Softball skills can be very complicated. For new athletes who are learning these skills, there can be so much information that it can be overwhelming. I put the softball ground ball fielding checklist together as a great tool for breaking the skills down in smaller and easier to implement chunks of information for them.
For practice I would print them off and laminate them and then have the players actually evaluate each other with them. I would use the activity very often but a few times through the season so that they could reflect on their own abilities while working with their team mates. Sometimes to the tools we use to teach a skill is a great way to learn a skill as well.
Softball Ground Ball Fielding Checklist
Preparation
_____ your shoulders are square or facing the batter
_____ feet about shoulder width apart with the glove foot a little bit ahead of the other
_____ Weight is slightly forward (on the balls of your feet) balanced side to side
_____ knees are bent bringing you low to the ground
_____ glove hand is almost touching the ground in front of the body
_____ the throwing hand is beside the glove ready for clean fielding
_____ your back is flat and upright so you are facing the batter
_____ eyes are on the ball
Execution
_____ keep your eyes on the ball
_____ hands are low with the glove open to the ball
_____ move to the ball and meet it in front of the body
_____ use two hands (alligator) to field the ball into the glove
_____ watch the ball into your glove
_____ the throwing hand is over the ball and getting ready to throw
Follow Through
_____ weight is moving back with the ball in your throwing hand
_____ the glove side elbow is pointing toward where you are going to throw the ball
_____ the glove side of the body is pointing toward the target
_____ the ball is in throwing position
_____ eyes are on the target you are going to throw to