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At-home softball drills for 11 to 13 year olds: outfield

This is a free sample week of at-home softball training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a outfield: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 14 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 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Drop step and track 14 minutes

  1. Drop step and go · 4 min
    Open the hips, first step back
  2. Over-the-shoulder catches · 6 min
    Run, then reach late
  3. Field and crow hop throw · 4 min
    Momentum to the target

Session 2

Outfield: Wall Rebound Catch 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Wall Rebound Catch · 5 min
    Soft hands, give with the ball. Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
  3. Bunt and Run Through · 5 min
    Bunt, drop, go. Safety: Warm up first and rest fully between runs. Stop if a muscle feels tight. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade, and stop if you feel dizzy or get a headache. If you hear thunder, go inside. Drop the bat, never throw it.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Outfield: Bunt and Run Through 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Bunt and Run Through · 5 min
    Bunt, drop, go. Safety: Warm up first and rest fully between runs. Stop if a muscle feels tight. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade, and stop if you feel dizzy or get a headache. If you hear thunder, go inside. Drop the bat, never throw it.
  3. Charging the Slapper · 5 min
    Read the hands, charge in. Safety: Warm up first, count your throws and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits. Infielders playing in wear a face guard.
  4. 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

Wall Rebound Catch

Ages 10 to 14 · 8 min

Throw a ball at a wall and catch it on the rebound with one hand, then the other.

  1. Stand 3 yards from a wall.
  2. Throw underarm and catch with two hands 10 times.
  3. Switch to one-hand catches with each hand.
  4. Count clean catches out of 20.

Coach's cue: Soft hands, give with the ball.

Bring: bouncy ball, wall

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

Bunt and Run Through

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Bunt the ball, then sprint through first and time it against your own best.

  1. Square up and bunt an easy pitch.
  2. Drop the bat to the side, not behind you.
  3. Sprint and run through first.
  4. Do 6 runs and log your best time.

Coach's cue: Bunt, drop, go.

Bring: bat, softballs, partner, base, stopwatch

Safety: Warm up first and rest fully between runs. Stop if a muscle feels tight. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade, and stop if you feel dizzy or get a headache. If you hear thunder, go inside. Drop the bat, never throw it.

Charging the Slapper

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Infielders learn how to read and defend a left-side slapper.

  1. The coach plays a slapper and runs through the crossover steps.
  2. The third baseman and shortstop read the bat and move in when the batter slaps.
  3. Field soft hits on the move and throw to first.
  4. Do 12 reps and rotate.

Coach's cue: Read the hands, charge in.

Bring: gloves, softballs, coach, team

Safety: Warm up first, count your throws and stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts. Follow your league throw limits. Infielders playing in wear a face guard.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing 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)

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