At 8U, your softball team is a mix of girls who have played since they could walk and girls who got their glove last Tuesday. Both groups want the same thing: to touch the ball a lot and laugh while they do it. These drills are built for exactly that.
Good 8U softball drills are short, scored games in small groups: tee hitting at cone pins, red-light-green-light grounders, a catch-count relay, half-circle pitching at a hoop and a bat-drop dash to first. Give each about 10 minutes and finish with a small game.
Train it: 46/60 Coach Playbook ($59) → Free: Free Softball Practice Plans →What should 8U softball practice teach?
Keep the list short. A good 8U season gets every girl comfortable with five things.
- Catching: two hands, ball caught out in front of her face.
- Throwing: point the glove at the target, step and throw.
- Fielding: ready position, glove down early, feet moving to the ball.
- Hitting: a balanced stance and lots of swings.
- Running: set the bat down, run hard through first.
Pitching gets a small slice too. Some 8U leagues use coach or machine pitch and some let players pitch, so check your league's rules. Either way, a few minutes of first steps each practice is plenty.
Five 8U softball drills that feel like games
One drill per skill. Each has a score, because a score gets more focus from a 7-year-old than any speech.
- Cone Bowling (hitting): set a tee at home and a row of cones in the grass like bowling pins. Ten swings each. Every cone she knocks over with a ground ball or line drive is a point.
- Red Light, Green Light Grounders (fielding): "Green light" means creep forward. "Yellow light" means shuffle sideways. "Red light" means freeze in a ready position. On red, a parent rolls a soft ball and she fields it with two hands.
- Catch-Count Relay (throwing): two short lines about 20 feet apart. Throw to the front of the other line, then run to the back of it. Count clean catches in two minutes and try to beat the team's record next week.
- Half-Circle Hoop (pitching): hang a hula hoop on the fence about 15 feet away. Starting with the arm straight up, she swings it down past her hip and lets go out front. Ten throws, a point for every hoop.
- Bat-Drop Dash (baserunning): she swings at a ball on the tee, sets the bat down inside a hula hoop next to the plate, then runs hard through first base. Bat in the hoop plus running past the bag scores a point.
Use soft training softballs for anything close-range, and check your league's rules for the ball size your division plays with.
How do I start 8U pitching without hurting her arm?
Go slow and keep it short. The windmill is its own motion, and STOP Sports Injuries notes it puts unique demands on the shoulder, forearm and wrist.
- Warm up first: a jog and easy throwing before any pitching.
- Wrist flicks: standing a few steps from a partner, ball at her hip, she snaps it underhand with just the wrist. Ten flicks.
- Half circle: the Half-Circle Hoop drill above. Leave the full circle and the stride for later.
- Stop on pain: no pitching through pain, ever. Follow your league's pitching and rest rules.
Five to ten minutes of pitching at practice is plenty at this age. Our guide to teaching a kid to pitch softball covers the next steps when she's ready.
A 60-minute 8U softball practice
Here's an hour for 12 girls and three parent helpers. Split into three groups of four for the stations.
| Minutes | What happens | Coaching cue |
|---|---|---|
| 0–8 | Jog, shuffle and Catch-Count Relay | Point the glove, step, throw |
| 8–15 | Red Light, Green Light Grounders | Glove down early |
| 15–45 | Three 10-minute stations: Cone Bowling, Half-Circle Hoop, Bat-Drop Dash | One cue per station |
| 45–55 | Mini game, coach pitches | Run hard on every hit |
| 55–60 | Water and one-win circle | Each girl names one thing she did well |
Water at every station change. Helmets on anyone hitting or running, and keep waiting hitters well behind a line in the dirt. Want it printed? Our free softball practice plans let you build an 8U version.
How do I keep 7- and 8-year-old girls excited to come back?
Start every practice the same way. Huddle up and say Coach BK's line: "It's a great day to be you!!" For an 8-year-old, that means show up with energy and act like she belongs out there, even on day one.
At the tee, give her one thing to chase. Coach BK says "Get on the backside of one, baby!" For a 7-year-old, that means hit the back of the ball and drive it through the cones.
Praise the cue, not the result. "Great glove down!" tells her what to repeat. Mix up the groups often so the same girls don't always win.
If you want every week planned for you, the 46/60 Coach Playbook is $59 for a year: 24 lessons for 8U to 12U coaches, baseball and softball, with cues, fixes and 60-minute station plans. Lessons 1–3 are free.
One thing to remember
At 8U softball, short games with a score teach more than any long line.
What to do this week
Pick two drills, write each on a card with one cue and hand them to two parents before practice. Run each for 10 minutes and end with the one-win circle.
Parent questions
Do 8U softball players pitch?
It depends on the league. Some 8U divisions use coach or machine pitch and some let players pitch, so check your league's rules and teach the first pitching steps either way.
How long should an 8U softball practice be?
About 60 minutes works well for most 7- and 8-year-olds. Keep each drill near 10 minutes and take water breaks between stations.
Can my 6-year-old do these softball drills?
Yes. Shorten the distances, use the softest balls you have and cut each drill to about 5 minutes. Skip the pitching hoop and play extra catch instead.
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Sources: STOP Sports Injuries (AOSSM): Softball Injury Prevention tip sheet