Your daughter has the basic windmill down. Now she wants to pitch in games, and you want to help without messing anything up. At 9 and 10, the right drills are simple, short and done often. Here are the ones we'd use.
The best softball pitching drills for 9- and 10-year-olds are simple ones that build a smooth windmill and strikes: wrist snaps, the one-knee drill, the open-hips drill, walk-throughs and target games. Practice 15 to 20 minutes, two or three days a week, count pitches and stop if anything hurts.
Train it: Command & Composure (Level 2 Pitching, $49) → Free: Free Pitching Intro Course →What a 10-year-old pitcher should be working on
At this age, the job is a smooth, repeatable windmill and strikes. That's it. Speed comes as kids grow and as the motion gets cleaner.
- One pitch: a fastball she can throw for strikes most of the time.
- Same motion every time: the arm circle, brush at the hip and stride look the same pitch after pitch.
- Balance: she finishes on her feet, facing the catcher, ready to field.
- A routine: the same breath and setup before every pitch.
If she is brand new to the windmill, start with the basics first: grip, wrist snap, half circle, then the full circle. These drills are for the next step.
Arm care before any drill
A windmill looks gentle, but young pitchers can still get hurt from doing too much. Sports medicine doctors note the windmill puts its own demands on the shoulder, back, neck, forearm and wrist.
Softball also has no single pitch-count rule across leagues and tournaments. In one University of Florida Health survey, most parents of youth softball pitchers didn't know pitching safety guidelines existed. So the counting is up to the grown-ups.
- Warm up first: a light jog, arm circles and easy throws before any pitching.
- Count every pitch: practice pitches count too. Check your league's rules and the sports medicine guidelines for her age.
- Rest days: plan days with no pitching, and don't let her pitch for two teams at once.
- Stop if it hurts: pain means stop for the day. If it doesn't go away, see your pediatrician.
Five softball pitching drills for 9- and 10-year-olds
Do these in order, short distance first. About 8 to 10 pitches per drill is plenty. Use a fence, net or a parent with a glove as the catcher.
- Wrist snaps (warm-up): ball at the hip, a few steps from the target, flick with the wrist only. Look for backspin and a soft, straight throw.
- One-knee drill: kneel on the throwing-side knee with the glove-side foot out front, pointed at the target. Make full arm circles and brush the hip. Kneeling takes the legs away so she can feel a long, loose arm.
- Open-hips drill (some coaches call it the K drill): stand in the landing position, stride foot already down and hips open to the side, arm up at the top of the circle. Drop the arm down the back of the circle, brush and snap. This grooves the brush and release, where strikes are made.
- Walk-through: take one walking step, then pitch. The step adds rhythm and pushes her body toward the target. Many kids throw their best strikes this way.
- Stride and freeze: full pitch from the mound or a line, then hold the finish for a two-count. If she can't hold it, she's off balance. Slow it down and try again.
Fix one thing at a time. If the arm bends or swings out to the side, go back to the one-knee drill. If the ball sails high, go back to the open-hips drill and feel the brush.
Target games that build strikes
Strikes come from lots of reps at a target, with a little fun mixed in. Hang a towel on a fence or tape a box on a net.
- Beat the coach: a strike is a point for her, a ball is a point for you. First to five wins.
- Three in a row: she pitches until she throws three strikes in a row, then she's done for the round.
- Strikeout or walk: start a pretend at-bat at 0-0 and call each pitch a ball or strike. Three strikes, she wins the at-bat; four balls, you do. Play three at-bats.
Here's a Coach BK line for young pitchers: "Belief is the most powerful human force." For a 10-year-old, that means confidence on the mound comes from all those quiet reps at the towel, not from a lucky day.
A 20-minute softball pitching practice
Run this two or three days a week, with rest days between. Start close, and move back to your league's pitching distance only when the motion stays smooth. Check your league's rules for the distance and for a legal pitch.
| Minutes | What to do | Look for |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | Jog, arm circles, easy catch | Loose arm, short throws |
| 5–8 | Wrist snaps | Backspin, brush at the hip |
| 8–12 | One-knee and open-hips drills | Long arm, straight circle |
| 12–16 | Walk-throughs, then stride and freeze | Holds the finish |
| 16–20 | One target game | Same motion when it counts |
Praise the part she's working on, like "great brush" or "nice finish," and let the misses go. Our free Pitching Intro Course gives you seven short lessons to run together. When she wants more, Command & Composure ($49) is our four-week, 16-session Level 2 pitching program for baseball and softball, built around routines, target control and smart workload habits.
One thing to remember
At 9 and 10, a smooth windmill and strikes come first; speed shows up later on its own.
What to do this week
Do the 20-minute practice twice this week with a rest day in between. Write down how many pitches she throws each time, and finish each session with one round of Beat the Coach.
Parent questions
How many days a week should a 10-year-old practice softball pitching?
Two or three short sessions a week is plenty for most 10-year-olds, with rest days between. Count practice pitches and follow your league's pitching rules.
Should a 10-year-old learn a changeup?
Once her fastball goes for strikes most of the time, a simple changeup with the same arm circle can come next. Save movement pitches for later, with a qualified pitching coach.
Why does my daughter's pitch keep going high?
A high pitch often means the ball is coming out late or without a brush at the hip. Go back to wrist snaps and the open-hips drill at a short distance until the release feels right.
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Sources: STOP Sports Injuries (AOSSM): Softball Injury Prevention · UF Health: Study finds many caregivers unaware of fastpitch softball safety guidelines