Softball drills that are fun for players and coaches will cause the productivity of the players to increase. The drills should be educational, allowing the players to learn the correct way to play. An effective form of coaching is to teach new drills for half of the practice session and then allow the players to scrimmage for the duration of the practice. While the players are scrimmaging, the coach can stop play to correct any poor form or to show how the newly learned drills can come into play during a game.
Batting
To conduct a batting drill, take a basket of balls and stand on the mound. Pick one player to bat and then instruct the player on where to hit the ball that you pitch. One example is that before throwing a pitch to the batter, the coach would instruct the batter to hit the ball to left field. For the second pitch, the player would be instructed to hit the ball over the head of the first baseman. The location of each attempt should be changed with every pitch. This allows the player to learn how to take control of the bat during the swing. The drill should be performed with each batter on the team.
Fielding
Working on fielding drills with the players will help increase their range. To begin the drill, stand in the batter's box and have each player take their normal fielding positions. Hit balls toward the players, varying the location and speed of every ball hit. Hit some line drives toward the infielders to help work on their reaction time. By hitting balls into the gaps on the field, the players will also be able to work on their communication skills with one another as they call for the ball. The drill should be continued until every player has had an opportunity to play three balls.
Throwing
To perform the throwing drill, have each player take her normal fielding position. Hit the ball to various places on the field. While the players are moving to get the ball, yell out a specific base. Once a player has successfully fielded the ball, she must throw the ball to the correct base. For example, hit the ball to first base and call out third base while the first baseman is fielding the hit. The first baseman must play the ball and immediately throw it to the third baseman. To keep the players on their toes, vary the hits with fly balls, line drives and ground balls. After each hit, change the base that the player will be throwing to. This helps players improve their throwing techniques and their listening skills.
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