The Swing and The Step have the greatest influence on the distance the shoe will travel. When these two components are smooth and natural adjusting for proper distance is simply a matter of adjusting the length of the step or swing. The Release plays an additional part in acquiring the proper distance.
Although not the focus of the Drills for the swing and step, distance has already been incorporated in them as the youth attempt to hit their target areas from the correct pitching distances. For youth under 13 that distance is 20 feet, for those 13 and over it is 27 feet.
The Distance Drill is very simple. It is initially carried out away from the horseshoe courts without horseshoes. Bocce balls or croquet balls are fun to use. Older kids may use a heavier object such as a brick. Proper distances are measured and marked on the ground. A target such as a large bin or bucket is placed where a stake would be. The youth try to hit the front of the target or land inside it with their ball. An alternative target that some find helpful is created by using sand or other loose material that will hold the ball in place at it lands. The target area should be about two feet long and as wide as needed. The goal is to land the ball in the sand. The closer edge of the sand represents the base of an imaginary stake, the further edge is the top of the imaginary stake. As with other drills, when using the Distance Drill, you will want to only focus on developing proper distance.