Drills
12U softball drills
12U softball drills with video, setup and coaching points, grouped by skill: 5 drills for this age group.
By 12U players can handle drills with more than one moving part, so practice can mix skill work with situations: cuts and relays, double plays, and baserunning reads. These drills are built to run in stations so a full roster gets plenty of reps.
- Four corners fielding drill — One fielder in the middle handles a ground ball, a line drive, a long hop and a short hop in a row from four teammates, then rotates out. A quick, indoor-friendly way to work every kind of ball an infielder sees.
- Short hop drill — A fielder takes short hops to the backhand, the glove side and straight on, from a partner's toss or a machine, and learns to work the glove through the ball instead of backing away from it. A good winter drill for any infielder.
- One knee throwing drill — Players throw to a partner from one knee, which takes the legs out of the throw so they can work on the arm path, reaching toward the target and finishing with the chest over the front knee.
- Two tee drill — Two tees in a line toward the pitcher, at the same height: the hitter drives the back ball into the front one. A tee drill for a short path to the ball and long extension through it, built for a cage or a gym in the winter.
- Catcher blocking drill — A catcher starts on their knees in the blocking position while a coach bounces balls in front of them, so they learn to keep the ball in front with the body before adding footwork. A safe first blocking drill for any age.