Coach #1 pitches from the front of the mound.
Coach #2 manages the hitters
Coach #3 manages the transition of hitters and fielders.

• With a 12 to 14 man roster, put a full defensive team in the field (minus a pitcher)
• Create a lineup of your remaining 4 to 6 players
• Coach #2’s job is to manage the dugout and lineup which without leadership can become chaotic
• With Coach #1 pulling balls from a bucket, pitch to the first batter.

o   All batters start with 2 strikes on them
o   A strikeout ends the batters term as a “hitter”
o   Every hit is live and the defense is trying to end each batter’s term as a “hitter” by getting them out
o   If the batter hits safely, she remains in the lineup at the end of the line
o   Batters can stay in the lineup as long as they continue to hit safely

• If the hitter is out in any way (strikeout or in the field), she rotates back to the field (sprinting at all times)
• Coach #3 walks the field and upon any “hitter” getting out, he taps the next fielder on the head and they spring in to the dugout to get a helmet and a bat.  They then take their place in the end of the lineup.  They are replaced in the field by the softball player that last got out.

This softball drill re-creates “game like” intensity for both fielders and batters.  It also promotes a very aggressive mentality in your hitters while promoting a good eye and dramatically reduces your called third strikes throughout the year.

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1) I, or another softball coach, hit or throw the softball to them.
2) Set up a large trash can to throw the ball back to.
3) The goal is to throw the ball into the can while the can is lying down on its side.  To make this softball drill more difficult you can start using smaller cans as they get better.

Make a game out of it and the players like the sound of the ball hitting inside the can.  They are always “awing” and “oohing” each other!  It makes them focus on throwing the ball straight and to the object they are throwing at.  Works great.

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For batting, I like this softball drill. I line up the girls and have them get into their batting stance, without a bat in their hands.  I then go to each and show them the proper stance and have them practice swinging without a bat, extending their arms and “squishing the bugs” as they rotate their hips.  I teach them to practice in the mirror at home, of course without a bat, so they can see what they are doing.  Sometimes I will put a coin under their back foot to keep them from picking up the back foot as they swing.

We have another softball drill to help kids that are having trouble with the grip on the bat and turning your hands over. You need an axe handle and small whiffle balls. You do soft toss using the axe handle as your bat. The skinny part of the handle forces you to put your knuckles together properly. Plus, if you don’t roll your hands at contact, it is hard to hit a small whiffle ball with the skinny side of the handle, and you also have to aim small.

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My youth softball team loves the drill of Bucket Knock Off.
We set up 2 buckets at home plate and have 3 players stand at pitcher’s mound. Give each of them 14 balls to throw at the bucket, 5 points for every time one of them knocked it over . It made them try so much harder and they could not get enough of it.

Here is the pre-practice routine that we use for the teams that I coach:

Each one of these are 10 reps each and the walks and jogs are between the foul line and 2nd base in the outfield
Arm Swings (hands behind head)
Side Bends
Trunk rotate (full upper body rotation)
Alternate toe touch
Leg Swing
Jog in place pump arms
The next drills are between foul line and second base in the outfield
Walk on toes
Straight leg kick
Knee hug
Butt kick
Lunge walk
Back pedal
High knee skip

I hope these give some ideas to pre-practice and pre-game work outs to get the body going.

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There is no time for day dreaming with this one or watching the other players.  To really get the pace going have your softball coaches pick up the pace of the hitting.  Emphasize all aspects here: the throw, good and sharp, the fielding with the emphases on the quick release, two hands.  We will time our players and get them to release the softball within 2 seconds.  The best part is about 5 minutes to each position and it keeps all players working and thinking:

Infield softball drill: (2 hitters) all fielders at bases and SS

Hitting coaches should take a position with one to the right of home plate and one to the left of home plate:

1st round: 1st coach hits to 3rd who throws to 2nd with 2nd baseman covering
2nd coach hits to SS who throws to 1st

2nd round: 1st coach hits to 3rd who throws to 1st
2nd coach hits to 2nd who throws to SS covering 2nd

3rd round: 1st coach hits to SS who throws to 2nd with 2nd baseman covering
2nd coach hits to 1st who throws to 3rd

4th round: 1st coach hits to 2nd base who throws to 1st
2nd coach hits to SS who throws 3rd

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So many young hitters who are seeing live pitching for the first time don’t understand the concept up seeing the softball. They initially think the you “pick the ball up” after it’s released from the pitcher’s hand.  Obviously if the pitcher is showing you the ball way back behind her ear that’s when you want to focus on seeing the ball.

I get on the mound and walk through where my hitters need to be focusing on picking the ball up.  I use terms like “see the ball early”, “read the writing on the ball”, “focus on the ball” and it helps remind them of the instruction I’ve given them concerning seeing the softball as early as the pitcher will show it.

We noticed our kids have great eye-hand coordination.  We think it is contributed to having our players bat the opposite way for a session of softball practice. This makes the player really see the ball because its not a natural swing. This should be done with slow pitching at first gradually increasing speed.  This also helps with softball players who have a tendency to step out with their front foot.

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As we all know 90% of softball is a mental game rather than a physical one.  We try to achieve an outing for the team once a month but at the minimum we plan an outing at least every other month.

The outing includes the entire team and softball coaches going and doing something for fun for the day. We take turns picking what we do for fun but some of the things we have done include, bowling, going to the movies, going to a theme park, paint balling, a trip to the lake and sometimes it is just to get together to swim for the afternoon and grill hamburgers and hot dogs.

Getting the team together in an atmosphere outside the ball field has really made a difference in the team’s mental attitude not only towards the game of softball but also towards each other.

They come to softball practice with a mentality of eagerness and wanting to be there to learn and are very receptive to new ideas. In addition, it has really made them come together and gel as a unit.

They are very supportive of one another and there is never a sign of negativity between players. It is very refreshing.

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I lined up everybody about 20’ apart, and made them throw on my command.  The goal was to throw the softball to their partner and back 10 times without any bad throws or catches.

After making it to their partner and back, the girls have to yell what number they are on.  If anybody dropped the ball, everybody had to do 10 push-ups, again on my command.  Then we started over again at 0 and had one side of the line move down 1 person to switch partners.

We do this for about 15 minutes, alternating the punishment between push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, etc.

The warm-ups improved and the conditioning results were immediate.

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This allows the players to make the calls that we would make in the course of a game. It helps the players see the game from a different view. It really opens their eyes to the little things that we pick up in the course of the game. They then are able to use things during actual games.

There is one softball drill that I don’t do offend enough, but the girls love it. Base stealing and learning how to slide. Every drill focuses on catching, throwing, etc. Sometimes these get boring and the girls want more.

Here is a trick I use to get my softball players to slide properly:

Get into a three (3) point stance like you would in football. Kick your right/left leg out in front landing on your rear-end.
Hands in the air like you’re signaling for a touch-down. I explain and show the kids so they get the proper form.
This teaches the proper approach and slide form.

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Pair two girls up, one on each end of the gym.  Most gyms have a mat on the wall on each end of the gym.  One team starts with the ball (an inside ball and the team to start is decided by the softball coach).  That team takes the ball, and has the full court on their end from the baseline to the volleyball line on the court (usually near the top of the key).

They throw the ball to the other two girls at the other end in anyway they can, hard, soft, bounce, however they wish.  The object is to try to get it past them and have the ball hit the mat.  If the ball hits the mat (gets past the two girls, they are out, and the next two are up).  If the ball bounces off the wall, and goes past the line by the top of key, the other team gets it.  The team is out if the ball hits the mat in any way, shape, or form.

I usually divide the teams up half and half.  Reward for the group of teams that outlast the others can be anything a coach wants to come up with for incentive.  This softball drill helps them work on throwing accuracy and fielding both at the same time.

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