Fun Softball Drills – Relay

Purpose: This relay race includes the cutoff play into a running game. When coaching softball make sure to teach the cut-off person to do relays properly

Procedure: You will need cones, balls, and fielding gloves. Make equal teams. Place 1 cone and ball directly in front of each group (normal cutoff distance for age group). Teams should stand behind their own cone. At the starting signal, the first person in line runs to the cone. The next person in line throws the ball to his/her partner in  cutoff fashion. Fielders should yell, "Hit me!" with their arms up. On a successful catch the receiver then runs with the ball back to his or her team, and puts the ball back at the front of the line. The two partners must slap gloves with one person sprinting to the cone and the other returning to the back of the line. The rotation keeps going until every person has thrown the ball at least once.

For smaller group sizes, have each person throw the ball five times. For overthrows, the person must retrieve the ball, run back and tag the cone, and only then return to the team. Add in tags (at the cone) after successful catches. Always have throws going away from the group, so errant tosses do not hit anyone else.