Softball Hitting Drills: 5 Fixes for Common Swing Flaws
Five faults. Five targeted drills. Free drill cards for every one.
Most coaches run the same three cage drills every week and wonder why nothing changes in games. The problem isn’t the hitter’s effort — it’s that the wrong softball hitting drills are being used for the wrong flaw. Each swing problem has a specific root cause, and each root cause needs a targeted drill to fix it. Effective softball hitting drills are fault-specific, not general.
This post covers the five most common swing flaws in softball hitters and the softball hitting drills that address each one directly. Every section links to the full free resource for that fault — drill cards, PDF guides, and full drill systems — so your hitter can go as deep as the problem requires.
Joey Myers has coached 5,000+ hitters using a physics-based approach — these systems are used by coaches from Little League to Division I.
“Exit velocities are up, averages are up, power is up. Three girls going D1, six at D2, two at JUCOs. I credit the HPL approach for proving the science.”
Ronny Weber — Baseball & Softball Coach
If you’re working on pitch recognition and timing alongside these swing fixes, that combination tends to produce the fastest results in game performance.
Jump to Your Hitter’s Flaw
What Softball Hitting Drills Fix Swing Timing?
Swing timing is the most misdiagnosed flaw in softball. A hitter who is consistently late gets told to “start earlier.” A hitter who is early gets told to “wait longer.” Neither cue fixes anything because the real issue isn’t start time — it’s that the hitter has only one timing speed regardless of pitch velocity.
The batting timing drills that actually work train the hitter to read pitch speed and adjust in real time — not commit to a timing trigger before the pitch arrives. Two drills from that system are especially effective for softball hitters.
2-Plate Reaction Time Challenge. The hitter stands in front of two plates set at different distances. The coach calls which plate to hit to at the moment of release — forcing the hitter to read, decide, and fire without pre-committing. Additionally, this drill builds the decision-speed that breaks the one-timing habit fast.
Float Variance Drill. The coach varies the timing of front toss intentionally — sometimes holding the toss half a beat, sometimes releasing early. Because the hitter doesn’t know when the ball is coming, she can’t lock in a pre-set trigger. Her timing system learns to stay flexible. Most hitters improve contact consistency within one practice session using this drill.
For hitters who look great on a machine but fall apart against live pitching — this is almost always the gap. The full drill sheet covers five progressions and is free.
Free Drill Sheet
5 Batting Timing Drills
Float Variance · 2-Plate Challenge · 3 more progressions
Is Your Hitter Bailing on the Inside Pitch?
Stepping out — also called bailing or opening up early — looks like a mental problem. Most coaches respond with more encouragement or pressure to “stay in there.” However, stepping out is almost always a mechanical timing fault, not a confidence problem. The front foot pulls toward third base before the hitter reads pitch location, which means every inside pitch becomes unreachable even when she swings hard.
The drills in the fix stepping out in softball system use three progressions that isolate foot direction from swing timing. The key insight: the hitter needs to learn to read pitch depth before her foot makes any decision about where to go. Verbal cues can’t teach that. Drill repetitions can.
The first progression uses a tee and a barrier to physically prevent the foot from pulling away — creating a new motor pattern without conscious thought. The second progression moves to front toss and reinforces the foot direction. The third takes it into live at-bats. Most hitters see measurable improvement within two to three batting practice sessions.
Free Drill Card
Stepping Out Fix — 3-Drill Progression
Printable · Use at practice starting today
Which Softball Hitting Drills Build Cleaner Ball Contact?
Contact quality is determined at three points: how the barrel arrives at the zone, where it contacts the ball, and what happens to ball spin after impact. Most batting practice trains hitters to make contact — it does not build the barrel awareness to make contact that consistently carries. The result is hitters who always seem to “get a piece of it” but rarely hit the ball with authority.
The bat path drill system covers five progressions that address barrel path from multiple angles — straight ball flight, pull-side contact, inside-out contact, and swing speed through the zone. Furthermore, each drill can be run without a pitching machine, making them practical for home or small-space training.
According to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, contact mechanics — not raw swing speed — are the primary differentiator at the high school and college level. Hitters who produce straight ball flight consistently outhit harder swingers because the ball simply goes where it’s supposed to go.
For hitters who make contact but rarely hit with authority, bat path through the contact zone is almost always the problem — not swing speed. These softball hitting drills fix the path first, and power follows naturally.
Free PDF — Instant Download
5 Softball Hitting Drills to Fix Her Swing
Bat path · Swing speed · Ball contact · No pitching machine required
No account needed · Instant access · 100% free
How Do You Stop a Softball Hitter from Dropping Her Hands?
Dropping hands is diagnosed at stride landing — specifically, where the hands are at the moment the front foot strikes the ground. If the hands are at belly-button height instead of back-shoulder or armpit height, the hitter has hands drop. The barrel has to travel a longer path to the ball, which produces late contact, looping swings, and pop-ups on fastballs.
The drills to stop dropping hands use RNT (Reactive Neuromuscular Training) to fix this. In an RNT drill, light resistance is applied in the direction of the error — so if the hands drop down, the band pulls them down slightly. The nervous system responds by overcorrecting upward, which trains the correct position without any conscious thought from the hitter.
This is one of the few swing flaws where a simple band and a tee are all the equipment you need. Most hitters show measurable improvement in hand position within one or two sessions. The full drill card includes the RNT setup, the load-phase diagnosis checklist, and the progression into front toss and live pitching.
Free Drill Card
Dropping Hands Fix — RNT Drill Card
Diagnosis checklist · Band drill setup · 3-phase progression
What Softball Hitting Drills Fix Bat Drag?
Bat drag happens when the back elbow races ahead of the hands during the swing — causing the barrel to lag behind and arrive late to the contact zone. The result is weak fly balls to the pull side, ground-outs to the second baseman, and a hitter who looks like she’s muscling the ball rather than swinging through it. Additionally, bat drag is one of the most common causes of a hitter losing velocity on pitches she should be crushing.
Most coaches try to fix bat drag by telling the hitter to “keep the elbow in” or “stay connected.” That verbal cue addresses a symptom rather than the cause. The actual root is an incomplete upper-body loading sequence — the scapula and shoulder don’t finish loading before the swing fires, so the elbow jumps ahead to compensate.
Showing the Numbers Drill. The hitter loads into stride and deliberately “shows her numbers” — her back jersey numbers — to a spotter behind the mound. This forces a complete shoulder turn during the load phase. Therefore, when the swing fires, the elbow has nowhere to go but the correct path because the upper body is already loaded and sequenced properly.
The full bat drag drill card includes the CLS 3-movement sequence, the diagnosis method for racing back elbow, and the tee-to-live progression. Most hitters eliminate visible bat drag within two weeks of consistent softball hitting drills work.
Free Drill Card
Bat Drag Fix — CLS 3-Movement Drill Card
Showing the Numbers · Upper body load sequence · Full progression
Do These Softball Hitting Drills Actually Work in Games?
Softball hitting drills only matter if results transfer to games. Here’s what coaches using the HPL drill systems are seeing on the field.
“Exit velocities are up, averages are up, power is up. Three girls going D1, six at D2, two at JUCOs. I credit the HPL approach for proving the science and providing convincing evidence.”
Ronny Weber — Baseball & Softball Coach
“I coach Fastpitch travel softball. From top to bottom of our batting order, pitchers have no batter to pitch around — they can all crush the ball and do so consistently!!”
Shane Beever — Travel Softball Coach
Common Questions About Softball Hitting Drills
Coaches and parents ask about these softball hitting drills more than any others. The answers below are pulled directly from the HPL drill systems.
What are the best softball hitting drills for beginners?
For beginners, the best softball hitting drills target timing and contact point before anything else. The Float Variance Drill (for timing flexibility) and a simple tee drill focusing on hitting the center of the ball are the highest-leverage starting points. Additionally, the Stepping Out Fix progressions are valuable early because the bail-out habit forms quickly and becomes harder to break the longer it goes untreated.
How often should a softball hitter practice drills?
Three to four targeted drill sessions per week are more effective than daily general cage work. Specifically, 20 focused swings on one flaw per session produces better motor learning than 200 swings with no target. Most drill systems in this post are designed to be run in 15–20 minutes alongside normal batting practice.
What softball hitting drills can be done at home without a pitching machine?
All five drills covered in this post can be run with a tee, a front-toss net, or a partner — no pitching machine required. The RNT Hands Drop Drill needs only a resistance band and a tee. The Showing the Numbers Drill for bat drag requires nothing except a bat and a wall. Therefore, limited equipment is not a barrier to effective drill work.
Why does my hitter look good in practice but struggle in games?
The cage-to-game gap is usually a timing problem, not a mechanics problem. In practice, hitters know what pitch is coming and can pre-set their timing. In games, they can’t — and a swing that has only one timing speed breaks down against any pitcher who changes speeds. The 2-Plate Reaction Time Challenge directly targets this gap by removing pre-set timing from drill work.
What causes bat drag in a softball swing?
Bat drag is caused by an incomplete upper-body loading sequence during the stride phase. When the scapula and shoulder don’t fully load before the swing fires, the back elbow races ahead of the hands to compensate — dragging the barrel late into the contact zone. Most coaches misdiagnose this as an arm or elbow problem and give cues that address the symptom rather than the cause. The CLS 3-Movement Fix targets the load sequence itself.
How do you stop a softball hitter from stepping out or bailing?
Stop stepping out by retraining foot direction with a physical barrier rather than verbal cues. Place a bat, cone, or foam block along the outside of the front foot to block the pulling motion. The hitter takes 20–30 swings with the barrier in place, then removes it. Because the nervous system adapts to physical feedback faster than to auditory instruction, the corrected pattern often holds after just one session of barrier work.
What is the fastest softball hitting drill to fix timing issues?
The 2-Plate Reaction Time Challenge produces the fastest timing improvement of any drill in the HPL system. In one session, the hitter’s decision speed improves because she cannot pre-set a launch trigger — she must react to information rather than anticipate it. Furthermore, this drill transfers directly to game at-bats because the skill being trained (reading pitch speed and responding) is the exact skill required against live pitching.
More Free Resources from HPL
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The Free Drill Cards Fix Individual Flaws.
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Each drill card in this post targets one specific fault. The RocketHitting Formula is the complete system — the full adjustment framework, pitch-type approach, two-strike strategy, and the drills that connect every piece into a swing that transfers from practice to games automatically.
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Joey i love the iron Mike reference…I always thought that the hands drop and/or hands movement is one of the most misunderstood part of the swing… and perhaps the most neglected part…
My hands go down and up ( like Aaron, Bonds…etc) and I always thought they must get back to the TOP of the strike zone but I guess the armpit works too… I get my hands back up using my bottom hand…
This is the pinch I speak off…The reason why this is so difficult to grasp is the arms, hands and fingers are weird in some respect…The way they channel energy is not so OBVIOUS…
So we channel our power through our hands but our hands are truly the most complicated thing in the swing… So our pointers set up the posture and our two end points at the wrist from our pinkie and thumbs… So there are 3 points of control… Two of them are the same and sets up our eyes while the the other four are divided and go in opposite direction…
Here I go again without being asked… As we know there are 4 arm lines so obviously this is where posture and switches as Thomas Myers speaks of but you have to coordinate it right or else the connections fail and the switches don’t work…
Either way, I love this article… and I love the at landing with the hands around the armpit or top of the strike zone… And that we go from the top down as going up means it’s not effortless… AND the swing ought to e effortlessly or else you don’t have the high level swing… Great point!!! Never go up… You would be out of sequence!!!!
Hope all is well.
~DM
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the HPL community DM, as always!
Joey,
That’s a nice drill. Typically I see this a lot with younger, and low level hitters. Most of the time, the hitters do not even realize they are doing this and I think that is half the battle with them making a conscious effort to keep their hands up fighting against the tension of the band. I really do not mind if the hitter bounces his hands as a part of his load as long as he gets back up around the shoulder area. My opinion of an ideal load is to just keep your hands at a consistent height with very subtle movement. I have heard some people reference the larger movement as live and independent hands, which is a little more free flowing and less of a robotic movement that is not just controlled by the shoulders. I do not believe that it is a detrimental move, such as a Early Separation of Hands and Back Shoulder (Disconnection), or a Racing Back Elbow, but can pose problems as you say when facing high level velocity, especially up in the zone. This hand dropping is usually not a hard fix, and with the use of certain drills, (Band Drill), and also a (High Tee Drill), should disappear in a short time…Nice work Joey….
Coach DeLong
I agree Coach DeLong and thank you. Think of human movement hitting principles as bumpers in the gutters of a bowling alley. The path the bowling ball takes down the lane DOES NOT matter, just as long as it stays confined between the bumpers. Keep up the great work Coach!
Thanks for reading my comments… I wasn’t sure if I should continue as I usually read and comment on my breaks…
I always like noticing the things that perhaps seem meaningless… watching Iton mike he always like many powerful boxers always face their palms to their face and touch hands as to lock that posture… I do think that mike did this for a reason… to lock in a particular posture… I do think that if you can see where I’m going you may find this initial move interesting…
Either way I think there are many ways to get to the same position….but doing the I guess we can say ” the iron mike” gives that good feel…
Later…
~DM
Joey as long as your still interested in the minor but in my belief substantial differences we have I’ll still comment… Or else I can just comment on what we have in common…
So to add some thought here with the hands dropping… If you remember I always said the hands need to be investigated further than one entity…
So to take it one step back… I look at the forearm differently… For example in my two swing approach.. I would look into the ulna and radius separately not as ONE forearm… and actually I would linked them with the opposing arm… so one swing with radius of the lead and ulna of the rear and the next with the opposite…
The funny thing is one goes from the outside in and the other goes from the inside out….
So if I’m correct.. staying inside the ball only tells half the story ?
Try moving your arms with only one of the bones and tell me if you get what I’m saying….. I’ve never heard anyone suggest this…. Ever…The funny thing is it’s the same thing as golf or swinging any other rod…
Obviously if you can link this chain than the hands would follow… So if there’s two swings than there’s two loads…. Now if I say there’s two loads some may start making that connection with the load… but it only makes sense that if you load twice than you must unload twice and more importantly there would be a sequence… so 1…2. Than 1..2… so 1…2… than 2.. 1 doesn’t work….
Here I go again…Rodney I hope your understanding this as it’s hard to explainthevtwo swings especially if I don’t know exactly where your coming from… but you should feel the first swing being intersected by the second… but you have to set the first band than implement the second so all you have to do is awaken or pitch the first but you have to hold the second in place…You basically go from right leg to right and left leg to left leg….but the hands will reflect this and all you have to do is know the sequence and just load it and unload it….
Meaning if you don’t know how to work the hands than you can’t ever do it… one idea would be to swing with your forearms and try to break the handle… Alsi another is swing the handle pass the ball… and obviously stop the handle…. Now I’m all over the place…
Believe me if you do t understand please try too or ask specific question and like always I might be wrong and I hope I’m not since I wouldn’t want to waste anybody’s time…
~DM
Ohh last thought… Rodney… you said you like to start the hands out in front… use a bone in each arm to set that and than the other two bones in each arm to pull it back and appreciate the movements…So you should have two “pulls” and two “pushes”… I put them in quotes because you have flexion and side bending which makes rotation… a collateral movement… in not sure of the exact term as these moves are more secondary and not defined per se… but I don’t know…
Here is the big move… the palmer flexion of your lead… remember it was set flat and pushed hyperextended..with the other hand like when your pushing against each other… “Fighting hands”… The lead goes to the right of the ball and through it… as that happens if you held the top hand the whole way… it just whips out because “it has no place to go”…
You must of held the bottom 3 of your lead too…or else it my not be so obvious…
Either way you have to start with the lead loading to the right like your going to backslap or backhand…As that happens your rear slots because it was slotted with the lead… and it goes from inside out…
I have a hard time explaining this because most don’t see the specifics… two bones in the forearms… the hand complexity… how the arms fold and twist… so as the ” core” twist it’s easy to see the twist but the upper limbs act a little differently to a certain extent…
Joey like always any comments or thoughts would be appreciated… It’s not always that anybody with your resume would even hear out a stick ball player ?
Hope all is well!
~DM
Last comment unless you have questions… So as your loaded… The swing goes from the inside of both arms to the outside of the arms and if you looking at it in a palm up and palm down point of view the bones we use are different….
So the pushes ought to be active… and the pulls should be with the body but still felt…
From furthest load…So it goes push inside lead arm bone, pull ( yep pull) inside rear arm bone, push rear arm bone and lastly pull with the lead outside bone…
There’s another trick on holding the inside from releasing and building up the absolute channel for the chain but apparently nobody is interested…
Seriously this is some great stuff!!! At least I think so… Anyone?
~DM
Joey,
Hey man, one thing to caution about this. You don’t want them to launch from too high of hands as well. I see that problem way more than hands too low. It normally results in a V shaped swing path, partly because they start too high and partly because they try to finish just as high. You want the plane to be flat to the plane of the ball, so start the hands at the top of the strike zone, which will depend somewhat on how much lean towards the plate they have in their posture at contact. Another way to correct this really easily is to get them to focus on finishing low. I emphasize finishing at the midpoint of the upper arm. That’ll fix everything else. If you watch all decent pro hitters that have their hands really high in the stance, as they are coming forward, they normally drop them to somewhere around their nipples. The finish is harder to see because a lot of them will finish low and flip the bat up and around someway sort of for show. And most of them think that’s where they finish.
Just my two cents on this.
Jimbo
Jimbo, I love your quote “they finish low and flip their bat up”….. that is communicated wonderfully… great job. It’s funny how so many will miss the point….Thanks…..
~DM
Jimbo, all I would say is not ALL flips are created equal ?