One of my readers, Mark, actually suggested this idea for practice [tag]softball games[/tag] recently. I’ve included it for you below. Very creative and you will see immediate results with your team!
From Mark…
I love this [tag]softball drill[/tag]/game. It is AWESOME.
We play a game called KNOCKOUT. We play Ground ball Knockout, Fly ball Knockout, Jugs Lite- Flte Ball machine Knockout (Batting) and Bunt Knockout.
Basically the girls get in a line. The first girl gets an attempt at whatever kind of Knockout you are playing. If she survives she moves to the other side and creates another line. So by the end of the first round there will be a line of survivors on the opposite side you started from. The girls who do not survive are KNOCKED OUT. You keep going until until you have the lone survivor. This drill really gets the competitive juices flowing. You have girls diving and fighting to stay alive. I use it at different times during practice so I can break it up a little and keep the girls into it.
The key to the [tag]softball[/tag] game is that you make the girls hustle from line to line. So they feel the pressure and they are getting their blood flowing. Especially with ground ball Knockout, make sure you hit the grounders hard (depending on level of girls). I use a spongy ball for Ground Ball Knockout.
I use small white (baseball size) rubber balls for with the Lite Flite for both Hitting Knockout and Fly Ball Knockout and regular size balls for Bunt Knockout. Make sure you get close to the player in Bunt Knock Out and try your best to simulate the speed of the pitchers your facing. Same thing with Hitting Knockout (Lite Flite). Especially if you have stud pithcers who throw hard. It teaches the girls to have fast hands and to put the ball in play.