Softball Batting Practice Drill
1.  Grip: Players must be able to grip the bat properly. The bat grip resembles that of an axe.

2.  The bat must be held across the base of the fingers.

3.  Light pressure on bat is a must, as pressure will increase as contact is made.

4.  The middle knuckles of the top hand align between the middle and last knuckles of the bottom of hand.

5.  Proper stance – The first to a great swing is one’s stance. It must be stressed to the players that the stance should be what is comfortable, and not what looks best.

6.  Ready Position or Batting stance as follows: At the batters’ box step into it and do a pre-swing routine. Separate feet at shoulder width. Feet must be paralleled with toes aligned parallel to inside edge of home plate.  Bat must be held over shoulder at 45* angle to horizontal.  Bend top half of body forward from waist to bring weight onto both feet and then flex knees slightly.

Certainly, the knees must be flexed with the weight centered on the inside of the feet. The knees will slightly bend in towards each other, actually knock-kneed where balance is the primary objective.  The batter then should have a clear mind and focus on seeing the pitch from the release point into the hitting zone.

Swinging within the strike zone and watching the bat hit the ball is a must.  Once the swing is mechanically sound, the batter needs to master the mental aspects of hitting where fixing his attention hitting becomes mighty important.

7.  Aggressive hitting must be encouraged on the principle that every pitch is going to be a strike down the middle and contact has to be made with the ball, where the only decision the batter has to make is not to swing at a ball outside the strike zone.

Developing correct hitting mechanics is important at an early age

The old saying you play like you practice is extremely true. It’s also important to keep players motivated during practice. Changing up your drills sometimes will help in this area.

Here are 2 proven youth softball hitting drills that help develop bat speed and ball-tracking skills.

Spray Hitting Drill

• There are three fielders who stand two feet apart or so and are 22 feet away from the batter. • The batter first tries to hit the ball to the first fielder (whomever the coach chooses) without a pitch. • The batter then tries to hit the ball to the other to fielders. • The key to the hitter is accuracy. Not to make the fielders have to move far to retrieve the hit ball. • Rotate players and have them all get a chance at hitting and fielding.

Tips:  This drill is designed to develop a short, quick swing. It also helps tremendously with   bat control. To add some fielding to the drill you can have the fielders, after fielding the ball, throw to first and then have the first baseman throw it home for the batter.

Multi-Ball Hitting Drill

• The coach has two balls that are different colors.  • The batter is position where he or she is facing the fence so that the hit ball will hit the fence. • The coach throws both colored balls out to the batter and upon release calls the color of the ball he wants the batter to hit. • The batter has to have quick eye hand coordination and reflexes to hit the correctly colored ball. • This is done 10 times then the next batter comes up for the drill.

Tips:  This drill teaches the hitter to concentrate hard on the right ball to hit. It also teaches the hitter to keep their weight back.  This drill can be carried out from different locations. Instead of hitting the fence, you can involve other players and have the batter hit the ball into the field and be fielded. It will also give a heads up to the catcher to know which ball they are going to catch based on the color of the ball the batter is going to hit.

The coach should switch between tossing high balls and low balls. This will help develop the batters concentration and correct body movement when batting.  Also to help younger players the coach may say in advance of throwing the balls, whether or not they are going to be high or low.

Softball hitting drills are critical in developing player’s ability to develop correct batting stances and follow through when hitting the ball.   They also develop teamwork which is so critical in team sports. If you’d like to see more softball hitting drills explained and demonstrated on video, check out Sue Enquist’s Hitting Progression for Youth Softball - a great, step by step roadmap for hitting mechanics, designed specifically for girls 7-14.

There are a number of ways to play the short game. Here we’ll take a look at three different types of bunts that players can use to play the short game. We’ll also take a look at how base running can greatly aid the short game.

Base Running

When using the short game strategies, base running is essential. Without proper base running, absolutely no short game strategies will work.

The base runners have to know what they’re doing and they also need to be helped out by the 1st and 3rd base coaches.

Being aggressive on the bases is always best. Every player should always run the bases like they aren’t going to stop until they reach home plate. Then they should only stop when the defense forces them to stop.

When playing the short game, the base runners need to be aware of what play is happening and they need to react accordingly.  It’s usually best for the base runner to run hard as soon as the ball is pitched.

Whenever your players are conditioning, part of the conditioning program should always include them running the bases. This will get them used to running on the base pads as well as getting them into shape.

Bunting

The types of bunts we’re going to look at are the sacrifice bunt, the squeeze bunt, the right-handed slap bunt, the push bunt, and the drag bunt.

Sacrifice Bunt

The sacrifice bunt if the most basic type of bunt and it’s also the most basic aspect of the short game. It involves the batter basically giving herself up in order to move-up a runner on base. Since the batter is giving herself up, this bunt should only be called when there are less than two outs.

For this bunt the batter needs to square around as soon as the pitcher starts her pitching motion. This will make laying down the bunt the easiest it can be. It will give away the intention of the hitter but that’s not important.

The batter wants to make sure she keeps the bat level and simply meets the ball with the barrel of her bat. The ball should immediately go to the ground in fair territory.

Squeeze Bunt

The squeeze bunt is performed when there is a runner on third and you want to get her home. The batter must make contact with the ball and get it onto the ground. The runner will be leaving 3rd base and sprinting for home as soon the ball leave the pitcher’s hand, so the batter has to make contact and make sure the ball isn’t popped-up to anyone in the infield.

Once again, this can only be performed with less than two outs.

Right-Handed Slap Bunt

The right-handed slap bunt is used in similar situations as the sacrifice bunt. However, the slap bunt is an attempt to allow everyone to be safe on the play.

For this play the batter squares around early. Then when the defense reacts and begins to move on the play, the batter takes the bat back, places her hands in position to slap the ball, and slaps the ball into the infield. The hope is for the ball to be slapped past the moving infielders.

The Push Bunt

The push bunt is another play that works off of the sacrifice bunt. Instead of trying to simply lay down a bunt, the batter will push the ball as she makes contact to try to push it past the moving defenders.

Often the best place to push the ball is to the right of the pitcher toward where the second baseman plays. This is because a pitcher will have a hard time moving to her right to make the play (it’s tough to react that fast) and the second baseman would’ve vacated her spot in order to cover 1st base.

The Drag Bunt

The drag bunt is also known as the “sneaky bunt”. This is because the hitter hides her intention to bunt until the last second and then she deadens the ball with a bunt and tries to beat the throw to first base.

Short Game Softball Drills

These are drills that you can use to help your players get better with all types of bunts.

Bunting Location

What you need for this drill is a bucket of balls, a bat, and either a pitching machine or a live pitcher.

Purpose: The purpose of this drill is to practice bunting to specific locations. Mark out a few locations where you want the ball to stop and assign point totals for each location.

Performance: Divide the players into teams and then let them take turns bunting.

The first team will bunt while the second team will play defense. All the defensive team will do is pick-up the ball when it stops and then return them to the bucket of balls.

The team that finishes with the most points is the winner.

Short Game Mix with a Machine

For this drill the batter will need a bat and a batting helmet. You will need a fast pitch pitching machine and a batting cage or field to hit the balls into.

Purpose: This drill will teach batters how to disguise the bunt and how to perform all the different types of bunts.

Performance: Divide team into two or three teams. Each team will take turns bunting. Each batter will attempt each type of bunt once. As the batter bunts each ball, the other players on defense will call-out what type of bunt they think is being attempted.

Short-Game Competition

You will need to divide the team into two teams. The offensive team will have bats and helmets. The defensive team will take infield positions and, if you have enough players, outfield positions too.

Purpose: With this drill you will be working on all the types of bunts in game situations.

Performance: You should work on all situations except nobody on base and bases loaded.

The coach or the offensive captain can signal to the batter which type of bunt will be laid down. The pitcher should try to throw only strikes.

Once the ball is bunted, the defense will try to get the lead runner while offense will try to advance the runner. If the defense gets the lead runner then they get a point. If the offense advances the lead runner then they get a point.

Around the World

This drill is good for the defense as well. It’s also known as the “Star Drill”. The drill needs to be done in a field with infielders.

Purpose: This drill will teach the players to run around the bases correctly and as quickly as possible.

Performance: Players will take turns being base runners. When the ball is hit, the player will run around the bases as fast as possible. The runner should run in a straight line from base to base and just curve out a little to turn and run through the base when the runner is about 10 feet from the base. This will create the shortest distance to run.

While the player is running the bases the ball will be hit to the second baseman. The ball will then go from the second to third to first to short to home.

The runner has to beat the ball home.

Tag, Steal, Back

This drill teaches a base runner to be ready for anything.

Purpose: This drill teaches base runners to steal, to take two bases or more, and to tag-up.

Performance: The base runner begins on first or second base. In baseball the runner would take his lead. In softball, the runner won’t lead but should come off the base as she would when the ball is pitched.

The coach will then call out for the runner to “steal”, to get “back”, or to “tag”. The runner must react to what’s being called and perform accordingly.

Final Thoughts

In this article you’ve now discovered the basics of the short game.

If a team can perfect the short game, they can score more runs with much more consistency then they otherwise would be able to do. Also, your team will be able to get runners on base and even score runs on pitchers who are dominant.

If you practice the short game and drill your team on it, you will become good enough at it so that your team will score many runs against any type of defense and any type of pitcher. Don’t forget to leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

The result of slap hitting is exactly what you would think from the title. The batter is going to slap the ball.

This is a great strategy to use when a left handed batter is up at the plate. It works especially well when the left handed batter is a fast runner, has good eye hand coordination, and good discipline at the plate.

When the pitch is being made, the batter should leave her body in the same position but cross her front foot (for lefties that would be the right foot) back over the back foot (the left foot is now in front).

Then with crossed feet, the batter will take a good solid swing at the ball. She will try to direct the ball to a certain spot in the infield or through the infield. She will do this by stopping her bat at the contact point. This will create the slapping of the ball.

Now, as she is about to make contact, the batter should begin to move forward and out of the batter’s box. As she hits the ball, her hands should stop but the rest of her will keep moving. This will allow her to slap the ball and then attempt to beat the throw to first base.

The Goal

Fleet-footed, left handed hitters with good discipline will often become your best slap hitters

Slap hitting can be used to try to get the batter on base or to try to advance a runner who is already on base.

The goal of the hitter is to slap the ball in a place that is farthest from the base where they don’t want the throw to go.

For example, if there are no runners on the base then the hitter would want to slap the ball into the hole between the shortstop and the third basemen, preferably to the shortstop’s backhand. However, if there is a runner on second base and the hitter wants to advance her to third base. The hitter would then try to slap the ball down the first baseline. This is the farthest distance from third base.

The final goal of slap hitting is to either hit the ball on a line drive or to make the ball bounce through the infield. If a fast player can slap the ball so that it bounces two times before it reaches the shortstops backhand, that hitter will reach base just about every single time.

Slap Hitting Drills

There are many drills that you can have your players perform in order to get good at slap hitting.

The first drill involves hitting off a tee just to get the feel of slapping the ball – the stance and the swing.

Slap Hitting with a Tee

All you need for this drill is a ball, a tee, a bat, and either a catch net or an open field to hit the balls into.

Purpose:  The purpose of this drill is to get a feel for the body positioning with slap hitting. Also, a player will learn about how to directionally hit the ball using hand path and proper contact points.

Performance: The batter should begin with her feet crossed over. The tee should be moved around from the outside to the middle to the inside of the plate. The hitter should practice hitting the ball to different parts of the field. She should also practice hitting both line drives and bouncing balls.

Throughout the process of this drill, the hitter should begin to understand how and where to hit the ball to make it go to a certain spot in a certain way.

For example, to hit a line drive she would have to hit the ball in the middle while to make the ball bounce she would have to hit the top half of the ball.

Timing Drill

For this drill you will need a bat, balls, a pitching screen, and a home plate.

Purpose: The purpose of this drill is to understand and develop proper timing and footwork for slap hitting.

Performance: The batter begins with her feet crossed over (in position to slap hit).A coach will be behind the pitching screen and will soft toss balls to the batter.

The batter will start toward the pitcher as the ball is soft tossed. The coach will call out where the batter should hit the ball and whether it should be a line drive or a bouncer.

The coach should look to make sure the batter comes straight forward and doesn’t step on the plate or run outside the batter’s box.

Do you have a favorite slap hitting drill or teaching technique? Make sure to share it in the comments box below!

Bunting Drill
I throw bunting to each player on the team, from about 15 feet, as often as I can, working to mimic the velocity and various spins (fastball, curve / drop or change) of the high school pitchers my kids are facing.  I also have the girls throw bunting to each other because sometimes we HAVE to have that bunt put down even if the pitch is not a strike.

For sacrifice bunts, our focus is on three things:
1. When the pitcher is going into her motion, square up and start by lining up the bat at the same angle as the front of the plate and then use the left hand (for right handed batters) for the “steering wheel” that will “drive” or push the ball down third or first depending upon whether the girl pulls or pushes the end of the bat to her / away from her.
2. Have the angle of the bat at approximately 5 – 10% above  flat (we don’t teach 45 degree angled bat)
3. Most importantly, line up the oncoming ball, the bat and the batters eyes on the same plane.

If I get girls to “look” the ball on to their bats, to get their face down there at the same level as the oncoming ball, they will consistently get the bat on the ball before  it hits them in the face mask.  Next we work on bunting the top half of the ball.

Bunting is an important part of our game and we work on it every day.

Hit Stick “Warm Up” Drill
First, you need to set up your batting order on a board and make sure all the girls know when they are up to bat when they come in from the field.

You need to have a hit stick. This is a long stick with a ball fixed to the end of it.  Available at most sporting goods stores.

You need to find a place where you can use the hit stick without risking anyone getting hit with a bat.  I usually find a spot behind the dugout away from spectators.

You have to let your players know that there is a warm-up station just before the “on deck” station.  That warm up station is where you are using the hit stick.  This means that the person third in line to hit should be warming up at the hit stick. (At the beginning of the innings you can “warm up” the first and second hitters with the hit stick while the other team is getting ready in the field).

I use the hit stick to help the batters loosen up, work on making contact with the ball, and even simulate pitches by pulling the hit stick past them as they hit it.  This helps a lot with reaction speed.  You should focus what you do with the hit stick on what each batter needs to work on.  Some batters may be working on just making contact while others are working on reaction speed or swinging at only good pitches.  I vary the level of drills with the hit stick to the hitter’s individual skill level.
After the “warm up” station the batters go to their normal on deck position and get ready to bat.

I have been using this “warm up drill” for over a year with the same team and noticed results in the first game I tried it!  I can’t tell you how important it is to give a hitter the chance to “hit 20 balls” just before they get up to bat in a game where they are very nervous.

I have found that soo much of a younger player’s hitting success comes from not being nervous and muscle memory.  If they can loosen up with the hit stick the nerves are much better and the positive feedback of hitting the center of the ball gives them the “feel” of a good swing.

It is the single most important drill I use for hitting!

Soft Toss Batting Practice
I have the tossers kneel about five feet away from the hitter while keeping back three feet behind the hitter.  In other words, for a right hand batter the tosser is at ’5 o’clock’ tossing the ball.  For a left hand batter, the tosser is 7 o’clock.

I tell the tossers to mix up the ‘pitches’ by tossing quick into the hands of the batters to simulate a fastball and sometimes a soft toss to simulate a curveball or changeup.

By having the tosser stay back at an angle, this forces the hitter to keep their front shoulder in.  In addition, the mixing up of the ‘pitches’ makes the batter keep their hands back as well as develop a compact swing to hit the ‘fastballs’.

I also will have the tossers positioned at 6 o’clock.  They will toss the ball up to a height that is above the hitter’s head and try to make it end up out in front of the plate.

Going for the Points

•     Put a full defense on the field
•     3 kids form a hitting group
•     Coach pitches
•     Each hitter stays up until he either misses a pitch (strike), fouls a ball out of play (strike), or lets a strike go by.
•     If you hit a fair ball you stay up.
•     If you hit a base hit or if the fielders make an error that would have allowed the batter to reach base, you get a point.

Players in the field focus to make the fielding plays so as not to give away points and hitters concentrate on making contact and not letting good pitches go by.

Hitting group gets 3 rounds then they go out and play defense and a different group of 3 comes in. Assistant coach or team mom keeps track of their individual points or if the groups are even ( 4 groups of 3) we have group scores. Player or group with most points at end of drill gets a rousing cheer at end of practice and is excused from wind sprints.

They love it because it is competitive and they get to hit. coaches love it because they have to concentrate on defense and make the plays; they police themselves on lack of focus in the field and being ready to make plays.

Bunt Game, Tourney Style!
Split up the kids into teams of 3

Use throw down base to make 4-5 “fields” in the outfield.
I make the bases anywhere from 25-40 feet apart.
Adjust accordingly to your players’ abilities.

•     The defense is comprised of a first baseman, pitcher and third baseman.
•     The offense must bunt the ball between the pitcher and the third base line. You can also set up cones or a string line a little left of the pitcher to make it more difficult for the hitters.
•     Any ball popped up is an out, whether it is caught or not.
•     Any ball to the right of the pitcher is also an out.
•     The third baseman must stay behind the base until the bunter makes contact.
•     The pitcher makes a good crisp throw but must not throw too hard.  The idea is to bunt the ball, not strike people out from a short distance.
•     A “run” is scored each time the offense reaches first safely.
•     No runners stay aboard, their goal is to simply beat the throw at first.

We play 3 inning games and do it tourney style.

Every inning, rotate the defense so each kid plays each position once. Be sure to wear helmets.

The kids always enjoy the competition and want to do this drill every chance they get.  Great for infielders to practice quick hands and an excellent way to get plenty of reps in for bunting.  Every year the girls talk about who won the bunt tourney!

The hitting drill I call Rag Ball/Junk Ball Hitting. My favorite drill for fielding is an Around the Horn drill.

Rag Ball/Junk Ball Hitting
I set up two or three stations for hitting each practice.  Instead of hitting a typical batting practice I have the kids hit old socks wrapped in wide masking tape off cones into a fence.  Another station hits the same “rag balls” in a soft toss drill.

We also use an open area of the field to hit used tennis balls and squeeze balls from live pitching.  The players not hitting gather up the balls and get them back to the proper station.  My goal is to have all players take at least a hundred swings per practice.

Round the Horn Drill
My favorite drill for fielding is an around the horn drill. The catcher throws the ball to first, first to second with short taking the throw.  Short takes the ball to third and third home.  The drill reverses at home and goes to third, then to second with the second baseman taking the throw to first and back home.

I start this drill by simply counting the number of throws we can do without a drop. Later in the year we time the throws around the horn and back to the catcher.

The kids get so competitive and excited about beating their last record that I can’t get them to stop.