Softball-Specific Exercises You Can Do at Home

April 1, 2020

Dave Weinman staying sharp in his basement with the help of a chute trainer

By Dave Weinman
Senior Softball News Contributor

Along with the exercises I mentioned in my previous article (push-ups, crunches, leg lifts, lunges, etc.) there are softball-specific exercises you can do at home.

For hitting:
Take multiple swings with a bat equipped with a chute trainer, and then with a heavy wood bat, and lastly with a lighter composite bat, all the while trying to put your ideal swing into muscle memory. A chute trainer is something that can be bought online for around $40. It's a small parachute that you zip onto a bat and when the bat is swung, the chute opens, providing resistance. I prefer swinging the chute trainer as opposed to a heavily weighted bat as the resistance is against the swing rather than down.

While making your practice swings, try to make each one with your ideal technique to help create that muscle memory. The technique I personally most try to copy, even though I’m a life-long Yankee fan, was Ted Williams. Do a search on Youtube for instructional videos and you will see lots of choices. Of course as one of my friends pointed out, Williams was a lefty and I’m a righty so everything I do is the opposite from Williams. As are the results, but I try.

For running and general softball fitness:
Softball and baseball frequently require quick starts and short sprints, both in the field and on the bases.  I will do a number of windsprints in my back yard, running at 80-90% for about 40 yards, always starting with a crossover step.

If you don't know, a crossover step means the first step is with the back leg. For instance, imagine a runner on first base, facing the pitcher. When starting for the next base, the first step will be with the back (in this case left) foot. This drill is for fitness and to ingrain the crossover into muscle memory. Here’s an excellent Youtube video, only a hair over a minute long, of Cal Ripken demonstrating the crossover step:
https://youtu.be/zAGFa6BH1r8

Fielding:
Even in my basement, I can do some drills. I have a concrete wall against which I throw a softball-sized rubber ball in a soft toss, then catch it on a short hop, sometimes with the backhand, sometimes in front or to the glove side.

On each catch I try to quickly transfer the ball from glove to hand and get the ball into a throwing position (basically behind my right ear) quickly and efficiently. I'll do this while watching TV sometimes, instead of sitting to watch a show.

If you have to take this outside, you can always take along some music or a radio (remember those?) to entertain yourself while you do the drill. Remember to bend at the knees and back as you field grounders- staying low is good technique, good exercise and another one of those muscle memory things.

Let’s all hope we can put these exercises to use again soon!

Dave Weinman, DDS
Dr. David Weinman graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences. He then received his DDS from the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine.
SSUSA member since 2010.