In softball, power hitting gets a lot of attention — but sometimes, it’s the small ball game that can tip the scales between a win and a loss. Bunting may seem like a simple skill, but it requires precision, timing, and strategy. Whether it’s a sacrifice bunt, a bunt for a hit, or a squeeze play, your team needs reps to master this finesse move. Here’s a set of focused bunting drills that will sharpen your players’ small ball skills and keep the defense on its toes.

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Softball Bunting Drills

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1️⃣ Stationary Bunt Placement – Softball Bunting Drills

Start simple: work on control and placement without worrying about the running element. Set up three cones along each baseline — one near the pitcher’s circle, one halfway down the line, and one near the base. Players will bunt off a tee or soft toss and aim to land the ball near a chosen cone.

✅ Focus points:

• Angle of the bat

• Soft hands to deaden the ball

• Watching the ball all the way to contact

Rotate through targets, so players practice bunting up both the first and third base lines. Keep score to add competition!

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2️⃣ Live Bunt-and-Run – Softball Bunting Drills

Once players are placing their bunts well, it’s time to add game speed. Have your pitcher throw live pitches while your batter bunts and immediately sprints to first base. Add a fielder at third or first to simulate pressure.

✅ Focus points:

• Quick reaction out of the box

• Dropping the bunt in fair territory

• Beating out the throw when bunting for a hit

You can track how many successful bunt-for-hits each player gets in five tries, then rotate.

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3️⃣ Squeeze Play Simulation – Softball Bunting Drills

For advanced teams, practice the squeeze play. Place a runner at third base. The batter’s job is to get the bunt down, no matter what — the runner is coming home on the pitch. Pitchers and infielders can practice defending against the squeeze as well.

✅ Focus points:

• Bunting ANY pitch — even if it’s high or outside

• Maintaining composure under pressure

• Communication between batter and runner

Rotate runners and batters so everyone practices both roles.

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Wrap-up

Strong bunting can change the game — it pressures the defense, creates scoring opportunities, and forces mistakes. Adding dedicated bunting drills to your practices ensures your players have the tools they need when the moment comes.

What are your team’s favorite bunting drills? Comment below or share your best small-ball strategies! If you have questions or want personalized drill suggestions, email us anytime at coach@elitesoftballdrills.com.

Spring is here — so grab your bats, set up those cones, and get out there and play ball!

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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 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 focuses on stamina and focus. 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 again. Batters should run between six and eight laps before the coach switches to the next group.

3: Knee Hitting – Softball Hitting Drills

This 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 toward the net. The batter will hit off the cone into the net, focusing on proper arm and wrist movement. Another player should reset the ball so the coach can provide feedback.

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 to advance other baserunners or exploit a weakness in the opposing team’s fielding. The batter will hit off the tee, which can be set up in a strike zone area where the batter needs work. Cones should mark areas of the field where the batter should aim. This can be combined with the two-tee target drill as accuracy improves.

5: Two Tee Target – Softball Hitting Drills

This drill focuses on contact point and ball placement. 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 aligned. 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 the second tee. Adjust the tees to work on different pitches as accuracy improves.

Try out some new drills and rotate them into batting practice. Sometimes thinking outside the box or going back to basics can yield impressive results!

If you have any questions, please email us at coach@elitesoftballdrills.com. Check out our other articles on softball pitching drills and softball fielding drills!

Get out there and Play Ball!

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