Softball Drill

Indoor Softball Practice Ideas for Winter Months

By Sara Thompson, Softball Manager

Baserunning

Purpose: This drill is designed to simulate game-like situations, keeping everyone involved and moving in practice. It also provides great conditioning.

Explanation: There are 6 stations: Right-hand batter’s box; left-hand batter’s box; 1st base; 2nd base; 3rd base; and On deck/back of the line. I will follow “Polly” from station to station.

Coaches and managers can be used in the 3rd base coaches box and as the pitcher. At the least, you will need a pitcher (who could be a player) just doing the motion for leadoffs and to start the drill.

• Polly begins at home plate in the left-hand batter’s box. She takes a dry cut (NO BAT), runs out an infield single to first, then breaks down and comes back to 1st.
• Polly then runs from 1st to 3rd off of the pitch. (She can pick-up the 3rd base coach as she rounds 2nd base)
• Polly starts about 2-3 steps off 3rd base(towards home), tags 3rd base (should “watch for a catch” in the outfield), and sprints home. (I recommend the player starts off 3rd base initially because if she takes her lead with the pitch and then tags, the runner at second will have to slow down).
• Polly begins at home plate in the right-hand batter’s box. She take a dry cut (NO BAT) and runs out a double. (Runners should work on their footwork rounding bases.)
• Polly takes her lead from 2nd and runs home (like a hit through the infield. She could work off the 3rd base coach as well)
• Polly takes her place at the end of the line.

This drill is best done with a whole team since players will tire easily at the beginning of the year.  Have a player at each base, two at home in their respective batters’ boxes and the rest of the players in a line behind home. Every time a player comes back to home plate to begin the drill, she should switch which batter’s box she starts in.

Coaches may add:

• Cones a few feet in front of bases to help runners work on their turns (banana turns);
• Sliding to the drill at certain bases;
• Outfielder actually catching fly balls for the runner at 3rd to watch when tagging up.

Please email Sara Thompson at sthompson@LittleLeague.org with any topics you would like to see covered in upcoming Coach’s Box articles.