Halton Hills Hawks Girls Fastpitch Association: Why Play Fastpitch?

Why Play Fastpitch?

The number one reason girls love to play fastpitch is because it's fun! Participating is fun. Running, hitting, sliding, catching, stealing, it's all fun and it's exciting. Our younger teams even have their own cheers!

When girls are playing a team sport it is something THEY are doing. They are making things happen. They are totally involved in the outcome. This makes them feel they are important, valuable and that they are needed. This creates self confidence and good self esteem.

Fastpitch requires a certain skill set. Developing and mastering these skills is challenging and very rewarding. The girls see that they are becoming faster, hitting farther, catching better, etc. and this creates a sense of pride and accomplishment as well as instilling discipline and dedication.

By being a member of a team the girls learn about team spirit and working together toward a common goal. They learn to rely on each other and support each other through the wins and the loses. Each member of the team is critical to its success. The team uniforms help to reinforce a sense of pride in the team and the community it represents.

The benefits of regular exercise are numerous. Physically fit children are not only healthier but recent studies suggest that they often do better in school as well.

The Halton Hills Hawks are coached by experienced volunteers who have a passion for the game. We practice all year round. During ball season we are outside on the diamond and in the off season we are in local gymnasiums and batting cages. We work on drills to improve softball skills, co-ordination, conditioning and agility. As the team or individual evolves their needs change. The coaches are continually updating and changing their practice plans to keep the practices exciting, current and relevant to the evolving team.

Fastpitch is a great way to make new friends whether you are new to the community or are a long time resident. Come on out and check us out.

What is Fastpitch?

Fastpitch is basically baseball played with a different size ball and the distances between bases are different. One of the major differences is the distance from home to the pitcher's mound; it's much shorter, requiring a quicker reaction time for the batter. Like baseball, it’s a foot race and skills contest between one team playing defense and the other playing offense. You can only score points when you are on offense (batting). The faster the race is, the better the skills must be. The quicker the skills and races are, the more exciting the game gets!

The basic game is played the same as baseball.

The major differences are

Distance between bases is 60 feet; in baseball it's 90

Pitching distance: 10 & 12 year olds - 35 feet

High School softball - 40 feet; baseball - 60 feet

Can only steal after the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

Play with dropped third strike.

The games are over in half the time of an equivalent age boys' baseball game.

The ball has a diameter of 3 3/4" and a circumference of 12 inches. A baseball is 2 3/4" in diameter and has a circumference of 8 ½".

Oh, yeah, and the ball must be pitched underhand! (we call it windmill!)

The basic pitches in fastpitch are: change up, drop, riser, knuckle, curve, and screwball.

"What, no fastball?"

Okay, you may throw one or two fastballs in a game, but at the risk of a batter taking you downtown. Many pitchers never throw a straight fastball.

The riser is a fastpitch softball unique pitch. There is no equivalent pitch in baseball. A good riseball has a full backspin and will jump up just prior to reaching the plate. The ball is larger and has larger seams which result in a pitch that breaks more sharply.

The drop is also a great pitch. It is hard to send a ball downtown that breaks low. The change up is usually thrown approximately 15 mph slower than the regular pitches. It is best thrown with some backspin to cause the ball to float. The curve, screwball and knuckle ball are not seen much at this level.