Give these ideas for softball skills and drills a try with your team. Long throw-short throw is an all time favorite and the Triple Play drill is excellent for assessing which players are good fielders.
Long Throw — Short Throw Drill
This is one of my team’s favorite drills. Have players at all three bases and home plate. Object is to alternate between throwing to a long or a short base. Catcher starts drill by yelling either “long throw!” to which she throws to 2nd base or “short throw!” to which she throws to either 3B or 1B.
Players yell out which throw they are doing as the catch the ball alternating between the long and the short base.
Drill is not only good for building arm strength, throwing and catching but also requires players to focus and think while they are in the act of catching the ball. Fun to make a competition out of it between groups.
Triple Play Drill
A good warm up drill or an easy way to find out what type of fielders you have.
Have lines at 1st, 2nd, short and 3rd. Coach hits grounders to short, short throws to 3rd, 3rd throws to 2nd, meanwhile 3rd runs across pitchers mound where 2nd leads her with a throw and she finishes with a throw to first on the run.
With this drill everyone follows the ball to the next line.