10 Commandments of Softball

“Thou shall follow thy commandments below.” No, really—you should! The 10 Commandments of Softball not only build character, but lead to success both on and off the softball diamond. Please read over this post with your daughter.

 

1. Thou shall obey they coach

They’re sweating, the clipboard first hit the dirt 2 innings ago and they haven’t even picked up their hat after throwing it the 2^nd. We’re not saying coaches are perfect—remember, they’re human—but believe it or not, they actually know what they’re talking about. They want to win as bad as you do, and more often than not, they make the best decision for the greater good of the team. Thou shall obey they coach.

 

2. Thou shall not miss practice

You’ve heard “Practice makes perfect,” about a million times, right? Why do you think that is? Because it DOES. Softball—like any sport—requires training and repetition. You miss a practice, you miss fielding grounders, you miss a grounder late in a tournament game and who knows what the result of that is. Let’s not find out what that result is. Thou shall not miss practice.

 

3. Thou shall not swing with a 3-0 count

Every single manager of every single softball team in the history of the world will echo this statement. Swing on a 3-0 count and you’re committing the cardinal sin of softball. Thou shall not commit the cardinal sin of softball. Thou shall not swing with a 3-0 count.

 

4. Thou shall steal 2nd base and not get caught

“Do or do not, there is no try.” A nearly 900-year old little green guy first said that back in 1980. We don’t know much about little green guys, but if there almost 900 years old, I’d listen to them.

 

The takeaway here is if you’re going to steal 2^nd base, steal 2^nd base. Think it, play it out in your head and know that you’re going to make it. You can do it. You can absolutely do it. Thou shall steal 2^nd base and not get caught.

 

5. Thou shall not commit error, or else thou shall have to practice harder

Errors happen. It’s not the end of the world—really, it’s only one play. It’s about giving it your all, and if it happens, it happens. Realize what you did, make the necessary adjustments, practice harder and win the next play. Always win the next play. It’s not the end of the world if thou commit an error. Move past it and win the next play.

 

6. Thou shall hustle to all the bases on any hits, be they short grounders or deep fly balls

ABH: Always Be Hustling. Okay, maybe that’s not really a thing, but the Blue Devils are going to do all they can to make ABH happen. Hustling after hitting a groundball won’t just occasionally get you on base when you shouldn’t be, but it’ll set you up to achieve goals you never knew were possible. Seriously—always be hustling. Thou shall hustle to all the bases on any hits.

 

7. Thou shall not argue with the umpire, (even though he knows not what he does)

Yes, that was called a strike when it was clearly a ball, and yes, that’s not the first call the ump has made like that today. But here’s the thing—they’ve got a tough job. Like split-second decision tough. Just like you, they’re always trying their best, so we move on and get ready for the next pitch. Thou shall not argue with the umpire.

 

8. Thou shall lay down a sacrifice bunt, if need be, for the good of the team

We know how fun it is hitting a single down the line or a double to the gap—it’s such a good feeling. But sometimes, in certain situations, we don’t need that. Sometimes we need a well-practiced, well-placed sacrifice bunt because sometimes, “WE is more important than me.” Thou shall lay down a sacrifice bunt, if need be, for the good of the team.

 

9. Thou shall not let the opponents reach home plate

Besides scoring runs, this commandment should be number 2 on your list. If “Defense wins championships,” then you’ve got a heck of a shot if you don’t let your opponent score—like, a really, really good shot. Thou shall not let the opponents reach home plate.

 

10. Thou shall respect thy opponents, but fear them not, for victory shall be yours on game day

In the Blue Devils’ organization, we build an attitude of winning. We commit ourselves to core values—one of which being sportsmanship—and we give the same amount of respect to each and every one of our opponents. Play. Learn. Compete. Thou shall respect thy opponents, but fear them not, for victory shall be yours on game day.