New to forum, years at softball . . . . BUT?

[Ken B]

Thanks! I had an injury resulting in the loss of some of my foot and lower leg a few months back, so that really hits home. I did a quick search and also found that torso twists need to be done carefully. I'll double check my routine with a couple college trainers and see if there's anything else I should remove, modify or add.

What kind of activities do you do with a ball?

 

[BLB]

As part of their warmup, we do what I call OTS (over the shoulder) drills. Coaches act as quarterbacks and players as wide receivers. Each player starts by facing the coach so they can practice using a good technique for their footwork on their initial move. You can use different pass patterns. We throw short fly balls. We do forehand and backhand catches. After a while, we give them feeds behind them as if they misjudged the fly ball. We practice using in-turns and out-turns for these behind the back fly balls. Each player has a ball in hand and simply gives the ball to the coach when her turn comes up. We make sure they don't have to run at full speed at first. These types of drills can be done using different patterns as well but we practice a lot going back for a ball. You can also do similar drills once their arms are warmed up and involve a short throw after securing the ball. I don't like to see kids simply run or jog without involving catching a ball while being on the move. I'm sure these types of drills are used a lot during practice but why not include them in warmups? A lot more motivating and challenging than simply jogging around the field or gym. Kids love it when they start making nice OTS catches.