Softball Warm up Drills

As Olympic triathlon coach Gale Bernhardt notes athletes need to properly warm up to improve their performance and to decrease the chance for injury. Softball players are no different. After a slow jog to get the muscles moving, athletes need to stretch their arm, shoulder, back and leg muscles. Following wind sprints, warm-up drills will prepare players for a topnotch performance.

  1. Progressive Throwing

    • Players can reduce injuries by slowly warming up their throwing arms.

      Starting about 10 feet apart, players slowly throw the ball back and forth to each other, focusing on technique, accuracy and muscle motion; this stretches out the throwing muscles. After each player throws five to 10 balls, one player steps back about 5 feet. Still focusing on technique, accuracy and muscle motion, players again throw five to 10 balls. This time, however, they throw a little harder than the first set. Players continue this routine until they are throwing at full speed and are standing 60 feet apart (the distance between the bases).

      Alter the drill to work on proper shoulder rotation and technique by having players begin on sitting Indian style then on their knees.

    Defensive Hands

    • Fielding grounders properly requires that players scoop the ball with both hands so that the throwing hand is in position to throw quickly.

      Standing 5 to 10 feet apart, players assume the defensive stance - feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, shoulders forward over the toes and glove hand on the ground in front of the face with the throwing hand on top of the glove. Player 1 quickly rolls the ball to Player 2's left so that Player 2 has to shuffle step two steps to her left. Player 2 focuses on her footwork as well as keeping her hands low to the ground to scoop up the ball in her glove with her throwing hand instantly in throwing position. Player 2 quickly rolls the ball at Player 1 so that she must field to her right. Repeat the drill 10 times to each side.

      Alter the drill to create a competition with the first player to get 3 balls past her partner wins. Improve the players' ball handling by doing this drill without using ball gloves.

    Soft Toss Hitting

    • Hitters must practice their swings every day.

      Hitting off live pitching or a pitching machine does not always provide hitters the best practice, and they often take too much time. Soft toss hitting gives hitters a lot of swings in a short time.

      Facing the fence (so that she is hitting into the fence), Player 1 assumes her batting stance about 10 feet away from the fence. Player 1 takes a practice swing, stopping her bat at the spot she wants to make contact with the ball. Player 2 kneels so that she can toss the ball at this spot. Player 1 again assumes her batting stance. From her kneeling position, Player 2 tosses the ball up about 6 inches into Player 1's hitting zone. Player 1 hits the soft toss into the fence; she is focusing on her swing technique as well as driving the ball into the fence. Repeat until Player 1 swings 10 to 20 times then players switch positions.