Softball Throwing Drills – Short Throw to First

Purpose: A drill for the softball infield that lets them practice pivot footwork while saving the pivot player's arm.

Procedure: A feeder has a bucket of balls from which to feed the pivot. One pivot or a single-file line of several players can perform the drill. The feeder throws to the pivot from a distance of about 15 feet from either the shortstop or second-base side of the infield. (You can also include feeds from the pitcher's position to the shortstop, who makes the pivot.) The receiver is several steps from the base facing the feeder. She catches the ball, turns the pivot, and makes a short throw to the first baseman, who is set up on the base line midway between first and second. The emphasis is on making the pivot, so the pivot player can save her arm by throwing to the first baseman at half the normal distance. The pivot player returns to repeat the drill or goes to the end of the line.