Back to regular weekly newsletters. Took a break during the holidays, but with the Spring season starting, it's time to get the newsletters going again.

Here's are the articles from the Softball site at BellaOnline.com that have been posted since the last newsletter sent at on 11 December.

12U Softball Base Running and Throwing times

A report on the average, standard deviation and best times for 12U Rec Players running from 1st to 3rd, and for throwing from Shortstop to 1st.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65451.asp


Teaching Time on the Softball Field

Speed is the name of the Fast Pitch Softball game, and a key to victory is getting players to do what they do a quick as possible. An important part of the process of making Softball players is teaching an understanding of time and distance as it relates to the Softball field. Here's how I do it.http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65349.asp


Report from 2010 SoCal ASA Annual Meeting

Here's a report from the 2010 Annual SoCal ASA Recreational Meeting that was held on 10 Jan 2010. Even if you don't live in the Southern California area, there was still a bunch of good info that will help the reader for this year's Softball season.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65292.asp


RICE and other First Aid Guidance

One of a manager's or coach's duties is to be the first responder if one of their player's gets injured. Here are some common-sense guidelines for treating minor injuries on the softball field.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65213.asp


My Philosophy for Managing an All-Star Team

Being a Rec League All-Star manager can be both one of the most rewarding and frustrating experiences imaginable. If you manage to keep things fun, get all the players involved in games (at least minimally), and keep the parents from lynching you, you are a success no matter how many wins you get.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art63768.asp


Major ASA Rule Changes for 2010

Here's a quick, down and dirty summary of ASA rule changes for 2010. The rule changes focus on pitching and equipment. Get a head start on the season by reviewing the new rules!
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65003.asp


Taking Care of Your Glove

Taking care of your glove on a regular basis is very important. A glove can last for years with just a little TLC, and once you have a good glove you don't want a new one anyway. Take care of your glove, and it will take care of you.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64848.asp


How to Break in a Glove

Breaking in a glove can seem complicated, but ultimately it is just a matter of working with the glove a lot. Here is a step-by-step guide for how I break in my gloves (hint: catch a lot of balls with it!).
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art64835.asp

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To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Softball located here -
http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=422

Follow my 12U Spring Team, Smokey Smiles, in the forum thread here:
http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/580325/2010_Spring_Rec_Team_Journal_1#Post580325

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Please visit Softball.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Softball.

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Don McKay, Softball Editor
http://Softball.bellaonline.com

One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com