Fun and Competitive Practice Drills/Games

[MSSoftball17]

Hello All!!
I am a Middle School softball coach and I am looking for any ideas about what fun and competitive games, drills and activities to incorporate into our practices. Hit me with your best games, the ones your softball players love the most! I'm always looking for new ways to get the girls competitive and trying to incorporate some new ideas into practices. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks!!

 

[Chris8]

Here are a few options. When doing “games” in practice we tried to encourage hustle, competitiveness, teamwork, “thinking”. Worried less about proper form/techniques since those were worked on in other aspects of practice and we hoped to see the executed in the “game”

-Running relay: half of team at 2b half at home plate. When coach says “GO” runner from second goes home. Runner from home runs to 2b. First team to get their players to home/2b wins. We saw girls run harder and faster under this competitive situation. You can extend this by having the players who run 2b to home go to end of line and return to 2b. And similarly H to 2b to H so you finish where you started but have to restart at a base 2 bases away.

Home to 1B. Have all players start at the same position. Each player runs home to 1b. Instead of timing them count their steps. Next time through can they reach 1B in less steps. Can they reduce their step count by one the text time through. This focuses less on “time” and who’s the fastest and promotes individual competition against oneself to do better.



-IF vs OF 3 IF, no 1B 3 OF. Coach hits one ball to OF, OF throws home trying to hit bucket at home plate (Can also choose to set up a bucket in the IF at a base or for a cutoff). Next ball hit to IF and if throws to 1B with bucket. (In place of bucket at 1B you can put a wall ball on a T and IF has to knock ball off T) Coach alternates back and forth between IF/OF You can make the pace quick so there is little standing around. Once the throw from OF is made. IF hit is made. Rotate players quickly.

-OF throws home. Stack two buckets on top of each other at home plate. Hit fly balls and ground balls to OF. Players can work on catching FB’s, do or die fielding on grounders and then throwing home accurately.



-6 vs 6 pandemonium (or 5 vs 5). Rules: ball must be hit past the pitcher (no bunting). Batter runs on contact and keeps running until two defenders have touched the ball. However many bases the batter/runner touchers count as points. The players choose where to place themselves to strategize how to get the ball and two touches of the ball. Example ball hit to gap in outfield both OF can run to ball and touch it right away. Ball hit to shallow OF, OF comes in fields ball and throws to an IF for two touches. Let the players come up with their strategies. Once you’ve been through the lineup the next team is up and pitcher (coach) will pitch to batter as soon as the batter is in the box. You’ll see kids learn to have their gloves ready and batting equip ready, especially when the batters start hitting before the fielders are in the field. Note if you have more than 12 players split into three groups and one group works hitting balls off T and rotates to the batting position at change of teams. Watching players you’ll see the stratgize on how to get out on field before batters hit….fielders sprinting in to get helmet and bat…some players setting their equipment up to be ready to go asap..players shifting and adjusting to who they know/think the batter is and how they hit. Very little input from coach is needed other than an explanation of the rules at beginning and keeping score.

-Throwing with one ball. Start 10’ apart. Each player has a throwing partner 10’ across from them. Balls start on one side let one player lead the call to throw. Each line throws one time then takes a 3’ step back. Repeat. Once you drop a ball you’re out. Continue until there is one pair of players left.

-2 ball drill. Same as above except both players have a ball and throw at the same time.

-knock out: have players in IF positions. Coach at 1B and Coach hitting. Coach hits ball to IF player who fields ball cleanly and makes a good throw to 1B. If player makes error they become a runner. Once you have runners, runner runs when coach hits ball and IF player has to throw out the runner. Last IF player standing wins.

-Tag and advance. Runners placed at a base or bases….Coach hits fly ball to OF. Runner has to tag up and advance base(s) before OF gets ball back into IF (coach). Points awarded for each base advanced to. Split players into teams and rotate between runners and OF.

 

[gdc03120]

1.) "21" - Standard IF/OF - ground/fly balls hit to random players. Each successful out made (whether fly ball caught or ground ball played to a called out base) = +1. Any errors = -1 point. Players call out the points if a play is made. Start with a time limit of 10:00 the first time, then reduce it by 1 minute every time you do it to see how fast and accurate players can get.

2.) "Back to Front" - Standard IF, with each player in position facing the outfield. On contact, the fielders turn around and play the ball hit to them (if so) or cover their bag (if not) - the focus is to prevent girls from anticipating the play coming their way and responding based on how the ball is contacted.

3.) "The Hitting Game" - One of my all-time favorite/successful games. Standard IF/OF positions with one batter. 6 pitches - all side-toss. The first 5 hits are "dead" (no running). A ground ball hit in the infield successfully fielded and played to 1B OR any fair fly ball caught in the air = 0 points. Any hit to the grass OR any errors while fielding a ball = +1 point. Any ball hit past the closest OF = +2 points. Points from the first five hits are tallied. The last hit is "live" (BR runs). Final point total = points earned x base reached (e.g. 5 points x reaching 2nd base safely = 10 points). If the BR is put out at any time during their live at-bat = they go bankrupt (lose all points). Players then rotate positions (except pitcher - this stays reserved just for pitchers). The player with the most points at the end wins their choice of prize/reward.

4.) "30s" - Players line up at HP. Full lap race around the bases where the next player in line goes when the player in front reaches the running lane between HP and 1B. Any players caught before touching home earn some punishment (maybe 5 push-ups, etc.)

 

[ArmWhip]

I posted this in a similar thread.

I always like to play 'workup' with my teams, usually as the last thing we do in practice. The kids like it because they get to play different positions and I like it because it teaches situational awareness. Like a real game things happen that you can't replicate in practice. You designate a couple of hitters to start and put everyone else at positions. A coach pitches to the hitters. Batters hit and run the bases, if they make it around they hit again. When an out is made that hitter goes to right field, the 1st baseman goes in to hit, 2nd goes to 1st, SS to 2nd, 3rd to SS, LF comes in to 3rd, CF to LF. One key is to keep it moving, so the coach has a bucket of balls that he pitches and another coach catches and puts the balls in his bucket. Whenever the situation changes I go over the options with the fielders, and after a play is made I can critique what happened, if necessary.
And for young teams if an outfielder catches a fly ball she comes in to hit right away, and those behind her 'move up'.

 

[CoachJon]

My kids love Guts.

Separate the infield into two halves, using cones to designate a middle line running parallel to the 1st/2nd and 3rd/home base paths. 1st/2nd and 3rd/home base paths are the back of the field of play, and the paths between home/1st and 2nd/3rd are the sides. Players must throw hard grounders that land in front of the middle cones and stay between the bases, while the receiving team fields the grounder. Players must call the ball, and other players may back them up. If the player does not field the ball cleanly or it makes it past them without a player backing them up and fielding the ball, then the other team scores a point. The receiving team then throws the ball back. With beginners we play this to 10 points. With more advanced players, we remove a team member and use cones to move the field of play in tighter so that the teams must throw a ball that can be fielded by the players. Last team standing wins.