Indoor Fastpitch Softball Drills

As in most sports, mastering basic skills and repetition through daily practice help make a softball player adept. Structure your practice sessions around drills that develop muscle memory, hand-eye coordination, speed, agility and endurance. By mastering the basics, your players' performance will improve, and you will build a fundamentally sound team. Teams who practice in early spring typically seek drills that they can perform indoors as well as outdoors because of inclement weather.

  1. Warming Up

    • Have each player run six to 10 sets of 20-yard wind sprints. Then, move into "power skipping," which consists of a player jumping off one leg and raising the opposite arm while moving forward in a running motion. Do this two to three times in 20-yard sets. Finally, have each player run backwards while bringing her knees up as high as she can for two more 20 yard sets.

    Batting Drills

    • These drills can help increase bat speed through the strike zone.

      Have each batter take 25 hard swings (harder than a normal in-game swing) in a row, making sure he focuses on proper technique and form. He should keep his head down, swing level through the strike zone, shift his weight, and follow through. Next is a quick toss drill at the plate. Toss a ball into the strike zone while kneeling opposite the batter (about five to six feet way) trying to keep it the center of his swing. Increase the frequency of tossing the balls, forcing the batter to reload his swing quickly. Change the drill by tossing a small frisbee (about six to eight inches in diameter) from about 15 feet away and let the batter swing at the new target. This will help with hand-eye coordination.

    Drills for Defense

    • Pair off your players and place them 60 feet apart. Have them go down to one knee and throw back and forth to each other, each player getting in about 100 throws. Next, start a drill known as "Four Corners." Split your players evenly among the four bases. Starting at home plate, the player throws the ball to third base, then to second, first and back home. As each player throws, she follows her throw to the next base. Reverse direction during the drill to force players into a different set of motions. Finally, put your team into two rows facing each other about 80 to 90 feet apart. Pair up two players in opposite lines. Give each player in one line a ball, yell "Start," and have each throw the ball in the air to themselves. Once she catches it, have her throw to her partner. This simulates playing in the outfield and making throws back into the infield.

    Pitching Drill

    • The Wind-Up

      This drill, called "Three Ball," needs only a pitcher and a catcher. The pitcher has two balls and the catcher one. Standing about 50 feet apart, the pitcher throws with a shortened windmill motion and only one step toward the catcher. The catcher catches with one hand and throws the other ball back to the pitcher. The pitcher removes the second ball from her glove and places it in her throwing hand. She catches the throw from the catcher and throws another pitch. If a ball gets away from either the pitcher or catcher, keep going with the balls still in play until they are all thrown away or about 50 throws have taken place.