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This is one of our favorite softball indoor defensive drills. It is called the “Hot Box.”   I am sure that I picked it up from one of the numerous clinics that I attended over the years, but I have put my own twist on it.

Hot Box
Since this is an indoor drill, we use the lines of a full sized basketball court to designate boundaries.

  •     The team is lined up along the baseline facing midcourt.
  •     Only one player is on the baseline in what would be the “key” of the basketball court.
  •     I hit the ball (an Incrediball) from the midcourt line as hard as I can directly at the player in the key.   I must hit the ball somewhere in the key in order for it to count.   It can be a line drive or a grounder.
  •       If the player misses, everyone simultaneously runs to the other end of the basketball court.   Then the next player goes.
  •       Each player must field the ball and throw it to my assistant coach or another player who is standing next to me.
  •       Players keep taking turns fielding the ball.   We make it a “winner stays in” game and the last player in is the ultimate winner and she does not have to run an extra lap.

Even if a player misses and is out, she must run with the rest of the team during the game.

I use this with my varsity team, since they love competitive games.   You can add a variety of variations to the game set-up as you wish.

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