1. Batting for a Line Drive
When you practice quick hit drills in softball, you want to improve your players' skills. Designate a scoring area level with the strike zone on the wall, curtain or fence. Assign teams of three and have players take one swing per turn. The team scores when the ball hits the scoring area, keeps playing if the ball hits the floor and receives an out when the ball hits above the scoring zone, goes foul or gets knocked down by defense. As soon as the first player completes a swing, the next player steps in.
2. Teach Load and Explode Softball Drills
Load and explode softball drills teach batters to get into position quickly. In this drill, the player gets 6-second intervals between pitches. As soon as the batter takes a stance, she must cock her hips (the load stage) and prepare for the swing. When the ball reaches the strike zone, the batter explodes into the swing, driving the bat through the ball. Players can use these batting drills at a batting cage or on the field.
3. Toss Batters a Curve
Once your players begin hitting the ball quickly, advance the drill to the next level. Instead of throwing over the plate, change the type of pitches. Begin by throwing only curve balls during quick hit softball drills. Once your players learn how to hit curve balls quickly, change the pitch to a floater. Ideally you want to be able to run quick hit drills with a variety of pitches and still have players maintain the number of hits while using the appropriate techniques.
4. Mix in Different Equipment
Using a ball that weighs more than a softball requires more energy to hit and helps players learn to power through their hits. Different bats like the lightning bat allow players to see more of the ball for an extended amount of time, which can improve their batting skills.
5. Prevent Batting Injuries
When you run quick hit softball drills, you increase the chance of balls injuring players. To prevent injuries, or at least reduce the severity of injuries, switch to training softballs like Softouch balls. These balls are the same size, and often weight, of a regular softball, but they do not have the hard shell of a regulation ball.
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