Purpose

In this drill, the pitcher focuses on developing arm speed and endurance.

Set Up

  • Pitcher stands on the mound (35-40 feet away).
  • A coach or player stands nearby with a bucket of 20 to 25 softballs.
  • Catcher is behind home plate.
Pitcher throws as many pitches as she can in three one-minute intervals in this drill.

Instructions

  1. The pitcher quickly throws balls to the catcher in this drill.
  2. However, instead of having the pitcher throw a certain amount of balls, this drill is based on time.
  3. The pitcher throws for one minute, rests one minute, throws for one minute, rests for another minute and throws for one more minute (that’s 3 minutes total devoted to throwing, hence, the drill name).
  4. Just as in the Bucket Drill, pitcher walks through her delivery and throws the ball to the catcher.
  5. Coach or player feeds the pitcher a new ball and pitcher throws it to the catcher.
  6. Pitcher should be getting the next ball and throwing at a fast pace.

Coaching Tips

  • Pitcher should be trying to throw as many pitches as she can in one minute. She should also be throwing as hard as she can.
  • Make sure pitcher is using her proper motion on each pitch – you don’t want her to go so fast that she develops bad habits in her motion.
  • This is a good drill for pitchers who think to much on the mound, it forces them to be quick and make physical adjustments without spending a lot of time thinking.
  • For pitchers with great stamina you can extend the throwing time to 1 minute 15 seconds or even 1 minute 30 seconds.
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