Softball Practice Plans

These plans were designed for softball players in high school, using my high school times. I have included 3 types of plans: Plans for Basic Everyday Practices, Practices for Days before Games and Practices/Warm-Up’s before Game Starts.

Basic Everyday Practices:

All are subject to change depending on Coaches decisions.

3:15-3:30ish:

Warm-Ups, Stretching & Agilities

Throwing:

Standing feet apart but not step and throw

Step & throws

Crow Hops & throw

Rainbow throws

3:30-3:45:

Water break, coach talks about plan for practice, strategies, break up into positions; outfield, infield, pitchers and catchers

3:45-

INFIELD- at positions hit a series (3-5) balls to each

Bunt coverage’s

Pop-up coverage’s

Practice plays and game like situations; for example, base runners on 1st and 3rd 1 out, where to throw, and double plays, etc.

OUTFIELD- standing in a single line in the outfield, 1 player standing in the field decently far away from the rest of the line; coaches hit balls or using pitching machine

Grounders: coach hits grounders to player, player throws in, get to end of line; cycle through

 On-the-run throws

Fly Balls: coach hits ball to player, player catch throw in, end of line; cycle through

Crow-hops

Drop-Steps: coach hit balls 1 to left and 1 to right, player throws in, gets to end of line; cycle through a few times

Crow-hops

Drop Balls (Shoe-Stringers): coach hits fly balls short, in front, of player, player must run in to try and catch, player throws in, gets to end of line; cycle through

Balls in the Gap: 2 players standing in the field decently far away from rest of line and decently far from each other as if playing in a game; coach hits balls in the gap between them, either fly, grounders, droppers; players must call it if they have it very loud to call off the other player; player throws in, gets back in line; cycle through

Coach must keep in mind all players are in proper stances, outfielders in proper stance gloved tucked and up at chest area, infield gloves down, squatting with butt down chest up going side to side stepping for back hander’s, on the run etc

PITCHERS & CATCHERS:

all pitchers and catchers work on signals and pitches, catchers and pitchers must rotate with each other so everyone is on the same page in signs and what pitches each pitcher has to offer

Between 4:20 & 4:30:

Water break, all players take positions

Coach calls out where to throw ball, hits to OF (to LF, CF, and then RF), player catches throws in

Coach possibly having extra players serve as base-runners for game-like situations; hitting series of balls to OF and IF calling out where to throw, how many outs, whose on base etc; after this series coach hits balls not telling where it’s going or where the play is, base runners on base

4:45-5:15/5:30:

Water break, players pair off (2-3 in a group) for hitting drills

Hitting in the cage

Off tees in to netting

Soft-toss into netting

Soft-toss small waffle balls (size of golf balls) using Thunder-Stick into netting

Hit basketballs off cones into netting using bats

Cycle through 2 times at each station

All of which is subject to change with coach

5:30ish:

Water break, coach closes out practice giving everyone feedback and discusses what was observed and any issues that came up while practicing; gives a brief plan for the following day.

The practice schedule could change its formatting, whereas hitting can be done first followed by IN/OF drills.

Practices Day before Game:

Objective is to have game like situations to prevent as much error as possible during game

3:15-3:30:

Warm-ups, Stretching, Agilities

Throwing

3:30-3:45-3:50:

Water break, Coach goes over plan for practice and game plan for next day briefly

3:50-4:10:

OF’s become base runners standing in line; IF in positions

Pitchers & Catchers practice aside from others for time

Runners stand at home plate, Coach is DH; Coach hits balls to IF and runner sprints to 1st, players must make plays, and runner must run as if in a real game sliding optional depending if indoor or outdoor practice; if there are more than 1 player at a position players must rotate to take turns; cycle through

4:10-4:45:

Water break, everyone to positions, same IF, OF drills as everyday (in plan above)

4:50-5:30:

Water and pair off for hitting drills

Coach may change to everyone out in the field and have one person up to bat and player on deck hitting a bucket of balls off machine or live pitches, once done hitting player goes out to field to catch balls; cycle through 2 times

Or hitting may be used as stations as hitting practice stated above

5:30-:

Coach goes over practice and discusses tomorrow’s game

Practice/Warm-Up before Game:

3:15-3:30:

Warm-Ups, Stretching, Quick Agilities, Throwing

3:30-3:45:

Split IN/OF/P&C

IF- Coach hit series of balls to each position

OF- stand in line as usual, Coach Hits Grounders, Fly’s, Drop-Steps, Shoe-Stringers

P&C’s:  on own warming up pitching and catching, going over everything

3:45-4:00:

Everyone to positions, IF, OF, P&C’s

Coach hits 2 balls to each position starting in LF, to CF, to RF, 1 ball to 3rd, SS, 2nd, 1st, P, Pop-Up to C

Coach hits ball to 3rd , player throws in to Catcher and jogs towards Home, Catcher throws grounder player  plays ball and tosses in to Catcher and start a line on 1st base line; Coach hits ball to SS, player throws in to Catcher and starts jogging in, Catcher throws grounder to SS, Player makes play and tosses in to Catcher, Player comes in hits gloves with 1st person in line (3rd baseman) and gets behind them; Coach and Players continue pattern to 2nd, 1st, Pitcher, LF, CF, RF, Gives Catcher pop-up, finally Catcher runs down line hitting everyone’s glove, Coaches are the last to go through hitting everyone’s gloves

Players and Coaches go to their side of the bench and allow the other team to practice for home games, or if Visitors just go to bench

Coaches then go over batting order, and positions, and everyone begins to focus on the task at hand

4:15 or so: Game Time.