FAVORITE DRILLS~Got One?!

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Favorite drills!
Add yours!

One of my favorite drills to do
Call this~ Trust Your Glove
(others probably have another name)
*It is a transition drill ball in/ball out.
In atheltic position and in motion.
We can do this ourselves throwing and fielding our own shorthops!
GREAT REPETITION WORK!
Go Transition Speed!
*The drill is at the LAST 35 seconds of this 5 minute video.
(sorry dont have short clip of drill)


Fun story
Had trained a team through out the year and we included Trust Your Glove every workout.
Up came a city parade.
The coach entered the team.
Team marched down the street in formation.
Stopping along the way...
And did
Trust Your Glove in place. Then,
Trust Your Glove in motion.
In between walking a waiving in their uniforms to the community!
:)

The catcher is doing
Get RAD Catching Workout.
= mechanics and glove work training.
Also a favorite to do really is a workout routine tho ;)
 
Last edited:

Cannonball

Ex "Expert"
Feb 25, 2009
4,854
113
Ok, so we have a pitcher and catcher on the field. The pitcher throws a pitch outside or inside but the catcher does not catch it. Instead, the ball is allowed to go to the backstop. The catcher spins to retrieve the ball and the pitcher sprints to the plate. The catcher slides to the ball on the shinguards, spears the ball with her hands, and throws an underhand or dart to the pitcher depending upon the distance to the plate. The vast majority of the time on the field my team plays on, it will be underhand. On that toss, I want the catcher to keep their tossing arm fairly straight as if they are getting ready to shake the pitcher's hand. In this way, the catcher can't overthrow the pitcher. The pitcher is coached on how to present a good target but the pitcher is in an athletic stance and not blocking the plate.

This drill has a couple of different purposes. It allows the pitcher to throw various pitches with runners on third knowing that they have practiced for a passed ball. It gives the catcher knowledge about how the ball rebounds off of our backstop. Finally, it allows the catcher the ability to have confidence in sliding to the ball and delivering a toss on target to the pitcher.

Side note -- in doing this drill, we sometimes put me behind the catcher. In doing that, the catcher has to learn how to lockstep me out and clear me as if I were an umpire.
 
May 4, 2020
167
28
Favorite drills!
Add yours!

One of my favorite drills like to do
Call this~ Trust Your Glove
( others probably have another name)
*It is a transition drill ball in/ball out.
In atheltic position and in motion.
We can do this ourselves throwing and fielding our own shorthops!
GREAT REPETITION WORK!
Go Transition Speed!
*The drill is at the LAST 35 seconds of this 5 minute video.
( sorry dont have short clip of drill)


Fun story
Had trained a team through out the year and we included Trust Your Glove every workout.
Up came a city parade.
The coach entered the team.
Team marched down the street in formation.
Stopping along the way...
And did
Trust Your Glove in place. Then,
Trust Your Glove in motion.
In between walking a waiving in their uniforms to the community!
:)

The catcher is doing
Get RAD Catching Workout.
= mechanics and glove work training.
Also a favorite to do really is a workout routine tho ;)

That young lady is working hard for sure!!!
 
May 15, 2008
1,913
113
Cape Cod Mass.
Tag play-force play. I got tired of seeing my fielders in a force play position when it was a tag play so I came up with this drill. I put 2-3 players at every base. One will be covering the base the next one will be backing up the play. I, once again, explain the difference between the tag play vs force play positioning for receiving a throw. I give one fielder a ball and call out a base and then the play. So I will say 'one-force play' and that is where the ball should go and how the fielder should position herself for the throw. As she receives the throw I will call out the next play, four-tag play, then maybe two-tag play, etc. The back up fielder has to move to stay in position to back up the throw. If the throw goes through to the back up I will immediately call out the next play. After several plays at a base the fielder and back up switch out. If it's a tag play I insist the player put the tag down in front of the base for an advancing runner unless it's first base. Once it gets going the ball and the drill move fast.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
Short hop drills: Flip the ball in the air and you have to get the short hop (backhand, in front and forehand) and this one for foot down timing/rhthym (with me rolling the ball):



Do it with the 5 YO too.. ;)
 

Josh Greer

DFP Vendor
Jul 31, 2013
934
93
Central Missouri
Nothing specific. But I'm a big fan of those Mr. Miyagi style drills where you have the players do things and they don't realize they are actually working on things they don't like to do. One example is putting 3 players behind the plate. Coach hits fungos to the outfield. On contact, they turn and burn to pickup the ball and get it to a cutt-off person. Pretty primitive way to work on explosive running and proper footwork when behind. Also pretty impressive when your speed demons can catch a pop fly from this position.
 
Sep 21, 2017
230
43
PA
I'll add our favorite baserunning drill we do.

It's called 5 in 1. You have 5 stations, and each station will go at the same time. A coach will be on the rubber with a screen in front of them (10-12 feet or so) and pitch into the screen to give timing for the runners. You'll need two home plates (1 in RH box, 1 in LH box), with runners at each and on each base. You can make the stations on the bases whatever you want them to be, but RH and LH boxes always stay the same. An example of one variation would be.

1. LH box - Infield single (hard through the bag, break down fundamentals...is the new runner at 1B)
2. RH box - Hustle double ("better than 50% chance of 2B", hustle to 2B out of the box...is the new runner at 2B)
3. 1B to 3B (always goes from first to third, no matter what...is the new runner at 3B)
4. 2B to Home Plate/LH Box (always scores from 2B...is the new runner at LH box)
5. 3B to Home Plate (always scores...is the new runner in RH Box)

ALL players move at once, on the pitchers move. LH always clips the bag right in front of the RH guy going to 2B, etc. Always a single, always a double....can change up the others however you want, endless possibilities.

Another example may be... 1. LH box - 1B 2. RH box - 2B 3. 1B reads a looper over the 4 hole, squares up to it to make her read into the triangle, goes 1B to 3B 4. 2B reads a groundball to her left that makes it to the OF which is automatic score 5. 3B reads ground ball to right side (mentally) and scores on that play.
 
Nov 30, 2018
359
43
Marikina, Philippines
Short hop drills: Flip the ball in the air and you have to get the short hop (backhand, in front and forehand) and this one for foot down timing/rhthym (with me rolling the ball):



Do it with the 5 YO too.. ;)

I didn't watch it yet but I think I know where it is going; the step across to your target I call "CONTINUITY". I also use a 5-7 rung agility ladder to approach the ball with quick short adjusting steps, rolling the ball slightly right to enable stepping across. Secondarily I do the same with backhand. On the backhand I roll the ball further to their right, my left, as soon as they get to the end of the ladder. I demand the proper "cross-over" first step to lead to the ball.
 
Last edited:

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,477
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top