One of my favorite softball plays, because of the teamwork and pinpoint execution, has to be the double play. It takes such precise
timing and communication that it almost looks like the three players involved are all part of one machine. But players dont just start off like that – it takes hours of practice for it to become instinctual, second nature for your infield.
And while you’re going to need to use the appropriate tag techniques at 1st and 2nd bases, today we’re going to focus on the proper footwork required of the shortstop – the swiss army knife of the infield.
On the pitch, your shortstop should be in their normal position, between 2nd and 3rd bases, along with the 2nd baseman lined up between the 1st and 2nd. Now for the sake of the drill, the batter is going to hit a ground ball to 2nd base, but if it were hit to the shortstop, the footwork is fairly similar but just slightly more difficult because of the angle from which the 2nd baseman is coming from.
But before we get to making the throws, we want to focus on proper footwork. So first, were just going to have her run over to the base and make the catch with her feet set and ready to throw. For a right handed thrower, we want the last step to her left foot on the inside portion of second base, so that she can take a quick step with her right and throw for first without having to worry about foot placement.
Once they’ve got the footwork down – let ’em loose! Have a coach setup as the 2nd baseman, and another as the 1st, and get as many reps in as possible!
And if you need more help working the bases, make sure to have a look at our entire archive of defensive softball drills!