Softball drills for 11 year olds
What an 11 year old can practice at home: drills the app opens at this age, what changes in softball this year, how long and how often, what to have at home, and a free week to start.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Little League Softball limits a pitcher's innings in a day; SSTracker's pitching drills ask a player to count every pitch, practice included.
At 11
The age at a glance
- This year
- Fastball and change-up first: spin pitches like the rise ball wait until about 13, with a pitching coach (SSTracker's softball rule).
- Drills this year
- Developing drills start this year, beside the beginner ones. Advanced drills start at 14.
- Pitching limits
- Little League Softball counts innings, not pitches: at most 12 innings in a day, and 7 or more innings in a day earns 1 day of rest. A single pitch counts as an inning.
- At 11
- Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 11 hours for an 11 year old, with two rest days a week.
- At home
- SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between.
30 drills
Drills for 11 year olds
Every drill here is one the app opens for 11 year olds, at the level for the age. Each page has the steps, a diagram where the setup can be drawn, three ways to make it a game and a practice log to print.
Arm Strength
Base Running
Fielding
Hitting
Pitching
What you need at home
What you need at home at 11
59 of the 65 softball drills for 11 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: softballs (22 of the 59 drills), glove (20), bat (13), base (6), ball (5), soft balls (4), batting tee (3), cones (3). 4 drills need nothing but space. 26 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
- Hip Turn Without a BatAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Single-Leg Balance ReachAges 11 and up · 8 min
- Arm Care Band CircuitAges 11 and up · 8 min
- Arm Circle Walk-ThroughAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Band Shoulder CareAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Base Running SprintsAges 11 and up · 12 min
- Bear Crawl and Frog HopAges 7 and up · 8 min
- First to Third TurnsAges 11 and up · 12 min
New at 11
Drills that open at 11
These drills join the list at 11: the app opens them from this age, by its level and age rules. They were not on the page for 10 year olds.
- Arm Care Band CircuitAges 11 and up · 8 min
- Backhand and Forehand PicksAges 11 and up · 12 min
- Base Running SprintsAges 11 and up · 12 min
- Bent-Leg Slide ProgressionAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Bunt and Run ThroughAges 11 and up · 10 min
- BuntingAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Catcher Stance and Soft ReceivingAges 11 and up · 12 min
- Charging the SlapperAges 11 and up · 12 min
A week to start with
A free week of softball at home
- 1Arm: Long Toss Build-Up15 min
- 2Arm Care Band Circuit15 min
- 3Hitting: Inside Pitch Turn15 min
Questions parents ask
Softball for 11 year olds: questions and answers
What softball drills can an 11 year old do at home?
59 of the 65 softball drills for 11 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: softballs (22 of the 59 drills), glove (20), bat (13), base (6), ball (5), soft balls (4), batting tee (3), cones (3). 4 drills need nothing but space. 26 are for two, and a parent can be the partner.
How long should an 11 year old practice softball?
Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 11 hours for an 11 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for an 11 year old within 45 minutes and plans at most 4 home days a week, with rest days between.
How much can an 11 year old pitch in softball?
Little League Softball counts innings, not pitches: at most 12 innings in a day, and 7 or more innings in a day earns 1 day of rest. A single pitch counts as an inning.
Can an 11 year old throw a rise ball?
Fastball and change-up first: spin pitches like the rise ball wait until about 13, with a pitching coach (SSTracker's softball rule).
What changes in softball at 11?
Fastball and change-up first: spin pitches like the rise ball wait until about 13, with a pitching coach (SSTracker's softball rule). Developing drills start this year, beside the beginner ones. Advanced drills start at 14.
Free for families and teams
Save this plan to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free softball week for 11 year olds opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits for the age, with progress your child sees against their own start. Coaches can send the same drills to the whole team as homework.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.