The [tag]youth softball drills[/tag] below are fundamental skills and drills that I use often. It is always good practice to reinforce good skills and how to avoid the bad pitch.
Outfield Turn Drill
Have player line up 10 to 15 yards in front of you. Show the player the ball; have him or her right left creep toward you to be in the ready position. Next have player drop step with there right or left foot straight back, let them run back for about 10 to 15 yards, keeping their eye on the [tag]softball[/tag], yell “turn” and have them turn in the opposite direction. Coach throws pop fly and player has to get under the ball and catch it.
Avoiding the Bad Pitch
We also try to teach hand and eye coordination coupled with knowing when to get out of the way of a bad pitch. We use the following drill with much success in teaching this.
The coach has a bucket of balls at the pitcher’s mound that he will use to pitch to the batters. In this bucket are a couple of tennis balls. The batter does not know when the coach will throw the ball or the tennis ball. The idea is to throw the tennis ball at the batter, so that she will be able to identify a ‘bad pitch’ and move out of the way, by turning her back toward the pitcher. The tennis ball will not injure the batter, if it should hit her.