Sport guide
Softball, for the parent in it.
Every read, drill, calendar, pathway, rule, and recruiting note we have on softball. Use this as the front door.
70 pieces.
Drills
Softball drills
50 drills total. Most recent shown.
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· fundamentals
Backhand Pickup
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· fundamentals
Bare Hand Rolls
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· fundamentals
Bent Leg Slide
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· fundamentals
Bottom Hand Tee Work
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· fundamentals
Catcher Blocking
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· fundamentals
Charge the Ball
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· fundamentals
Coach Front Toss
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· fundamentals
Cone Funnel Grounder
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· fundamentals
Cover First on Bunt
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· fundamentals
Cross-Field Relay
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· fundamentals
Cutoff Positioning
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· fundamentals
Dynamic Warm-Up Circuit
The Sideline File
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Batting helmet face guards: C-flap, full cage, and when each makes sense
The optional face protection on batting helmets. What the published data supports, what state laws require, and when the cost-benefit math leans toward yes.
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Catcher's gear safety: foul tips, throat protectors, and fit
The mask, the throat protector, the chest protector, and the kid behind the plate. What good gear looks like and what fails parents miss.
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Cleats and foot safety: metal vs molded, fit, and the growth question
When metal cleats are allowed, when they're not, and the fit rules that prevent the most common youth-sport foot injuries.
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Hand and finger fractures: the kid's growth plates change the math
Buddy-taping a 'jam' that's actually a Salter-Harris fracture can cause permanent deformity. The on-field triage and the X-ray threshold.
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Heat exhaustion vs heatstroke: the line that matters
Both look bad. One is recoverable with rest and water. The other is a true emergency. The signs that distinguish them, and the protocol for each.
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Helmet, bat, and mouthguard certification: the stamps that matter
NOCSAE for helmets. USA Baseball and USA Softball for bats. State-by-state rules for mouthguards. What stamps to look for, what's expired, and what used gear is fine.
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Helmet recertification: the dates inside the shell
NOCSAE-certified helmets get reconditioned every year or two. After 10 years, they're done. How to read the stickers and when to replace.
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Humidity and dew point: practice modifiers when WBGT isn't on hand
WBGT is the gold standard for heat decisions, but most youth programs don't have a reader. Humidity and dew point are the backup metrics, and they tell you more than air temperature alone.
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Mosquito-borne illness in outdoor youth sport: West Nile, EEE, and the basics
Outdoor practices at dawn and dusk during summer carry small but real risk of mosquito-borne illness. The repellents, the timing, and the regional patterns.
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Pollen and allergic conjunctivitis: the spring eye-irritation kids underreport
Itchy red eyes during outdoor practice. The seasonal patterns, the over-the-counter management, and when to see a doctor.
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Rib injury and the splenic concern: the hit that looks like a bruise
A blow to the lower-left torso can be more than a bruised rib. The signs of splenic injury, the timeline to watch, and when the kid goes to the emergency room.
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Sun and skin: youth athletes, sunscreen, and the melanoma math
The cumulative-exposure problem with kids in outdoor sports. SPF, the two-finger rule, when to reapply, and why hats and shirts are still the best UV protection.
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Tick prevention and Lyme disease: the protocol for outdoor youth sports
The repellents that work, the post-practice tick check, the bullseye rash, and when a tick bite needs the doctor.
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Wet field decisions: when surface conditions make play unsafe
Standing water, soft mud, ice in cold months. The published thresholds and the questions to ask before a game starts on a marginal field.
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Wildfire smoke and AQI: when to cancel a youth practice
The AirNow AQI thresholds for kids, how PM2.5 affects developing lungs, and the practice-modification rule the EPA actually publishes.
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Youth pitcher arm care
Pitch counts, rest days, what "no curveballs before 14" actually means, and the signs that the elbow is asking for help.
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What's actually dangerous about youth softball
Pitching arm injuries, sliding injuries, line drives at corner infielders, and the heat profile of a spring-summer outdoor sport.