Ever sit in your dugout wondering things like "should I move my infielders in right now?", "do I keep my outfielders deep?", "why is that coach moving their defense over so much?" If so you aren't alone. Positioning your defense isn't fool-proof, but there is more to it than a simple guessing-game. Learn the 3 Crucial Questions you must ask to make sure your defense is in the best position to STOP them!

Putting your defense in the best position to STOP your opponent starts with some key questions you should ask yourself. The questions aren't hard, and might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many coaches forget to ask them.

If you love football then softball defense is just like defense in football. In football, if you think they're going run you move more defenders up into the box, if you think they're going to pass then you drop more defenders back. Defense is always trying to "defend" the most likely thing the offense can do at any one point.

3 Crucial Questions to Help you Position Your Defense:

• What do they need right now?
• Is your pitcher really good? If so then they simply need to get on base, or if on base, they need to move the runner over one base. The better your pitcher is the more likely the other team will need to bunt.
• Are they hitting your pitcher pretty good? If so then they're probably going to want to keep hitting her. So move your defense back and get ready for a hitting attack. Oh, and have your pitcher start throwing more change ups.
• Offensive teams try not to give up outs. They only get 3 of them each inning and they need to touch 4 bases to score, so the bases always outnumber the outs. Because of this a coach should guard their outs like GOLD. Remember this when trying to figure out if the other coach is going to bunt or not - the easier they think they can score the less likely they will give up an out to try and do it.
• Will this Batter Hit the ball Hard or Soft?
• Sounds like a simple question but it can depend on your pitcher. If it's Olympian Crystal Bustos up to bat then it really won't matter who's pitching - so move your whole team back and force her to bunt.
• If the player is small and fast then you should expect them to hit it soft and run FAST, so play your defense close until that batter gives you a reason to move back.
• If they hit it hard - move back
• If they hit it soft - move in
• Will she hit it left, center or right?
• This can be based on:
• Where you're going to pitch this batter if your pitcher has that much control (if pitching outside then chances are the batter will hit the ball in that direction, if pitching inside then she has a greater chance of pulling the ball)
• How fast your pitcher is pitching - the faster she pitches the more likely the batters will be late and hit the ball to the opposite field, the slower she pitches the more likely they will pull the ball.
• If they hit it more left, then move your infielders & outfielders there
• If they hit it middle, keep your defense in their normal positions
• If they hit it more right, move your infielders & outfielders there