Few things are more frustrating for a hitter than to unleash a sweet swing, make contact with the ball, then have ball pop up weakly somewhere in the infield. This can be especially frustrating for a slow-pitch softball player, since the ball gently glides by, ripe for the picking.

Few things ruin the satisfaction of a good pitch than throbbing pain in your pitching arm. Repeatedly throwing a softball in the same manner can gradually cause an overuse injury in the elbow, the joint where the humerus bone of the upper arm connects with the radius and ulna bones of the forearm.

Setting a lineup in softball can be instrumental in the outcome of any game. Because your team is likely full of players of varying abilities, a successful lineup has to blend players who hit for average, those with power and those with speed.

Slow, high-arcing pitches characterize slow-pitch softball. The batters in slow-pitch don’t have to be concerned with pitch speed or breaking balls, but using the right mechanics is still important to achieve optimum results. Follow a few basic hitting techniques to drive the ball as far as possible in every at-bat.

The Amateur Softball Association of America sets the governing rules for amateur softball in numerous leagues throughout the country, including leagues with players 8 years old or younger, called 8U players. The ASA 8U rules are limited to field dimensions and equipment requirements, rather than the rules of the game.

Asking how long a softball game is a bit like asking how long a piece of string is. It’s as long as it is. Softball is different from some other sports in that it’s not broken down into specific blocks of time. If the defense is good and can quickly eliminate the other team, the game will be over quickly.

The answer to whether you can wear soccer cleats for soccer is, “it depends.” If you're the parent of young athletes tearing from one recreational league to another, the soccer cleats can do double duty for softball.

Strategies in bat selection and batting technique can lead to the coveted home run in slow-pitch softball. Send the ball deep into outfield or over the fence by delivering maximum bat-head speed as you swing through the hitting zone using a bat that feels comfortable in your hands and allows you to swing quickly.

Americans love their sports and softball is no exception. It's a game for all ages and skill levels; but like any game, there are rules. Under the Amateur Softball Association rules, stealing bases depends on the age of the players and whether a team is playing fast pitch or slow pitch softball.

In softball, the distance between the pitcher’s mound and home plate varies. The distance is often shorter in fast-pitch softball, where the ball is pitched fast with little arc, and in leagues for children, who may struggle with longer distances.

Fastpitch softball is a variation of the game of softball in which the pitchers throw the ball underhand at speeds that can top 75 mph. On a regulation softball diamond, the pitcher’s mound is 43 feet from home plate. In baseball, that distance is 60 feet.

Good fast bowlers, also called pace bowlers, are the prize of a successful cricket team, but not all fast deliveries are the same: Strike bowling, swing bowling and seam bowling are all types of fast deliveries. Depending on the method used, a batsman might have anywhere from .05 to .