Softball Practice Drills – End of Practice Activity

This is one of my favorite [tag]softball practice drills[/tag] that I find to be a great end of practice activity.   It involves working most base running situations and conditioning.

Set up an extra home plate and first base a good 8 to ten feet wide of the base line and normal home plate.
One runner at each of the bases.   Two lines of batter/runners.   The batter/runners at the normal home plate will take an imaginary swing.     The batter/runners at the extra home plate will square and make an imaginary bunt.

The runner at first will go first to third as if on a hit and run, the runner on second will score as if on a hit, the runner at third will go on “contact”, the batter/runner at the plate will go first to second and the “bunters” will run through the bag turning their head to look for an over throw.

When a cycle is complete, the “bunters” become the runner.   Runners that score go to the end of the lines.

You have to give everyone a chance to get set for the turn.   All runners have to imagine a setting and going to the plate so secondary leads can be taken etc.   Many times I had to verbally call out, “Pitcher on the rubber” lead, “Pitcher goes home” secondary lead…batter swings bunter bunts.   I usually go through the exercise once so each batter/runner gets a turn bunting and swinging.