Softball Drills – Passed Balls and Wild Pitches

Purpose: To let softball catchers practice getting to the ball quickly and accurately and throwing it back to the plate.

Procedure: The catcher starts in a ready position at home plate in full gear. A coach is in front of the catcher and throws a ball behind the catcher, simulating a wild pitch. The coach can take the throw from the catcher or use a pitcher. The catcher throws off her mask in the direction opposite the ball (to avoid tripping over it) and runs back to the backstop, surrounding the ball so that her throwing arm is closest to the backstop. As she nears the ball, she should fall to her knees and slide toward it. Using the back of her glove as a brace, the catcher picks the ball up with the bare hand and sidearm throws the ball back to the plate. The ball should be thrown about 1-2 feet up the line at knee height. Each catcher makes 10 throws.