Softball Quick Hands Drill for Faster Double Play Turns

By Abigail Gannaban · Last updated October 30, 2026

Double plays are won or lost in the transfer, the moment the softball moves from the glove to the throwing hand. This quick hands drill trains that moment alone: a middle infielder throws into a ball rebounder, catches the return, transfers and throws again, over and over, with no partner needed. The rebound net acts as the wall the original drill calls for, with screen positions that change the feed. You'll come away with a cleaner, faster exchange to take to the bag.

What is the quick hands transfer drill?

It's a wall-transfer drill: catch, transfer to the throwing hand and release, repeated with no pause. Coach Johnston of The Baseball Zone teaches it as Wall Transfers in his Infielding Tips course, built to make the glove-to-hand transfer faster and more consistent, and aimed especially at middle infielders and catchers. The course is a baseball course, but the softball double play asks the same of the hands. In Practice Perfect Softball, Bill Gray and Melissa Chmielewski stress that the shortstop's transfer to the throwing hand has to happen quickly as she crosses the bag. The drill isolates exactly that.

How do you set up the drill on a ball rebounder?

Stand the net upright so returns come back about chest high, set up close, and work in short sets. The table separates what the source specifies from our suggestions.

Throw firmly into the middle of the net, catch the return with two hands in front of the chest, and get the ball out of the glove and into a throwing grip in one motion. Throw again right away.

What are the coaching cues for a faster transfer?

The main cue is catch first, then speed. Coach Johnston notes that when players start missing the catch or the transfer, the usual cause is going too fast, and he suggests stepping back to slow the feed until every rep is clean. Once the reps are clean, move closer to the net so the ball comes back quicker. Keep both hands together through the catch, the way Gray and Chmielewski describe the shortstop receiving with her glove hand and throwing hand up, so the bare hand is already there when the ball lands.

What does the rebounder version train, and what still needs a teammate?

The rebounder version trains the hands; the footwork around the bag still needs a teammate or a base. On a rebound net, the player controls the feed and gets far more transfers per minute than a partner toss allows, since the ball comes straight back. It doesn't train crossing the bag, avoiding the runner or reading a feed from the second baseman, which Practice Perfect Softball covers with a coach rolling balls to both middle infielders. Use the net to make the transfer automatic, then take it to team practice where the footwork joins in.

All Ball Pro makes steel-frame, multi-sport ball rebounders, also called rebound nets, for softball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer and basketball, made in St. Louis, Missouri. The Varsity's 5' x 5' net gives a 25 sq ft target, enough that a quick, off-balance throw still finds the net and the drill keeps its rhythm.

FAQ

How often should a softball infielder do quick hands drills? A few short sets on most days works better than one long session, because the goal is a clean, automatic transfer. Stop a set when the catches or transfers start slipping.

Can catchers use this transfer drill too? Yes. Coach Johnston's course names catchers as well as middle infielders, since a faster transfer also helps a catcher throw out runners.

Should the drill be done with or without a glove? With a glove, so the hand works out of the pocket the way it does in a game. Bare-hand work is a separate soft-hands drill.

Clean, quick hands turn routine grounders into two outs, and a rebound net lets you train them every day. See The Varsity Multi Sport Ball Rebounder.