I've been pitching softball for a quarter of a century now, and over the years I've had several catchers who excelled at particular facets of the game.  In this podcast I discuss two of the best catchers I've worked with, Kevin and Bill, and I tell you what they do that you can do, too, to become a better catcher. For more articles on hitting, fielding, pitching, catching, and managing, see the bottom of my web page http://slowpitchmanual.com.

Catching is a controversial position in slowpitch softball.  

Many teams hide their worst athlete at catcher, but that is where the runs score!  

What to do?

With the help of dozens of long-time catchers, This program looks at the ins and outs of the position.

You can see a video of the song quoted in the show here:

http://tinyurl.com/yalfdj7

For more articles about managing, coaching, and playing slowpitch, please visit my website:

http://slowpitchbook.com

And for you techies, this program was recorded with a Heil PR-30 microphone straight into a Mackie 402 VLZ mixer - with no mic processor.

Several first basemen have taken issue with a suggestion I made in an earlier program, and rightly so.  We clear that up in this show, and offer a couple of other final tips on playing first base.

For more how-tos on hitting, pitching, fielding, and managing, be sure to read the articles at the bottom of my web page:  http://slowpitchbook.com.

In the last program, we asked veteran first basemen around the country some basic questions about playing first base.  This time, we talk about some of the tips, tricks and secrets we learned from those first basemen.

Read more articles about playing, managing, and coaching softball at the bottom of my web page, http://slowpitchbook.com.

First base - is it a place to hide your tall, slow guy, or is it the place where more outs are made than anywhere else on the field?

Veteran first basemen from all over the country tell us what they wish they'd known before they started playing first base. 

In this show, we'll talk about the basics of playing first base.  We'll discuss playing first with runners on base, with left-handed batters, and when the top of the order is up.  And we'll argue the glove-vs-mitt debate, and how important height is for a first baseman.

Christmas is just around the corner - dare I recommend my book as the perfect gift for a softballer?  Check it out here.

The ASA Rule Changes have been announced for the 2010 season, and one of the new rules is huge. 

Listen to a discussion of how the 2010 season will shape up under the new rules.

And if you're looking for the ideal Christmas present for that softballer in the family, take a look at my book all about adult slowpitch softball.  (Or if YOU are the softballer in the family, pass the link to your main gift-giver!)

How to use your end-of-season team party to keep your teammates loyal, and your sponsor happy to write next year's check.

More tips in my book, Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.

It's hard enough to pitch to average batters - how do you pitch to power hitters?

In this show, I discuss different ideas from different pitchers.  And a power hitter gives us his ideas on how a pitcher might give him problems.

And of course, there is one sure way you can guarantee that the power hitter doesn't hit a homer when you're on the mound.

For more articles for slowpitch softball pitchers (and fielders, and batters, and managers and coaches), scroll to the bottom of my website:  http://slowpitchbook.com.

Abner Doubleday and James Naismith are names you may recognize, but George Hancock?

Softball began as a game of broomsticks and boxing gloves. Now it is the most popular participant sport in the country, with over 40 million players.

This is the story of how softball began, and grew. For more information about playing, coaching, and managing slowpitch softball, see my book.

It really IS the hot corner.  Balls hit to third base are moving faster than balls hit anywhere else on the field.

In this podcast, you'll learn some of the secrets of playing third base, with tips on positioning, preparedness, strategy . . . and survival.

Thanks to veteran third basemen Phil Denman and Jonathan Pinke for their help with this program.

More softball tips are available at the bottom of this page:

Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball, by Dan Hughes.

On the first anniversary of In the Softball Corner, I look back at what I did right, what I did wrong, which topics were the most popular, why my book doesn't sell as well as it could, why that's fine with me, and how I was able to combine softball with my other favorite outdoor activity and podcast subject, treasure hunting.

My Birthday Quiz and In the Collector's Corner articles mentioned in this podcast appear every month in The Active Seniors and Boomers newspaper.  You can read them online at http://theactiveseniors.com.
My online high school yearbook is at http://bdhs65.com (and I am not responsible for the hair styles).

For some free articles based on chapters in my book, go to the bottom of this page:  Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.

Some softball players think pitchers aren't important in slowpitch softball, because you can't do much finessing with a pitch that floats in to the batter at fifteen miles per hour. 

This show offers some tips on how to be more than just a pitching machine.

My book, Coaching and Managing Adult Slowpitch Softball, is available here.

Your team needs a pitcher - fast.  What do you do? 

This show gives you some shortcuts on finding the player on your team who is most likely to be trainable as a pitcher. 

It also shows you how to build a backyard pitching frame - for under two dollars - that will help your pitcher learn to throw accurate 12-foot-high strikes. 

Here's the website with photos and detailed instructions for making and setting up your pitching frame:

http://danhughesbooks.com/backyardpitching.htm

And here's the spiffy ad for my softball book:

http://softballmanual.com

Even if you're not interested in the book, the ad page has links to several free softball articles.  They're at the bottom of the page - check them out!

My last-place senior team beat the league's first-place team  - twice! - by using this unorthodox outfield formation.

This program, about my team's 2009 season, includes a description of an effective method of defense against a team that hits a lot of singles to the short outfield.

And don't forget to check out my book on managing and coaching adult
slowpitch softball.

Good umps, bad umps - what do you do when your ump makes a bad call, or doesn't know the rules?

The book is Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.

The knuckleball can be the most valuable tool in the pitcher's arsenal.

When to use the knuckleball (you'll be surprised) and how to throw it are covered here.

Much more about pitching, hitting, fielding, coaching and managing adult slowpitch softball here (see the free articles at the bottom of that page).

Here are some tips and tricks for outfielders.  How to get a force-out when normally you couldn't, how to avoid collisions, who takes priority, where to play your strongest arm, and more.

Be sure to listen to more outfield tips in podcast 013.

Buy the book, available nowhere else but here.

What do you carry in your team bag?  I asked managers around the country to list the items they felt were important to have available.  Here's a list of things you should consider, including some surprises.


Here's my book, Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.  Buy a copy so I can feed my dog Max.

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How often do you have to turn in your starting lineup before some of your players have arrived?  Here are some tips on getting your players to the ballpark on time.

Here's the book for managing and coaching adult slowpitch softball.

Softball is fun, right?  That's why we play, right?

So what's with so many hotheads on the field, always angry about something? 

Buy the book, Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.

Major league baseball teams win .542 at home, but just .458 on the road.  Fan noise plays a major role.

In this show we'll give you some tips on how to get the crowd noise going in your favor. 

And we'll talk about bringing kids to your games, too.

Here's the book:  Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.

Books on adult slowpitch softball are hard to find, but there are a lot of videos on the topic.

Herewith, a look at some of the most popular (and some not-so-popular) softball instructional videos.

My book site:  http://slowpitchbook.com.

What do you do when players don't show up for your games?  Twenty managers give their ideas on handing no-shows.

A summary of the American Softball Association's rule changes for 2009.

Please check out my book, Managing and Coaching Adult Slowpitch Softball.

Tips for playing the outfield, including the natural curvature of fly balls, avoiding collisions in the outfield, how to begin your run for a ball, the best way to the make the catch, and a lot more.

Very basic tips on playing the infield in adult slowpitch softball. 

For detailed diagrams on infield strategy, click here.

Tips on finding new players during the offseason - setting up a team website and internet bulletin board - keeping stats.

Find much more in my book Managing and Coaching Slowpitch Softball:  http://slowpitchbook.com.

If you're a new softball manager, winter is the time to get started.  Here are some of the things you should be doing. 

Many more tips in my book, http://slowpitchbook.com.

100mph bats, including the Freak and the Syn 2, have been banned for one year now. 

How has that ban affected batters?

A look at the importance of good base coaching, with suggestions for base coaches.

Part two of a series on hitting.

This time, Part One of a series on learning to become a better hitter.

Are you sure you want to be a manager?  Two philosophies of managing, and why each of them hurt.  This is the first show in a sometimes series. 

For the complete lowdown on managing, check out my book:
http://slowpitchbook.com

Five lists of pitching tips - Before you ever pitch a game, before the game, before you throw your first pitch, while the pitch is on its way, and when the ball is hit. 

Please email comments and program suggestions to thesoftballcorner@gmail.com.  MP3 voicers are welcome, too.

More and more leagues are allowing pitchers to stand farther away from the plate than the "official" 50 feet.  Here's how that extra distance affects both pitcher and hitter.

In this program, we compare baseball batting lineups to softball batting lineups, with some thoughts on on-base average vs. batting average.

A couple of quick fielding tips for beginners, and a discussion of vintage softball bats.

Email comments and mp3-voicers to thesoftballcorner@gmail.com