1. Charge and Knock it Down
Good short stops charge at balls instead of waiting for them to come to you. This can be intimidating since you're already pretty close to the batter, but it's essential to get a jump on the ball and beat the player to the plate. Aim for getting to the ball five feet in front of where you were standing. Practice this technique by grabbing the ball with your throwing hand. This will make you even faster because you won't have to pull the ball out of the softball mitt. Likewise, you should knock down as many hits as possible, to keep them from making it to the outfield. You get a lot of action between second and third base, so you can save valuable time on a play by jumping up and knocking down the ball.
2. Range and Speed
As a shortstop, you'll be moving all over the field to chase down line drives and grounders hit to the left side of the softball field. Be ready to shift positions as shortstop. The third baseman typically plays in front of the plate, so you need to be ready to cover third if needed. On top of that, if the batter hits the ball to right center or right field, the second baseman will go help with the relay back infield, so you need to cover second base. If the ball is hit to left center or left field, it's your responsibility to go out. The second baseman will cover the base. You have to cover a lot of ground on most of the plays, so it takes great range and speed to be shortstop. You'll also be expected to cover the base when someone tries to steal or bunt. As balls are popped up infield, call it if you think you can grab it. The worst thing is when a few players go for the ball at once, creating congestion.
3. Accuracy and Arm Strength
People tend to think the longest throw in the infield is from third base to first. But, in reality, the short stop very often makes a play from deep in the hole to first base. You have to have superb arm strength to be a good shortstop. Even if you're the best fielder out there, if you don't have the strong arm needed to make the play, you won't get much play time. When you're not fielding the ball, you're the cutoff person on relays. Again, another instance of how essential it is to be able to throw fast and accurately.
4. Great Hands
The shortstop is usually the target of the majority of hits during a softball game. You have to have great hands to be a good shortstop--the best fielder on the team. If the ball hits your mitt, your team has to know that you'll field it cleanly 99 percent of the time. You don't make errors and you get the job done.
5. Do Some Drills
In addition to normal fielding and hitting drills, shortstops should focus on improving certain skills when training. You should purposely practice getting to the ball five feet in front of where you were standing. Run some bunting and stealing drills, so the shortstop knows which base to cover. Also, do agility drills where the shortstop is going side to side, to improve her range.
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