By
Marc DagenaisIt's obvious that softball is a non-contact sport. The closest contact a player will have with his opponent is probably when on the base or the batter's box. But what isn't obvious are the risks that are involved in playing this sport.
Getting hit by a ball or a bat, or sliding incorrectly can cause terrible pain, or worse, career-ending injuries. However, these things can be avoided with the proper knowledge about softball safety.
That's why I'm sharing these softball tips with you so you can enjoy softball without the risks and pain caused by injuries.
1. Wear the Proper Safety Gear
The safety of everyone begins with wearing the proper safety gear. This especially applies to the batter and the catcher who are at the receiving end of lightning-fast pitches that could reach more than 70 mph.
The batter should always wear the proper helmet to protect the head in case it gets hit by the ball. Meanwhile, the catcher should wear the necessary safety equipment such as the mask, throat protector, and shin guard.
2. Learn How to Play the Game Properly
Just like radio signals that could get mixed up, communication among teammates on the field could get mixed up too. And mix ups can have severe consequences when it comes to players' safety.
Take for example a miscommunication between two outfielders on who's going to catch a fly ball. Because they failed to communicate well, they both go to the direction where the ball's going. The result: they bump with each other at high impact.
Softball coaches can prevent things like this from happening by designing drills that simulate similar situations. That way, every player would know what to do when a certain situation on the field happens.
It would also be good if coaches can assign certain areas to be covered by each player so that no player would step into the boundary of his teammate and thus, prevent accidents from happening.
3. Be Aware of Your Health
It's difficult to even keep track of your health when you're very focused on playing the game. But doing that doesn't just limit your ability on the field, it could also expose you to health risks later on.
For one, there's dehydration. Most players just start filling up their tanks when they start feeling thirsty. But by the time you feel this, it's already too late and you're already on your way to getting dehydrated. Drinking water won't take effect until later because your body could only absorb so much water in an hour.
Because of this, you should take regular sips of water or sports drink during the game. That way, you're always well-hydrated.
Dehydration isn't just the problem softball players face during games in very sunny conditions. There's also sunburn. Sunburn can be pretty painful especially if you've been exposed under direct sunlight for very long periods. Worse, it could develop to skin cancer later on, which you surely don't want to happen.
It's therefore important that you always wear sun block while playing the game. The more intense the sunlight is, the higher SPF of the sun block you should use.
Of course there are other things you should consider when it comes to safety when playing softball. But when you talk about protecting yourself on the field, the three I mentioned above are by far the most important pieces of softball safety advice you'll get from anyone.
Marc Dagenais is a
softball peak performance coach that helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. Visit his site and sign-up to get his
FREE softball hitting tips!
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