Every softball player will experience distractions one to five times during a game. Unless the coach has everyone well trained, there is often yelling from the side line when the ball is fielded. This softball distraction control fielding drill is great for giving the players experience with the stressor.
Softball Distraction Control Fielding Drill
Set up an infield with players playing 1st, 2nd, ss, and 3rd. Have two coaches at home plate, one to hit & one to catch in. The coach hitting the ball will be hitting quickly and randomly to the players on the infield. The player fielding the ball will throw to 1st base who will throw ball home to coach catching in.
Other players are on the sidelines heckling those fielding the ball trying to distract the fielders to actually create a bobble or an error. If, and when this happens fielder will verbally admit to the error “Uh-oh my bad or my fault” and will leave the field and a player on the sidelines will take her place.
The object of this drill is to
- Learn to focus no matter what noise is going on in the stands.
- If you make an error- to admit it, deal with it, get over it and continue on.
- To use mental training skills in maintaining control during the play
Note: When the ball is missed and extra effort has been made such as a dive then this is not considered an error and fielder will continue. It is good to encourage players to take risks during practice so they are more likely to do it during games. This is what backing up is for.
You can modify the drill by putting runners on base and setting up game situations. You can even ad parents and spectators to the yelling and distracting behavior.
