Hands & Feet Drill
April 2007
By: Dirk Lapaglia
EQUIPMENT:Softballs and/or Baseballs, Tennis Balls
Drill Objective: This drill is designed to practice and develop good footwork (pivots and spins) good hand preparation (before receiving the ball) foot preparation (in anticipation of the next throw) and accurate throws under pressure.
Making it More Challenging: Replacing "Ball 2" with a tennis ball will challenge your players. The difference in size and weight require more concentration and better eye/hand coordination.
The drill begins in 2 or 3 lines with 7 players per line. Each player is spaced about 15 feet apart. The player at the head of each line throws Ball 1 to the next player in line who in turn receives the ball properly, uses good footwork to pivot and spin, and throws the ball to the next player in the line. When Ball 1 reaches the end of the line with player number 7 that player drops Ball 1 in anticipation of Ball 2 arriving shortly.
After throwing Ball 1, the player at the head of the line picks up Ball 2 and when Ball 1 reaches the third player in line, they flip Ball 2 underhanded to the next player in line that in turn pivots and spins and flips the ball to the next player in line. When both balls have reached the end of the line, the drill reverses and goes back to the other direction. You can add a conditioning component to this drill by having the first player in line race to the end of the line to receive and continue across the field. You can also make it more difficult by replacing Ball 2 with a tennis ball, which intensifies concentration.
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