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5 Softball Pitching Drills

By Marc Dagenais

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 23Mar2009
Word count: 575
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When it comes to softball, pitching usually plays a great factor in who wins and who loses. Softball pitching requires a great deal of skill and so pitchers need to always look for ways on how to improve their game. One of the ways any pitcher can improve and perform better on the mound is with the help of pitching drills. The following are some great softball pitching drills that pitchers can use to increase their skill and a result their winning percentage.

Drill 1 - Spin Drill

Purpose: To teach the fingers the proper grip and ball spin.

Procedure: The pitcher stands three feet from her partner, either a catcher or another pitcher, grips the ball for the pitch she chooses, and then spins it to her partner. She does 15 of each of her pitches. If the partner is a pitcher, she can do the spin back; if not the catcher can catch it and give feedback.

Drill 2 - Walk Drill

Purpose: To strengthen the lower body and build endurance.

Procedure: One partner stands 60 feet away from the other partner with the ball in a grassy area, gym space, or ball diamond. She begins walking and takes around three steps before she steps into her pitching motion. Once in the motion she attempts to throw the ball to her partner. She wants the ball to get to her partner in the air. In order to do this she has to use her legs and lower body so that she can get a good lift on the ball. Once she releases, she takes three steps back to the 60-foot distance. Once the partner gets the ball, she will then do the same technique back to the first thrower. This drill works on the legs and teaches the player to use the lower body as the force for the pitch. Have each player pitch 20-30 balls.

Drill 3 - Wall Pitching

Purpose: To develop speed without worrying about accuracy.

Procedure: The pitcher stands 10 to 15 feet from a wall and throws hard, working on mechanics and the feel of throwing the ball hard. Doing this over and over again will make the ball soft after a short amount of time, so the pitcher should use the same ball. Don't use a rubber balls that does not have seams because the pitcher has to always be able to grip the ball the right way. An advantage of this kind of practice is that pitchers can always do it on their own any time they want.

Drill 4 - Wrist Snap Behind Back

Purpose: To develop the wrist snap by isolating the wrist, which stops the pitcher from using the elbow to snap the ball.

Procedure: The pitcher stands sideways 5 to 10 feet from the catcher or a wall. The glove side faces the target, and the ball is behind the back. The pitcher flips the ball by snapping the wrist.

Drill 5 - Long Toss

Purpose: To practice getting under the ball for rise-ball release. This drill also works on body and arm strength.

Procedure: The pitcher pitches to a catcher from second base or even farther, lobbing the ball up as if she is throwing it over a telephone pole. This action gives the pitcher no choice but to get under the ball. In order to increase her strength, the pitcher keeps backing up (from second base, to center field, to the fence) to see how far she can actually throw it.

Marc Dagenais, MHK, CSCS, is a softball strength coach that helps players and teams hit with more power, run faster, throw harder, and be more dominant on the field. Grab his FREE report on the Softball's 10 Deadliest Training Mistakes at: http://www.softballperformance.com/conditioning

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