Indoor Softball Practice Plans: Full Gym, Half Gym, No Throwing
Three indoor softball practice plans by space: a full gym with a cage (90 min), a half gym with no cage (75) and a room with no throwing (60), plus ten drills.
By Next Athletix ·
Part of: Softball Practice Plans by Age: 10U to High School + Template
This is the indoor softball practice plan, organized by the space you actually got: a full gym with a cage, a half gym you share with no cage, and the night the athletic director hands you the cafeteria. Each is a complete plan with a coach cue on every block, followed by how to adapt it by age, the pitcher and catcher block that makes gym time worth paying for, ten drills for a hard floor, and the mistakes that turn a gym night into ninety minutes around a cage. It is part of the full set of softball practice plans by age, which has the 90-minute structure every plan below is cut from.
It is written for fastpitch, for the coach with the gym from 6:00 to 7:30 on a Tuesday in January, twelve players, one assistant and a bag of tennis balls.
Jump to:
- What changes indoors
- The full gym plan with a cage · The half gym plan with no cage · The small room plan with no throwing
- Adapting by age
- Pitchers and catchers indoors
- Ten indoor drills
- Common indoor mistakes · The other five days
What changes indoors
The rule sheet does not change: same circle, same bases, same players. What changes is what the room allows. No full-distance throwing, so nobody long tosses. No live fly balls, because the lights are lower than the ceiling. A hard floor, which changes what catchers kneel on and means nobody slides. A clock you did not set, because basketball has the gym at 7:30. Noise, so a cue said once is a cue nobody heard. And one cage, which is the real problem, because the easiest indoor practice to run is ninety minutes of hitting with eleven players watching.
What a gym is good for is longer than coaches think: mechanics, because every rep is close enough to see; catcher reps, which need a mat, a partner and ten feet; pitcher bullpens, because a lane along a sideline is the same 40 feet it is outdoors; baserunning footwork, because steal starts, rounding a base and tag-up timing fit in a half court with throw-down bases; and team defense walkthroughs, because bunt coverage and first-and-third are decisions before they are throws.
Equipment. Tennis balls or soft-covered training balls for anything thrown toward a wall or hit toward a person. A cage or a pop-up net for every hitting station, a screen in front of every front toss. A rolled towel for pitchers' wrist and elbow snaps when there is no room to throw. Throw-down bases and a portable pitcher's plate or pitching mat, because a pitcher on a bare floor learns a stride she will not use in April. Mats for catchers' knees. Cones, bands, and a whiteboard by the door with the stations and the clock.
The full gym plan with a cage
A full court, a cage at one end, and the gym is yours for ninety minutes. This is the hub's 90-minute structure moved to fit the room: throwing along the length of the floor, four stations in the corners, hitting in the cage, the team block on a half court with throw-down bases. Two coaches assumed.
| Block | Minutes | Full gym plan (90 min) | Coach cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 0 to 10 | Dynamic movement in the lines of the court: skips, lunges, arm circles, bands. Steal starts off a coach's arm in the last two minutes. No laps | "Moving by 6:02. Nobody runs a lap." |
| Throwing | 10 to 22 | Wrist flips, one-knee progression, standing at 30, 45 and 60 feet along the length of the floor, all with a chest target. Nobody goes past 60. Pitchers and catchers peel off at minute 17 | "Sixty feet is the fence tonight. Hit the glove." |
| Station 1 | 22 to 32 | Cage: tee routine with a two-strike round, then front toss with counts behind a screen. Three or four players, every swing counted | "Quality swings. Forty lazy ones is zero." |
| Station 2 | 32 to 42 | Pitchers in a lane along the sideline at the age's distance, plate down, catcher in gear on a mat; the block below. Catchers not receiving: blocking on a mat with tennis balls | "Where did that one go? Say it." |
| Station 3 | 42 to 52 | Wall: short hops off the wall, forehand, backhand, glove-side, 40 reps. Then double-play feeds at 20 feet with a soft ball, underhand and dart, no turn | "Soft hands. Feet first, then the ball." |
| Station 4 | 52 to 62 | Open floor: rounding a throw-down first, tag-ups on a coach's call, then outfield drop steps and first-step reads with a tossed tennis ball. Slappers run crossover footwork off a tee at the far net | "Read it before it leaves the hand." |
| Team | 62 to 82 | Half court, throw-down bases, soft ball, live runners at walking speed and then a jog: bunt coverage from both sides, then first-and-third, the defense calling its play before the pitch | "Everybody moves on every ball. Walk it first." |
| Close | 82 to 90 | One thing fixed, one thing next, the week's assignment by position. Pitchers' counts on the whiteboard. Bases and mats up before the next team is in the doorway | "What are you doing Thursday?" |
Stations run ten minutes on a timer; twelve players is four groups of three. If you are the only adult, cut to three stations, put the wall station on a card with a captain running it, and take the pitchers yourself. If you have a second cage, front toss in one, the machine or live off your own pitcher in the other.
The half gym plan with no cage
Basketball has the other half, there is no cage, and the net you own is a seven-foot pop-up. This is the plan most youth teams actually run from November to February, at 75 minutes because that is the gym time you could get. Hitting is tee and front toss into the net with soft balls; there is no live hitting without a cage. Three stations and a pitching lane.
| Block | Minutes | Half gym plan (75 min) | Coach cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 0 to 8 | Dynamic movement in the lines, bands, skips. Steal starts off a coach's arm in the last minute | "Moving by 6:02." |
| Throwing | 8 to 18 | Wrist flips, one knee, standing at 30 to 45 feet across the half court, every throw with a target. Volume stays low. Pitchers and catchers peel off at minute 14 | "Forty-five is the fence. Every throw to a glove." |
| Station 1 | 18 to 30 | Net: tee routine into the net, then front toss with soft balls behind the screen, counts called. Slappers work crossover footwork off the tee | "Same five stations on the tee. Every time." |
| Station 2 | 30 to 42 | Pitchers in the lane along the far sideline, plate down, at the age's distance, 40 pitches with a catcher. Catchers not receiving: receiving off front toss, then blocking on a mat | "Where did that one go?" |
| Station 3 | 42 to 54 | Wall and floor: short hops off the wall, 40 reps, then footwork through a rolled ball with no throw, then drop steps and first-step reads with a tossed tennis ball | "Feet first, then the ball." |
| Team | 54 to 68 | Throw-down bases in the open lane, soft ball, walking speed: bunt coverage one side, then first-and-third one side. Alternate weeks | "Walk it until it is right. Then jog it." |
| Close | 68 to 75 | One thing fixed, what they do at home this week, pitchers' counts on the board. Everything off the floor before basketball crosses half court | "Nets down at 7:13." |
Stations run twelve minutes here, three groups of four through three stations. When the gym gives you 60 instead of 75, the team block goes, not throwing and not the pitchers.
The small room plan with no throwing
The cafeteria, a hallway, a wrestling room. Nothing is thrown overhand, nothing is thrown hard, and a soft ball rolled or tossed underhand from six feet is the limit. Sixty minutes, and it is a real practice, because most of what separates a 12U team in April is footwork, glove work, decisions and signs, and none of those needs a throw.
| Block | Minutes | Small room plan (60 min) | Coach cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm-up | 0 to 8 | Dynamic movement in a line down the hallway: skips, lunges, arm circles, bands. No jogging in a cafeteria | "Space between you. Moving by 6:02." |
| Arm care | 8 to 16 | Bands, then the one-knee progression with no throw: the arm slot and the wrist snap into a partner's glove from six feet, underhand only. Pitchers: wrist and elbow snaps with a rolled towel, 15 each | "Same slot as outdoors. Slow." |
| Station 1 | 16 to 28 | Glove work: a partner rolls a soft ball from six feet, forehand, backhand, glove-side, 40 reps, then footwork through the ball with no throw. Catchers: receiving off a partner's underhand toss on a mat, glove side and arm side | "Soft hands. Nothing rushed." |
| Station 2 | 28 to 40 | Swings: tee into a pop-up net if one fits, dry swings in front of a phone camera if it does not, the same five tee stations either way. Slappers: crossover and run-through footwork with no ball | "Five stations on the tee. Say which one you are on." |
| Station 3 | 40 to 50 | Baserunning footwork with throw-down bases in the hallway: steal starts off a coach's arm, leaving on release, then rounding first, then tag-up timing off a coach's call | "Leave on the release, not the pitch." |
| Team | 50 to 56 | Whiteboard and shadow defense: the team walks bunt coverage and first-and-third with no ball, every player saying her job before she moves. Then the signs, tested | "Say your job before you move." |
| Close | 56 to 60 | One thing fixed, what they do at home this week. The signs test score, never posted | "What are you doing at home Thursday?" |
A team that runs this once a winter finds out it knows its bunt coverage better than the team that hit for ninety minutes.
Adapting by age
10U. Run the half gym plan even in a full gym, at 75. Throwing stops at 30 feet and the lane is 35. Cut the team block to one side of bunt coverage at walking speed and give the minutes to glove work and the tee, because a 10U winter is catching the ball and swinging at strikes, not first-and-third. Keep the steal starts. The 10U softball practice plan has what a 10U player can and cannot do yet.
12U. The full plan for whichever space you have, with the lane at 40 feet and the dropped third strike and open stealing in the team block, because 12U is where both arrive. Blocking on a mat starts here, so the catchers get the mats first. Cut live hitting entirely, keep the tee and front toss, and keep the pitchers' block whole even on a short night. The 12U softball practice plan covers the jump the winter prepares for.
14U. The lane goes to 43 feet and stays there, so the indoor bullpen is where a 14U pitcher finds the new distance before she has to find it in a game. The team block runs first-and-third both ways, and this is the tier where the walkthrough pays off most, since the plays need teaching before they need speed. Cut the drop-step reads to a few minutes; a 14U outfielder's winter is arm and bat. The 14U softball practice plan has the first-and-third and the 43-foot block in full.
High school. The indoor season is the winter before tryouts, and your state association's out-of-season coaching rules decide who can run it; where the coach cannot, the captains run the plans above in open gym. Keep the pitching staff's week either way: three pitchers on three bullpen schedules, counts on the whiteboard, even in January. Cut the team block; twenty-one outs does not happen in a gym. The high school softball practice plan has the staff block and the in-season plan the winter feeds into.
Pitchers and catchers indoors
This is the best use of a gym there is. A pitching lane is a portable plate or a pitching mat at 35, 40 or 43 feet by age along a sideline, a catcher in full gear on a mat, and a screen or a wall behind her so a ball in the dirt is not a ball in the basketball game. The block does not get cut on a short night; a player can take swings at home on Thursday, and a pitcher cannot throw a bullpen alone.
| Where she is | Pitchers | Catchers |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up in the lane | Wrist snaps and elbow snaps at 15 feet, 10 each, then spins at 20 feet, every pitch she throws, 10 reps each, no radar gun | Gear on before the station starts. Receiving off front toss on a mat, 30 catches, glove side and arm side, before any blocking |
| The bullpen | At the age's distance off a plate: 30 to 35 pitches at 10U, 40 to 50 at 12U and up. Fastball to both sides, the change-up off a fastball count, a third pitch in the last ten only if the first two were there. The catcher calls the location before every pitch; the pitcher names where it went after | Receive and call the bullpen. Then blocking on a mat with tennis balls, 15 to 20 reps, chin down, glove between the knees, before the pitches that finish on the floor |
| Framing | Not her job. Her job is the location she was asked for | Framing reps off front toss, 20 catches: the low pitch caught with the glove moving up, the corner pitch with the glove still. Then five throw-downs to a coach at the far end of the floor if the gym gives you 60 feet, none if it does not |
| The count | Written on the whiteboard before she leaves, next to the week. Nothing here measures how hard anyone throws | Five timed throw-downs a week, outdoors or in, the time hers and never posted |
No room for a lane: the towel. A rolled towel in the pitching hand, the full arm circle and the snap at the bottom against a partner's glove held at the release point, 15 reps, then with the stride onto a line taped on the floor. It keeps the release and the finish; it does not replace a bullpen, and a pitcher who goes a month on towel work alone starts over in March. Find the lane.
Ten indoor drills
The ten drills the plans above run most, with the coaching point on each. Names match the hub's drill index.
- Short hops off a wall or partner. Forehand, backhand, glove-side, 40 reps against a gym wall with a tennis ball, or off a partner's underhand toss. The coaching point: the glove goes out to the ball and the feet stay quiet.
- One-knee progression. Glove-side knee down, throwing-side knee up, the arm slot and the wrist snap before the feet get involved. The coaching point: indoors this is most of the throwing block, so it is slow, at 20 feet.
- Spins at close distance. Every pitch in her book at 20 feet, 10 reps each, no radar gun. The coaching point: the spin is the pitch; if the ball is not spinning the way the pitch is named, distance will not fix it.
- Bullpen at the age's distance. 35, 40 or 43 feet off a plate in the lane, location called before every pitch, named after, counted on the whiteboard. The coaching point: a gym bullpen is the same bullpen as outdoors, and the plate is what makes it so.
- Receiving off front toss. Partner tosses to the glove side from 15 feet, catcher on a mat sticks it, 30 to 40 catches. The coaching point: receiving comes before blocking at every age.
- Blocking on a mat. Tennis balls or soft balls bounced in from 15 feet, 15 to 20 reps, chin down, glove between the knees, the ball kept in front. The coaching point: the mat is equipment, not a reward; put it down first.
- Tee routine. Middle, inside, outside, high, low, the same five every time into the net, eight swings each. The coaching point: it is the routine she runs at home, so run it the same way in the gym.
- Front toss with counts. Coach behind the screen calls the count before each toss, the hitter says her approach before she swings, soft balls into the net. The coaching point: the two-strike swing is a different swing, and the gym is where it gets practiced.
- Slap footwork. Crossover and run-through off a tee until it is automatic, then off front toss, in a lane taped on the floor. The coaching point: the feet are the drill; the contact is a check that the feet were right.
- Steal starts. Off a coach's arm, leaving on release, five a practice, from a throw-down first in a hallway if that is what you have. The coaching point: eyes on the release point, and the first step is a crossover, not a hop.
Common indoor mistakes
Most of these are an outdoor practice forced into a room.
- Ninety minutes of hitting. One cage, twelve players, eleven of them watching for eighty minutes. The cage is one station of four.
- Long toss in a gym. Sixty feet is the fence. The outfielders get their arm back in March, and a ball off the scoreboard costs you the gym.
- Fly balls off the lights. No live fly balls indoors. Drop steps and first-step reads with a tossed tennis ball are the outfield's winter.
- A full situational block with a real ball. Walking speed, soft ball, throw-down bases. The team block indoors is decisions, not throws.
- Laps. A gym has lines; warm up in them.
- Pitchers on the bare floor. No plate, no mat, and she learns a stride she will not use outdoors. The portable plate costs less than one gym rental.
- Catchers without mats. Receiving and blocking on hardwood gets shortened by the player before you notice. The mat is why the reps happen.
- No plan for the shared night. Basketball crosses half court at 7:30 whether the bunt coverage was clean or not. The clock on the whiteboard is the plan.
- Cues said once. A gym is loud. The stations and the clock are on the board by the door, and the cue is said at the station, not from across the floor.
- Treating it as a night to get through. One thing to fix, picked before you leave the house, same as outdoors. A winter of gym nights with nothing to fix is a winter with nothing fixed.
The other five days
A gym slot in January is one night a week if the athletic director likes you, and 75 minutes of it. That is the team's whole contact with softball for the week: forty swings and a bullpen each, then nothing until next Tuesday. The indoor season is exactly when what happens between practices matters most, because there is so little practice to lean on. A player who runs the tee routine in her garage three times a week comes to the gym to be corrected; one who does nothing comes to start over.
The between-practice work in winter is the same short list, by position: the throwing progression into a wall with a tennis ball, the tee routine into a net, pitchers' towel snaps and spins with a parent catching, catchers' receiving off a parent's underhand toss, slap footwork and steal starts in a hallway. Thirty to forty-five minutes, three days a week, in a garage, not a gym.
That is what Next Athletix does for a softball coach. It does not write your practice plan; this page is the practice plan. It assigns daily, position-specific training sessions to your roster between gym nights and shows you who did them. You create the team, show the QR code on your phone at one practice, every athlete scans it, and they are on the plan before the nets come down. Your dashboard shows who did the work this week, who is on a streak, and who has gone quiet, which turns the close of your next gym night from a guess into a sentence: "Nine of twelve did their sessions this week."
Be straight with parents about what it is. A coach account is free. A free athlete account gets one sample session a week; the full plan runs on the Training plan, which is per athlete with a 7-day free trial, and athletes and parents subscribe on their own account with nothing billed to you. Pricing is here. It does not replace the practice you just planned. If the team wants the whole winter structured and not just the gym nights, the off-season softball training plan is the 12-week version of the same idea, and its Sharpen block is what most teams are doing in the gym in February.
Print it
Everything above is the plan. Print the page or send the link to your assistant coaches; nothing to sign up for. The hub has the 90-minute structure the plans here are cut from, the blank template and the full drill index, and the plans for the field once you get it back: 10U, 12U, 14U and high school. If you want the between-practice work assigned and tracked, that is what the free coach account is for.
Questions coaches ask
- How long should an indoor softball practice be?
- Whatever the gym gives you, and shorter than the outdoor plan even when it gives you more. Seventy-five minutes is the working number for a half gym or a shared space, ninety for a full gym with a cage, sixty for a room with no throwing. Stations are cramped, the reps are close and quick, and a gym rented past ninety minutes turns into a hitting session with eleven players watching. If you get sixty instead of seventy-five, cut the team block, not the throwing and not the pitchers.
- What balls can we use in a gym?
- The ball the gym allows, which you find out from the athletic director before the first night and not after a ball hits a light. Most gyms allow a soft-covered training ball everywhere and a real ball only inside a cage. Tennis balls for anything thrown or bounced toward a wall and for blocking on a mat. Pitchers throw the real ball in the lane if the gym permits it and a soft-covered one if not; the plate and the distance matter more than the ball.
- Can pitchers throw a full bullpen indoors?
- Yes, and it is the best reason to rent the gym. A lane along a sideline at 35, 40 or 43 feet by age, a portable plate or pitching mat, a catcher in gear on a mat, and a screen or a wall behind her. The count is the same as outdoors, 30 to 35 pitches at 10U and 40 to 50 from 12U up, written on the whiteboard before she leaves. Without room for a lane, spins at 20 feet and towel work keep the release and the finish, but they do not replace a bullpen, and a pitcher who goes a month without one starts over in March.
- What do we do if we only have a hallway or a cafeteria?
- Run the small room plan on this page: nothing thrown overhand, sixty minutes, and it is a real practice. Glove work off a partner's rolled ball, the one-knee progression into a glove from six feet, tee or dry swings, pitchers on the towel, catchers receiving off an underhand toss on a mat, steal starts and tag-up timing off throw-down bases in the hallway, and the team walking its bunt coverage and first-and-third with no ball and every player saying her job before she moves. Then the signs, tested.
- How do we keep twelve players busy with one cage?
- The cage is one station of four, not the practice. Three or four players hit for ten minutes while three other stations run: the pitching lane, the wall for short hops and glove work, and the open floor for baserunning footwork and drop-step reads. Everybody rotates on a timer. Twelve players at one cage is one swing every three minutes each; four stations of three is a swing every twenty seconds, plus a bullpen and forty glove reps besides.
- What does it cost to run the between-practice sessions with the app?
- A coach account is free, no card required. A free athlete account includes one sample session a week; the full daily plan runs on the Training plan, $20 a month per athlete, with a 7-day free trial. Athletes and their parents subscribe on their own account, and nothing is billed to the coach. Current pricing is on the pricing page.