Purpose: To practice fielding pop-up balls around home plate. This is a helpful softball catching drill.
Procedure: As a coach, you will need a tennis racquet and a few tennis balls. Each catcher will be in full gear. Get them in a crouch position at home plate. The coach will hit a tennis ball straight up in the air. He will decide when to yell “Go” to signal to the catcher that the ball is up. You will attempt to locate the ball, discard your mask, and then field the pop-Up at or above eye level. Because the tennis ball is bouncy, the catcher is forced to use two hands to safely make the catch. The tennis racquet makes it easy to place the ball where you wish.
With older, more experienced players, add a second ball to the drill. Once the ball reaches its height, catapult another ball and have the catcher attempt to catch both of them. This makes the drill more difficult and challenging.