Requirements of a pitcher
• Prior to the pitch, the pitcher must take a position with:
- The pivot foot on or partially on the surface of the pitcher’s mound.
- The non-pivot foot in contact with or behind the pitcher’s mound.
- Shoulders must be in line with the 1st and 3rd base.
• Both hands must be on the ball before the pitch is made.
• The pitch must be made with an underarm motion called the “windmill” motion.
• The ball must be released from a point below the hip and there must be no stopping in the forward motion.
• When the pitcher receives the ball back from the catcher, he must make the next pitch within 20 seconds.
• The pitcher must push off the mound with the pivot foot when releasing the ball:
- Women must drag their pivot foot…show more content… According to Dagenais(2000:1) aerobic training is a form of activity which requires a sustained effort with the sole intention of increasing endurance and assisting the Cardiovascular system.
Dagenais(2000:1) stated that all on field play during a softball game works the anaerobic system as only short energy bursts are required at a time, for example, a fielder sprinting to get the ball, a pitcher throwing the ball, and of course the batsman hitting the ball. It is really hard to see where aerobic energy comes into use, especially for a sport like softball. However, although the aerobic energy system is not really involved in match situations, it plays a small part in training for the sport. Some of the benefits include the control of body fat, increased stamina and resistance to fatique , also the ability to recover at a quicker rate after intense efforts and even improved sleep, without the physiological benefits such as increased confidence…show more content… Sellers(2015). Depending on how many bases the athlete covers determines which energy system is used because when entering the lactic acid system the athlete would have been running at an explosive rate for over 20 seconds, therefore it depends on the duration of the action that will determine which energy system is used. These two energy systems are mostly related to high power and short duration in terms of the athletes training.
According to Schirm, M (2014) the skills of soft ball require a coordinated effort from numerous muscles throughout your body. Like the abdominals, arms, shoulders, back muscles and legs.
Abdominal muscles
The main contributing muscles are the oblique muscles on the side of the abdomen, they contribute to the rotational movements of the swinging and throwing motions. These include external oblique and internal oblique muscles.
Arm and Shoulder