Whether you're a beer-league, soft-toss player or an aspiring fast-pitch Olympian, becoming a more successful softball player--or for coaches, better developing your players' skills--is a matter of practicing and drilling on the fundamentals repetitively. And there's no lack of core drills out there to use, which is not surprising given that softball is the most popular team sport in America with more than 40 million players.
Pitchers Strength Drill
Control and velocity are important for pitchers, but arm strength is vital as well. According to a study by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, hard-throwing softball pitchers suffer frequent shoulder pain because the windmill motion is more strenuous on the biceps muscle than a typical overhand throw. To strengthen your pitching arm, drill a hole in the center of a sturdy broomstick or other wooden rod, run a rope down the hole and attach a light weight to the bottom of the rope. Then hold your arms straight forward, elbows locked, and turn your wrists until the rope has wrapped fully around the stick. Unwind and repeat. This drill strengthens the wrists and arms and helps you avoid injury.
Twenty-One
Regardless of the position you play, being able to throw the ball accurately time and again is a vital skill in softball. Twenty-one is a time-tested drill used to hone aim. Get one ball and stand a good distance from your partner, anywhere between 20 and 100 feet depending on age, size and arm strength. Before one teammate throws the ball, the other one calls out an area--either chest, waist or head--and a point value between one and five. The receiver always freezes with the ball for a few seconds after catching it, so as to determine if his partner hit the target zone. The first player to 21 points wins.
Bat Throw Drill
Hitters always look for ways to generate more power. The bat throw drill--releasing the bat during the peak of your swing--does this. Don't use an actual bat; you don't want to damage an expensive piece of equipment, and the nub on the handle will irritate your fingers. Find an object similar to a bat in shape and weight--perhaps a sawed off T-ball tee--and practice swinging and releasing the "bat" upon follow-through, aiming for distance. This drill builds power in your swing and creates balance because if you release too early or too late, the bat will veer off at an angle and travel a shorter distance.
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