Chris, one of my subscribers, sent in these [tag]girls softball drills[/tag] he uses with his team. I’ve included it here for you to try with your [tag]softball[/tag] team! Let me know how it goes for you.
From Chris…
I coach little kids so their attention span isn’t the greatest. I try to do somethings that are fun yet competitive without them knowing they are actually learning something or improving their [tag]softball skills[/tag]. Here’s the drill:
At least two lines of four children (# of lines depends upon the number of players at practice)
I place a stick or you can use a chalk line five steps in front of the kids in their lines.
Coaches get two balls for each line with a glove and stand back about the distance between second and first base.
Coaches throw grounders to the kids and they have to field the ball, crow hop, throw back to the coach and go to the back of the line. The trick is to get the players to field the ball with their hands and glove in front of the line and make a good throw with proper technique.
The coach uses two balls to keep the rotation going quickly or if they lose one of the balls to a bad throw. If they lose two balls before they complete the drill that line has to run the bases or you can give them extra infield practice.
The next player goes and you do this two times to see who completes the [tag]softball drill[/tag] first.
After completing this drill I have the coaches move back to second base bag to first base bag distance and do it again. You can use another coach to hit the ground balls at this distance but throwing them at the younger ages works just fine. You can move back again to the outfield grass or further to increase their arm strength, accuracy and fielding.
You can also do the same drill with pop flies. I hope you and your players find these [tag]softball drills[/tag] fun, competitive and beneficial.