Softball drill
Slap chop drill
A slapper chops down on a ball set deep on a tee so it hits the ground just in front of the plate and bounces high over a stack of buckets. It teaches the high chopper a fast slapper can beat out.
At a glance
- Sport
- Softball
- Skill
- Hitting
- Ages
- 12U to High school
- Players
- 1 slapper per tee (a partner shags balls)
- Time
- About 10 minutes
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Batting tee, A bucket of softballs, Two empty ball buckets or a low barrier, A cone or marker, Bat and helmet
- Indoors
- Yes
For a fast left-handed slapper, a ball chopped hard into the ground right in front of the plate is often a hit. It bounces high, the infielder has to wait for it to come down, and by then the runner is close to first base.
The trick is a steep downward swing at a ball that has been allowed to travel deep. This drill sets up a target on the ground and a barrier just past it, so the slapper sees right away whether the chop was steep enough to bounce over. It runs on a tee and fits a cage or gym floor, though a hard floor bounces higher than dirt.
Setup
- Set the tee deeper than for a normal slap, about even with the slapper's body when they reach contact.
- Put a cone on the ground a few feet in front of the tee as the bounce spot.
- Stack two buckets a couple of steps past the cone, in line with the tee, as the hurdle.
How to run it
- The slapper starts in their slap stance and begins the crossover toward the plate.
- They let the ball get deep, to the middle of the body, before the bat comes down.
- Leading with the top hand, they swing steeply down through the top half of the ball.
- The ball should hit the ground near the cone and bounce up and over the buckets.
- Take sets of 6 to 8; a partner collects the balls and resets the tee.
Coaching points
- Let it travel. Contact deeper than a normal slap is what makes the chop steep.
- The top hand and the knob drive down hard at the ball.
- Swing fast through the ball. A soft chop dies on the ground and never clears the buckets.
- Eyes stay on contact; looking up early to watch the bounce lifts the bat.
- Keep the feet moving through the crossover as in a game.
Common mistakes
- Meeting the ball out in front, which makes a flat ground ball instead of a high chop.
- Swinging level, so the ball rolls into the buckets instead of bouncing over them.
- Pulling the head up to watch where the ball goes.
- Stopping the feet to chop, which a game slapper never gets to do.
Printable drill card
Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.
Print the drill cardSmaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).
By age
12U
Use one bucket as the hurdle and start with the crossover at a walk. Raise the hurdle once most chops clear it.
14U and up
Stack two buckets, run the full crossover at game speed, and score the round: a point for every ball that clears.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where should a slap chop land in a game?
On the hard dirt just in front of the plate, so it bounces high over a charging corner infielder and gives the slapper time to get down the line.
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