Softball IQ: players learn where to go on every play
Softball IQ is a game in the Bravara app. A player picks her position, sees the hit and moves her fielder to the right spot on a 3D field. After each play the app shows her job and the reason for it.
Did your coach send you here? Open Softball IQ in the app
- 22 plays
- 9 positions
- First week free
What is softball IQ?
Softball IQ is knowing what to do before the ball is hit: where to go, which base to cover, who takes the cutoff and who backs up the throw. A player with good softball IQ is already moving when the ball comes off the bat.
Most players pick it up slowly, over seasons of games and a few situation reps at practice. The Softball IQ app gives them those reps at home, a few plays at a time, so practice time can go to throwing, fielding and hitting.
Softball situations, one play at a time
Each practice takes a few minutes. Players run it on their own phone, or a parent's.
Get the Bravara app- 01
Pick a position
Pitcher, catcher, first, second, shortstop, third, left, center or right. The coach chooses which positions each player learns.
- 02
Read the situation
The app shows the runners, the outs and where the ball is hit, the same things a fielder checks before the pitch.
- 03
Move to your spot
Use the stick or tap the field to run your fielder there. The other eight defenders move on their own, and the play is checked at three points.
- 04
See your job and why
Get it right and the next play comes up. Miss it and the app shows your job at that position, then gives you the same play again.
Watch Softball IQ
A one-minute look at a player running plays, the weekly test and what the coach sees.
Softball defensive situations in the app
22 plays for nine-player fastpitch. Each one covers all nine positions: who fields the ball, who covers each base, who is the cutoff and who backs up the throw.
Singles 9
Extra-base hits 8
- Extra-base hit down the left field line: bases empty
- Extra-base hit down the left field line: runner on first
- Extra-base hit to the left center gap: bases empty
- Extra-base hit to the left center gap: runner on first
- Extra-base hit to the right center gap: bases empty
- Extra-base hit to the right center gap: runner on first
- Extra-base hit down the right field line: bases empty
- Extra-base hit down the right field line: runner on first
Every play has a free animated guide in the softball play library, and you can print the plays for the dugout.
Weekly softball lessons and a softball IQ test
Set it up once in the Bravara app or on the web. A new lesson starts on its own each week.
Get the Bravara app- 01
Choose players and positions
Add your roster and pick the positions each player should know, including the ones she does not play yet.
- 02
Set the weekly pace
Pick how many practices a week, how many new plays go in each lesson and how many old plays come back for review.
- 03
A test each week
Choose the test day. Players earn a star for each play they get right on the test, and practice is how they get ready for it.
- 04
See what needs field time
The coach view lists each player's progress and the plays the team missed most in the last four weeks, so you know what to walk through at practice.
Stars, levels and a team leaderboard
A star for every play and position
A star is earned on the weekly test and stays earned. A shortstop who also learns second base has two sets of stars to fill.
Levels from Rookie to Legend
Practice and tests earn experience. Players move up levels and keep a streak of weeks in a row.
A team leaderboard
The coach decides whether the leaderboard is for staff only or for the team and families. A family can keep their player off it.
Softball IQ questions
What is softball IQ?
Softball IQ is a player's understanding of the game: where to go on a hit, which base to cover, who is the cutoff and who backs up. Softball IQ in the Bravara app is a game that teaches those jobs at all nine positions.
How do you improve softball IQ?
Repetition on game situations. A player needs to see the same hit with the same runners many times and choose where to go each time. Coaches do this with situation drills at practice. Softball IQ adds reps at home, so players arrive already knowing the play.
Is there a softball IQ test?
Yes. The coach picks a test day each week. Players run that week's plays on the 3D field and earn a star for each play they get right. The coach sees the results for every player.
Which softball situations does it cover?
22 defensive plays for nine-player fastpitch: singles to left, center and right with the bases empty or runners on, extra-base hits down both lines and to both gaps, shallow pop flies and sacrifice bunts. Cutoffs, relays and backups are part of each play.
Does Softball IQ work for slowpitch or baseball?
It is built for nine-player fastpitch softball. Slowpitch and baseball are not included.
Can a parent use it with their player?
Yes. A parent or guardian linked to the player in Bravara can run the plays with her on their own phone, and a parent approves saving her practice results.
Does it need a connection?
No. The game is part of the app and runs offline. Results are saved on the phone and sent the next time it is online.
Is Softball IQ a separate app?
No. Softball IQ is inside the Bravara app for iPhone, iPad and Android, next to the team's schedule, chat and drills.
Get Softball IQ in the Bravara app
Download the app, add your softball team and start the free week. Players can run their first plays tonight.
