At-home softball drills for 14 year olds and older: catcher

This is a free sample week of at-home softball training for 14 year olds and older, for a catcher: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 15 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of softball for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Catcher: Scoop Toss for Distance 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Scoop Toss for Distance · 5 min
Legs first, arms last. Safety: Use a light ball and a clear, open space.
Crow Hop Throws to a Target · 5 min
Gain ground through the throw. Safety: Warm up first and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Catcher: Crow Hop Throws to a Target 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Crow Hop Throws to a Target · 5 min
Gain ground through the throw. Safety: Warm up first and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits.
Single-Leg Catch and Hold · 5 min
Stable leg, soft hands. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Catcher: Single-Leg Catch and Hold 15 minutes

Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
Single-Leg Catch and Hold · 5 min
Stable leg, soft hands. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Two-Ball Wall Toss · 5 min
Rhythm first. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 softball plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Scoop Toss for Distance

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Throw a light ball up and forward from a squat to train total-body explosiveness.

Hold the ball between your knees in a quarter squat.
Drive up through your legs and toss it forward and up.
Walk to the ball and repeat.
Do 3 sets of 6 with a full rest.

Coach's cue: Legs first, arms last.

Bring: light medicine ball, open space

Safety: Use a light ball and a clear, open space.

Crow Hop Throws to a Target

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Use your legs and momentum to make a strong, accurate outfield throw.

Field a rolled ball moving toward your target.
Take a crow hop: hop off your back foot and step toward the target.
Throw on a low line with one hop to the target.
Do 12 throws.

Coach's cue: Gain ground through the throw.

Bring: glove, ball, partner or target

Safety: Warm up first and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits.

Single-Leg Catch and Hold

Ages 13 and up · 10 min

Balance on one leg while a partner tosses a ball to different sides. Catch and throw back without touching down.

Stand on one leg facing a partner 3 yards away.
Your partner tosses high, low, left and right.
Catch and return without the other foot touching down.
Do 10 tosses per leg, 2 rounds.

Coach's cue: Stable leg, soft hands.

Bring: ball, partner

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Two-Ball Wall Toss

Ages 13 and up · 10 min

Throw and catch two balls against a wall in rhythm. Hard on the brain, great for coordination.

Hold one ball in each hand facing a wall.
Throw with the right, then the left, catching each on the rebound.
Find a steady rhythm.
Count clean pairs out of 20.

Coach's cue: Rhythm first.

Bring: two small balls, wall

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Safety for ages 14 and up

Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: softball

Batting helmet with a face guard whenever anyone pitches or tosses to you.
A fielder face mask is wise for pitchers and corner infielders; catchers wear full gear.
Count every pitch, including practice and bullpen. Windmill pitching still causes overuse injuries.
Rest after a big pitching day; play another position on rest days, and stop if the shoulder, elbow or back hurts.
Spin pitches like the rise ball wait until about 13, with a pitching coach.
Slide feet first. Head-first slides are not allowed in Little League Major and below.

For every sport and age (7)

Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 27 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Softball: governing bodies, safety and development (7)

Youth athletic development and safety (20)