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. The outfielder that has the ball hit in front of them, either the Left Fielder or Right Fielder sprints straight towards the ball, and doesnt slow down until they see the ball cleanly fielded by an infielder. While the runner will likely be safe, we want to prevent them from advancing to second base. Ignore the 'key' at the top. Beginning with Coordinated Team Defense (Part 2), move through the rest of the section piece by piece at a pace your group can grasp the content. Adjust a couple feet to their right or left so to have a clear line of sight to the batter. (for the purpose of the drill, it is assumed that each base is covered and the Pitcher does not field the ball). There will be times however, when another player can get to the area around the pitching rubber easier, and quicker, than the pitcher. Get the ball to the middle of the infield. Calls out ground ball to . A stance we do not want to see with our fielders is hands hanging close to the ground near ankle level. When players do this correctly, team defensive play as a whole runs much smoother. Pitcher sprints to back up the corner base on the side of the infield the ball is hit to (after the coach/ball goes past them). The reality is, like a lot of things in this game, mistakes will be made (multiple times). When working with kids we want to structure our talk to be as literal as possible. A catcher plays defense in front of Home Plate. [More importantly, this baiting game wastes time and takes away from the other players (also parents and coaches) waiting for the game to continue. The ball goes to cf, the ss goes out to get the ball; the second baseman covers the base. A body in motion stays in motion. Explain to the corner outfielders that they, in fact, have two baes to back up. The Shortstop moves towards the ball, which takes them to the second base bag. Before a pitch it is ok to remind players of the situation; "One out runner on first. If the initial throw goes to second base, the ball is then thrown to first base, then to home plate. Teach the First Baseman to be aggressively go after balls hit between them and the Second Baseman or between them and the Pitcher. We want to educate our players on these facts during our first practices, The base is for the runners, the ball is for the defense. Until this time, players covering a Base remain at the base. We can establish this habit during the Scrimmage (see Practice Structure) portion of practice. If the base runners are not attempting to advance, we do not want to risk making a throw. Throughout each play the Catcher is at their Position in front of Home Plate instructing the defense what to do with the ball*. As long as the bases are covered by a teammate, it is ok for a position player to carry the ball to the middle of the infield until the pitcher arrives and can be handed the ball. Kids need to be trained constantly of this sequence of prioritization. Their first responsibility is to go for the ball, which means sprinting in behind the infielder attempting to field the ball. I am going to GO GET the ball - React towards the ball. However, they are now inmotion. They see the base is covered, so go to their next responsibility of backing-up the base. In order for you to ensure you're always in the best defensive coverage for the particular situation, you've got to constantly be watching everything! Let's look at how things like your Attention Span and your Courage, and how each can greatly impact your defensive coverage. Basic softball defensive strategy and tactics is a look at the fundamental defensive components of the game. Then, to lessen your frustrations during a game, walk through various situations and discuss how defenders should move to provide coverage for a hit. The Pitcher moves a few feet towards second base when the ball is hit beyond the second base bag to center field. Left fielders must be fast to track down balls and have a strong . A fun statement to drive home the need for them to cover the base while acknowledging their desire to see what is going on with the ball is, Cover your base and watch the game from there. Cover 2 Cover 2, as we know, requires two deep defenders and five underneath defenders. early in the teaching process, we want to eliminate the Wandering Third Baseman from membership on our team. We want to stick this concept with our players immediately at the start of practices. When the ball is delivered to the infield the Catcher leaves the spot where they receive pitches, behind home plate, and moves to their Position, which is in front of home plate. Players Backing-up are likely adjusting their position to maintain a straight line from the Ball to the base to where they are standing. And going through multiple repetitions of the drills. The information below is a reference guide. Not until they see the ball is caught by the fielder in front of them does their responsibility change to moving to back up a throw. Positioning for play involving kids ages 9 and under. Double plays are rarely turned. The rule for infielders is Play the Ball, or Cover a Base. It is likely that while they are on the move, they will figure out where to throw the ball, if needed. 16x Big 12 Champions; Over 1,100 career victories. Usually the shortstop is a better player than the second baseman and we want the more talented player handling the ball as much as possible. Given these two points, each game has many situations where a throw of 20' or less is in order. Please visit Booktopia to order your Human Kinetics print books. 1607 N. Market Street Champaign, IL 61820, Sign up and be the first to know about upcoming deals and new releases. This is important because the kids are standing close together. IMPORTANT NOTE: When delivering the ball to the first baseman or third baseman, only roll the ball about one third of the way toward the base. A common mistake in youth baseball and softball is an outfielder throwing the ball to the Shortstop or Second Baseman to relay the ball to home plate. There will be the odd instances when the roles of the two players will be reversed. This action of the coach represents a ground ball. 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. If the throw is off target, quickly move laterally, from the Ready Position, as fars as required to catch/stop the ball. Once they are in motion it is easier for them to continue moving to the spot on the field where they are fulfilling their defensive responsibility. Use the magnet principle for defensive coverage in softball, More Excerpts From Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Softball, Foundations of Kinesiology/Exercise and Sport Science, Research Methods, Measurements, and Evaluation, Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Softball. Stone was expected to be a big part of the defensive line rotation this season and the defensive tackle depth has taken a hit during this transfer portal window cycle. Once out kids learn and follow the teaching in this section we eliminate many of the unforced errors that are common in the game played on the small diamond. We establish the mindset, Im going to GO GET the ball. Softball Oklahoma remains No. This is an effective analogy, especially for younger players. As a coach moving through this content, you are reading what appears to be quite a bit of info. Are you in Canada? They tend to be overly concerned with being at/on the base, so they are in the best position to record an out, even when throws are off-line. Question: what percentage of balls in the 12u game are hit at laser speed, ankle high to the 2-foot space where the player is positioned? This defender should continue moving to the ball unless the first-base defender yells that she has it (meaning that the first-base defender will field the ball). Simply telling them is not enough for them to Get It. Many young players do not recognize they have the option of carrying the ball to its destination. 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. The above situations, and movement responsibilities, are flipped when the ball is hit to the Left Fielder and Third Baseman. Learning and execution is simplified when the pitcher is the cut-relay player on all plays to the plate. The same goes for the coach. The odds of making a throw, in this situation, and recording an out, are slim. In some cases, in a situation where the ball is hit past the outfielders there is a relay to third base. In most cases they are doing this while running back to their positions. That is ok, it is part of the learning process. The positioning of kids at the lower levels is such, so they learn: The bases belong to the runners; fielders spread out between the bases because their #1 priority is to get the ball. How does a player determine which base to back up? Maybe read those through twice. For example, you may want to go over what the defensive players should do if the ball is hit between the defenders at first and second. When the play ends (TIME has been called, and/or the pitcher steps on the rubber) the Catcher, who remains standing in front of home plate, surveys the three bases to identify which are occupied by runners. (A catchers most valuable tool is their voice.). The three players in the middle of the field: pitcher, shortstop, second baseman -Always Move Towards the Ball". The right fielder plays at a similar depth and should be between the second base and first base defenders. 0. The real success of defending bunts lies in the team performing the general principals of the bunt defense. victory in game two. The pitcher could influence the decision for modifying defensive positioning if they throw significantly fast or slow. When the Third Baseman is backing up throws to third base, rarely will they be in the ideal spot when the throw is made. It would be nice for the 9-11 age group to get into this part, but its not life or death. Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website. The first-base defender can then return to first base and get ready to receive the throw. After a couple of days of running the drill we want to expand the teaching of the backing up situation. Instruct the pitcher to run BEHIND the base runner. At the youth level of play the positioning of the player in relationship to the base, when receiving a throw, is different than at higher levels of play. But in 2022, the 22-year-old from Pensacola, Florida, exploded. 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. When working on movement responsibilities this clear visual of an uncovered base helps the kids recognize where they are needed. Douse was tied for second on the team in sacks with 3.5 and you could see him get better in each game, especially his performance against Virginia Tech, where he had 2.5 sacks and earned a high . There is no rule to determine when the second baseman takes over this responsibility. Players at each outfield position, approximately 30 beyond the infield diamond (mark those spots with cones). If the ball goes to a corner base they, players then throw the ball around the infield, base to base; each using proper Underhand Toss technique. In this cicumstance, another player (Shortstop or Pitcher) will cover third base. Side of the Base the Ball is Coming From - To avoid throws crossing the path of the Base Runner. Middle Infielders: 25-30 from second base, and a couple steps behind the baseline. * The Catcher is the only player that can see all the action on the field. Empty buckets are placed at 1B, 2B, 3B. Proper positioning is a few inches in front of home plate. Then they holler (loud enough to be heard in the outfield) the number of OUTS and the location of the RUNNERS. The free safety usually dictates the defensive coverage adjustments. There are four players in the drill. They will also come to recognize that running with the ball is sometimes the smarter option. We verbalize this phraseto our kids repeatedly throughout the teaching process. NOTE: This does not mean the Center Fielder is not attempting to back up on these throws. The assumption of the outfielder, each time the ball is put into play in the infield, is that it will not be fielded and the outfielder will be getting the ball. This is a pressure play on the defense, but with a fair amount of practice should be able to make the play at home on a fairly routine basis. Stop them when they pick-up the ball! Grasping that info, and doing so from the perspective of a kid who will be learning it, is important before getting into the meat of this section. Getting our players in position to properly back up throws, requires repeated drilling to engrain it as habit. When players take the learning and habits established on the Mini Diamond to the regular sized field, their work can focus primarily on throwing, catching and timing. Following that initial movement, the Pitcher adjusts their positioning to back-up a throw to second base, to set-up as the cut-relay player to home, if the situation dictates, or to break to back up third base if the outfielder indicates, through their actions, they are going to throw to third base. [The movement responsibilities of the Pitcher are covered below.]. As soon as a player has control of the ball they must immediately move the ballthrow it, or run with it towards the pitching rubber. Kids play a variety of positions at this level; at the very least, they play positions other than pitcher. Releasing this responsibility to the Catcher is simple to do if we subscribe to the Philosophy that Its the Players team, not My team. balls requiring the fielder to move quickly from their starting spot. These adjustments are more important for All-Stars play and the Playoffs at the end of the season. The Catcher hollers, Defense! We point out that some throws to second base are going almost directly towards the Left or Right Field positions. If an outfielder is not playing the ball, they are responsible to back up the base. On the infield side of the base (away from the path of the runner), Heel of throwing hand foot, next to center of the base (a few inches away, but not touching), Squared up and facing the ball, in a Ready Position (not a stretch^ position). What Do Sport Performance Professionals Do? Pitcher, in the middle of the diamond, where the pitching rubber would be (marked by a cone) facing towards home plate and the coach, The coach runs/jogs out to one of the four infield positions. First action is always Towards the Ball. It will be reiterated constantly throughout the season in most drills and activitiesbecause baseball/softball is a game of movement. Then, if they see the ball is not coming to their area of the field, they go to their second responsibility of Backing-up a base. In this example we have a ball hit to the shortstop: --> The rule for the other three infielders is to cover a base. For most it will quickly be obvious that they aren't playing the ball, so they move to their next responsibility: cover a base or back up a base/throw. That command is followed by, Run it in! (meaning, NO overhand throws; get the ball to the middle of the infield asap and in the hands of the Pitcher). And worse case scenario they will keep the ball moving by running with it. We breakdown the m Antonelli Softball SOFTBALL INFIELD INSTRUCTION, DRILLS, AND. The players need to understand that the player with the ball needs to remain conscious of the runners. When they are not chasing down balls in the outfield, they should be sprinting in to back up throws to bases they develop this habit through drill work, not by us simply telling them. Regardless of level of play or the situation, each player on defense has one of three responsibilities: handle the BALL, cover a BASE, or BACK-Up a throw. The catcher calls out which base to throw the ball to. Softball Skills: Bunt Defense Drill. What percentage of balls are hit everywhere else, at lesser speed and/or bouncing knee high or higher? We want them to see that they can get to the corner base as easy as they can get to Second Base. We teach our players: Cover the base with your eyes. --> The rule for the Pitcher is "Always move towards the ball". Fully managed IT solutions to enjoy your direct business development | Being an expert in the critical online systems and applications management, HyperOps . After the play has ended there is no reason to risk making an overhand throw. There is one ball that needs to be fielded, and three bases needing to be backed up. At the 12u level of play they are needed to cover both a corner base and second base, depending on the circumstances of a given play. Point out to them that quite often throws do not come straight to the base. The 2nd baseman needs to be trained to look for the 2nd play of the runner rounding 2nd base or trying for 3rd. Roster. It is not uncommon in the youth game to see both the Shortstop and Second Baseman covering second base together. Figure on it taking 4-5 practices of constant badgering until they Get it. Quickly ending each play keeps the game moving along quicker. Below are two examples of the movement of the entire defense moving based on where the ball is hit. Ball tossed to a teammate after carrying/running with the ball, many kids are unaware of, or do not think about, the Underhand Toss option. When the ball is hit to a spot where the Catcher is going to field the ball, the Pitcher moves towards the ball. Wherever the ball is hit, the defenders need to start moving to it, not to see who can get to it first, but to provide backup and assume supportive roles once the ball is picked up. At other times, you may see several defenders standing around the ball in what appears to be a board meeting to decide who will pick up the ball. 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. "I dont know, Mom, I just feel burned out." That fact, coupled with limited practice time we have at the youth level, results in kids not getting the reps needed learn the nuances of each position. 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. However, they need to recognize that some throws to second base are on an angle to the base that would send an overthrow right to a corner outfielder. A few inches off the plate, and not touching the plate. The pitcher starts on the rubber and the catcher starts behind home plate. Moving outfielders back or in based on the power of the batter. (watch: 0:25 - 0:42 of this video.). ***we know the runner is going to the side of the base facing the previous base. The definition for 'end of the play' is when the base runner(s) have stopped running hard and attempting to advance to another base. before cruising to a 13-3 (5 inn.) Ball or Base - If First Baseman is not playing the Ball, they quickly move to cover the Base.
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