Softball Coaching Drills - Know What to Look For
Too often in any sport, a coach will have his/her team go through drills without paying attention to what the players are doing. This happens in softball too. Drills are not any good if a coach doesn"t watch what"s happening and correct the mistakes. All drills require coaching. The three broad categories for softball coaching drills are hitting, throwing, and fielding.
Softball Coaching Drills for Hitting
Anytime players are practicing hitting the ball, a coach should be looking to make sure the player isn"t doing anything that will make it difficult to hit the ball.
For example, hitters want to keep their back foot planted firmly at all times. The front foot on hitters should stride straight at the pitcher. Stepping away from the plate is called "stepping into the bucket" and should be corrected by a coach. Also, a coach should make sure the players don"t pull their head (and eyes) off the ball while they"re swinging.
A few other things a coach should look at are the position of the hands before, during, and after a swing, the position of the back elbow before the swing, and how tightly a player grips the bat.
Softball Coaching Drills for Throwing
Players should be required to practice a variety of softball coaching drills that test a player"s ability to throw strong and accurately from a many different distances. While the players are throwing, the coach should be looking at the thrower"s feet, arms, and upper body. Improper footwork, upper body rotation, and/or arm movement can (and most likely will) result in inaccurate and/or weak throws.
Coaches need to make sure a player"s feet are moving toward the target, the upper body should swivel away from and then to and through the target, and both arms should come-up, the front elbow should point toward the target, and then fall away as the throwing arm comes through.
Softball Coaching Drills for Fielding
When fielding the ball, the main thing a player wants to do is keep the ball in front of him/her. This is done by a player moving to be completely in front of a ball and keeping his/her shoulders square to the ball. This is so important that every softball coaching drill should require a player to do this.
Coaches all need to make sure players slide their feet to get in front of the ball, that players bend at the knees to field the ball, and that the players scoop the ball with two hands and cradle it into their body.
Getting the Most of Softball Drills
In order for softball drills to be effective, coaches need to watch players perform the softball drills and then correct players" mistakes. The three broad categories of softball coaching drills are hitting, throwing, and fielding. There are very specific things that every coach should look for while players are practicing softball drills.