"' The Softball Handbook ' reflects...the Lobo System designed by Susan Craig and Ken Johnson, coaches at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. The Lobo system is a teaching program based on the philosophy that fundamentals should be broken down into several parts, designed to develop the athlete through a step-by-step learning progression into a refined, highly skilled performer."

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The game of women's fastpitch softball has enjoyed steady growth in the number of participating players over the last thirty years in the United States. Growth in earlier years was fueled by the need of schools to offer women sports opportunities to comply with requirements of Title IX legislation beginning in 1972. The rise of strong collegiate programs and highly successful Olympic teams has continued to promote the growth of women's fastpitch softball in recent years.

The authors of "The Softball Handbook", Susan Craig and Ken Johnson, were coaches of the women's softball program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. at the time this book was written in 1985. Susan Craig served as the first--and only--head coach of the Lobo womens softball program from its inception in the late seventies until earlier this year (2002). The coaching philosophies and team management concepts in this book helped her and her coaching staff run a quality program fielding competitive teams for many years.


-- Who should get this book ?? --

"The Softball Handbook" is a skills-teaching and team management tool for the experienced coach in a mature program. Teams that will benefit most from the content of this book will be high school or college age teams. Experienced club or 'travel' teams of the same age (ASA--American Softball Association--registered teams, 14U, 16U and older, or similar teams registered with similar sponsoring organizations) will also benefit from this book. In locales where the fastpitch 'culture' is well established (read California, Arizona, Texas, and others) and players, teams, and programs are already highly skilled; ASA 12U and even 10U (these are 8, 9, and 10 year-old players!) teams might benefit from the teaching tips, strategies and philosophies of this book.


-- Who should avoid this book ?? --

This "Handbook" should not be used as the primary teaching tool or reference book for a new or inexperienced coach. Young 'rec' teams or local softball league teams also would probably not gain immediate benefit. If your team is still learning to throw or catch a softball properly or still learning to run from first base to second base on a ground ball, this book should not be your primary 'bible'. Many of the teaching tips, philosophies and strategies may be useful as supplements to a broader scope 'learn the basics first, lets have some fun' drills tome. Reliance on this book alone will overload yourself and your players with information you are simply not ready to learn or to use.

As a manager, coach, and youth league board member, I would also not recommend this book as the primary coaching tool for any team that has a 'participation' rule. (This rule requires each team member to play a minimum number of innings and/or at-bats, regardless of skill level.) The differences in levels of skill, commitment and mental 'acuity' are just too great on this type of team. Participation rules truly divide the 'play-to-win' teams from the 'play-to-just-have-fun' teams. Yes, the 'play-to-win' teams can have 'fun' also. But only if they win once in a while! This handbook will help meet that goal !!

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-- Contents --
Dedication
Preface
..1. Practice Organization
..2. Stretching and Conditioning
..3. Hitting Fundamentals
..4. Hitting with the Mind
..5. Angle Bunting off the Pivot
..6. Baserunning
..7. Sliding
..8. Teaching the Overhand Throw
..9. Infield Fundamentals
10. The One-Throw Rundown
11. Outfield Fundamentals
12. Defensive Alignment
13. Training the Catcher
14. Training the Pitcher
15. Offensive Strategy
16. Defensive Stratagy
17. Scouting Opponents
18. Player Evaluations
Glossary
About the Authors

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"The Softball Handbook" is as organized as one of Coach Craig's practices surely must have been.

The very first chapter is not about skills or getting to know your players. Instead she says something like this:

"Dang it, we got six weeks, 2 and 1/2 hours a day. This is what we are going to do, what you will learn, what you will become proficient at doing. Any questions ??"

You will have none...


This first chapter begins with a sample "Checklist for Fundamentals" that lists 91 separate 'tasks' broken into 10 general sections. These include: offense / defense / baserunning / catcher / pitcher / first base / second and short / third base / outfield / and conditioning. You can imagine how daunting this might be to an inexperienced coach!

Sample practice day schedules are provided for a typical team's training schedule. Early weeks emphasize building individual skills. The middle weeks stress team play. The late weeks concentrate on game-situation plays and competitive games. 'Break downs' of typical days are provided with times and lengths of specific activities tied to that day's practice objectives. A separate section addresses the special practice needs of pitchers.

This section even includes a 6-week Monday through Friday practice schedule for a typical team/program. (The best part of the schedule? They get the last Friday off...:-) A typical schedule for a mid-season practice day is also included. Comprehensive indeed !!

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Of the remaining chapters, a favorite of mine is number 4: Hitting with the Mind.

Craig and Johnson talk about the 'right pitch', anticipating what the pitcher may throw, and using the strike count to the hitter's advantage. But what they are really talking about is 'playing smart'. This idea goes beyond just hitting. The more a player learns the nuances of the opponent, the field, the game itself and applies this knowledge proactively; the better player she will be in the long term. This chapter should be a favorite of any coach.

The remaining chapters thoroughly cover each topic. Extensive use is made of bulleted lists, sequential action pictures, and simple declarative writing to outline the proper steps to correctly execute many of the skills of fastpitch softball. The sections on Baserunning and Defensive Alignment make extensive use of 'field diagrams' to complement the descriptions of each baserunner or player's movement and responsibility in a given game situation.

The final four chapters again remind the reader of the intended audience for this book. The chapters on Offensive Strategy and Defensive Strategy are comprehensive discussions of the impact of score, outs, playing conditions, game time, player abilities, communication, etc. on the decision making process; offensive or defensive.

The last two chapters, Scouting Opponents and Player Evaluations are topics applicable to top-flight programs only. Each is covered thoroughly. Sample forms and coding are provided for each task.

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-- Odds and Ends --

A few stray thoughts about the book. The book is profuse with pictures...many, many black and white pictures. Some are 'action sequences' demonstrating a slide, or a swing of the bat, or a pitch. Others are just shots of women being athletes. Of women enjoying competing. The bad thing about the pictures ?? New Mexico looks like a dry, barren place to play softball. The backgrounds showing the ballfield's surrounding area are full of sand and tumbleweed and gloominess. The pictures of the coaches at the end of the book show them both in the 'short-shorts' that were popular in the early eighties. How quaint.

-- The Bottom Line --

There are drills in this book. But it is not about learning drills. There are tips about hitting in this book. But it is not about learning how to hit. There are tips about organizing practices in this book. But it is not about getting practices scheduled.

This book is about learning to administrate 'smart'. To manage 'smart'. To coach 'smart'. To play 'smart'.

This book will teach you, as an administrator, a coach or as a player to look at the 'big picture' and figure out all the little things that need to be done, and in what order, to 'color in' that 'big picture' with the glow of success.

If you have the intellect, you will not be disappointed by this book or where it takes you and your players.

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" Just the facts, ma'am "
Title: The Softball Handbook"
Author: Susan Craig / Ken Johnson
Publisher: Leisure Press
Copyright: 1985, Leisure Press
Pages: 160, Trade Paper
ISBN #: 0-88011-260-3

Recommended: Yes