Outfield Drills for Softball – Fly Ball Frenzy

Purpose: Fly balls rarely sail directly to the outfielders, so they need all the tracking practice they can get. Fly-ball frenzy is a great drill for the outfield defense and helps your players practice taking the proper angles to snare balls hit to their left and right.

Procedure: The outfielders take their normal positions in left, center, and right field, and the coach stands in shallow center field with the bucket of balls.

Beginning with the left fielder, the coach points to the player's left, letting her know that the fly ball is coming to that side. The coach then throws or hits a ball up in the air in that direction, and the player makes his break for the ball.

The ball should be high and deep enough to force the outfielder to run several steps before being able to make the grab.

After the left fielder makes the catch, the coach repeats the drill with the other two outfielders. When a player makes a catch, she jogs back into position to await another throw.

It's easy to keep the players on the move during this drill by recruiting some assistants to help out so that each outfielder has her own thrower.