Special thanks to Rick for sending this one in. If you’ve every struggled to find fresh ideas for [tag]softball conditioning drills[/tag], try this one out!
From Rick…
Here is a [tag]softball drill[/tag] that I created recently…….
Drill name: 2-Man Juggling
Skill Emphasis:
1. works on quick transfer of ball from glove to throwing hand AND
2. quick toss to a relatively close target AND
3. quick reaction in catching off target throws.
Fun Emphasis: kids love competitions which this can be by counting catches.
Drill goes like this:
Two players with gloves pair up and stand 10-15 feet apart depending on the ages. Each player has a [tag]softball[/tag] also. At the same time, each player tosses the ball to his/her partner. As soon as the ball is released, the player needs to locate the ball that was just thrown. The player makes the catch and then quickly transfers the ball to their throwing hand and then makes another throw to their partner.
The cycle repeats over and over until one player misses the catch or drops the transfer. The softball drill doesn’t stop until each player has a ball in hand and ready to begin again. Make sure that the players can increase the speed of the toss/catch cycle, but still be under control. Players can count the number of passes/catches to see how long they can keep it going until one person in the pair misses the catch or the transfer. The pair with the highest catch number wins something, i.e. first pair of batting practice hitters.
As the pairs improve, increase the distance in between the players. I haven’t tried it yet, but you could possibly do this with three players throwing around a triangle shaped formation.