Baseball and Softball Wristband Signs: The Ultimate Guide

Introduction

Have you ever seen a baseball or softball coach using wristband cards with numbers to signal their players?

Whether they were being used to signal in pitching signs in softball or offensive plays in baseball, you probably wondered how these wristband sign systems worked and why so many teams are using them.

Whether you're a coach who's looking to step up your game or you're just curious, we've put together this guide to understanding this exciting technology being used by successful baseball and softball coaches at all levels to give their teams the winning edge!

How Do You Give Signs in Baseball and Softball?

There are three ways for a softball or baseball coach to send a play or pitch call to their softball or baseball players: the sometimes-confusing old-fashioned way, the super-expensive, high-tech way, or the elegant simplicity of using an sign arm band.

What are wristband signs?

Pick-proof baseball and fastpitch softball wristbands, like the ones pictured on this page, are used by coaches at all levels, including youth, travel, high school and NCAA (though not Major League Baseball - MLB), to create pick proof signs and communicate offensive, defensive and pitching signals, including proof signs, to players without the other team knowing what is being called.

Three Parts of the Sign System

These systems consist of three different parts:

1. The Signal Wristband or Arm Band (worn by the player);
2. The Sign Card (placed inside the wristband/arm band); and
3. The Coaches Sheet

The Signal Wristband/Arm Band

Each player on the team wears a wristband with a clear pocket. The wristband holds the sign cards which contain the team's pitching, offensive and defensive calls.

While these player wristbands are typically worn on the wrist or arm, some teams have started wearing them on their belts.

The Sign Card

The baseball and softball arm bands worn by players can hold up to three different cards.

• Each card has a numbered grid.
• Each square (or sign) on the grid is a different play. For example, on the pitching wristband above, the three-letter code "FUI" means Fastball Up and In.
• Each play corresponds to a three-digit number: the two numbers for the column. And one number for the row. In the example above, 021 (column 02 and row 1) is FUI, or Fastball Up and In.

The Coaches Sheet/Playbook

The coach has a sheet with all the pitches (or offensive/defensive plays) on it. So the coach simply looks at the sheet, chooses one of the signs (or plays) and calls out the corresponding number.

Typically, a coach will use different sheets for offensive or defensive plays, or for pitch calling.

After the coach makes the call, each player on the baseball or softball team then looks at their player wristband and finds the number that was just called. Now they know they all know the play (or pitch) that is coming, but their opponent does not.

How do you read baseball and softball wristbands?

The system for reading signs off of a card is very simple.

The card is made up of a series of grids laid out in a 3 x 2 fashion (3 columns of 2 grids).

To call a play, the coach calls out a three-digit number:

• The first two numbers identify the column.
• The third number identifies the row.

The player simply has to find the corresponding square for the three-digit number and how they know the call for the next play.

Note: For some sign systems, the first number is the number of the row and the second and third numbers are the column numbers. Some of the more advanced systems allow teams to choose which method they prefer, or to create alternate coach sheets for either method.

What are some advantages of using wristband signs?

Why have these softball and baseball wristband signs systems become so popular? It's simple:

• They're much simpler to use than the old manual system;
• They're steal-proof;
• The system is easy to learn.
• Coaches only have to teach the system once.
• It's possible to call many more signs.
• You need to prepare your players for the next level, where it's likely that their coach will want them to be familiar with using these types of sign systems.

Creating Your Own Softball and Baseball Wristband Signs Template

When you search online for a free baseball or softball wristband template or a printable softball pitch calling chart, you probably won't find a lot of great options.

The truth is, while these sign systems are easy to use, creating them can get complicated pretty quickly.

Fortunately, there is a better option.

The New Diamond Sports Difference

New Diamond Sports is the clear industry leader for coaches that are looking for a feature-rich and affordable software for generating baseball and softball wristband cards.

You'll see that after we built the most advanced baseball and softball wristband sign software system on the market today, we didn't stop. We are committed to delivering exceptional value to our customers, so we don't just offer the best system for baseball and softball coaches to print wristband signs...you can also use our wristband sign software system to generate and print custom dugout cards, score sheets, and lineup cards!

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