Fastpitch Softball Catching Drills

One of the most important positions in fastpitch softball is the catcher. This position is involved in every play, including receiving pitches, fielding bunts or pop ups, attempting to throw out base stealers and, in some cases, calling defensive plays for the infield. Fastpitch softball catchers can perform a variety of drills to prepare for games and improve their performance.

  1. Pitch Recognition

    • The ability for a softball catcher to recognize when a pitch can be caught in the glove or if it must be blocked in the dirt is one of the position's most important responsibilities. Pitches that get away from the catcher often lead to runs for the other team. A drill to help the catcher recognize pitches is to have her crouch to receive a pitch and then, from a point halfway between home plate and the pitcher's circle, alternate throwing pitches that are high, low and strikes.

    Catching Pop-Ups

    • If a batter hits a pop-up near home plate, it almost always is the catcher's responsibility to field it. To practice this, a coach could have the catcher get down in a crouch as if he was going to field a pitch, then hit or toss a ball into the air near home plate. This would allow the catcher to practice coming out the crouch to locate a ball in the air, tracking the ball and tossing the catcher's mask aside so that the play can be made.

    Fielding Bunts

    • Fielding a bunt requires a catcher to react quickly and make an accurate throw to the right base. To prepare for this, a coach could place three balls in front of home plate, varying the location of each ball. Have the catcher get into a crouch and the coach can call out either first, second or third base, instructing the catcher to throw to the base that has been called, and then repeat the process with the other two balls.