If the throw is accurate, slide the throwing-hand foot/toe back against the side of the base. 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. 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. Let's look at how things like your Attention Span and your Courage, and how each can greatly impact your defensive coverage. HyperOps | 570 followers on LinkedIn. LFLeft fielder fields the ball in the most secure way possible, preferably the same way an infielder would. 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). Eventually a player on the field should be making the call, preferably . Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website. 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. We mandate to our player to ignore any baiting by runners dancing back and forth a few feet from the base. In this example we have a ball hit to the Second Baseman. 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. Our objective is to get the ball into the hands of the Pitcher at the middle of the infield. The pitcher (and sometimes one of the infielders) backs up the corner base on the side of the infield the ball is hit. The mindset of the LF/RF: when THE ball is hit on your side of the infield, YOU will be fielding the ball. The softball first base positioning is important and will almost always determine the success of any play around the base. Fastpitch Softball Coaching Cheat Sheet: 50 Common Situations to This puts our player in motion. We need to constantly preach, Ball First, Base Second. 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). 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. You may be shocked by the number of kids who don't know that toss the ball underhand is even an option. It is not until the ball is cleanly fielded and the outfielder is not needed that they look for a place to back up, which likely would be the a potential second or third throw of the play. On a ball hit to the First Baseman, the Second Baseman runs towards the ball and covers first base (or backs-up first base). 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. 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. In this case, the First Baseman progresses to the Back-up responsibilityall players follow the same progression of the Rule: 1) Ball, 2) Base, 3) Back-up. Please visit our new UK website to purchase Human Kinetics printed or eBooks. 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. Illinois football defensive back Devon Witherspoon selected by Seattle This is the mindset of all nine players on the field as the ball is put into play. When the ball is near the pitching rubber, the player with the ball is an equal, and significant, threat to all base runners. Eyes In!. Infielders not fielding the ball move quickly to cover a base; turn and face the ball in a Ready Position. Adjusting infielders a few feet to their left or right based on the tendency of a batter to pull the ball or hit the ball to the opposite field. Now that interpretation of glenohumeral joint ROM has been discussed, this section outlines specific techniques to increase IR ROM in the patient with shoulder dysfunction. When those times come up that a player is not sure what to do with the ball, we teaching them to run (sprint) with the ball straight for the pitching rubber. The old saying in baseball is, Billy Bob, know what you are going to do with the ball if it is hit to you. However, if they are sprinting towards the correct spot, they will be on their way to retrieving an overthrown ball. It will be reiterated constantly throughout the season in most drills and activitiesbecause baseball/softball is a game of movement. 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. Note, however, that this positioning leaves the defense vulnerable to a right-handed pull hitter or a left-handed hitter who hits to the opposite field. These adjustments are more important for All-Stars play and the Playoffs at the end of the season. Infield get the runner at 2nd if you can, if not take the sure out at 1st. If the base runners are not attempting to advance, we do not want to risk making a throw. This problem is eliminated by teaching the kids that the three players in the middle of the field, the Pitcher, Shortstop and Second Baseman always move towards the ball. 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. Basic softball defensive strategy and tactics is a look at the fundamental defensive components of the game. That is ok, it is part of the learning process. When it is recognized that another player will field the Ball. The Catcher, squatting behind Home Plate, is not in their position. Your best bunt coverage is to have your 1st and 3rd baseman crashing when they see the hands drop to bunt position, with 2nd base covering 1st and your SS covering 3 if there are any runners on base. RULE: I am going to Go Get the ball, The pitcher sprints towards, and past, the corner base* on the side of the infield the coach/ground ball is going. The CF will need to cover 2nd. 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. Most coaching books start with a discussion of the importance of creating a coaching philosophy and follow up with a section on creating goals. 'She's not going to run:' Softball speedster, Division I commit defies 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. The section directly above addresses the actions of the Middle Infielders on a ball hit to centerfield, the Pitcher, or Catcher. 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. This means that each player on the field takes an aggressive step towards the ball as it comes off the bat. Instruct the pitcher to run BEHIND the base runner. The teaching phrase Look for Other Runners is literal. This means, once they recognize they are not responsible to get the ball, their responsibility becomes the base. In this case getting to the initial backing-up position is not a concern because the Pitcher is backing up third base. 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. Coach rolls a ball to one of the four infielders. I prefer Ready simply because it is more descriptive.Hey! 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. Receiving Throws at Second Base and Third Base: Next to the base; only a few inches away, but not touching the base. Bunt Defense - StealBases.com Ball or Base - If First Baseman is not playing the Ball, they quickly move to cover the Base. Redshirt freshman K.J. The information presented in this section is Basic. However this, and similar situations, lead to mistakes at all levels of play. ConceptDraw PRO software extended with the Baseball solution delivers samples with diagrams of the most popular plays in baseball. What percentage of balls are hit everywhere else, at lesser speed and/or bouncing knee high or higher? Ignore the 'key' at the top. SECOND - The second block of topics in Coordinated Team Defense (Part 1), especially the two drills: 1) Infield Base Coverage and 2) Backing-up, establishes the core concepts for getting all the kids in the field moving and contributing to team defensive play. 0. 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. Backing up players will not get directly in line with the direction of a possible throw. In this case the Pitcher does not field the ball so they continue running in a straight line towards third base. The 2nd baseman needs to be trained to look for the 2nd play of the runner rounding 2nd base or trying for 3rd. Back-up - Occasionally, when the First Baseman is aggressively going for the Ball, the play will evolve with the Pitcher and Second Baseman fulfilling the Ball and Base responsibilities. This is not as descriptive as the phrase we want to use with our kids.). 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. As Patty Gasso says and many coaches would agree, defense wins championships. The suggestions below are Regular. Outfielders and Pitcher develop awareness of, and habit of, executing their responsibility of backing up bases. Please visit Booktopia to order your Human Kinetics print books. Corner Infielders: 15 from the base, and a step behind, or a step in front of the baseline. Prior to the pitch being throws or when preparng to receive a throw, we want our kids to be Ready to move quickly, be it laterally, forward or back. Softball Defensive Ready Position - YouTube I encourage leagues to consider taking this a step further and instruct their umpires to call Time, get the next batter in the box, and keep games moving along. Drill after drill, practice after practice, until they consistently execute this action themselves, we demonstrate by making an aggressive step and stating Go Get the ball. Side of the Base the Ball is Coming From - To avoid throws crossing the path of the Base Runner. This may require us to take them with us to the correct spot and say, "See how far away you are right now? But to define a coaching philosophy and set goals, you must first understand and express why you coach and what principles will guide how you coach. Baseball Diagram - Basic Bunt Coverage - Runner at 2nd Are you in Canada? If you are new to this level, you will soon find out how important it is to have every throw to a base to have player backing-up. Defensive Coverage For Pickoffs By: Coach McCreary Originally Published in: Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills - Human Kinetics Now let's look at a few coverage options for running the pickoff at different bases. How Much Moderate-Intensity Physical Activity Is Enough. Artillery Bastion (Basteja) (Vilnius) - All You Need to - Tripadvisor This habit keeps them busy between batters, reducing the opportunities for a player in the field to get distracted. 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. If an outfielder is not playing the ball, they are responsible to back up the base. Ball or Base - If the Third Baseman is not playing the Ball, their responsibility is to cover the Base. Before the base has any useful function for a player on defense, they need to have the ball. Written by Cindy Bristow with over 35 years of softball coaching experience, Softball Strategies, Coverages, Signals & Charts gives you all the factors you should consider when deciding on your offensive strategy, from a hit and run to a squeeze play, it's all here in detail. This forces the corner infielders to really move when the ball is put into play (Ball, Base, Back-up). (The center fielder is still there to back-up the throw to second base.). Primarily as observers of the pro game. A few examples of the differences between the two games: The pitcher breaks for third base on balls hit to the left side of the infield - at this level we have runners on first and second a lot. When working with kids we want to structure our talk to be as literal as possible. Calls out ground ball to . 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. Our first goal is to pound in the idea of keeping the ball moving. As the season progresses we want to teach our players that their our positioning on the field in relationship to the bases and the ball changes each time the ball moves. More importantly, we want them to understand that by prioritizing the ball they prevent the runner from advancing to the next base. 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. During any of these situations, the shortstop runs toward the ball as well. Our objective is for each defensive player to make a hard, aggressive step towards the ball when it is put into play. In this case the second baseman then takes over the responsibility of covering second base. Stop the ball - this begins by establishing in the minds of our players (and constantly reinforcing) that they want to go get the ball and get it as quickly as possible. Many young players do not recognize they have the option of carrying the ball to its destination. That's because Allison Smith not only pitched a gem but did . National physical activity guidelines in Canada recommend 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity daily activity for teens to gain health benefits. Unlike 90 baseball, the pitcher does not back up home plate. Before an out can be recorded at a base, the defensive player must have the ball. *when running the drill on the first base side of the field. Coach stands a few feet from where the pitching rubber would be, on the home plate side. While the runner will likely be safe, we want to prevent them from advancing to second base. Defensive Coverage For Pickoffs By: Coach McCreary Originally Published in: Coaching Softball Technical and Tactical Skills - Human Kinetics Now let's look at a few coverage options for running the pickoff at different bases. It is important that our players understand that their base coverage and backing-up responsibilities continue throughout the play (regardless of their perception that nothing of importance is going on in their area of the field) and do not end until the ball is in the Pitchers hands and the Pitcher is standing next to the pitching rubber. Corner Infielders: 12-15 from 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. Base, Back up (it is assumed for the purpose of the drill, that the corner base is covered). Set-up: Mini-diamond, 20'-25' square. Early on, most players, especially those age 10 and younger, will stand only a couple feet behind the base when backing up. We establish the mindset, Im going to GO GET the ball. Thrown balls getting past their intended target, specifically throws to bases, happens in almost every youth baseball game. This drill provides many repetitions of players fielding a bunt and throwing to a specific base. Howden is headed to New Orleans after the Saints used the 146th-overall . 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? A common mistake made by youth teams is mishandling the ball while getting it back to the middle of the infield after a play has ended. Practice Plans, Drills, Batting Practice Plans. 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 :). Use the magnet principle for defensive coverage in softball Defensive Coverage For Pickoffs [ARTICLE] - Coaches Insider 2. The Mini Diamond is also used to teach drills and plays before running them on the regular size field. The corner position will play the "flats." Players Backing-up are likely adjusting their position to maintain a straight line from the Ball to the base to where they are standing. This is an excerpt form Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Softball. 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. Ball or 2. If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue. Defensive positioning against a slapper | Discuss Fastpitch Softball 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. Many of us coaching kids baseball have been primarily exposed to the game played on the big diamond (90 base paths). Aggressive Defensive Strategies - Softball -- Championship Productions They are not missing out. In this case getting to the initial backing-up position is not a concern because the Pitcher is backing up third base. Be Ready to Move! When a Catcher participates in this drill, they also have a responsibility to move. But its worth the effort. Kids understand a key is needed to open the door to their house. 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! 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. Bats awake late in game one to propel Knights to sweep at Concordia These runners are not that fast. The above situations, and movement responsibilities, are flipped when the ball is hit to the Left Fielder and Third Baseman. Solution: constant reminding that baseball is a printing game. The outfielder (LF or RF) that has the ball hit on their side of the field, initially, does not have a Backing-up respsonsibility. The coach puts the bunt down into the mapped areas and the appropriate defender takes the bunt and throws it to first base. Below are two examples of the movement of the entire defense moving based on where the ball is hit. Backup 2nd base: Center field/Left field. First, they are potentially interfering with the runner. 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. The infielder then turns and sprints with the ball towards the middle of the infield. The same goes for the coach. They can't move to the correct coverage position if they don't start in the correct place. The first movement of all three outfielders is towards the ball. We want to stick this concept with our players immediately at the start of practices. This section does not address in-deph factors that might be considered in All-Stars play, or higher levels of the game (teen and above). (see: getting the ball in to the Pitcher), Underhand Toss ball is fielded 25 from its target, or closer. Middle Infielders: 25-30 from second base, and a couple steps behind the baseline. Given this common occurrence, which significantly impacts the number of runs a team gives up, why dont we invest time to drill and train our players to back-up throws to bases? 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. When the ball is hit to a spot where the Catcher is going to field the ball, the Pitcher moves towards the ball. 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 . Solution: at the conclusion of the drill (players have gotten to where they think they are supposed to be), for each player who is not lined up with the direction of a throw to a base, roll a ball firmly towards, and past the base. NOTE: This does not mean the Center Fielder is not attempting to back up on these throws. The underhand toss is used a lot more often. While we would like to get an out every time, the reality is it is not going to happen. A stance we do not want to see with our fielders is hands hanging close to the ground near ankle level. These two players, positioned in the middle of the field, follow this simple rule: If the ball is hit to your Left and you arent fielding the ball, SPRINT to the base on your Left; If the ball is hit to your Right and you arent fielding the ball, SPRINT to the base on your Right. Stop them when they pick-up the ball! This coverage will be up to one defensive back to make any adjustments needed against a good passing attack and support any players who lose in their man-to-man coverage. 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. Double plays are rarely turned. Plant their foot on the base and stretch forward with the other foot. They learn by doing, not by memorizing. 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. Three Individual Responsibilities - Ball, Base, Back-up Positioning Ready Position The Base Base is for the Runner, Ball is for the Defense Positioning at a Base to Receive a Throw Ball First, Base Second The Ball is the Key to the Base Cover the Base With Your Eyes Look for Other Runners Coordinated Team Defense - The System (Part 1) We breakdown the m Antonelli Softball SOFTBALL INFIELD INSTRUCTION, DRILLS, AND. Ten to Fifteen feet behind the baseline. They see the base is covered, so go to their next responsibility of backing-up the base. Now there is a better chance they will remain in motion, leading them to fulfilling their responsibility for that situation.Cover Third Base. Playing the fence - If the ball is hit towards the fence. Center fielder: shortstop goes into the outfield towards the ball; the second baseman covers the base. (A catchers most valuable tool is their voice.). HINT: tell the player they can Watch the Play from the Base. 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). If the batted ball goes past the first-base defender while she is attempting to field it, the second-base defender will be in position to back up the first-base defender and to field the ball because she was already moving to the ball and she is slightly behind the first-base defender. NOTE: In this section we are addressing most of the situations that could come up during game play. They want to throw the ball. RULES: P Always moves towards the ball | Ball. Balls hit to the 3B/SS side of the infield are the responsibility of the Left Fielder. Over time, players will learn to recognize this situation. We want them to turn their gaze away from the ball, put their eyes on the base and get to the base as fast as possible. During the year, this drill fits very well into our daily Skill Building Warm-up aspect of practice. 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. Point out to them that quite often throws do not come straight to the base. Back-up throws to a base or to an infielder, Play the Ball - the Cut-Relay Player, on throws to home plate. Their first responsibility is to go for the ball, which means sprinting in behind the infielder attempting to field the ball. Teach the First Baseman to be aggressively go after balls hit between them and the Second Baseman or between them and the Pitcher. That's what happened with the Ohio State softball team on Sunday in the rubber match of a three-game series vs. Purdue at Buckeye Field.
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