Softball Tips on Qualities of a Good Softball Player

By Marc Dagenais

My players often ask me what the qualities of a good softball player are. There are a lot of them, actually, and these qualities often depend on the type of game that the team needs. For a team that has a weak defense, they need good pitchers who have a wide array of pitches, or catchers with quick wits.

But we'll try to be general as much as we can here. We'll focus on the core qualities that each and every softball player must have, and regardless of the position that a player plays.

Let me run them down with some softball tips for you:

A good softball player needs speed. A typical play in softball lasts just 5 seconds or less. That's why a good softball player needs to be quick in order to get out of the batter's box quickly, steal bases, or track and catch fly balls.

How to build speed and quickness? Sprinting is the best way to do this. Sprinting teaches players to run and accelerate quickly.

A good softball player needs to be agile. Agility is the quality that enables the player to shift positions at the blink of an eye. A fly ball could go anywhere, which is why agility is an important quality in defensive players.

There are lots of softball-specific exercises that aim to improve your agility. Some examples include:

A good softball player has power. Power is the name of the game in softball. Whether you are a pitcher or a batter, power is your best friend. A powerful pitcher throws balls at blinding speeds, which leads batters to miss the ball entirely. Meanwhile, a powerful batter slams the ball out of the field, and out of the reach of defensive players.

Resistance training is the best way to build power. Just make sure you don't just train any muscle, but train those muscles that you need in softball. That includes muscles in your arms, shoulders, legs, wrists, as well as your core muscles.

A good softball player has quick wits. With plays happening at blinding speed, players are left with little time to react to situations that put in front of them. That's why it's important for a softball player to have quick wits. Teams need players with quick decision-making skills, and you can't succeed in elite softball circles without it.

Reaction times can be improved with exercises such as the 'finger flash'. In this exercise, a batter is positioned on the box, with a pitcher at the pitcher's mound. Instead of throwing the ball, the pitcher flashes one or several fingers. It is, then, the job of the batter to count how many fingers the pitcher flashed.

There you have it. I have just sharesd with you some important softball tips on how a good softball player should be. Keep in mind that in order to become a good softball player, you need to take a total approach towards your game. You cannot just rely on power to take you there. You also need the other qualities that I shared with you in these softball tips: quick wits, speed, and agility.

Marc Dagenais is a Softball Peak Performance Coach that helps softball players turn their athletic talent into extraordinary performances and help coaches get more out of their players, turn their struggling team around or get an edge over their opponents. Visit us to sign-up to get our FREE softball pitching tips!

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