Softball is predominantly an aerobic alactic sport of activities that last less than 8 seconds. Throwing, hitting the ball with the bat moving quickly to a ball are all very fast motions. Baserunning however can move between the alactic and lactic systems as it can take more time to get to the base or to stretch a single into a double.

Duration of Softball Activity

Game Start Time: 12:00pm Game Finish Time: 1:35pm Weather Conditions: Cloudy Game Relativity: Play off Junior Nationals 2007

Activity of a 3rd Base player on Defense / Inning 1 / Inning / Inning / Inning / Inning
2 / Inning / Inning
3 / Inning / Inning / Inning
4 / Inning / Inning
5 / Inning / Inning
6 / Inning / Inning
7 / Inning
Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Length / Total
Warm up fielding / throwing / 1.06 2 / 1.94
2 / 1.47
2 / 1.25
2 / .34
3 / 1.30
2 / 1.0
2 / 1.0
2 / 9.36
sec.
Field and Throw / 2.30
2 / 1.86
2 / 2.56
2 / 2.56
2 / 2.0
3 / 2.0
2 / 13.28
sec.
Try for the ball / 1.75
3 / 3.64
3 / 2.32
2 / 2.47
2 / .91
3 / 4.31
3 / 1.28
2 / 1.0
3 / 17.68
sec.
After a ball hit not in her area / 1.19
2 / 1.67
2 / 2.69
2 / 1.93
1 / 1.31
1 / 2.60
2 / 1.13
2 / .59
2 / .88
2 / 1.86
2 / 2.44
1 / 18.29
sec.
Leaving the field / 2.25
1 / 2.0
1 / 2.45
1 / 2.20
1 / 2.30
1 / 2.20
1 / 3.0
1 / 16.40
sec.
Totals / 20.84
sec. / 10.87
sec. / 7.52
sec. / 10.58
sec. / 10.44
sec. / 4.76
sec. / 10
sec. / 1:25
min.

Number of throws by a catcher and amount of time it takes to throw the ball to the pitcher.

Throws from the Catcher to the Pitcher / Batter / Inning
1 / Inning
2 / Inning
3 / Inning
4 / Inning
5 / Inning
6 / Inning
7 / Inning
8 / Total
Warm Up / 5 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 19
1 / 1 / 5 / 4 / 10
2 / 2 / 1 / 1 / 4 / 4 / 2 / 14
3 / 3 / 2 / 1 / 3 / 5 / 2 / 16
4 / 1 / 1 / 3 / 4 / 4 / 13
5 / 6 / 1 / 3 / 5 / 15
6 / 6 / 1 / 7
7 / 1 / 1
To 2nd Base / 2 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 9
Totals / 18 / 7 / 15 / 7 / 11 / 14 / 16 / 16 / 104
Throwing Times / .34 / .53 / .35 / .31 / .44 / .47 / AVG. / .41

Pitching – Number of pitches and approximate time that it takes to throw a pitch.

Pitches by the pitcher #1 to the catcher / Batter / Inning
1 / Inning
2 / Inning
3 / Total
Warm Up / 5 / 3 / 3 / 11
1 / 4 / 1 / 5 / 10
2 / 1 / 4 / 2 / 7
3 / 5 / 5 / 1 / 11
4 / 4 / 3 / 7
5 / 6 / 1 / 7
Totals / 25 / 13 / 15 / 53
Pitches by the pitcher #2 to the catcher / Batter / Inning
1 / Inning
2 / Inning
3 / Inning
4 / Inning
5 / Inning
6 / Total
Warm Up / 3 / 3 / 3 / 9
1 / 7 / 3 / 1 / 2 / 13
2 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 9
3 / 2 / 1 / 3
4 / 2 / 4 / 6
5 / 3 / 5 / 8
6 / 1 / 4 / 5
7 / 2 / 2
Totals / 7 / 18 / 21 / 9 / 55
Pitches by the pitcher #3 to the catcher / Batter / Inning
1 / Inning
2 / Inning
3 / Inning
4 / Inning
5 / Inning
6 / Inning
7 / Inning
8 / Total
Warm Up / 5 / 3 / 3 / 11
1 / 4 / 7 / 1 / 12
2 / 5 / 10 / 3 / 18
3 / 1 / 2 / 6 / 9
4 / 1 / 4 / 5
5 / 3 / 3
Totals / 15 / 23 / 20 / 58
Pitching Times / .38 / .47 / .60 / .57 / .28 / .44 / .25 / .28 / AVG. / .41
Activity of a Batter / Baserunner / Home – 1st / 1st - 2nd / 2nd – 3rd / Home – 2nd / Home
- 3rd / 2nd - Home / 3rd - Home / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Lead
Off / Total
Baserunners
1 / 3.44
2 / 2.0 / .30
3 / 5.74
2 / 4.05
W / 1.03
2 / .69
2 / 2.30
2 / .58
3 / .78
2 / .59
2 / .69
2 / .66
2 / .25
3 / .20
3 / 11.82
3 / 5.69
2 / 5.21
2 / 4.91
2 / 3.79
3 / 1.05
2 / 5.21
1 / .78
3 / 3.40
2 / .81
3 / .59
3 / 31.44
4 / 3.87
3 / 4.09
3 / 3.72
3 / .78
3 / .79
2 / .88
2 / 1.72
1 / .30
3 / .91
2 / .75
3 / 1.00
2 / .25
3 / .72
2 / 19.78
5 / 3.34
W / 5.00
2/3 / 3.72
3 / 5.18
2 / 1.66
2 / 18.90
6 / 4.0
2 / 3.81
2 / 8.29
3 / 1.06
2 / .75
3 / .63
3 / 18.54
Average / 4.10 / 4.0 / 4.12 / 4.49 / .98 / 1.86 / 1.15 / 1.9 / 10.52 / .70 / ..72 / .83 / .12 / .46

Duration of softball Breaks

Breaks of a Left Fielder on defense / Inning 1 / Inning / Inning / Inning / Inning
2 / Inning / Inning
3 / Inning / Inning / Inning
4 / Inning / Inning
5 / Inning / Inning
6 / Inning / Inning
7 / Total
Waiting for 1st Pitch / 7.65 / 52.40 / 182.18 / 37.50 / 12.81 / 1.13 / 4:89
Min.
Waiting for the end of a Play / 24.12 / 31.38 / 18.01 / 28.40 / 9.47 / `12.31 / 28.85 / 140 / 5:40 / 1:34 / 41.15 / 1:28 / 1:15 / 1:35 / 1:41 / .52 / 10:21
Min.
Waiting for Action / 5:41 / 2:09 / 3:59 / 4:31 / 5:41 / 3:20 / 44.47 / 1:06 / .27
Breaks of a Left Fielder on Offense
Waiting in the Dugout / 3;12 / 4:06 / 1:09 / 8:48 / 1:18 / 27:59 / 3:26 / 3:38
Waiting on Deck
Breaks of a Baserunner while on base
Total for baserunner 1 / 3:30
Total for baserunner 2 / 3:00
Total for baserunner 3 / 3:42
Total for baserunner 4 / 1:37
Total for baserunner 5 / 2:47
Total for baserunner 6 / 4:15

The nature of softball efforts is short and very intermittent. Throwing a ball, hitting a ball, baserunning and sprinting for a ball are all explosive actions that require power and some precision. Fielding a ball requires coordination and speed in the muscles.

Key Phases

Key phases in a softball game include the defensive phase and the offensive phase. In the defensive phase, there is more physical action for all players involved than the offensive phase. The reason for this is that every time the ball is hit, all players should be moving somewhere to either field the ball, back up the fielder, going to cover a base or to receive the ball during the play. Offensively, the only athlete that is active is either the one at bat or one that may be an active base runner. The batter will be active in coiling or engaging in the pre phase of a plyometric action batting - batting does take place in the form of a swing. When an athlete is on base, they explode off the base in preparation to advance every time a pitch is made.

Program Design

Yearly planning as it related to training the energy systems.

General Preparation Phase

- Emphasis is on hypertrophy and strength training to enhance the power requirements of softball.

- Aerobic training is important for injury prevention and recovery purposes

Specific Preparation Phase

Emphasis is on training explosive power – plyometrics

Pre – Competitive Phase

Emphasis is on sport specific training and maintaining strength gains

Competitive Phase

Emphasis is on maintaining gains made in the preparation phases