How to Play Softball: Pop Ups

This is the pop up drill for catchers. The object here is to teach our catchers how to put themselves in proper position to field a pop-up. On the shorter pop-ups where they won't have time to remove their helmet, and then on the higher pop ups where they will remove their helmet, locate the ball, once they know where the ball is at then they throw their helmet away. The purpose of that is so she doesn't step on it, trip it, and injures herself, or affects her ability to make the play.

The last point is that when the catcher comes on a high pop-up that's behind her or along to line at all the catcher needs to put their back to the infield, the purposes for this is most of all balls that are popped-up of the bat will tend to flow back towards the infield as they come down. If your back is facing the backstop, you will have to try to extend for the ball and it makes catching the pop-up for more difficult.

So this drill, we are going to do five repetitions to start on just short ones and you can make the repetitions whatever you would like. I would recommend 20 to 25 for each area. Good ball. Nice balance, gets back in little quickly. Ball, ball, one thing as you see her moving to the ball and this is a good basic fundamental in any at -- for whatever position you might be playing, but you need to move to the ball with your lower body first. If the catcher comes up and extends and reaches and the ball ends up being father, she is not going to be able to make that play. You want your first reaction to any ball to be lower body first. Ball. Nice job, as you saw there when you do have to extend it's a good idea to pull your glove back into your chest and trap the ball to your chest protector. So that way if it is bouncing or bobbling in your glove you can still pin it to your chest protector to make the play. Ball.

Last one, ball. Alright, now we are going to go to some higher ones and she will -- as you see she will remove her mask. Make certain that her back is towards the infield. Keep a wide base and then when she locates the ball to throw her mask a ways away so as to not worrying about stepping on it during making the play. Ball; you want to make sure that you get rid of the mask before you actually move in to your catching position, so that you don't hinder your ability to make the play.

You want to avoid extending your arms early. It's a last resort, you use your lower body to move to the ball an extension of your arms is the last resort. Ball.


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