These are two of my favorite [tag]softball coaching tips[/tag] for indoor practices.These [tag]softball drills[/tag] focus on fielding skills, hand speed and eye hand coordination.
The first [tag]softball drill[/tag] is one I call Target Toss. Set the gym up with 3 targets (left – center – right). Tape lines on the floor to represent the proper foot placement for a throw at each target. Finally, set the pitching machine up so that it is sending grounders to the fielder. One athlete comes to the center of the gym and must field grounders and then throw at each of the targets. This athlete must stay in the drill until she has hit each target one time. As soon as all three targets have been hit, the next athlete steps in.
As students progress throughout the season, we vary the drill by:
1 – placing the targets farther away,
2 – calling a target as the grounder is on the way so that the fielder must be listening and thinking as the play is made,
3 – changing the height of the target so that a fielder is throwing in either a force out or a tag out situation.
This next one is a drill the younger girls absolutely love when we have to do indoor practices.
They get in a single file line about ten feet in front of me in their down and ready infield position barehanded. I sit on a bucket of tennis balls. I bounce a tennis ball at them and they have to catch it in their hands, come up to a proper throwing position and send it back.
If they catch it in front of their bodies with their hands, they go to the back of the line. If they miss, drop or catch the [tag]softball[/tag] in their body, they are out and step to the side to cheer on their team mates. Last one left standing is the winner. I can already see an improvement in their hand speed and hand-eye coordination.