Drills to Catch a Softball – Fence Range

Purpose: To emphasize running through the ball to increase range and improve a player's softball catching skills.

Procedure: From a single-file line, players start their turn by throwing a ball to the tosser. The fielder then sprints full speed ahead to catch a return throw that the tosser throws well ahead of her. The emphasis is on sprinting through the ball, and just not just reaching. The player gets the ball if she doesn't catch it and then joins a line ready to reverse direction. Do this drill with fielders running along the backstop so that players can easily get any balls they miss. You can use two groups and two tossers – one group on the first-base side and one group on the third-base side.