I’m often asked for ideas for[tag]softball practice drills for beginners[/tag]. Here’s a simple [tag]coaching[/tag] [tag]drill[/tag] that will pay huge dividends with your team.
From Shawn…
Catching & Throwing Drill
Softball is all about [tag]catching[/tag] & [tag]throwing[/tag]. This sounds easier than it actually is.
With my players age 9-12, I line them up 25 feet apart from their throwing partner. I then bark out “Ready….Fire” . They count in unison “one!”, then I shout “Ready,… Fire!”. They reply “two!”.
The goal is to catch your partner’s throw or at least stay in front of it and keep the ball from getting past you. If my kids do this successfully after 10 throws and no errors, the coaches do 5 push ups. If the kids make bad throws or let the ball get past them, the players do 5 push ups. We repeat this drill at 50 feet and then 75 feet.
Turning any drill into a contest makes practice more fun for kids at this age. Hopefully this will translate into successful catching and throwing without errors in real game situations.