The right fielder plays at a similar depth and should be between the second base and first base defenders. Examples of drills that can be run using a Mini Diamond include relays, backing-up and base coverage responsibilities, and first and third defense. Explain that they need to be far enough back in order to have time to react, and move to, the ball missed by the player at the base; while they need to be close enough to make an effective throw, if needed, when the base runner takes off to the next 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. I am going to GO GET the ball - React towards the ball. Once our players establish the habit (requirement) of getting into motion each time the ball comes off the bat, each play, it is now much simpler to keep them moving to make a play on the Ball, move to cover a Base, or move to Back-up a Base. If there are other runners attempting to advance to another base our player is ready to respond. Most coaching books start with a discussion of the importance of creating a coaching philosophy and follow up with a section on creating goals. They Do Not predict how the next play might work out ie Infield go one, outfield go two; how do we know in advance where the ball might need to go? 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. 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. Five feet behind the baseline. Pitcher respsonsibilities on a ball hit to center field or to the Catcher. 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. The pitcher (and sometimes one of the infielders) backs up the corner base on the side of the infield the ball is hit. If you dont field the ball, cover a Base ("Ball or Base"), If the base is covered, run beyond the base to Back-up a throw to the base*, * Many kids' idea of backing up a base is to stand five feet behind the base. What Do Sport Performance Professionals Do? By adhearing to the rule: Ball, Base, Back-up and running the kids the drills, a coach will grasp the system. Some attempts to play the ball will take the Third Baseman (and their momentum) far from the base. This may require us to take them with us to the correct spot and say, "See how far away you are right now? This forces the corner infielders to really move when the ball is put into play (Ball, Base, Back-up). On a Tag Play, the fielder catches the ball and immediately moves their glove to the ground, in front of the side of the base the runner is headed. This creates two problems. More kids get to batt and there is more action in the early part of the season when many games get called early because of darkness. Many of us coaching kids baseball have been primarily exposed to the game played on the big diamond (90 base paths). 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. When all bases are covered the drill repetition is over, Players return to their positions and the coach rolls the ball to a different player/position, After a few repetitions, put the players at different positions. This Drill should be one of first defensive drills of the year for our team. NOTE: The rule of thumb, when the ball is hit to the center fielder, Pitcher or catcher, is the shortstop is positioned to handle the ball. Once the defense (most specifically the Catcher) sees the runners are not attempting to advance, our rule is our defensive players do not make overhand throws. 6. While making that initial movement, it becomes clear the third baseman is not going to get the Ball. When it is recognized that another player will field the Ball. Before jumping into teaching the kids game, we first want to recognize that the game played on the smaller diamond is different. When a Catcher participates in this drill, they also have a responsibility to move. --> The rule for the RIGHT FIELDER, because the ball is hit to an infielder in front of them, is to go for the ball. 4. One of the most valuable tools a coach can use is the Mini Diamond. Are we teaching them what to do when the ball is not hit to them? There are three situations (also covered in greater detail later in this section) where the shortstop and second basemans response to this rule is modified slightly; when the ball is hit to the catcher, pitcher or center fielder: Catcher or Pitcher: shortstop covers second base; the second baseman backs up second base. We want them to see that they can get to the corner base as easy as they can get to Second Base. The same goes for the coach. Proper positioning is a few inches in front of home plate. The other way to stop a runner is to get the ball to the base ahead of the runner. They execute this rule by sprinting towards the ball (explain that we never assume the infielders are going to field/stop the ball). 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. The most common (and most recognizable) out in the game is a force out at first base. They can't move to the correct coverage position if they don't start in the correct place. The coach puts the bunt down into the mapped areas and the appropriate defender takes the bunt and throws it to first base. The second baseman covers first - when the first baseman in ranging to their right or coming in on a ground ball often the pitcher is also attempting to make a play on the ball, or is slow in getting off the rubber. The Catcher hollers loud, Eat it! (meaning to hold onto the ball). Call out number of OUTS and location of RUNNERS before each new batter, After the ball is put into play: holler, in a loud voice, where to make the play (Infielders Echo the call on, Communication on Cut-Relay Plays to Home Plate. 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). Making a wide turn and/or dancing around baiting a throw are not examples of attempting to advance. Looking at the runner delays the application of the tag, AND may cause the fielder to take their eyes off the ball and miss the throw. Teach players to stand on the same side of the base as the balls location on the field. Positioning for play involving 10-12 year olds. In this example we have a ball hit to the Second Baseman. Our first goal is to pound in the idea of keeping the ball moving. Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website. The same is true, in most instances, when the ball is hit to the center fielder. "And then . 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 . That is ok, it is part of the learning process. As a coach moving through this content, you are reading what appears to be quite a bit of info. We need to constantly preach, Ball First, Base Second. If the Catcher does have to move a greater distance to get a loose ball, it becomes the responsibility of the pitcher to cover home plate. If one of the infielders gets the ball before it reaches the outfield, then the right fielder will run toward first to provide backup and to cover any overthrows (which are very likely to occur). Corner Infielders: 12-15 from the base. Releasing this responsibility to the Catcher is simple to do if we subscribe to the Philosophy that Its the Players team, not My team. Learning and execution is simplified when the pitcher is the cut-relay player on all plays to the plate. Then they holler (loud enough to be heard in the outfield) the number of OUTS and the location of the RUNNERS. Left fielders must be fast to track down balls and have a strong . 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. The fact is, the bases are out there for the runners. The players need to understand that the player with the ball needs to remain conscious of the runners. They believe that the ball is only moved by making a throw. To be a solid fastpitch softball defensive team, your team must be well-drilled in fastpitch softball bunt coverage. Five players are positioned at C, P, 1B, 2B, 3B. It is critical to establish a mindset in our players that their defensive responsibilities do not end until the ball has arrived to the middle of the infield. This body position is not condusive for moving quickly to another spot on the playing field. This is how far back you need to be in order to back up the base.". It is constructed using cones, throw down bases, ball caps, extra shirts that are laying around, a leaf, anything. The players, especially outfielders, will learn they can run the ball in and deliver the ball to a teammate by handing it to them or flipping it a short distance, underhand. Positioning varies based on the level of play, game situation, and the pitchers and batters strengths and tendancies (if known). NOTE: This does not mean the Center Fielder is not attempting to back up on these throws. Balls hit to the 3B/SS side of the infield are the responsibility of the Left Fielder. First action is always Towards the Ball. Cassie Cunniff (Sr./Mt. It will be reiterated constantly throughout the season in most drills and activitiesbecause baseball/softball is a game of movement. The odds of making a throw, in this situation, and recording an out, are slim. When the defense limits the runners attempts to advance, they reduce the number of throws they have to make, and therefore reduce the number of chances to make a mistake at this level, the players are good at making mistakes :). I am going to GO GET the ball - React towards the ball. While the runner will likely be safe, we want to prevent them from advancing to second base. LFLeft fielder fields the ball in the most secure way possible, preferably the same way an infielder would. HyperOps | 570 followers on LinkedIn. The Centerfielder backs-up second base. A big part of making youth baseball more fun for everyone involved is to keep the game moving along at a quick pace. The 2nd baseman needs to be trained to look for the 2nd play of the runner rounding 2nd base or trying for 3rd. The CF will need to cover 2nd. However, they are now inmotion. This is the mindset of all nine players on the field as the ball is put into play. This practice leads to a better experience for everyone at the park. This has been taught for many generations and is well intended .primarily for a Third Baseman being positioned to catch a rocket ground ball, hit straigh at them. Eyes In!. Solution: constant correcting until they get it right (effort and persistence on part of the coach, and the recognition that the concept its not as obvious to a kid as to an adult). The defenses below are standard bunt defenses, nothing revolutionary. When you dig into the final section, End of the Play | Transition to the Next Batter, your club is reaching a point of taking full control of the game. We want to establish in the minds of our players that once the runners have stopped trying to advance, we want to get the ball to the middle of the infield as fast as possible. Softball Defensive Ready Position Antonelli Softball 14.3K subscribers Subscribe 23K views 2 years ago SOFTBALL INFIELD INSTRUCTION, DRILLS, AND ADVICE Softball Defensive Ready Position. Occasionally the ball will get loose and the Catcher fills the role of Backing-up. The existence of these factors results in some fundamental rules of how team defense is played on the large diamond to be executed differently on the small diamond. Those coaches will gain a decent sense for adjusting defensive positioning. And they won't get it the first or second time we will have to teach it over and over. The drill has the corner outfielders only backing up first or third. It is perfectly acceptable to carry the ball. Proper movement, positioning and communication need to be understood and mastered to some extent before be add the throwing aspect to cement the execution of the activity. Softball Oklahoma remains No. A coach that is factoring in some of the variables above, instructs their kids to adjust from their Regular positioning. If a defender comes to a base before she gets to the ball, then her responsibility is to be on the base. (This will be covered in detail later in this section.). Other than recording an out (which doesnt happen on every play), getting the ball to the middle of the infield as quickly as possible (to end the play) is our top priority. The pitcher starts on the rubber and the catcher starts behind home plate. 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. The FS looks at the offensive alignment and. Until they arrive at the base where they are needed, it is their only focus. 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. Note: These diagrams are old and will be replaced at some point. If we instill a sense of urgency in our players to fulfill their defensive responsibilities, in this situation the Third Baseman will often get to the ball quickly enough that the Base Runner does not attempt to advance to home plate. FOURTH - Once the above content has been taught to your kids, though there is more to learn, the team can function pretty well together in the field. Center Fielder: 30 beyond the second base bag. Over throws are a big part of the game at this level. 1. The information below is a reference guide. If the ball is hit to right field, the First Baseman aggressively sprints to the right-field-side of first base in case there is a possibility to receive a throw for a force out. The first-base defender can then return to first base and get ready to receive the throw. Redshirt freshman K.J. "I dont know, Mom, I just feel burned out." Backing up distance is 25 beyond the basein line with the throw. Stand on the field/pitching rubber side of the plate facing the ball. When on the field, the kids will learn to address each situation, less through our verbal instructions, and more through active participation in the drills. Stay alert of throws in the direction of the home plate area of the field. In most cases the Catcher doesnt have to move far from the plate to get the ball. The pitcher is the cut-relay to home on All balls hit to the outfield - reasons: Often the pitcher is the best athlete on the field; we want them handling the ball as much as possible. Getting our players in position to properly back up throws, requires repeated drilling to engrain it as habit. RULES: P Always moves towards the ball | Ball. Softball Playbook Single to Left Field (No One on Base) Goal: The goal in this situation is to keep the runner from reaching 2nd base. Then when they recognize the Catcher is getting the ball, the Pitcher keeps moving and covers home base. Backing up players will not get directly in line with the direction of a possible throw. This puts our player in motion. some aspects of baseball play are learned through experience. The real success of defending bunts lies in the team performing the general principals of the bunt defense. For the purpose of the drill (working on a MINI DIAMOND), we want the backing up approximately 15 beyond the base. Stop them when they pick-up the ball! 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. Teach the First Baseman to be aggressively go after balls hit between them and the Second Baseman or between them and the Pitcher. 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. We establish the mindset, Im going to GO GET the ball. 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. We dont criticize the Catcher when they make the wrong call. ConceptDraw PRO software extended with the Baseball solution delivers samples with diagrams of the most popular plays in baseball. This illustrates to the player where the ball will go if not caught at the base. 1 in D1Softball's top 25, Texas moves into top 5 Big 12 standings update: Oklahoma sweeps Baylor, Longhorns sweep Oklahoma State Oklahoma Sooners complete sweep of. 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).
