Although they share many of the rules, structure and methods of keeping score, softball and baseball are distinct and separate games. The softball is larger and heavier than a baseball. Softball is played on a field about 2/3 the size of a baseball field. The softball pitcher throws underhand while the baseball pitcher throws any way but underhanded. Softball's fences are about 300 feet away; baseball's are 400 feet and beyond. The hitting and pitching lessons of each game vary, too.
Different Specs and Style
A regulation softball is about 3 inches larger in diameter and 2 oz. heavier than a baseball. The softball pitcher's area is flat and 40 feet from home plate; baseball's pitching mound is 10 1/2 inches high and 20 feet, 6 inches further from the plate. The softball pitcher throws the ball underhand. The baseball pitcher throws overhand, three-quarter and sidearm. Softball plays "small ball" in contrast to baseball's "long ball."
Softball Hitting Lessons
Batting in softball requires "hard focus" and "soft focus," states veteran coach Marc Dagenais. Focus wide angle on the pitcher prior to his windup and, as his motion starts, zero in on his arm and watch for the ball. Whether your bat is aluminum or wood is a personal choice; both have positives and negatives. In softball, always try to hit the ball somewhere. Even when not hit safely, a batted ball can be mishandled. The late, great softball slugger Ray DeMarini always insisted that your hands lead the bat through the strike zone---and that its barrel strike the bottom half of the ball to hit for greater distance.
Softball Pitching Lessons
According to instructor Gerald Warner, the mechanics most common among hard-throwing softball pitchers are effective body lean; strong push-off from the rubber; extra "reach back" into the downswing; solid "front-wall" resistance from the planted stride leg; and "finishing tall" after release. Reaching back at the halfway point of rotation and tilting backward at the point of release generates whip-like action in the arm. According to Warner, there is no right or wrong way to grip the ball. He says the best way to start is with a four-seam grip that causes the ball to rotate top to bottom "with all four seams cutting the air."
Baseball Hitting Lessons
According to the late Baltimore Orioles player, scout and manager Cal Ripken, Sr.: "Learn the strike zone, don't swing at bad pitches." Among the hitting lessons espoused by Ripken on Baseball Corner are: hold the bat at a 45-degree angle with the rear elbow close to your body; keep your front shoulder and chin tucked in, hands back; turn your head to focus both eyes on the ball---"don't look around your nose." Stay on the balls of your feet, not the heels. Keep your head still. Take a short step or stride while cocking the bat for swinging. Stay on top of the pitch---a slight downward swing helps to avoid upper-cutting.
Baseball Pitching Lessons
"Pitching is a function of balance, direction, and weight transfer," former Chicago Cubs pitcher Steve Smith writes on his website, The Complete Pitcher. Smith says the pitching delivery must be a coordinated, mechanically-efficient motion that becomes second-nature "through practice and repetition." He pinpoints "flying open" early in the stride as a common flaw among high school and collegiate pitchers. "Staying closed, " says Smith, "means that until the stride foot plants---giving the pitcher a stable base---the lead elbow, shoulders and throwing arm must stay aligned to the plate during the pitching delivery."
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