Archive for Fielding
Playing First Base – Footwork and Catching the Ball
Posted by: | CommentsFundamentals of playing first base
- Footwork and receiving the throw
- First baseman should move to the base as soon as the ball is put in play.
- He should then face the fielder making the throw over to first.
- He should have his knees slightly bent with his heels touching the edge of the base closest to the field.
- He is now waiting for the throw from the fielder.
- As the ball comes toward the base the player should wait until the last possible moment before stretching out towards the ball.
- You don’t want to start the stretch too early as that will not allow you to adjust to an errant throw.
- Should the throw be off target it’s the first baseman’s responsibility to move off the base and catch the ball to avoid an overthrow and advancement of the runner.
- Remember, the first baseman will have to leave the base on errant throws. Keep in mind the top priority is to catch the baseball.
- Inexperienced first baseman will keep their feet on the base way too long and allow an errant throw to get away from them allowing the runners to advance.
- First baseman must know where the throw is going before stretching out to catch the baseball.
- The player should stretch out with the leg on the glove side hand. Right handed first baseman stretch out with the left foot and a left handed first baseman stretches with the right foot.
- There are times when throws will come to the outside of first base and the player will be forced to field the ball on the foul side of the base.
- The player must realize in this situation the runner is coming hard down the line and he should not try to reach across the base line to field the ball or there could be a violent collision.
- The player will move across the base to the foul side and receive the baseball from that position. Should it be impossible to get the foot back on the base the first baseman should quickly put the glove out in front of the base runner to get him to run into the tag.
Our next post will cover throwing the baseball from first base.
Until then, play hard and enjoy this great game.
Playing First Base
Posted by: | CommentsWe are starting a series of post’s on how to play first base the right way. Over the next few days we will post the fundamentals of playing firstbase.
You will discover…
- What type of player shoudl play the position
- The fundamentals of the position
- Footwork needed
- How to correctly receive the throws
- Throwing from first base
- Holding runners
- Fielding at first base
Today we will start with what qualities and skills make a good first baseman.
Playing First Base – Qualifications and Skills
What type of player should play first base?
- Have above average height
- Left handed but not a complete necessity
- Should be able to move quickly and make quick decisions
- Good reflexes, agility and coordination is needed
- Arm strength is not a concern but the player should throw accurately
- Must be able to catch well and can move around to catch errant throws
Stay tuned…
Tomorrow we will start our look into the fundamentals of playing first base.
Agility Pop up Drill
Posted by: | CommentsBASEBALL DRILL – “Agility Pop-ups”
BEHIND THE DRILL: Getting players more athletic will be important in their development for all sports but will help them in baseball as well. Moving and catching fly balls will help develop your team.
SKILL LEVEL: All levels
DRILL TYPE: Fielding / Agility / Fly Balls
PURPOSE: This drill is designed to help develop player’s agility by moving them in multiple directions as well as improving fly ball skills.
EQUIPMENT: Baseballs, agility ladder, cones
PLAYERS: Any number of players
TIME: 10 minutes
SETUP PROCEDURE:
- Place an agility ladder down on the ground.
- Place a cone 5 feet off both ends of the ladder and slightly back from it.
- Form 2 groups of players and have then line up in single file behind each cone.
- Coach will set up about 15 feet directly in front of the ladder with a bucket of baseballs.
- Player on the coaches right should come up to his end of the agility ladder and on the coaches command to go, run sideways through the ladder placing one foot in each ladder.
- As the player gets to the end of the ladder the coach flips a ball up in the air to the side the player is on.
- The player should stop moving sideways and explode out directly toward the pop-up and make the catch. Another coach should act as catcher and all balls should be thrown back to him.
- Player then goes to the back of the other line.
- The next player from the other side comes up to the ladder and starts drill.
- Repeat until all players have completed. You can create a game if you want by giving 1 point for each caught ball.
KEY COACHING POINTS:
- Players should run through the ladder with their heads up.
- Make sure once they get through the ladder they make an aggressive move directly toward the ball and not keep looping out sideways. Very important for them to go directly at the pop-up.
- Teach them to dive for the ball if necessary. Just make sure it’s not unnecessary for them to dive.
- Make sure they are using 2 hands to catch the ball.
Pitcher Covering Bunts
Posted by: | CommentsBASEBALL DRILL – “Bunt Coverage”
BEHIND THE DRILL: All pitchers need to be prepared to move to field bunts coming directly back to them or down the 1st base or 3rd base line.
SKILL LEVEL: All Levels
DRILL TYPE: Fielding and Pitching Fundamentals
PURPOSE: To help improve a pitcher’s ability to cover bunted balls.
EQUIPMENT: Baseball
PLAYERS: Any number
TIME: 10 minutes
SETUP PROCEDURE:
- Set up your players on the mound.
- Have the pitcher simulate throwing the ball and as they finish their delivery a coach should roll or bunt a ball directly back toward them.
- The pitcher should come off the mound and field the bunt, making a clean throw to first base.
- Repeat this with baseball’s bunted or rolled down the 3rd base line and 1st base line.
- Each player should field 3 balls from the middle, 1st base side and 3rd base side with throws to first.
- You can modify the drill with throws to other bases as needed.
- Rotate players and repeat.
KEY COACHING POINTS:
- Pitcher needs to understand the situation they are currently in and have an idea whether a bunt could take place.
- Make sure the pitcher’s delivery doesn’t but them in a position that makes fielding the ball difficult. Follow good delivery mechanics and the finish will put the player in a good position.
- Teach your players to be quick to the ball but not overly rush the throw as this will cause throwing errors. It’s very important for the player to get to the ball quickly, field the ball and turn with aligned shoulders to throw the runner out. Every situation is different and based on the speed of the runner
Youth Baseball Drill – “Get the Ball Out”
Posted by: | CommentsBEHIND THE DRILL: Catching the ball and getting it out of the glove quickly is important and will improve the players ability to get more outs.
SKILL LEVEL: Basic
DRILL TYPE: Catching
PURPOSE: This Drill helps young players with getting the ball out of their glove quickly.
EQUIPMENT: Baseball
PLAYERS: Any number of players
TIME: 10 minutes
SETUP PROCEDURE:
- Players line up in a single file line facing the coach.
- Each player steps out on command and gets into baseball ready position.
- Coach throws ball to them in the air about chest level.
- Player works on catching the ball with two hands.
- As the ball enters the glove the free hand should come over the top of the ball and the player immediately takes the ball out of the glove and holds it up next to the glove to show the coach.
- The player throws the ball back to the coach.
KEY COACHING POINTS:
- Make sure the players get into a baseball ready position before throwing the ball.
- Make sure the player is using two hands.
- You want to ensure the player is getting the free hand on top of the ball all most immediately up it getting into the glove.
- They should be pulling the ball out and holding it up next to the glove immediately and in control.
- They should be loose and relaxed when making the catches.
- You can vary the difficulty of the drill by throwing the ball to different locations around the body. Overhead, down by the knees or from side to side.
- The player should be under control each and every time but get the ball out of the glove quickly is the objective of the drill.
- Once they learn the basics you can add a throw into the drill to give it a more realistic feel.
BASEBALL DRILL – “MOTION”
Posted by: | CommentsBEHIND THE DRILL: Beginning baseball players have a tendency to stand flat footed and wait for the ball to come to them. This makes fielding the ball to their left and right almost impossible.
SKILL LEVEL: Basic
DRILL TYPE: Fielding
PURPOSE: This drill gets young players moving in order to field the baseball. It will teach them to move quickly to their left and right and still field the ball cleanly.
EQUIPMENT: Baseball, 2 orange cones
PLAYERS: Any number but small groups work the best
TIME: 10 minutes
SETUP PROCEDURE:
- You will need two coaches or an extra parent to help you on this drill.
- Set two cones up about 20 feet apart.
- Have a player set up, baseball ready middle ways between the two cones.
- Have two coaches set up about 20 feet away directly in front of each cone.
- Coach one will roll a ball to left of the player facing you and outside the cone.
- The player will shuffle aggressively to his left and field the ball, then execute a throw back to the coach.
- Just as the throw is being made the other coach standing across from the other cone will roll his ball to the outside of the cone to the player’s right.
- The player will then need to shuffle his feet to the right to execute another fielding play before the ball gets past him.
- Player then executes the throw.
- Repeat this as many times in a row as your age group will allow.
KEY COACHING POINTS:
- You must make sure players are baseball ready and in position to field the ball correctly.
- Make sure they do not cross their feet over one another unless they have to turn to run to the other ball.
- Teach them to track the ball all the way into the glove and cover with the free hand.
- Start working with them on getting the ball out of the glove and making a clean throw to the target you set up.
- The movement should be very quick and the players need to be bending at the waist and staying down when fielding the ball.
- Make sure they keep good form even when they get tired.
- Movement is important so make sure the players are moving throughout the drill.
BASEBALL DRILL – “SHUFFLE”
Posted by: | CommentsBEHIND THE DRILL: This is a beginner baseball fielding drill to teach your players how to move to balls hit not too far from them either right or left. Players shuffle their feet left or right to field the ball and make the necessary throw.
SKILL LEVEL: Basic
DRILL TYPE: Fielding
PURPOSE: This drill gets young players moving their feet without crossing them over to field balls hit less than 8-10 feet from their right or left side.
EQUIPMENT: Baseball
PLAYERS: Any number but small groups work the best
TIME: 10 minutes
SETUP PROCEDURE:
- Have your player’s line up in the infield. SS position is always good but you could choose others.
- Have a coach stand back on the infield grass with several baseballs.
- The coach will roll the baseball to the players left side no more than 8-10 feet away.
- The player should execute a shuffle step to his left by picking up left foot and moving it toward the area where the ball is coming and sliding the right foot back toward the left.
- The player fields the ball and makes the throw back to the coach.
- Repeat this to the right side.
- Make sure to give equal number of attempts to both sides.
- You can add a scoring system for cleanly fielding balls using correct technique if you like.
- You can add two orange cones about 15 feet apart if you like. Put the player in the middle and roll the balls just outside the cones. Give it a better visual if you like.
KEY COACHING POINTS:
- You must make sure players are baseball ready and in position to field the ball correctly.
- Make sure they do not cross their feet over one another.
- Coaches cannot roll balls too far from the player’s body as this will make the shuffle almost impossible. When the ball is this far away they should execute a cross over move which will be part of another drill.
- Teach them to track the ball all the way into the glove and cover with the free hand.
- Start working with them on getting the ball out of the glove and making a clean throw to the target you set up.
- The movement should be very quick and the players need to be bending at the waist and staying down when fielding the ball.
