The pitcher then brings the ball in a circular motion over the head, completes the circle back down at the hip, and snaps the hand.
If there is a bad pitch that hits the ground, the catcher needs to block it so runs do not score, and runners do not advance on the bases.
Commercial and semi-pro leagues sprang up all over the country in large cities and small towns alike.
Soon there were state and regional tournaments all over the country selecting teams to vie for the coveted National Championship.
The Brakettes were the ASA's first women's softball team and they finished the competition with a record of 8–3 and a silver medal.
[10] As the worldwide participation in softball continued to grow, the sport was eventually included in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, US.
The selection committee was responsible for making the final cuts to decide which players would compete for the US team at all international competitions throughout the year.
The strategy was successful as the United States won their first olympic gold medal in softball against China with a 3–0 win.
In the three Summer Olympics which included a softball competition, four countries won medals: the United States, Australia, China and Japan.
In response to the expressed concern that there was not enough talent depth worldwide, the ISF began to introduce the game in places where softball is not traditionally played.
For example, the US team donated equipment and hosted coaching clinics in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
The US team's Jessica Mendoza has also delivered equipment and conducted clinics in other countries such as Brazil, the Czech Republic and South Africa.
[13] The IOC expressed consideration of the youth focus and increasing interest in the newly added sports.
Originally scheduled to take place from July to August 2020, the 2020 Summer Olympics was postponed in March 2020 and pushed forward to 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[15] An accurate pitch is achieved through different techniques which help the pitcher to maintain a certain consistency of body weight and balance.
An accurate pitch requires skill in six areas: the grip, stance, windup, stride, release and follow through.
This is why younger pitchers who have not developed into their normal hand size start with more basic grips such as the fastball.
In college, professional, and Olympic games, pitchers must place both feet on the rubber when starting the pitch.
In most leagues during the pitcher's delivery, the pivot foot must drag along the ground in order for the pitch to be legal.
The release technique consists of wrist-snapping and allowing the ball to roll off the fingertips when arm reaches the hip.
If the snap also twists the wrist, the ball will move laterally or up and down, which can benefit the pitcher by confusing the batter.
The second phase lasts from the top of the back swing until the instant of stride foot contact (SFC).
A previous study by Alexander et al. demonstrated that the majority of kinematic parameters have low magnitudes and vary among pitchers during the windup phase.
Interventions that take into account the aforementioned data could decrease shoulder forces, thus translating to lower rates of time-loss injury in this group of athletes.
[18] The fastest pitch on record was thrown by Eddie Feigner of "The King and His Court" who was clocked at ⁿ90 mph.
They will have a helmet and a bat made out of a specific composite material based on the hitter's preference and contact styles.
An important technique to remember about hitting is the launch angle that the ball takes off of the bat at contact.
There is never really an apparent reason to hit a fly ball, the best case scenario would be to foul it off out of play in a battle at the plate.
The selected 1996 United States softball team won the olympic gold medal with a 3–0 victory over China in the 1996 games.
[25] The United States women's national softball team won three consecutive gold medals at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympic Games.