softballdrills

Purpose: Improve hand-eye coordination and quicken reaction time in order to consistently hit a variety of pitches.

Procedure: Equipments that are required are Bats, softballs, pitching machine and L-screen, white and yellow dimpled balls and white, yellow and red tennis balls. As a warm up a pitcher flips a ball from each hand at the same time and instructs the batter to hit one of the two balls. For example, "High" for the high pitches, or Low for the low pitch. Another option is to use two different colored balls with the batter instructed to hit one or the other. Advanced hitters can hit at balls numbered from 1 to 3 with the goal of calling out the number on the ball before contact. For the main drill, gather up three different colored tennis balls: white, yellow and red. Set up a close range batting practice session or short toss drill from behind a screen. The batter should practice a different hit according to the color of the ball White means bunt (e.g. safe color). Yellow means curveball (e.g. caution), so the hitter should try and stay back and hit the ball the other way. Red means fastball (e.g. dead red) so sit back and rip! For further practice, perform a softball hitting drill with the pitching machine using white and yellow dimpled balls. Try hitting the white one and bunting the yellow, Or hit-and-run the white, and hit to the right side for the yellow. But stress the importance of picking the ball up as early as possible. These exercises work on improving hand-eye coordination through concentration from release to contact and the actual grip of the ball at the pitcher's "L" focus upon release. Remember: Hitters shouldn't guess. These drills develop instinct and train the hands to react quickly and efficiently.

Purpose: To improve the softball pitching windup.

Procedure:  All the pitchers line up next to each other on one of the white lines on the field with about 10 or more feet between each player. On the 'go" command, the players wind up using the white line as the pitching rubber. Their first step back (six to eight inches) should be with the foot opposite the pitching arm. The players pivot toward the side (the non throwing shoulder should face home) and then lift the front leg. The players then drop forward using the lower torso to generate hip rotation. The players repeat this motion several times very slowly In the middle of the windup, when the opposite leg is lifted, pitchers can freeze and try to maintain a balanced position for several seconds.