Softball drills at home for 14 year olds

At a glance

At 14

83 softball drills the app opens for a 14 year old work at home, across 6 skills.

How long

One home session of about 40 minutes; SSTracker never plans more than 60 minutes for a 14 year old.

How often

At most 5 training days a week, with rest days between. Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 14 hours for a 14 year old, with two rest days a week.

What you need

Most used: glove (30 of the 83 drills), softballs (30), bat (17), balls (11), bases (9), net (7), batting tee (5), catcher (5). 4 drills need nothing but space. 38 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.

Safe at home

One child and one parent in a room, garage or yard. Never tackling, contact, diving or head-first falls, no stunts or loaded lifting, and nothing that needs a coach, rink, pool or court. Stop when anything hurts.

83 at-home drills

Softball drills for 14 year olds to do at home

Every drill below is one the app opens for a 14 year old and one that works at home: a room, garage or yard, one parent as the partner, no venue. Each drill's page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a log to print.

arm strength

Arm Strength

• Crow Hop Throws to a TargetAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Do-or-Die Throw HomeAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Throwing on the RunAges 14 and up · 12 min

base running

Base Running

• Delayed Steal ReadAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Inside-the-Park TurnsAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Steal Start ReactionsAges 14 and up · 12 min

fielding

Fielding

• Backhand From the HoleAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Short Hop ReadsAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Slow Roller on the RunAges 14 and up · 12 min

hitting

Hitting

• High Tee and Low TeeAges 14 and up · 15 min
• Opposite-Field HittingAges 14 and up · 15 min
• Power Slap SwingsAges 14 and up · 15 min

pitching

Pitching

• Change-Up FeelAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Game-Day Pitching Warm-UpAges 14 and up · 12 min
• Pitch Sequence PlanAges 14 and up · 15 min

A 40-minute session

A home softball session for a 14 year old

A warm-up, 2 drills and a cool-down, 40 minutes in all. Do it up to 5 days a week, with rest days between.

1. 1Softball Warm-Up, Ages 14 and UpA 12-minute moving warm-up for softball players 14 and up: moving stretches, strength, single-leg control, cuts and build-up runs, then softball moves at practice speed.12 min
2. 2Tee WorkSee the ball, swing level.12 min
3. 3Band Shoulder CareSlow and controlled. Light band.8 min
4. 4Softball Cool-Down Stretches, Ages 14 and UpA 8-minute cool-down for softball players 14 and up after training: stretches for the legs, hips, shoulders and wrists, each held 20 to 30 seconds, never to pain.8 min

At 14

What changes in softball training at 14

14 is when the app opens box jumps and drills with contact, for practice with a coach. Neither is ever in an at-home plan.

24 at-home drills join the list at 14.

Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 14 hours for a 14 year old, with two rest days a week.

The week

Fitting softball into a week at 14

At 14 the limit is 14 hours of organized sport a week. If you count home sessions against it to be safe, 5 sessions of 40 minutes is 3.33 hours, which leaves 10.67 for team practice and games. Even 5 days at the app's longest, 60 minutes, is 5 hours.

The research behind it

• Ages 13 to 15 are the "specializing years", after the sampling years of 6 to 12.

  Côté and Vierimaa 2014

• Organized sport should total no more hours a week than the child's age in years, with two rest days a week.

  NATA youth sport specialization recommendations

Questions and answers