We teach our players: Cover the base with your eyes. before cruising to a 13-3 (5 inn.) To be a solid fastpitch softball defensive team, your team must be well-drilled in fastpitch softball bunt coverage. The points in the 'Rules for Defensive Movement' section aboveare applied to these examples. The players need to understand that the player with the ball needs to remain conscious of the runners. Given these two points, each game has many situations where a throw of 20' or less is in order. The odds of making a throw that gets past the player covering the base are pretty high. Aftertraining our kids inthese rules they will get to a point where most react more quickly andinstinctivelyto where they are needed on the field in any given situation. 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. --> The rule for the Pitcher is "Always move towards the ball". Former Illinois defensive back Devon Witherspoon was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks with the fifth overall pick in the draft. The Center Fielder, on every potential throw to second base, is sprinting to get into position to back up the base. Pickoff attempts require a specific defender to cover the base to try to catch the runner off 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. Balls hit to the 3B/SS side of the infield are the responsibility of the Left Fielder. Teach players to stand on the same side of the base as the balls location on the field. Players Backing-up are likely adjusting their position to maintain a straight line from the Ball to the base to where they are standing. The Mini Diamond is also used to teach drills and plays before running them on the regular size field. National physical activity guidelines in Canada recommend 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity daily activity for teens to gain health benefits. We can establish this habit during the Scrimmage (see Practice Structure) portion of practice. By adhearing to the rule: Ball, Base, Back-up and running the kids the drills, a coach will grasp the system. 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. You may be shocked by the number of kids who don't know that toss the ball underhand is even an option. Quickly moving the ball closer to the runners helps them to determine its time to stop. Older player (ages 10-12) often have vocal muscles developed enough for the outfield to hear them. Also, there are many more base runners, setting up a lot of force outs. NOTE: This does not mean the Center Fielder is not attempting to back up on these throws. As Patty Gasso says and many coaches would agree, defense wins championships. As the players develop the Ball, Base, Back-up concept, the First Baseman can be confident that another player will cover first base. We need to make clear (and it will require repeating this instruction multiple times for a number of days/weeks: When you are not playing the ball, IMMEDIATELY cover the base. What percentage of balls are hit everywhere else, at lesser speed and/or bouncing knee high or higher? We first want to establish in our players minds that they are going to get every ball that is put into play. Ideally, they learn to run to where the carom will land. 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. Each step closer to the middle of the diamond, the player with the ball becomes a greater threat to the base runners. If a runner is attempting to score, the outfielder throws the ball to the Pitcher, who is the Cut-Relay player on plays to home plate. It would be nice for the 9-11 age group to get into this part, but its not life or death. Early in the teaching process our objective is to train our players to correctly respond to where the ball is hit off the bat. Covering a base and receiving a throw is one of the most fundamental aspects of the game. The BAll Goes to the P or c, the ss covers the base and the 2b backs up. In some cases, in a situation where the ball is hit past the outfielders there is a relay to third base. ], Once the Pitcher has control of the ball, is a few feet from the pitching rubber, and the runners are not attempting to advance to the next base, we want our Pitcher to raise their arms and holler in a loud voice in the direction of an umpire, TIME Please!. (Note in the diagrams where the backing up players end up.). 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. 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. HINT: tell the player they can Watch the Play from the Base. A Mini Diamond is 20-25' square, but can be modified larger or smaller depending on the activity. Plant their foot on the base and stretch forward with the other foot. After a couple of days of running the drill we want to expand the teaching of the backing up situation. The reality is, like a lot of things in this game, mistakes will be made (multiple times). Coaching youth Baseball and Softball. 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. It is perfectly acceptable to carry 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. We are teaching our players to always anticipate that another play needs to be made. If an outfielder is not playing the ball, they are responsible to back up the base. This action of the coach represents a ground ball. Receiving Throws at Second Base and Third Base: Next to the base; only a few inches away, but not touching the base. This is an effective analogy, especially for younger players. We mandate to our player to ignore any baiting by runners dancing back and forth a few feet from the base. It will be reiterated constantly throughout the season in most drills and activitiesbecause baseball/softball is a game of movement. A big part of making youth baseball more fun for everyone involved is to keep the game moving along at a quick pace. 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. These relay situations, where the ball is hit past the outfielders, is addressed in the Drills section of the website. However, the shortstop will hit second base before getting to the ball, so she needs to stop at second and take responsibility for that base. Five players are positioned at C, P, 1B, 2B, 3B. After repeated exposure to a given situation, a player will begin to better anticipate what will happen. 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. In this case the Pitcher does not field the ball so they continue running in a straight line towards third base. 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). 6. 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. Then they holler (loud enough to be heard in the outfield) the number of OUTS and the location of the RUNNERS. Are we teaching them what to do when the ball is not hit to them? They can't move to the correct coverage position if they don't start in the correct place. In most cases this occurs multiple times. We breakdown the m Antonelli Softball SOFTBALL INFIELD INSTRUCTION, DRILLS, AND. Kids take their cues from watching higher levels of baseball and softball. However this, and similar situations, lead to mistakes at all levels of play. Those coaches will gain a decent sense for adjusting defensive positioning. 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. "I dont know, Mom, I just feel burned out." to avoid collisions during games/scrimmage. 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. This means that each player on the field takes an aggressive step towards the ball as it comes off the bat. They see the base is covered, so go to their next responsibility of backing-up the base. Unlike 90 baseball, the pitcher does not back up home plate. It is constructed using cones, throw down bases, ball caps, extra shirts that are laying around, a leaf, anything. The softball first base positioning is important and will almost always determine the success of any play around the base. The drill has the corner outfielders only backing up first or third. 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). Kids understand a key is needed to open the door to their house. 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. Softball Bunt Coverage - No Runners on Base With no runners on base, 1st, Pitcher, Catcher, and 3rd aregoing to crash the ball. Double plays are rarely turned. A coach that is factoring in some of the variables above, instructs their kids to adjust from their Regular positioning. They have to move some distance to cover a base or back-up a base; they learn that Baseball/Softball requires every player in the field to move when the ball comes off the bat, they have to move some distance, and have to move fast. Getting an out, any out is a big deal. early in the teaching process, we want to eliminate the Wandering Third Baseman from membership on our team. How to Coach Youth Baseball and Softball. Our objective is for each defensive player to make a hard, aggressive step towards the ball when it is put into play. We coaches are not going to have players this age playing the game perfectly. Also, in most drills, when we are working on other skills and game situations, by simply adding an extra player, we can incorporate the development of this important habit without eating up additional practice time. balls requiring the fielder to move quickly from their starting spot. The Defensive Responsibilities section of the website lays out a step-by-step system for teaching kids how to fulfill their roll as a member of a nine player unit, regardless of the situation or where the ball is hit on the field. Now players are soft slapping, drag bunting, and power slapping depending on the defense is. Our objective is to get the ball into the hands of the Pitcher at the middle of the infield. 16x Big 12 Champions; Over 1,100 career victories. Cover 2 Cover 2, as we know, requires two deep defenders and five underneath defenders. Then when they recognize the Catcher is getting the ball, the Pitcher keeps moving and covers home base. 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. Each infielder has only two possible responsibilities: 1. Outfielders back-up bases on every play. But its worth the effort. 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. This reduction in distance greatly increases the chances of executing a successful throw and catch play. If a play needs to be made at second base or first base, the play for the Third Baseman, with their momentum going to their left, is easier than for the Shortstop or the Pitcher. Left fielders must be fast to track down balls and have a strong . The Catcher, squatting behind Home Plate, is not in their position. The right fielder plays at a similar depth and should be between the second base and first base defenders. Infield Base Coverage Responsibilities - Explained. If the throw is a bit to one side of the base or the other, they slide their foot near the corner of the base on the side the ball is headed, then stretch with their glove foot towards the ball. We also want to keep in mind that a player we identify has having solid physical skills for the position may not also have the vocal strength and/or personality to be so vocal. Are you in Canada? In this cicumstance, another player (Shortstop or Pitcher) will cover third base. The teaching phrase Look for Other Runners is literal. The two outfielders, the ball is not hit to, are not playing the ball, so their responsibility is to back up a base. I am going to GO GET the ball - React towards the ball. priority #1 is to stop the ball from going past first base, so the runner has to stay at first base. An experienced and consciencious umpire should be receptive to this practice. Often it requires a player backing up the throw in order to ultimately stop the ball (we'll address backing up soon). Folks watching that team will clearly recognize they are watching a quality of play at the 12u level that is unlike anything they have seen before. Howden is headed to New Orleans after the Saints used the 146th-overall . One example is a ball hit to the pitcher where the shortstop, thinking they may end up fielding the ball and moving aggressively to do so, is unable to cover second base. "And then . Roster. --> The rule for the CF and RF is that because they are not playing the ball they are backing up a base. While making that initial movement, it becomes clear the third baseman is not going to get the Ball. 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. This is an excerpt form Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Softball. 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. 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. We want them to see that they can get to the corner base as easy as they can get to Second Base. MOORHEAD, Minn. - The Carleton College softball team kicked off the final week of the regular season with a doubleheader sweep at Concordia College-Moorhead. In this DVD, Coach Gasso explores the aggressive defensive mindset, strategies, and drills that have helped her Oklahoma Sooners win two NCAA National Championships.
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