Softball drills for 13 year olds
What a 13 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 13
The age at a glance
- This year
- Spin pitches like the rise ball can start at about 13, with a pitching coach, once the fastball and change-up are under control (SSTracker's softball rule).
- Drills this year
- Beginner and developing drills. Advanced drills start at 14, next year.
- 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 13
- Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 13 hours for a 13 year old, with two rest days a week.
- At home
- SSTracker keeps one home session for a 13 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between.
30 drills
Drills for 13 year olds
Every drill here is one the app opens for 13 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 13
59 of the 65 softball drills for 13 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.
- Bear Crawl and Frog HopAges 7 and up · 8 min
- First to Third TurnsAges 11 and up · 12 min
- Hip and Shoulder SeparationAges 11 and up · 10 min
- Home to First Form RunsAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Lead-Off and ReturnAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Lead-Off First StepsAges 7 and up · 8 min
- Overhead Slam With a Soft BallAges 11 and up · 8 min
- Round First and LookAges 7 and up · 8 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 13 year olds: questions and answers
What softball drills can a 13 year old do at home?
59 of the 65 softball drills for 13 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 a 13 year old practice softball?
Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 13 hours for a 13 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for a 13 year old within 60 minutes and plans at most 5 home days a week, with rest days between.
How much can a 13 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 a 13 year old throw a rise ball?
Spin pitches like the rise ball can start at about 13, with a pitching coach, once the fastball and change-up are under control (SSTracker's softball rule).
What changes in softball at 13?
Spin pitches like the rise ball can start at about 13, with a pitching coach, once the fastball and change-up are under control (SSTracker's softball rule). Beginner and developing drills. Advanced drills start at 14, next year.
Free for families and teams
Save this plan to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free softball week for 13 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.