Author Archive: Coach

Softball Catching Drills – Defense, Defense, Defense

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Softball Catching Drills

Softball Catching Drills

During a game, much of the focus is on the pitcher and the batter. However, strategists would argue that the catcher wears the most hats during the game. She has an incredible amount of responsibilities behind the plate. From calling pitches, catching (hopeful) strikes, blocking errant pitches, throwing out baserunners, catching foul balls and fielding bunts, and tagging runners out at home it is a wonder she can keep it all straight! Not to mention the addition of a full set of gear that can make agile movement difficult. It is no wonder that softball catching drills would differ so greatly from other fielding team members training drills. While she should participate in running, throwing and stamina drills, the following is a list of drills meant to specifically enhance the skills and abilities of the catcher. Softball Catching Drills.

Home Plate Block – Softball Catching Drills.

As players try to score, it is up to the catcher to tag them out as they reach home plate. Two very important factors weigh in at this moment. First, did the player touch the plate before the catcher tagged her? Second, did the catcher drop the ball? These situations will result in a player sliding into home and trying to knock the catcher off her game.

To practice these skills, split the team into two groups. Have your catcher, in her full gear, take her position behind the plate. Have 1 group of players in second base position, have the other group at 3rd base. At the beginning of each rotation have one girl on 3rd base as a base runner, the other at 2nd base as a fielder. Roll or hit the ball towards 2nd base and have the base runner take off. The catcher should spring from her position; blocking the side of the plate with her knee. She must catch the throw from second, tag the runner out, and not drop the ball. The catcher should reset, baserunners and fielders should rotate and the play should run again.

2nd Base Steal – Softball Catching Drills.

As coaches, we usually tell our players to take every opportunity to steal second base. As the furthest from home plate, the likelihood of a successfully gained base is high. On the occasion that the catcher is unable to accurately complete a throw, the opportunity for an additional base arises. The best way to combat this is to ensure that your catcher is able to accurately and confidently complete the play the majority of the time (hey, no one is perfect). While the best way to achieve this is often to have the pitcher, shortstop and the catcher run the play repeatedly, that can take a lot of time away from pitching and fielding drills for your other players. 

The catcher can drill this skill on her own with some special equipment. If the diamond is occupied, measure the proper distance (84 feet 10 ¼ inches!) and place a tee raised to the approximate height of the glove of your shortstop. Place a ball on the top of the tee.The catcher should spring from her position, and complete the throw with the goal being to knock the ball off the tee. A player can be designated to work with the catcher and reset the ball or the catcher can practice running in her gear and reset herself.  

Wrap-up

Just as there are specific drills for pitching, hitting, and fielding, there are plenty of ways to include your catchers in every aspect of practice. You can still give them the opportunity to hone the specific skill set they need to successfully perform all aspects of their position. What are your favorite catcher’s drills to run during your practice? Comment below and let us know! If you have any questions or need clarification reach out at coach@elitesoftballdrills.com

Spring training is just around the corner, so gather your team, grab your gear, get out there and play ball!

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Softball Fielding Drills – Throw, Relay, and Bump out

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For a team to truly be successful, they must be able to perform in both the top and the bottom of the inning. While it is of course incredibly helpful to be able to put big numbers up on the scoreboard offensively, a team needs good defensive skills in order to win the game. Spending practice time on fielding drills can often be the difference between winning and losing a game. Try these fun, yet effective fielding drills to help get your defense in top shape.

Softball Fielding Drills

Elite Softball Fielding Drills

The USA Throw Around – Softball Fielding Drills

This drill requires a full infield. Outfielders will be used for hitting and baserunning. The infield should take their positions. The outfielder will hit the ball; they must purposefully keep the ball in the infield. The infielders should treat the play as normal and field the ball with a throw to first base. The first basemen must then throw the ball to the second basemen. Second should proceed and throw to short, followed by third, the catcher and the pitcher.

While the ball is making its way around the field, the outfielder should be running the bases. The goal is to complete the throw around and return the ball to the pitcher before the outfielder completes a home run. The goal of this drill is to improve speed and accuracy among the infielders. They must become proficient in getting the ball out of their glove and quickly and accurately throwing the ball. When the drill is run at full speed, the infield should be able to send the ball around the field twice before the runner returns to home plate.

Cut Off Relay Competition – Softball Fielding Drills

Our players obviously like competing, so turn their drills into a competition and see how much effort they put in! Line players up in lines of three and leave at least 10 feet between players. The balls should all start on the same end. On the whistle, the player at the end of the line throws to the middle or cut off position. The cutoff pivots and throws to the player at the other end of the line. That player should throw back to the cut off who must pivot in the other direction and throw back to the starting player.

To indicate that the relay has been complete the entire line should take a knee. The first line to complete their relay earns a point and players rotate through the line. As a variation, increase the line size. Perhaps put the entire team on two lines and see which team can complete the relay first.

Bump Out – Softball Fielding Drills

As we all know, fielding errors can cost major runs in a game situation and can also mean the difference between a perfect season and miss the playoffs. To perform this drill, set up your defense in a game like situation. Have back up players for each position waiting on the sidelines. The coach may either hit or throw softballs into play. The defense should field the ball as if in a game situation. Any time a fielding or throwing error is made, the player that made the error is bumped out, and the waiting player takes their place. Players should rotate every time their counterpart makes an error. Players must keep track of how many times they have been bumped out. The coach should call out different base running scenarios to cause players to throw to different bases.

Using these as well as other fundamental fielding drills during your practice can help your defense be ready for any game situation. What are your favorite fielding drills to run during your practice? Comment below and let us know! If you have any questions or need clarification reach out at coach@elitesoftballdrills.com

Get out there and play ball!

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Fun Softball Drills – Hitting, Fielding, Base Running

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Elite Softball Drills - Fun Softball Drills

Elite Softball Drills – Fun Softball Drills

As all coaches and players know, running drills is an important part of leading an effective practice. However rote pitching, fielding, and running drills can quickly become monotonous and lead to player apathy and disinterest. Having players perform the same motions in a new way or with a new twist will keep players on their toes and provide them with fun and innovative ways to practice essential skills. Incorporate these fun softball drills into your practice and watch enthusiasm soar!

Hitting – Fun Softball Drills

Batters must be able to discern in a split second if they should swing at a ball and what placement of their bat they need to use. The two ball drill can help players with these vital skills. For this drill, two different colored balls must be used. The coach or a drill partner should kneel on the side of the batter. They will toss the two balls in front of the batter as they call out a color. The batter must swing and try to hit the correct ball.

This drill allows for multiple skills to be practiced. Batter practice their quick reasoning and judgment when determining which ball to swing at. They also work on bat placement. The balls will be in two different areas, one towards the outside of the plate and one towards the inside of the plate. The batter must attempt to hit only the color called and attempt to keep the ball in fair territory. To turn this drill into a competition have students work in teams, scoring a point for each colored ball correctly hit in fair territory.

Fielding – Fun Softball Drills

Everyone knows the classic fielding drills that are used in every practice. The players field a ball and throw it to the correct base. These skills are essential for any defense to have. However, practicing them the same way endlessly can be monotonous for players. Instead of having a player stand at first base (or whatever base you are throwing to) have a stool with a stuffed animal perched on top.

As players field the ball they attempt to throw the ball and knock the stuffed animal from on top of the stool. This gives players the ability to practice throwing to different areas of the base as well. If they only train to throw to the glove when there is no other interfering factor, then they might not be able to hit their targets in a game situation. Once the players are familiar with the concept of knocking the target off the stool, turn it into a competition with teams at each fielding position.

Base Running – Fun Softball Drills

Running laps around the bases can seem like a tedious drill that causes players to dread practice, it can be made into a fun and competitive moment for the players to show off what they can do. Set up two sets of bases around the diamond. Make sure there is enough room between the bases for runners not to bump into one another. The players will run relay style races in different configurations. Divide the players into two evenly matched teams. If there is an odd number of players, choose a player to sit out for a round or make one player run twice.

The players will run relay style races in different configurations. Start players off running through first base as though they hit a single. As soon as their foot hits the bag the next player should take off from home base. Another relay could be running to first and checking for the possible double before going back to first base. For this style, there should be an indicator of where the runner should stop before returning to first base. Once they have returned to first base, the next runner should leave home. This same style can be used for a possible triple or home run. Try running relays for doubles, triples, and home runs where the players are sliding into their finishing base.

The Final Inning – Fun Softball Drills

There are many ways to turn regular drills into something fun and exciting for players. They play a competitive sport for a reason! Tap into their competitive spirit and turn regular practice drills into something that they want to do at each and every practice. The more passion and creativity you put into it, the more effort your players will give it. Those other teams may not know what hit them! If you have any questions or need further clarification or ideas reach out to us at coach@elitesoftballdrills.com.

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Softball Hitting Drills – 5 Ways to Up Your Game

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Softball Hitting Drills - Elite Softball Drills

Softball Hitting Drills – SBBL Fastpitch Softball – 16U – Lady Saints v. Diamondbacks – Photo by Steven Pisano

Many people think that the best way to practice softball hitting drills is to simply to do it over and over again. While going through the motions can certainly help, there are specific drills to target different aspects of hitting. These can include strengthening and focus drills, contact drills, upper body form and strength drills and ball placement drills.  Use the following five drills in practice to help batters be more prepared for any pitcher they may come up against.

 1: Bat Zones – Softball Hitting Drills

This Softball Hitting Drill specifically targets the focus of a batter, encouraging them to keep their eye on the ball through contact. For this drill, you will need a bat and three colors of electrical tape. Tape the bat into three zones. The end, the sweet spot and the lower half. As the ball is pitched the player must watch the ball connect with the bat and call out the color of the tape the bat hit.

2: Hit & Run – Softball Hitting Drills

This drill will focus on stamina and focus of the batter. Often when a player comes up to bat they are not in prime condition. Therefore, having batting practice when players are in top condition is not always effective. This drill is done in a soft toss situation with a net.

There should be 3 players in each group. With no time in between pitches other than to reset, the coach will feed the player 20 pitches. As soon as the twentieth pitch is hit, the batter will take off for two laps around the field. The coach will begin pitching to the next batter while the first player is running. The goal is for the batter to finish their laps and have a short time to rest before it is their turn to hit another 20 pitches. Batters should run between six and eight laps before the coach switches to the next group of 3.

3: Knee Hitting – Softball Hitting Drills

While every player knows that good hitting is a combination of skills and motions, this specific drill targets upper body strength and follow through. Set up a net, as though for a tee drill, but, use an orange cone instead of a tee. The batter should kneel on their back knee with their front foot extended straight out in front of them towards the net. The batter will hit off the cone into the net focusing on the proper arm and wrist movement. There should be another player to reset the ball so the coach can provide feedback to the batter.

4: Target Practice – Softball Hitting Drills

It’s not always enough to just get a hit, sometimes, we need to put the ball in specific areas, whether it is to advance other baserunners or to take advantage of a weakness in the other team’s fielding. The batter will hit off the tee, it can be set up in an area of the strike zone where the batter needs work. Cones should be used to mark areas of the field where the batter should aim to place the ball. This can be combined with the two tee target drill as accuracy improves.

5: Two Tee Target – Softball Hitting Drills

In this drill, you will focus on contact point and ball placement. This drill requires two tees. Set up one tee directly on home plate. Set up the second tee at the same height about two feet in front of the plate. Begin with the tees directly in line. When the command is given, the batter should hit the ball off the first tee and attempt to hit the ball into the ball off of the second tee. The tees can be adjusted to work on different pitches and as accuracy improves.

Try out some new drills and rotate them into batting practice. Remember, sometimes thinking outside the box or taking it back to basics can yield impressive results!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to email us at coach@elitesoftballdrills.com. Check out our other articles on softball pitching drills and softball fielding drills!

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Softball Pitching Drills: Accuracy, Speed, Endurance!

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Softball Pitching Drills: Accuracy, Speed, Endurance!

Softball Pitching Drills: Accuracy, Speed, Endurance!

It is important to practice different movements and skills as you are learning new pitches. Simply standing there doing the same pitch over and over does not target any of the fundamentals of pitching. Rather, specific and targeted softball pitching drills and movements can help improve accuracy, speed, and endurance. Endurance drills are important too! No one wants to be the fabulous pitcher that can only last 2 innings of the big game! Choosing the best drill for the skill you are focusing on can be as important as doing the drills themselves. The following drills are for pitchers that already have the basic movements down and are either looking to develop new pitches or are looking for ways to improve the pitches they already throw.

Accuracy:

When learning new pitches or working on accuracy, having a visual of the perfect strike zone is crucial for development. However, having a batter stand in position for that length of time is often a wasted training session for the batter and can result in injury as the chances of getting hit with a wayward pitch increase exponentially. For this, a dummy batter training tool is a wonderful investment. If creating one on your own, make sure to include a line with a good visual target for the pitcher. Essentially this is their bull’s eye.

The goal here is to work on accuracy and aim. A great way to do this is to combine the dummy batter with a 20-4 drill (this can be modified to a 10-3 drill for younger pitchers). The goal here is to pitch 20 strikes before you pitch 4 balls. If a pitcher reaches 4 balls before 20 strikes, they must start the drill over again. This drill can be especially helpful when learning new pitches. Remember, however, this is not an endurance drill! Keep the total pitch count in mind as you work through these, it is important to allow enough rest so as not to create injury. To combat the sheer number of pitches that are to be thrown, encourage pitchers to bring down their force and speed to about 60% and focus their attention on accuracy, aim, and technique.

Speed: Softball Pitching Drills

The best drill for speed surprisingly asks pitchers to not think about speed as they throw at all! It is often helpful to use a soft training ball in this drill as it will bounce off the wall and the pitcher stands at a very close distance. Standing as close to a wall as possible the player will pitch into the wall with as much force as they can. Again I stress, do not think about speed!

The speed will come as a result of the force, but focusing on speed will actually slow down your movements! The focus of this drill is 100% power. After 10 or 15 pitches (depending on the age of the pitcher) at full power, back up 5 feet. Repeat these steps until pitching at full power from a normal pitching distance. If at any point the pitcher is losing power at a distance bring her back to the wall and have her pitch at 100% again. Remember, this is a speed drill, the focus is not on accuracy or control but rather on completing each pitch with the proper form and at full power. This is also not an endurance drill, be careful not to overwork a pitcher during this drill without giving proper rest.

Endurance: Softball Pitching Drills

A great endurance drill is a variation on the speed wall drill. Pitchers will stand in the same spot next to the wall, as close as possible without restricting movement to pitch. They will complete as many pitches as they can, using full movement and focusing on putting 100% power behind each pitch. They will throw for one minute with no breaks in between pitches. After one minute of rest, the drill is repeated. This drill focuses on endurance, players should not back up to normal pitching distance, they should instead focus on throwing each pitch with full force and completing the pitching motion properly.

There are many more pitching drills focusing on these three areas. If you need clarification or have questions, reach out to us! Be sure to check out our other articles on catching and fielding drills!

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