On the side of the base the ball is coming from, NOT On the front side of the base (side the base runner is running towards), Squared up and facing the ball, in a Ready Position, Keep their eyes on the ball and not the runner (once a teammate has fielded the ball). We can establish this habit during the Scrimmage (see Practice Structure) portion of practice. We mandate to our player to ignore any baiting by runners dancing back and forth a few feet from the base. Defensive Situations No one on Runner at 1 Runners at 1st & 2nd Bases loaded Runner at 2nd Runner at 3rd Bunt coverage 1st & 3rd Pick offs Rundowns Baserunning Situations Running from 1st (less than 2 outs) pop up ground ball to left side ground ball right side line drive deep fly ball Running from 2nd (no one on 1st, less than 2 outs) pop up Prospect, Ill./Prospect) collected six more hits on the . The first and third base defenders should be approximately 3 feet (9 m) in front of their base and 3 feet from the foul line. Primarily as observers of the pro game. Pickoff attempts require a specific defender to cover the base to try to catch the runner off base. *Later in the season, after the players have demonstrated they clearly understand their movement responsibilities, the drill can be modified. The infielder then turns and sprints with the ball towards the middle of the infield. That doesnt matter, the CF gets going and does their best to get into position to back up the base. Balls Hit to the Outfield: the First Baseman needs to be aware of the base runner and not interfere with them while moving into position at First Base. Theright fielder should take an angle to about 20 - 30 feet behind 1st base and near the foul line to cut off any errant throws. She begins with bunt and slap defense, moves on to . A coach with limitd experience or understanding of modifying the positioning of players, need not worry. Outies - shooting 3!" Your directions will obviously differ depending on the age and development of your players. There are four players in the drill. Softball Bunt Defense Drill - Softball Tutor If a runner is attempting to advance to a base, the outfielder throws the ball directly to that base. It is constructed using cones, throw down bases, ball caps, extra shirts that are laying around, a leaf, anything. The old saying in baseball is, Billy Bob, know what you are going to do with the ball if it is hit to you. Kids play a variety of positions at this level; at the very least, they play positions other than pitcher. These relay situations, where the ball is hit past the outfielders, is addressed in the Drills section of the website. Kids take their cues from watching higher levels of baseball and softball. Important note:when using a throw to move the ball into position to stop the runners, point #1 comes back into play. "And then . 1607 N. Market Street Champaign, IL 61820, Sign up and be the first to know about upcoming deals and new releases. If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue. By the time a team gets to the last third of ther season (and heading into the playoffs/tournament play, the coordinated actions of the players on the field will be flowing pretty smoothly. Figure on it taking 4-5 practices of constant badgering until they Get it. They will also come to recognize that running with the ball is sometimes the smarter option. This drill provides many repetitions of players fielding a bunt and throwing to a specific base. The good news is, we can give the kids the reps they need in as little as 5-10 minutes every second or third practice. (watch: 0:25 - 0:42 of this video.). Examples of drills that can be run using a Mini Diamond include relays, backing-up and base coverage responsibilities, and first and third defense. This is the mindset of all nine players on the field as the ball is put into play. Five players are positioned at C, P, 1B, 2B, 3B. Procedure: Use the bat to draw the lines in front of the catcher to designate the areas of responsibility for the corners and the catcher for a bunt. A team of 11-12 year olds, who master this content, will cut 2-3 runs off the scoreboard, in most games, compared to a team that is not trained in this system. This means, once they recognize they are not responsible to get the ball, their responsibility becomes the base. Any drill in which the focus of the teaching is something other than working on full on overhand throwing technique can be run on a Mini Diamond. The left fielder is positioned in the outfield on the left side of the field, closest to third base. The outfielder (LF or RF) that has the ball hit on their side of the field, initially, does not have a Backing-up respsonsibility. Before our kids are ready to learn their roll, they first must clearly understand that the foundation of their play is the need for them to move from their spot on the field when the ball is pitched to another spot on the field. The Mini Diamond is also used to teach drills and plays before running them on the regular size field. These runners are not that fast. In this case the Pitcher does not field the ball so they continue running in a straight line towards first base. These diagrams are provided less as a suggestion to run a drill with all nine players and more as a visual that a coach can use as a learning tool in preparation for teaching their players. If the base runners stop, we want the infielder to be within 10-15 from the outfielder, who delivers the ball using the Underhand Toss tecnique. We also train our pitchers that, when they field a ball that takes them to the third base side of the rubber to feed the third baseman for a 1-5 put out. We want TWO players in position to catch every throw; the player at the base who we hope makes the catch, and a second player beyond the base to catch the ball, if it gets past the base. Softball Defensive Coverage And they won't get it the first or second time we will have to teach it over and over. The players are so much closer together on the small diamond. The ball goes to cf, the ss goes out to get the ball; the second baseman covers the base. In the mean time we are developing in them the recognition that getting the ball closer to the middle of the infield the more control they and the defense has over the base runners. The player primarily responsible for recognizing the runners have stopped attempting to advance is the Catcher, who is the lead communicator for the defense, since that is the one position that can see the entire field at all times. Defensive Coverages In Football - Complete Guide - vIQtory Sports It may be more dramatic as running 30'-40' to reestablish the straight line relationship from the ball to the base to them in their backing up of a base. We need to practice this often. 'She's not going to run:' Softball speedster, Division I commit defies Use of the Mini Diamond is referenced throughout the Coaching Guide. An experienced and consciencious umpire should be receptive to this practice. One of the most valuable tools a coach can use is the Mini Diamond. However, if they are sprinting towards the correct spot, they will be on their way to retrieving an overthrown ball. Gophers defensive backs Jordan Howden, Terell Smith drafted in fifth My experience observing youth practices and games, is coaches hollering to their players, Back up those throws! However, getting our kids to recognize the importance of this aspect of the game and to develop urgency in their execution takes more than Telling or Reminding. The softball first base positioning is important and will almost always determine the success of any play around the base. Given these two points, each game has many situations where a throw of 20' or less is in order. The LF & RF need to be aware of this possibility. Older player (ages 10-12) often have vocal muscles developed enough for the outfield to hear them. Even at the 12 year old level the outfielder are not that far from the infield. Get the latest insights with regular newsletters, plus periodic product information and special insider offers. Whenever the ball is hit to one of these three players (catcher, pitcher, center fielder) the shortstop is the player in position to potentially handle the ball. The left fielder plays at about the same depth as the centerfielder and should be half way between the shortstop and third base defender.
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