A successful softball player has a lot of different components. Softball drills like practice hitting are necessary to improve one’s game in this sport. Pitching, fielding, and running the bases are all essential baseball skills. This list will show you how to have fun at the same time these abilities with the rest of your squad.
Practicing Drills and Techniques
Pepper
This is one of the most famous softball drills. Three of your teammates should be roughly two feet apart while you stand 22 feet from them. You’ll be the batter, with your colleagues playing the roles of fielders. Make the ball bounce by hitting it on a hard surface, such as a sidewalk or driveway.
Keeping your focus is essential. Your teammate on the field will recover the ball and toss it back to you so that you may deliver a second-ground ball. Keep an eye on your teammates and ensure everyone receives equal practice time.
Soft Toss with Colored Balls
Wait for your opportunity to swing. On the mound, your coach will hold two different colored balls. Throw both at once, and they will inform you which color to hit. It’s up to you to keep your eyes on the two balls and make sure you hit the correct one. Add a third ball if this practice is too simple for you to complete.
Double Tee
In front of the two tees, place a ball on each one. Prepare to swing from the first tee by taking a position behind it. Take a practice swing to ensure you make complete contact with the ball. The first ball will strike the second ball if it is done correctly. Having a flat swing makes it simpler to make contact with the ball, which is the goal of this practice.
Flat Bat
Set up a tee at the plate for the starting pitchers to hit off. Cut off two of the bat’s sides to make it seem like an oar. Have the player use the flattened bat to whack balls off the tee. Learning to hit through the ball is the ultimate objective. It would help if you swung the bat to get greater power completely. Since there is less weight to swing with a flat bat, it reinforces this by making it even more difficult to swing the bat.
Drills for Pitching
Long Throw
A greater distance from the regular pitching mound helps with power and accuracy. Begin with throwing each position on the mound to the catcher and working your way back. In these softball drills, you need to take a few steps back from the mound and throw a pitch at the end of each one. Continue to go back until the catcher’s glove can no longer reach the ball while it is in the air.
Knee Up
Assemble on the mound and get ready to throw the ball. Lift your leg opposite your throwing hand instead of beginning in a standard stance. Your pitching action will now be complete. You must maintain a sense of equilibrium to get the most out of this practice.
Kneeling while pitching
The motion of your throwing arm is also aided by this practice, which focuses on maintaining a stable center of gravity. In front of a fence or net, kneel. Toss the ball over the net or fence with a windmill motion. Do this drill several times until you’re comfortable with your windmill motion.
Spot the Difference
Set up on the mound with a catcher in front of the hitters. To the catcher, you’ll throw, but in specific places. The catcher or coach may choose where these spots are located. This exercise hones your pitching accuracy. In time, you can perfect your placement and become a deadly pitcher.
Pitches Made at a Rapid Pace
On the mound, get ready. Your coach will set a 30-second timer. The game’s object is to get as many pitches to the catcher as possible before the timer runs out. This exercise is excellent for increasing both stamina and accuracy simultaneously. The high number of repetitions in a short period can help you gain strength. Take a brief break and restart the process when the time limit has elapsed.
Final Words
These are all the softball drills essential for both new and veteran players of this sport. These drills help develop a better sense of softball play. Still, they also help in gaining valuable experience, which is helpful in actual games and helps solidify a player’s foundations in the game.