Western Governors University student and former executive director of ZES Educational Services Lori Manning attended Oklahoma Baptist University, and earned its Female Athlete of the Year designation in 1995 for her skill in softball. Lori Manning has continued to play and coach softball since graduating from college.
Softball coaches need to be able to impart good fundamentals to their players, and even those who coach at advanced levels can benefit from taking their players back to basics. Drilling can highlight weaknesses that might be covered up by other strengths in actual play situations. Fielding drills, in particular, can help point out situations where one or more players is unclear on good positioning.
In a fielding drill, the coach should call out a fielding situation, such as a fly ball on a particular side of the field. All fielders should move toward the appropriate position, and then freeze. This provides the coach an opportunity to assess who may not be reacting properly or providing the right situations for the rest of the fielders. The addition of live baserunners or actual ground balls can enhance the drill, but is not necessary for the learning exercise to function.
