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Originally Posted by jontheref
I am contemplating a switch from baseball to softball next season and am wondering if there are any former baseball guys that have made the switch over to fast pitch softball. What problems have you encountered? Were their problems with mechanics, etc. I don't know if I will actually make the switch, but those three hour plate performances are starting to take their tolls. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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I have come over from the dark side.
I have snuck out 2-3 times a year to do a baseball game, but do softball (fastpitch and slowpitch).
I love it. No balks, no throwing over to first 8 times on a runner 2 steps off the bag, yada yada. It is a lot of fun, and I believe your chances of moving onward and upward are much faster and better than in baseball.
Mechanics is a big issue (provided you have good baseball mechanics). You have to be willing to forget some of what you know. Back when I was trusted enough to actually train umpires, one of the big issues was just that -- getting rid of the baseball stuff and learning the softball mechanics.
It's not a big thing to get rid of one and learn the other, it's just that some let their ego get in the way. Don't. Learn the mechanics. They are actually pretty simple.
None of it is rocket science, and boy do I know they can play the game without ya. But it CAN be fun and extremely rewarding.