Softball Practice for 12U – Pitching & Catching Drills

Mike and Frank, two of my subscribers, sent these suggestions for [tag]softball practice for 12u[/tag] last week.   Great ideas for [tag]softball coach[/tag]es that don’t require a coaching PhD to figure out.

From Mike…
A pitching drill that I like to do with my daughter is a one-hop [tag]softball drill[/tag].   Utilizing the width of a gym, she throws the ball as hard as she can keeping the ball low and hitting the floor in front of the catcher.   This [tag]softball pitching drill[/tag] teaches the pitcher the proper release point and cuts way down on high pitches.

From Frank…
I have coached [tag]softball[/tag] at many levels in my career, but currently I am coaching jr. high girls and 12 year old boys in the local Little League. One of the things I was having trouble with was, during batting practice the kids were not reacting to fly balls.

As many times as I would tell them a fly ball was a gift from heaven, they would just let them fall in front or behind them, then go over pick the ball up and roll it back to the pitcher.   I now tell them that whoever catches the most fly balls during batting practice will get a free ice cream of their choice after practice.   If they drop one, it is deducted from their totals.

They now react properly to fly balls during practice and more importantly during the games. This drill has made batting practice fun and very competitive for the kids who are in the field.