Softball drills for 5 year olds
What a 5 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 5
The age at a glance
- This year
- At 5, softball is throwing, catching and hitting as play. 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
- At 5, SSTracker's plans are the ages 4 to 6 games: play with a ball, no positions and no contact. Beginner drills start at 7.
- At 5
- Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 5 hours for a 5 year old, with two rest days a week.
- At home
- SSTracker keeps one home session for a 5 year old within 30 minutes and plans at most 3 home days a week, with rest days between.
9 drills
Drills for 5 year olds
Every drill here is one the app opens for 5 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.
Fielding
Hitting
What you need at home
What you need at home at 5
9 of the 9 softball drills for 5 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: batting tee or a tall cone (1 of the 9 drills), beanbags or rolled-up socks (1), big soft ball or beach ball (1), bucket or a big box (1), cones, shoes or toys (1), foam or plastic ball (1), glove (1), light plastic bat (1). 2 drills need nothing but space.
A week to start with
A free week of softball at home
- 1Foam Ball Tee Hits + Animal Parade15 min
- 2Rocket Run + Foam Ball Tee Hits15 min
- 3Big Ball Catch + Rocket Run15 min
Questions parents ask
Softball for 5 year olds: questions and answers
What softball drills can a 5 year old do at home?
9 of the 9 softball drills for 5 year olds work at home, in a room, garage or yard. Most used: batting tee or a tall cone (1 of the 9 drills), beanbags or rolled-up socks (1), big soft ball or beach ball (1), bucket or a big box (1), cones, shoes or toys (1), foam or plastic ball (1), glove (1), light plastic bat (1). 2 drills need nothing but space.
How long should a 5 year old practice softball?
Organized sport in all: no more hours a week than the child's age (NATA), so at most 5 hours for a 5 year old, with two rest days a week. SSTracker keeps one home session for a 5 year old within 30 minutes and plans at most 3 home days a week, with rest days between.
Can a 5 year old throw a rise ball?
At 5, softball is throwing, catching and hitting as play. 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 5?
At 5, softball is throwing, catching and hitting as play. Fastball and change-up first: spin pitches like the rise ball wait until about 13, with a pitching coach (SSTracker's softball rule). At 5, SSTracker's plans are the ages 4 to 6 games: play with a ball, no positions and no contact. Beginner drills start at 7.
Free for families and teams
Save this plan to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free softball week for 5 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.