DL Drill Locker
8U Softball · ages 7-8

Saturday's 8U Softball practice. Already planned.

60 minutes, 6 drills, timed and in order. Built for ages 7-8 — not a one-size-fits-all PDF. It's free. Print it and go coach.

Every drill below has the setup, the reps, the timing, and the video it came from.

Timed 60-minute practice plan
0:00 Dynamic Line Series into TAG
Raise-and-mobilize sequence over a 15-20 m length (first base to second): graded jog, forward and backward skips, high-knee and butt-kick pulses, lateral slide, carioca. Then TAG: half the players hold balls, half are runners; runners are out only if tagged WITH THE BALL, not the hand.
 8 min
0:08 Knee Throwing into Two-Hand Target (Game of 21)
Throwing from a knee to isolate the upper half, then a standing two-hand chest target. The rule is explicit: no throwing until you see a two-hand target. Catching cues are thumb-to-thumb above the waist, pinky-to-pinky below. Score it: 3 points to the chest, 2 slightly outside, 1 well outside. Play to 11 first, then 21 when they are ready.
 8 min
0:16 Alligator Hands into Bare Hands Game
Five Steps of Fielding: creeper steps, bend knees and lower torso, glove out front, receive-funnel-move, throw to target - closed with two-hand alligator technique. Then score it: coach rolls to one position at a time, 10 throws to first, 1 point for a clean field and 1 for a good throw; teams rotate through all three positions.
 10 min
0:26 Drop Step and Crossover (Tennis Balls)
Four-direction reads. Ball out to the right: cross the right foot over the left and run to it. Ball right and back: drop step with the LEFT foot, run back at an angle, looking over the right shoulder. Mirrored for the left side. Line up underneath and catch with two hands.
 8 min
0:34 Dry Swings to Tee to Coach Pitching from a Knee
Grip, athletic stance, plate coverage, and ball tracking off a visible release point. Little League specifies an L-screen 25-30 ft in front of the plate with the coach pitching FROM A KNEE, because 'pitching from a knee allows the players to clearly see the ball as it is released... and improves their ability to track the ball.'
 16 min
0:50 Merry-Go-Round into Home Plate Relay Race
Which way the bases go and running THROUGH first. Merry-Go-Round: a player at each base; on 'Go!' the batter fake-swings and runs to first, the runner on first goes to second, second to third, third home - continuous motion until everyone has hit two or three times.
 10 min
60:00Break it down, hands in.done

Take it to the field

A clean one-page sheet — the running clock, every drill, what it fixes, and the full gear list, with a box to tick off as you go. No videos, no phone, works on a clipboard.

The drills

Each one, coach-ready

Warm-up · 8 min · Whole team

Dynamic Line Series into TAG

Raise-and-mobilize sequence over a 15-20 m length (first base to second): graded jog, forward and backward skips, high-knee and butt-kick pulses, lateral slide, carioca. Then TAG: half the players hold balls, half are runners; runners are out only if tagged WITH THE BALL, not the hand.

Fixes: The cold-arm first throw, plus the single most common 8U rules failure - tagging a runner with the empty hand or waving the glove at them.

4-5 softballsThrow-down basesCones

Video stays on YouTube, in YouTube's player. Softball IQ keeps the view. We never download or host it.

Throwing · 8 min · Pairs, matched by ability

Knee Throwing into Two-Hand Target (Game of 21)

Throwing from a knee to isolate the upper half, then a standing two-hand chest target. The rule is explicit: no throwing until you see a two-hand target. Catching cues are thumb-to-thumb above the waist, pinky-to-pinky below. Score it: 3 points to the chest, 2 slightly outside, 1 well outside. Play to 11 first, then 21 when they are ready.

Fixes: Throwing before the partner is ready, and throwing AT a person rather than at a target.

One 11-inch fastpitch ball per pairGloves (softball gloves, deeper pocket)
Watch the drill

Video stays on YouTube, in YouTube's player. Little League keeps the view. We never download or host it.

Infield · 10 min · 3 lines of 4 at third, short and second

Alligator Hands into Bare Hands Game

Five Steps of Fielding: creeper steps, bend knees and lower torso, glove out front, receive-funnel-move, throw to target - closed with two-hand alligator technique. Then score it: coach rolls to one position at a time, 10 throws to first, 1 point for a clean field and 1 for a good throw; teams rotate through all three positions.

Fixes: Standing upright, the one-hand stab, and letting the ball go between the legs.

2 buckets of 11-inch ballsGloves (removed for the Bare Hands round)Bases
Watch the drill

Video stays on YouTube, in YouTube's player. MegRem Softball keeps the view. We never download or host it.

Outfield · 8 min · 3 single-file lines of 4; one coach per line, 10 throws per player

Drop Step and Crossover (Tennis Balls)

Four-direction reads. Ball out to the right: cross the right foot over the left and run to it. Ball right and back: drop step with the LEFT foot, run back at an angle, looking over the right shoulder. Mirrored for the left side. Line up underneath and catch with two hands.

Fixes: The universal youth flaw - first step FORWARD on a ball hit over her head.

Tennis balls (not softballs)GlovesCones
Watch the drill

Video stays on YouTube, in YouTube's player. MegRem Softball keeps the view. We never download or host it.

Hitting · 16 min · 3 groups of 4

Dry Swings to Tee to Coach Pitching from a Knee

Grip, athletic stance, plate coverage, and ball tracking off a visible release point. Little League specifies an L-screen 25-30 ft in front of the plate with the coach pitching FROM A KNEE, because 'pitching from a knee allows the players to clearly see the ball as it is released... and improves their ability to track the ball.'

Fixes: Swinging with the eyes closed, and being unable to track a released ball at all.

Batting teeBats in multiple lengthsA helmet for every batterL-screenBucket of 11-inch or soft-core balls
Watch the drill

Video stays on YouTube, in YouTube's player. National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) keeps the view. We never download or host it.

Baserunning · 10 min · Whole team, even numbers at each base

Merry-Go-Round into Home Plate Relay Race

Which way the bases go and running THROUGH first. Merry-Go-Round: a player at each base; on 'Go!' the batter fake-swings and runs to first, the runner on first goes to second, second to third, third home - continuous motion until everyone has hit two or three times.

Fixes: Stopping ON first base, and running the wrong direction under game excitement.

Bases (or throw-downs) at 60 ftOne batHelmets
Watch the drill

Video stays on YouTube, in YouTube's player. Team Express keeps the view. We never download or host it.

Here's the part you can't print

Next week you'll find a different drill. That one cards itself too.

Every card above was written from a YouTube video — setup, timing, rotations, and the words to use, in about 30 seconds. Paste any drill you find at 10pm and you get the same thing back.

That's Alligator Hands into Bare Hands Game loaded and ready — or paste your own link over it. This one's already written, so it opens instantly and your free card stays in your pocket.

Founding price

$59 a year. Locked. Next season it's $99.

About $4 a practice. One private lesson costs $60 to $100.

The Saturday guarantee. Run 3 practices off these cards. If Saturday isn't easier, email me and I refund the whole $59.

Or keep this plan and pay nothing. It's yours either way. Terms · renews yearly at your locked price until you cancel.