Softball Coaching Tips

Shhh don't give away all our secreats lol.

 

Coaching Tips

Teach your kids (hitters) to read rotation of the pitch. I saw this at The Softball Clinic while your pitchers are warming up have a hitter stand in without a bat and try to call out the rotation of the pitch as it approaches the plate. My daughter and I have been working on this and it really works. She is getting a better idea of what pitch the pitcher is throwing...

 

Jump or Dive

...nice post W Track!
I'm a beleiver in this approach for sure.
Hey, add this to the gig
1. have a batter on both sides of the pate at the same time.
2. make a game out of this drill for the batters
...batter with no bat, but in proper stance, as the ball comes to the plate, the batter has to react with her hands to either deliver a weight transfer, or hold back.
If the batter delivers a weight transfer, as in attempting to swing, and the ball pitched is actually a strike, then that batter moves on into the next round. By the same token if there is a weight transfer and the ball is a ball, then the batter gets out of line.

This drill came from Dot Richardsons Olympic team camp.
Fastpitch rocks!

 

Thanks Cheese for the nice welcome and to you Marlinfan for the comment.. Marlinfan I'll suggest that drill to my daughters coach that sounds like a nice compliment to the one I posted from the softball clinic.

 

EYE & HAND DRILL

THIS DRILL IS ONE I USED THAT WAS FUN AND VERY REWARDING BACK IN THE DAY. WE TOOK 8-12 ORANGE CONES WITH HOLES IN THE MIDDLE AND MADE 2 ROWS WITH THEM EACH CONE APPROX 4-6 FT APART AND SET A SOFTBALL ON TOP OF EACH CONE. THEN I TOOK MY GIRLS AND SEPERATED THEM INTO 2 TEAMS. AS COACHES WE KNOW HOW TO SEPERATE 10 OR 11 GIRLS INTO TO PRETTY EVEN TEAMS WHERE SPEED IS A FACTOR. THEN WE STARTED WITH A CHALK LINE AS A STARTING POINT AND A COACH WOULD HOLLER OUT LEFT OR RIGHT. IF IT WERE LEFT THEN THEY MUST USE THEIR LEFT HAND FOR THIS DRILL RIGHT WOULD BE RIGHT HAND. ONCE THE WHISTLE BLEW THE 1ST GIRL WOULD RUN TO THE 1ST CONE PICK UP THE BALL WITH THE HAND THE COACH TOLD THEM AND RUN BACK TO THE CHALK LINE AND SET THE BALL ON THE LINE. THEY REPEATED THIS UNTIL ALL 4 TO 6 BALLS WERE PICKED UP AND SET ON THE LINE. THEN THE NEXT GIRL IN LINE WOULD PICK UP ONE BALL AT A TIME FROM THE LINE AND SET IT ON THE CONE. THE TEAM THAT FINISHED 1ST WOULD WIN. IT TEACHES BALL HANDLING, FOCUS, AGILITY, TEAMWORK!!. I USUALLY GAVE THE WINNING TEAM A BREAK FROM EQUIPMENT DUTIES THAT DAY OR I WOULD LET THEM CHOOSE THE NEXT DRILL. THE GREATEST PART OF THIS DRILL IS THAT IT CAN BE USED INSIDE AS WELL AS OUTSIDE. ALL YOU NEED IS A 6' x 30' SPACE.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!... I HOPE EVERYONE IS DOING WELL & GOODLUCK TO ALL!!!!

 

This one may be very simple for a lot of you, but we were VERY young last year during school ball. Divide the team up into 2 groups. Place 3-4 balls on or near the 3rd base line spaced out approx. 2 feet each. Group #1 stands at home plate. Group #2 at 3rd base as if fielding. The player in the back of the 3rd base line covers 2nd. The coach blows a whistle, runner at the plate takes off to 1st, makes a good turn and slides into second. The fielder at 3rd bare hands each ball making good throws to 2nd. The player on 2nd must make tags each time. The player on 2nd that makes the tags goes to the back of the line on 3rd base side. The runner goes to the back of the home plate line. After each player gets one turn, then hitters become fielders and so on.

We also do a running drill where you pair up players around the same speed. Next, you have them sprint from home to home. If you catch the person in front of you, you sit out a turn. If you try not to catch them...(Friends,etc.) you both run again....LOL

Finally, just extra BP after practice drill to get out of conditioning the next day. Set up the pitching machine and turn it down a little. Let every player come up to bat. ONE swing/ or pitch. Make contact and advance. Miss, and you shag balls. Each round, speed up the machine. Same rules, miss and go shag balls. When you get down to the last 3 in the order, it now comes down to win or lose for the team. Contact will not win thew game, now put it in play! This came down to a senior and a freshman last year. The senior had a big cut and fouled it off 1st base side. The freshman, laid down the sweetest bunt to the 3rd base side. We all learned a lesson that day.

ENJOY

 

Another area that doesn't get much focus for some reason is diving...kneel about 8 or 10 feet from your player who is in ready stance and just throw the ball to either side, line drive style, pushing the edge of her range. The distance is short so she doesn't have the time to think about the dive- it just becomes reaction. I always found this simple drill fun and helpful.
We also do the watching pitches without a bat drill, although we also have to yell out yes or no to fully commit.

 

3-1-2 drill

This is a quick paced drill that will work agility, accuracy and speed. You will need three coach's to do this drill, one just behind third base one at first and one at second base. Each coach will have a bucket of balls, Have all your girls line up at home plate. Place 5 cones going toward third left right left right left where they will really have to jump to reach with each foot. The coach at third will run drill. When he blows whistle the girl advances through cones and will recieve a hard thrown grounder at her feet, she must field ball turn glove side and make a throw to first, this really helps girls who do not always turn glove side because of its extreme nature of fielding a ball coming from third toward home and then having to set your feet to throw to first. First base coach fires ball back at her while her motion is going toward him. She again makes catch turns glove side and makes a throw back to second. Coach on third watches for throw to second and blows whistle to start another player while the girl who is finishing up runs out past shortstop position to catch fly ball chunked up in the air from coach standing on second. she places her caught ball in bucket at third base and returns to line at plate.

Hope you enjoy drill

 

THere are some great drills. Thanks to everyone who has shared!

Here is one that I just learned at the NSA clinic in Salisbury this past Saturday that I think would be a good one.

Problem with footwork??? Here you go.

Have several players stand in a line hands straight out in front of them. one player without a glove travels down and back underneath hands while a coach throws grounders at them. The object is for soft hands as well as correct foot work. IF the player is shorter the other players may have to squat a little to make it challenging.

Good luck to all on this upcoming season!