Bats, Gloves, Sliding Shorts? Don't Forget That Important Part of Softball Gear

The game of softball is an interesting game both to play and view. This game comes with various types of gears for the players. The basic gear includes bats, balls, gloves, helmets and the uniforms. The game of softball is played as the slow pitch and the fast pitch. It was initially known as the indoor baseball.

The most important gear of softball is a bat. The softball bat looks a bit like the broomstick and in the beginning it was made out of wood. Today, wooden bats are rare; they are mainly made out of aluminum, graphite and composite materials. The weight of the bats varies and it depends on the age of the player. However the bat has to be in accordance with the rules of the game.

The ball used in softball has is generally 12 inches in circumference and weighs about 7 0Z, whereas the ball used in a fast pitch softball has a 11 inch circumference and weighs around 6 oz. In any of the cases, the ball should have an inner core only made up of cork, rubber or kapok or it can have a combination of all three.

The next item is a glove. Gloves are made out of leather and the gloves used in softball are bigger than in baseball. The sewing is done from the thumb to the index finger in order to create a pocket which makes it easier for the fielder to field in a more secure manner. The styles and the patterns of the gloves vary according to the position of the player. The first basemen's gloves are rounded at the edges in order to have easier scooping. However, but catcher's mitts are more heavily padded in order to protect the hand.

The next gear is the protection gear. In fast pitch softball, batting helmets with two ear flaps are used, above all, catchers has to wear helmets, face masks and shin guards. In slow pitch softball there are different requirements and protection gear depends on the age level. Adults are not asked to wear safety gear where as youth are required to have protection.

Sliding shorts are also part of the protective gear of a player who slides towards a base. They are used to protect the thighs. So called "sliders" are another part of sliding equipment. "Sliders" are the shin guards which extend from the ankle all the way up to the knee and protect the player from injuries.

There are many manufacturers of softball gear these days. There are many types of gloves and helmets to choose from. Worth Sports Company offers quality sport equipment for softball fast pitch and slow pitch, at affordable prices. Worth Sports are official softball suppliers of the NCAA and NAIA softball championships. Worth also provide official helmets and bats for National Pro Fast pitch; and above all, Worth is official bats and balls for USSSA.

First Base Gloves - How Should You Decide Whether to Invest in One and What to Look For

First base gloves look different and somewhat funnier than other baseball mitts; Learn what to look for if you have a 1st sacker in the family Doug Alison was the first player to wear baseball gloves. While catching the ball, his hands cracked open and got damaged after which he decided to wear gloves to protect his hands. When he started to wear gloves, many of his team mates made fun of him. When gloves were introduced, many of them did not use them. During the time, many players felt the importance of gloves and start using them. Today, market offers web designed gloves; hence they are very popular among baseball players.

Earlier, baseball players used to wear simple gloves made of leather. In these types of gloves, fingertips were cut off in order to have the balance control of the other hand. Albert Spalding, the first baseman who was not initially much in favor of using the glove recommended many infielders to use gloves. He founded the company named after him. Many of the sports equipment and baseball gloves are manufactured here.

A glove is used by the player for throwing the ball. Surprisingly, many first basemen are often left-handed; hence first basemen's mitts are readily available to fit on a right hand. The one that fits on the left hand is called a right-handed glove. The size and shape of the baseball mitt is decided by the officials. Section 1.00, the objectives of the game and catcher's limit is decided by them. The first baseman's and fielder's glove is divided in parts 1.12, 1.13 and 1.14.

First Base gloves are made of different materials. The main material from which these gloves are made is leather. Most of the gloves are machine made there are a few companies which specialize in hand made gloves. The advantage of these hand made gloves is that the customer has the choice of choosing the leather and generally these custom-made gloves fit better. It has been seen that most players however tend to buy them straight off the shelf as the range and varieties that are available is huge.

Those gloves have less padding than the catcher's mitt. They are also longer to help the first baseman reach, scoop and catch throws from infielders. Furthermore, they have shallow pocket that allows the first baseman to retrieve quickly the ball from the mitt.

These mitts are usually 12.5- to 12.75-inch sized gloves, measured from wrist to the tip. Hank Greenberg is often credited as the first person who wore this style of glove in the field.
Above all, there are no special tips while buying a first base mitt. However, you should keep in mind that there are some steps that you should follow when buying your first base glove.

First, you should get familiar with types of leather, with sizes and how they are padded and how to break them in for a good game. Then, perhaps you should want to look for a heavy leather mitt that is very snug and sniff. For youth mitts, you may not be able to find so stiff gloves. Youth gloves have more padding and Velcro adjustable straps for the wrist. Look for the correct fit. For young players, avoid buying too large glove; don't think "he will grow into it". It simply, doesn't work that way. The glove needs to stay on the hand, otherwise a child may get discouraged and might quit baseball. It is important that the glove is snug and not too small, so the palm will not stick out over the edge.

Tips to Get Some Ball Practice While Staying Fit

These days, people will go out of their way to keep fit, or at least have a go at trying to keep the extra pounds off. However, merely doing the same exercise over and over again is somewhat boring and people soon give up if this is the case. Using a baseball softball pitching machines with batting cages means that the user can practice the game, but stay fit at the same time. The batting cage means that they can also do this alone without having to run all over the place picking up the balls at the end of play.

This automatic throwing equipment certainly gives the user the opportunity to get skilled at this game or brush up on the skills that they already may have. Women like to have a go at this too but it is also possible for children to play with this equipment as long as it is adjustable to suit their needs.

But make no mistake because these machines are not half hearted attempts or childlike games to be played by the uninitiated. Even professional players use them to get their muscles to respond to different shots and speeds. Muscle memory is often used to make sure that the body knows how to react when these balls come at the player at high speeds, much like when playing the game itself.

Schools and sports clubs also use these machines to allow for everyone in the vicinity to practice their ball skills but in relative safety. Some go on to become professional players once they have mastered the art of hitting the ball. It also encourages bonding sessions between young people since the game is a lot of fun and family members often make it into a kind of competitive sport.

Although these machines were once thought to be overly expensive for family fun, these days the price of the equipment has come down to well within range of the man in the street. At around three hundred dollars for the first piece of equipment, and a little more for the additional equipment, this could be just the set up to keep the family entertained, and fit, for the years to come.

Along with the equipment there are many professional videos and 'how to' manuals which have been undertaken by the professional player. Imagine how the children would feel being given super tips by some of the great sports players of our time? Even Mom and Dad may get interested too as long as the super star involved is teaching at their level.

Of course it is not just the game and keeping fit which is beneficial to all who play. Once the player gets better at the game, their confidence grows in leaps and bounds and this just may be the way to bring out a shy kid from his shell. Finding something that he can do better than the other children will certainly make him feel special and this is a great bonus for sure.

Baseball Batting Tips - Hitting Preparation

With numerous baseball batting tips floating out there we need to slow down a bit and methodically lay out tips that are easy to follow and in some sort of order. If you keep reading our articles you will clearly see a simple path to follow. For this article, let's focus on batting tips related to hitting preparation.

When it comes to choosing your baseball bat you shouldn't assume that using a gigantic bat will bring you hitting success. Don't choose a huge bat because the older players in your league are using one. You should choose a bat that will enable you to get around quickly enough to hit the ball. So basically, you don't need a heavy bat or too light of a bat. It really depends upon the individual. Try out several bats to see which one is right for you before you make a purchase.

Next, focus on your grip. You need to have a firm grip on your bat but grip the bat handle with your fingers and not so far back in your hand. You should line up your knuckles properly and the pinky of your bottom hand should be touching the knob of the bat handle.

Your mental approach to hitting should begin before your at bat. Instead of goofing around in the dugout or talking with fans you should be mentally ready for your at bat. Try to study everything about the current pitcher. What is he throwing? Where is he throwing? What has he been pitching your teammates? You want to be as prepared as possible before you get into the batter's box. Don't waste any at bats by not knowing what your game plan is.

The final batting tip for hitting preparation is having confidence as you step into the box. I'm not talking about being smug and cocky. I'm referring to a quiet confidence. Be confident in your mind that you can handle any hitting situation that you may face. You can get the job done. You can move that runner over. You can swing at good pitches and not balls. Try not to be distracted from anything else going on. Even when there are roadblocks such as a bad call by the umpire, stay focused and confident that you'll still get the job done. You don't want to give the pitcher any undue advantage. Remain confident and you will have more success.

How to Find the Right Size New Era Baseball Cap For You

Since 1920, New Era has been a leading producer of top quality athletic caps, spreading its brand across the world for over 90 years. By immersing itself in the ever changing fashion, cultural and athletic trends, New Era has emerged as the standard for quality, fitted athletic caps.

With a reputation for unmatched quality, combined with conquering the test of time, New Era has earned itself the name, "The Official On-Field Cap of Major League Baseball."

When shopping for New Era caps, one of the most important factors to take into consideration is, "what is the right size New Era baseball cap for me?" In case you didn't know, New Era has trademarked the phrase, "Originators of the True Fitted." The majority of New Era caps are fitted, meaning, they are non-adjustable.

Finding the right size New Era cap, is like finding the right size pair of jeans. You need to know what size you are and you need to try them on to see if they fit right and look, how you, want them to look. You need to take the same care when shopping for a New Era baseball cap.

Before we start looking for the right size New Era cap, we need to take a couple of factors into consideration:

1) Is the hat going to be worn for fashion purposes or athletic use? If you will be outside sweating, or in rainy, wet conditions, keep this in mind as we look at consideration number two.
2) Material is the second consideration to keep in mind before finding the right size New Era cap for you.

New Era On-Field Collection caps featuring the Cool Base Performance Technology are made out of 100% polyester. Polyester is a synthetic material that is shrink resistant, meaning your New Era cap will not shrink of exposed to any wet conditions.

Most New Era caps are not part of the On-Field Collection. The On-Field Collection caps are the caps that your favorite MLB players wear on the field. These caps are not made with New Eras' Cool Base Performance Technology (meaning they're not made with polyester). These New Era caps are mostly made of 100% wool or a 70/30 wool/cotton blend. Wool and cotton will shrink when exposed to moisture.

** when buying any New Era cap with wool or cotton, please consider that it may shrink if exposed to any moist elements.

In order to most accurately find the right size New Era cap for you, you will need a measuring tape similar to what a clothing tailor would use. If you don't have a measuring tape, a piece of string long enough to wrap around your head, a pencil, and ruler will work. Please keep in mind that there is much more margin for error when using the string and ruler measuring method.

When using a measuring tape, wrap the tape around your head along the same path your baseball cap would wrap around your head. For the most accurate measurement, make sure that your tape measure is flat against your head all the way around and that the measuring tape isn't twisted.

At what point does the beginning of the measuring tape meet with the tape as it is wrapped around your head? Without any overlapping of the measuring tape, record in either inches or centimeters, the circumference of your head.

The circumference of your head is the distance all the way around the outside of your head. In my case, the circumberence of my head is 22.5 inches. I would then compare my size head of 22.5 inches with the New Era Size Conversion Chart.

Size Inches Centimeters
6 7/8 21 5/8 54.9
7 22 55.8
7 1/8 22 3/8 56.8
7 1/4 22 3/4 57.7
7 3/8 23 1/8 58.7
7 1/2 23 1/2 59.6
7 5/8 23 7/8 60.6
7 3/4 24 1/4 61.5

As you can see, my size, 22.5 inches, falls right between the 7 1/8 and 7 1/4 size range. When looking for the right size New Era cap, you always want to make sure you do not get a tight hat. Remember, most New Era caps are made with wool or a wool/cotton blend and will shrink of if gotten wet. Even a small amount of sweat on a hot day can lead to your New Era cap to shrink.

If possible, try your New Era cap on before purchasing it. Errors by fractions of an inch the stitching can make a difference in how your cap will fit, either making it too tight, or too loose.

When using the string, pencil and ruler method to find the right size New Era cap you will want to apply the same principles used in the measuring tape method. With the string method, the string, will act as our tape measure. Wrap the string around the outside of your head along the course that your cap would fit.

Mark the exact spot where the beginning of the string meets the string as it is wrapped along the outside of your head. Using a ruler, measure how much string was needed to wrap around your head. The pencil is helpful if you have a something your can mark your measurements on to help with accuracy.

Tonight's Game Moved to Friday

Today's games and Senior Night festivities are cancelled and moved to Friday. JV players should report to the gym at 3 and varsity players should report to the cage.

Snyder Baseball - Summer Program

Snyder Baseball - Summer Program

Jv players should report to the weightroom, Varsity in gym 430-6.

Falcons Win at Bing

Lee Cranford tossed the complete game as the Falcons outlasted the
weather and Warren County for the 7-3 win.

The Falcons return home Tuesday for the Senior Night regular season
finale against Kettle Run.

Reschedule JV baseball at Fauquier

 Please note the reschedule of the JV baseball game at Fauquier from 05-12-2010 with Brentsville to 05-19-2010 starting at 6:00 PM.

Falcons win 2-1 over Brentsville

Behind a 6 inning start from Drew Law and a save from Forrest Drake
the Falcons move to 13-4 with a win over visiting Brentsville.

Today's games with Brentsville have been postponed due to weather. Games are rescheduled for tomorrow. Varsity players should report to weightroom, JV players are dismissed for the day.

Falcons Notch 12th Win Over James Wood

With an impressive complete game outing from Forrest Drake, the Falcons beat James Wood 6-2 on Friday night at Athey Park.  The Falcons return home Tuesday night to play Brentsville.

Tuesday night's game will also be Falcons Youth Baseball Night at Athey Park, so any youth baseball participant who comes to the game in uniform will get a free hog dog, chips and a drink.

Falcons Fall at Bing Crosby Stadium to Skyline, Move to 11-4

Seth Taylor started for the Falcons on the mound,  but was chased after allowing a 5 run 4th inning.  Drew Law came on in relief and spurred a Falcons comeback tying the score at 5-5 in the 6th.  In the  bottom half of that inning though an infield hit, wild pitch and sac fly plated the go ahead run  and eventual winning for the host Skyline.

The Falcons host James Wood on Friday at Athey Park.

Falcons Win at Kettle Run

Behind a stellar mound performace by Forrest Frake, the Falcons
rebounded from Friday's loss with a 6-2 win at Kettle Run. The team
travels to Liberty Thursday night.

Falcons lose 5-4 to Warren County

Seth Taylor takes the loss as the Falcon move to 9-3, 1-2 in the
Evergreen.

Little Graces Fun Fair This Saturday

The Falcons will participate in the their annual community service
activity of working at the Little Graces Fun Fair this Saturday from
9-3:30. Players who are attending prom will be released early. I am
in need of a parent or parents who can help chapparone the activity so
that I can attend my son's game during part of the event. If you are
interested in helping, please email pkoch9999@gmail.com or call (703) 608-2556
.

Sent from the iPhone of
Paul R. Koch

Falcons Beat Skyline

The Falcons move to 9-2 with a 3-2 victory over visiting Skyline on Tuesday. The team was led by a stellar pitching performance by Lee Cranford who allowed 1 earned run and struck out 9 in the complete game performance.

Falcons Lose 5-3 at Brentsville

The Falcons rallied to a 3-1 lead in the 6th, but could not hold the
lead as Brentsville scored 4 in the bottom of the 6th to seal the
win. Forrest Drake started on the mound and Drew Law took the loss in
relief. The Falcons move to 8-2, 1-1 in the Evergreen District.

Sent from the iPhone of
Paul R. Koch

Falcons Win 9-8 at James Wood

Despite a rough start and 8-1 deficit, the Falcon offense picked up
late rallying to a 9-8 win at James Wood in Winchester. Seth Taylor
started on the mound, but was relieved by Josh Rogers in the 3rd. Lee
Cranford earned the win throwing the 5th as the team mounted the
comeback and Drew Law earned the six out save.

Ryan Smith, Josh Rogers, Lee Cranford and Adam Kowalczyk had multiple
hits in the game including a solo home run by Kowalczyk.

Falcons Win Thriller with Liberty in District Opener

The Falcons and Liberty Eagles played a classic last night, but in the end, as the Falcons were down to their last out, it was Adam Kowalczyk driving in Ryan Smith to tie and Hunter Pearson driving in Kowalczyk for the win in the bottom of the 11th.  Forrest Drake threw 6 innings in the start allowing two runs and Drew Law came out of the bullpen to work the extra frames going 5 innings.  Law allowed only the unearned go ahead run to score in the top of the 11th, prior to the bottom half heroics.

The win moves the Falcons to 7-1, 1-0 in the Evergreen district.  The Falcons return to action on Tuesday at James Wood HS.

Falcons Drop One with Eastern View

Despite solid pitching on the night, the Falcons faltered early
allowing 3 unearned runs. The Cyclone's pitching also held the Falcon
offense in check throughout the night.

The Falcons play host to Liberty on Friday night at Athey Park.

Sent from the iPhone of
Paul R. Koch

Falcons move to 6-0 with win at Culpeper

Seth Taylor started for the Falcons going 5 innings allowing 3 runs.
Drew Law finished the game allowing no runs in two innings of relief.

The Falcons spread the offense around getting multiple-hit games from
Justin Hensley, Jordan Taylor, Ryan Smith, Adam Kowalczyk and Hunter
Pearson.

The Falcons host Eastern View at Athey Park tomorrow.

JV practice at 3pm tomorrow(Friday) for anyone who is available. Please let me know if you can attend.

Skyline Games Rescheduled

The games scheduled for 3/26 with Skyline HS have been  rescheduled.  The games are moved to May 4th, 2010 at the previously set times and locations.