Ball that was signed by Reggie Jackson and his Yankee teammates, the stories of greatness and great hurdles and obstacles that were overcome by some of the legends. Rare baseball cards by players with strict standards like Honus Wagner whom had his cards pulled as he did not want to be associated with cigarettes and tobacco. The meaning of baseballs rich history has greatly suffered and will continue until something drastic is done.

Athletes like Barry Bonds that cheat and use illegal performance enhancing drugs should be banned and immediately removed from baseball and other sports. They should receive punishment worse than Pete Rose and should be stripped of all records, titles, and history in the game. Let someone who worked hard, overcame adversity and great obstacles, and never cheated and had great ethics, standards and was a true hero be the one to determine their fate. Someone like Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron set records, great records, the hard way and they are being tarnished by the likes of Barry Bonds and others. Hank Aaron, like Herschel Walker, overcame a very poor upbringing, racism, lack of resources and through sheer determination became one of the greatest athletes ever.

It is time to stop the commercialism and get back to the basics of these sports. We have forgotten what the game really means. There is a reason why in Brooklyn they still remember the Brooklyn Dodgers. Lets not let the great game of baseball be ruined by people like Barry Bonds. They must be removed from the game, their history completely wiped out and start anew. This is the only way to retain or rescue the image of professional baseball.

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Banjo hitters are always on the look out for hot bats to get them out of the cellar. What they do not realize is that getting on base at a higher frequency outweighs the over the wall thrill of crushing the baseball.

At the amateur level the playing field was leveled by having bats certified. The figures and ratios for these different levels of certification were designed to protect defensive players. Once the batter puts the ball into play, the defender only has their glove, skill and ability to keep them out of harms way.

Yet even with these protections there are fatal results. Most notably was a promising college pitcher that for what ever the reason was not able to protect himself from the ball being struck. Sadly, a line drive to the forehead resulted in a fatal injury.

Ball Exit Speed Ratio (BESR) is required to be listed with all non-wood bats used in the NCAA which is the limit of the liveliness. Certification process is performed by the University of Massachusetts at Lowell Baseball Research Center. UMLBRC is the official certification center for non wood baseball bats used in NCAA and NHFS leagues. Manufacturers previously were allowed to certify their own bats but his was eliminated in 2006. BESR is a mathematical prediction based the physics by applying the law of conversion of angular momentum to the ball-bat interaction.

Which is completely a mouthful but if you want all the nitty gritty equations, you can find them at the Baseball Research Center web site which is hosted by the University of Massachusetts - Lowell. All the technical information about how the BESR gets its name and what procedures are taken to certify bats are in the White Paper there.

Every year the marketing experts will tell you that theirs is the best bat for the buck. It is their job to convey to the public why theirs is the best and why you should have no issues with spending upwards of $400 to improve your game.

Marketing folks tend to pass over the fact that all non-wood bats require proper break in and temperatures to perform to the levels established in the lab. Add to this that batting cages are great for swing development they do little if noting to facilitate bat break in. Batters must simply hit real leather covered baseballs to break in new baseball bats.

Most baseball bat owners do not need to worry about varying weather as it is the select few that travel outside their dominate weather region. The accepted rule of thumb is never use composites under 65 degrees. So, for those in the northern states, wood and metal a better as they can handle the temperature ranges. Also, what may be a killer bat for a player that uses it in Arizona can be a complete dud should they travel to western Washington as the coastal air is heavy and generally cooler. This combination reduces ball flight via friction and weight in the ball while in tandem reducing the sweet spot on the composite and metal bats.

Manufactures look for ways to improve performance while attaining the BESR ratings. Backroom machinist have developed ways to “juice” or “roll” metal and composite bats to gain several feet of ball travel. All in the name of gaining a mechanical advantage over the opposition.

The scary part of shade tree bat modifiers is they may be creating something that is so un-safe it verges on dangerous. Not being a metallurgists and changing the way a baseball bat is shaped or designed to respond to high velocity impacts can lead to serious injury. Everyone in the vicinity of the impact is now at risk. Batter, Catcher and Umpire are all relatively close to where a 9 ounce ball traveling upwards of 75 miles per hour collideswith a 28 ounce bat rotating at 70 miles per hour. That is a whole lot of energy being redirected in an instant.

Worse yet would be the change in ownership of the bat. If an individual wants to modify their bat and place themselves at risk is one thing, but to sell it off at a garage sale to an unsuspecting baseball player is ludicrous. No conscientious person would hand someone a live grenade minus the pin. Not knowing when, how or to what extent a bat will fail is not different.

Player bat selection needs to be made on the basis of feel, comfort and confidence. These three things must be present at the approach to the plate, waiting at the plate, through the entire swing until the bat is released from the hands as the player make progress to fist base.

Lighter is generally better and the player can develop greater rotational velocity. Changes in mass do affect the response of the ball. Do not sacrifice sure footedness and balance for weight. Players may have short term or inconsistent gains with heavier bats. Trading for higher batting averages will always outweigh the occasional home run.

So, what makes for a hot bat? Hot bats are those that each player individually selects which provides for the best possible batting average at their skill level. Be it wood, metal or composite, if the player can consistently make contact with the ball from various pitchers, you indeed have a hot bat.

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Henry Chadwick, called the father of baseball, its first writer and the inventor of the box score, claimed that American baseball was positively descended from the British game of rounders, which became “town ball” in this country, then baseball. He was an eyewitness to the evolution, having seen rounders played as a boy in England, and rounders, town ball and baseball in this country.

A. G. Spalding, founder of the famous sporting goods house, a fine pitcher himself, and publisher of the “Baseball Guide,” claimed that such a theory was nonsense and that baseball was purely an American invention. A committee was appointed to investigate the matter. The findings of the committee - that baseball had been invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday, a distinguished Civil War General, in Cooperstown, New York - were based wholly upon evidence submitted in a letter written by a man who stated that he had observed the actual invention when he was a schoolboy in Cooperstown.

Many accepted the findings of the committee even though there seemed to be much more evidence to support Chadwick’s claim than that of Spalding. To this day, even though numerous baseball authorities have repeatedly poked holes in the Doubleday theory, there are many who still believe this old story. It should be noted that Abner Doubleday himself never made any claims whatever to having had any influence on baseball. He had died years before the findings were published.

By the early 1840s, the baseball games played in this country had been pretty well standardized into “Town Ball,” played East of New York, and “the New York Game,” played, naturally, in New York. They were alike in many respects but Town Ball was patterned more after the ancient rounders, while the New York Game seems to have been largely taken from cricket. In 1842, the New Yorkers drew up the first diagram of a baseball field and grown men began to take this boys’ game seriously and to see in it possibilities for a great sport.

In 1845, the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of New York was formed, the first such organization in history. It was an amateur group with duly elected officers. No professional organization was to appear for twenty-five more years. The Club immediately began drawing up a set of standard rules and making plans for a more satisfactory playing field. Draftsman and surveyor Alexander Cart-wright was given the task of preparing a diagram for a new type of field.

By the following year, Cartwright had prepared the diamond diagram which, except for minor changes, is the baseball field used to this day wherever baseball is played. The Knickerbockers also established uniform rules which set the pattern for present-day ball.

The First Game. - The Knickerbockers then issued challenges to take on all comers and the first baseball game ever played under organized rules took place on June 19, 1846, at Elysian Fields (near Hoboken), New Jersey. “The New York Nine” was the opposing team and they beat the Knicks 23-1 in four innings.

So depressed were the Knickerbockers that they played no more inter-city games until 1851, but limited their play to practice games. After five years of practice, they evidently believed they were ready for another go at the game and took on the “Washington Baseball Club of New York” on June 3, 1851 on the same Elysian Fields.

Both teams were tied at the end of the ninth, but the Knicks got two runs in the tenth to win the game 22-20.

From this small beginning, the great game of baseball has developed into the huge game it is today.

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The safety factor is an important one at all levels of baseball, but it is particularly necessary with beginners. It should not be overlooked at any stage of Little League activity, whether in spring training, tryouts, practice sessions, or games. Coaches and managers might like to post the following list of precautions in a dugout, clubhouse, or dressing room:

1. Have an adult at the field at least a half hour in advance of the scheduled activity to control the group until the start of organized activity.

2. Check the field for obstacles - holes in outfield, stones, a hole in front of pitching rubber, etc.

3. Have the adult space the youngsters who are warming up so that other groups are not endangered by wild throws and muffed catches. The throwing should be parallel.

4. Unless the area is unusually large, have the adult keep the boys from participating in batting practice until the regular workouts begin. Pepper games can be organized if the players are spaced properly, with groups bat ting the ball parallel to each other. There should be no more than four players in each pepper game.

5. Have boys bring a jacket or sweater to wear during warm-up and after workout.

6. Require batters to wear batting helmets during batting practice. Helmets must be worn by batters and base-runners during games.

7. To keep bats from slipping out of batters’ hands, use non-slip grips of tape on the handles, or have players use rosin on their hands.

8. Have rules about retrieving foul balls batted into busy streets.

9. The head-first slide should be prohibited except when returning to a base.

10. During sliding practice, bases should be left untied when boys are being taught the fundamentals of sliding.

11. Build a warning track at least six feet out from the fences and back stop, using cinders, gravel, or some similar material.

12. Inspect equipment regularly - particularly batting helmets and catching equipment.

13. Teach players to take good care of all equipment and facilities.

14. Players should not wear watches or rings.

Additional Safeguards

1. Medical examinations should be given to all players prior to the opening of the season.

2. If possible, a physician or nurse should be in attendance at each game.

3. All participants should be covered by accident insurance.

4. The team should possess a first-aid kit, which should be complete and available at every game. It should be in the charge of someone trained to use it.

5. Preseason first-aid instruction should be given all managers and coaches each year.

6. All protective equipment should be of good quality and should fit properly.

7. All dugouts should be screened.

8. All players not participating in the game must remain in the dugouts.

9. Players should be taught the proper techniques of sliding, hitting, fielding, etc.

10. Equipment should not be left on the ground where it can be stepped on and injury result.

First-Aid Kit
Contents of the first-aid kit should include:

2 Bandages 1″ x 10 yd.
33 Band-Aid plastic strips
2 Bandages 2″ x 10 yd.
1 Burn ointment
1 Bandage 3″ x 10 yd.
3 Ammonia inhalants
1 Cotton 1/2 oz.
1 Scissors
1 Adhesive tape 1″ x 2-1/2 yds.
1 Antiseptic
1 Gauze 1 yd.
1 First-Aid guide booklet
12 Sterile gauze pads 2″ x 2″
6 Sterile eye pads
1 Triangular bandage

If all these precautions are taken, each game should be safe for all players.

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Take a boy to the ball field and guess what he will pick up for the first time… a glove or a bat? Right. Just about everybody who plays baseball, or who ever thought of playing baseball, loves to bat. Some players have the gift of being “born” hitters; that is, they are blessed with excellent eyesight, quick reflexes, strong wrists and husky shoulders. These players usually become the better batters, but that does not mean the average player with normal build and strength cannot become a moderately successful batter.

Selecting a Bat - Take a bat and swing it. If it feels “good” and is not too heavy or not too light, try it out. Do not use a bat that is too long, stay away from a bat that is too short. To help you select the right type of bat, remember that the average school player uses one that is about thirty-four inches long. Also, the weight of the bat is equal to one ounce for each inch. Thus a 34-34 bat, in length and weight, is just about average.

Stance - Many batters approach the plate and do not know how close, or how far, to stand from the plate. Some batters wonder whether they should stand in front of the batter’s box, others cannot decide whether it is best to place their feet to the rear of the batter’s box. None of this is important in the learning stage of batting, but what is important is that the batter makes himself comfortable at the plate.

When a batter takes his stance, he is taking one of three stances: the parallel stance, the closed stance, the open stance. Each stance has its advantages, but the batter who feels most comfortable in any of the three should use that particular stance.

Again, just which stance to assume is strictly a matter of choice and comfort. However, the more advanced player may, on occasion, switch stances according to the type of pitcher he is facing, or the situation in the game.

In the closed stance only the front foot (the left if a right-handed batter, the right if a left-handed batter) is closer to the plate.

In the parallel stance both feet are the same distance from the inside batter’s box line closest to the plate.

Spread - The spread of the feet is also a matter of individual taste. Some batters prefer to keep their feet close together thus making for a longer stride when swinging at the pitch. Others will take a medium spread, thus shortening the stride; and there are some batters who will take a wide spread and therefore cut down their stride to a minimum.

The average hitter normally spreads his feet about seventeen to nineteen inches and many coaches recommend this spread distance. The power hitter, however, will use a shorter spread since he gets most of his strength from a longer stride. Joe DiMaggio had just about the widest of all spreads and his stride was one of the shortest. But the average batter should not attempt to imitate great batters in spread and stride unless he feels comfortable doing it.

It is not good for the beginning player to take too close a spread because it may cause a lunge in the stride. The stride should be smooth and quick, therefore the proper spread is most important.

Grip - Just as in choosing a bat, taking a stance and assuming a spread, comfort dictates, for the most part, just how to grip the bat. Some batters keep their hands together; others may leave a bit of space between the hands when gripping the bat. No matter what type of grip, hands together or apart, the bat is not to be gripped too tightly.

By keeping the fingers securely, but not tightly, around the bat and the fingers aligned on the bat, the batter can get a better snap of the wrists when meeting the ball. Grip a bat too tightly and the arm muscles automatically tighten up thus permitting no wrist action.

Grasp these basics of baseball batting, and you will be off to a great start.

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In building a team, the pioneers of modern baseball discovered patterns which are essential to success on the field. John McGraw always wanted strength down the middle when he managed championship teams for the New York Giants. He wanted topnotch defensive players in center field, at shortstop and second base, and behind the bat. In checking the strength of the Chicago White Sox, 1959 American League champions, you will find it in those positions - Landis in center field, Fox at second base, Aparicio at shortstop, and Lollar doing the catching.

In the top teams of recent years you will find the same pattern. As examples, take the Dodgers with Snider in center field, Reese at shortstop, Robinson at second base, and Campanella behind the bat; and the Yankees with Dickey catching, Rizzuto and Gordon as the second-base combination, and DiMaggio in center field.

Connie Mack concluded that pitching provided 70 per cent of the strength of a club and proved it by winning pennants for the Athletics with such stellar mounds men as Bob Grove, George Earnshaw, Ed Rommel, Chief Bender, Eddie Plank, and Jack Coombs.

Add to this Branch Rickey’s conclusion that it takes five championship players plus pitching to win a pennant under normal circumstances and you have a formula for building a team. By championship players, Mr. Rickey means players who can run, throw, field, hit with power, and have a desire to play the game to the best of their ability.

INFIELDERS AND OUTFIELDERS. Starting from scratch as manager, coach, or captain of a squad of players, who do you want to be your shortstop? You want the player with the strongest arm if he has the other attributes required of an infielder. He should have good running speed and agility and quick hands. Since the shortstop gets more fielding chances than any other player, he should have “glue in his glove”; he should be such a sure fielder that he will rarely fumble the ball.

It is desirable to have a second baseman with strong forearms and wrists which permit him to make quick snap throws. He must be able to get rid of the ball in a hurry without throwing with a big sweeping motion of the arm. The second baseman also has a wide territory to cover and should have good running speed, agility, and good hands.

Particularly in Little League and other junior baseball it is helpful to have a tall first baseman because beginners often make throws which aren’t true to the mark. Of course, it is essential that he have flexible hands which do not fumble balls thrown to him. Agility also is desirable since a good first baseman should be able to leap for high throws, dig low throws out of the dirt, and leave the base to spear wide throws.

A strong arm is important to a third baseman. Balls are hit so hard in his direction that he can frequently knock them down with his glove and still throw out the runner. In fact, some players have gained a reputation for blocking the ball with their bodies, retrieving it and retiring the runner. Observers would comment about Pepper Martin, the St. Louis Cardinals’ star: “He’ll be a great third baseman as long as his chest holds out.”

The catcher should be rugged but still have good enough mobility to field bunts and foul flies and to back up the bases. He should be able to throw quickly and with power and have leadership qualifications since he directs the play on the field.

In the outfield, the player with the best range should be assigned to center field. He directs traffic in the outfield and in most instances has the right-of-way to catch every ball he can reach. He should have a strong and accurate arm.

If you have the privilege of working with players of above average ability in these areas, you won’t have many problems.

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Although baseball is a team game - and complete cooperation from every player is necessary for victory - coaches, players and spectators agree that the most important factor in the success of a team is the pitcher.

Many major-league managers have attempted to evaluate just how much pitching means to a team. Their estimates generally run from 70 to 85 per cent. It is not important to accurately gauge the precise percentage of pitching to the success of a team; it is more important for a team to have good pitching.

Pitchers come in all sizes and shapes. The perfect physical qualifications for a pitcher are height and weight in equal proportion. Coaches like their pitchers to be about six feet tall and weigh approximately one hundred and seventy-five to two hundred pounds. These physical attributes are desirous, not necessary, and there are school pitchers with excellent records who fail to measure up to either of these physical qualifications.

Coaches also like pitchers who can “hum that ball”; that is, the pitcher who throws the ball fast and hard. Yet there are many pitchers of school age who can fool the batters without an overpowering fast ball. Good control, and the ability to get the ball over any part of the plate, will sometimes make up for the lack of a good fast ball.

The pitcher who possesses determination and has the temperament and disposition to overlook fielding lapses by his teammates, has won half the battle toward success. Too many young pitchers with excellent promise for the future never develop because they lack an “attitude,” the ability to absorb the intangible factors so common in every game.

The pitcher who never learns to accept fielding and mental errors as part of the game will not advance too far. He may be the perfect physical specimen as regards height and weight but his own mental attitude may be tougher to conquer than a lineup of the most powerful hitters on any team.

A pitcher must remember that his teammates want to win as badly as he does. He must try to ignore a fumbled grounder, a muffed fly, a wild throw. Errors are part of the game and he must bear in mind that all players make mistakes, just as businessmen, or even members of his own family at home.

The Grip. - There is a definite art involved in gripping and throwing the ball. The ball must be held in the proper position if the pitcher expects to throw it with any accuracy and skill. The index and middle fingers must be on top of the ball, placed across the seams, and the thumb should be on the bottom of the ball. This is the throwing grip for just about every type of pitch.

Many pitchers have made the major leagues without that “good fast ball” and without measuring up to the desired physical standards. Control, intelligence and courage are also most important attributes.

Proper Position. - Before delivering the ball to the batter the pitcher must assume the proper position on the mound, the position he takes without any runner, or runners, on base.

This right-handed pitcher is in proper position to deliver the ball to the plate. The heel of his right foot, the pivot foot, is in contact with the pitching rubber or plate, and his left, or free, foot is to the rear of the pitcher’s rubber. Reverse the position of the feet for a left-handed pitcher.

The pitcher should be is relaxed, his eyes straight ahead. He is should look over the batter and wait for the catcher to give him his signal. The pitching arm can be held at the side or behind the back. As long as the pitcher feels comfortable, it makes little difference just where he places his free arm.

Once the pitcher receives the signal from the catcher and nods in agreement, he is ready to start the first phase of his delivery.

Master the grip and proper position, and you will be on your way to becoming a great pitcher.

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Batting or putting the wood to the ball, is the key to the success or failure of the ball club and the individual.

There is no great mystery about what makes a boy a good hitter. He has to have:

1. A certain amount of natural ability
2. A mastery of the fundamentals
3. Confidence in his ability to hit

The phrase natural ability covers a great deal. It means strong arms, wrists and hands; quick reflexes, good coordination, perfect eyesight and speed afoot.

Regardless of how much natural ability a boy has, however, he will not hit as well as he should if he does not master the fundamentals and believe in his ability to hit the ball as it comes through the strike zone. Self confidence, of course, stems from success. Moreover, success in batting comes from practice. The following text describes the mechanics of hitting as they apply to ball players in general. By following the principles involved, the well coordinated boy could easily become the batting star of his team; the average boy could certainly become a better than average hitter.

In learning about batting there are some key points you will need to know. These include areas of

The Stance
The Stride
Arm and Hand Positions
The Swing

The stance required depends on the side they favor. If a boy is right handed, he should turn his left side to the pitcher; the right side if left handed.

The body should be fairly erect and relaxed with the weight distributed evenly on both feet. The hips and shoulders should be level. The feet should be shoulder width apart with the toe of the front foot even with the instep of the rear foot. When the ball is being delivered, the batters heels should be up slightly, his knees flexed slightly.
The stride covers how the call should be hit. As the ball is being delivered to the plate, the batter should raise his front foot just above the ground and slide it forward (toward pitcher) about six inches. This step, a critical part of hitting, begins what is generally termed timing. All other movements that are a part of batting flow from it.

Practice with this formula:

Ready?

Step and twist.
Back to starting position.
Again, step and twist. Back.
Step and twist. Back

Arm and hand positions coordinate with both the stance and the stride. Right handed batters: place your left palm against the front of your right shoulder, little finger down, thumb up. Move the left hand forward about six inches and make a fist.

Left handed batters: place your right palm against the front of your left shoulder, little finger down, thumb up. Move the right hand forward about six inches and make a fist.

The elbow of the arm that is now extended across the body should have almost no bend in it and there should be no strain on the arm. This is the arm and hand that guide the bat through the swing. The opposite arm and hand provide the power.

Make a fist with the Power Hand and place it on top of the Guiding Hand.

Raise the elbow of the Power Arm so it is level with the top of the shoulder. There will be some strain there. Drop this elbow slowly until there is no strain. The elbow of the Power Arm should come to a stop about two inches below the top of the shoulder.

Keep elbows and hands away from the body!

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A boy may have a strong arm and know all the mechanics of pitching, but if he doesn’t think about the hitter’s weaknesses and strengths, he’ll become nothing more than a “thrower” and will not help his team much.

A pitcher, even more than a catcher or manager, will know which of his deliveries the batter can or cannot hit. That is, if he studies the hitter constantly. This is just as true in Little League ball as it is in the Major Leagues. As a matter of fact, the younger the hitters are, the more faults they have. Thus, the young pitcher has a great advantage if he thinks about the hitters. Here are some general principles to follow.

Try to get “ahead” of the batter with the first pitch. That doesn’t mean to groove the ball waist high and over the center of the dish. That means get the ball in the strike zone where you think the batter is weakest. If the batter stands so far away from the plate that his bat will not reach the outside corner, there is only one thing to do - pour that fast ball over the outside! If the hitter crowds the plate, fire it over his fists! Now then, if he looks strong at the plate and you know nothing about him, your best pitch is always low and outside or high and inside. Once around the league, the average pitcher should know something about the hitters. Don’t worry about not learning all there is to know about every hitter. If you find one or two with weaknesses and can get them out consistently, you’ve made a good start.

The “situation” (as covered in Chapter 16) tells the pitcher a great deal about what to throw. If he expects a sacrifice, for example, he should pitch high, which will increase the possibility of a pop-up.

If a runner on 3rd streaks for home on a “suicide squeeze” play, he has to keep the ball away from the batter and put it where the catcher can make the tag. (Throwing at the feet of a right-handed batter is recommended; pitch-out if a lefty is at the plate.)

If the pitcher suspects a steal, he shouldn’t throw a slow curve but stick to the fast ball.

When a pitcher has a 3-ball 2-strike count on a hitter, he should go to his best pitch. If his “best” is the curve, use the curve. It it’s the fast ball, use the fast ball. Remember, though, that the “best pitch” may vary from game to game.

Try not to throw the same pitch twice in a row. Change speeds. Move the ball around the strike zone, always shooting at the corners. In doing this, your objective is to upset the hitter’s timing. This is especially important when the pitcher faces the league’s best hitters. The long foul, remember, is just another strike.

The pitcher who gets two quick strikes on the hitter should “waste” the next one by putting it where the batter can’t possibly hit it.

Don’t curve ball a weak hitter! Don’t let up on a weak hitter! If the hitter is really weak, the fast ball can overpower him usually. If you throw the curve, you’re throwing a slow speed pitch and it may be the only one this hitter can get his bat on.

If you’re getting a hitter out regularly with one pitch, don’t start experimenting with another.

If you’re striking a lot of batters out and the game is going well for you, keep that pitching foot on the rubber and pitch as fast as the umpire will let you. On the other hand, if things are going bad, stall all you can to “cool off” the opposition.

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