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Drills

 

Crossfire

One coach stands 20' from home plate down the 1st base line another coach stands 20' down the 3rd base line. Each coach will need a catcher. Split the team up with half of the players at the SS position and half at the 2B position. The coach standing down the 1st base line hits ground balls to the players at SS. The coach along the 3rd base line hits to the players at 2B. Balls are fielded and thrown back to the catcher assisting the coach that hit ball. After a few times through the line, have the players switch position. You can also have each player run to the back of the other line after fielding each ball.

Circle Throwing

Players love this drill. Place 5 players in a circle. Have one of the players throw to a player across the circle, but not next to the starting player. Now, the player receiving the initial throw throws the ball to the player across the circle, but not the player that just threw and not a player next to the current player. Continue on in this manner for a while. When the players are proficient, a second ball can be added.


Charge-It!

This is a good warm up drill. Have all players at shortstop. Two coaches should be near the mound facing the players. There should be a coach at first base. Each player should have a ball. One at a time, the players will throw the ball to one of the coaches near the mound while the other coach rolls a ground ball to the player. The player should charge the ball and make the play to first. After throwing to first, the player continues to jog towards the first baseman who will roll a ground ball to the oncoming player. The player will field the ball and throw to first. The first baseman will throw the ball back to the player who takes the ball and goes to the end of the line. This drill should be done rapidly so the players do not have to wait long between turns.


One and Cover

This is a somewhat more advanced drill. Place players in infield positions including catcher. Hit a ground ball to one of the infielders and have the fielder make the throw to first. The player that fielded the ground ball should then cover his/her base and the catcher will make a throw to that base as if a runner is stealing. Outfielders should be backing up each throw.

You can mix it up a bit by having the shortstop take throws at third base after balls hit to the third baseman or have the second baseman cover second after balls hit to short, etc.

You can also have the infielders throw around the horn to end each sequence.


One Knee Throwing

Have two players 20' apart with each player kneeling on the knee corresponding to his or her throwing arm. Playing catch in this position will help to develop a throwing, rather than a pushing, motion. The distance between the players will increase as the players become stronger. This is a great drill for younger players.


Relay Throwing

Place three players in a line with the players spaced approximately 30' apart (closer for younger players). The player at one end of the line throws to the player in the middle. That player catches the ball and throws onto the next player using the motion that an infielder would use when taking a throw from the outfield and relaying the throw to home plate (arms raised to give the thrower a target, catch the ball on the glove side, turn and throw as quickly as possible). The player on the end should apply a tag when receiving the throw. Reverse the order. Have the players rotate after every few times down the line. You can have more than three players in the line, just have all the players in the middle act as relayers.


Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Have all the players line up at home plate. With a coach by the players to start them off and a first base coach. As the players run to first, the first base coach will tell the player to 'beat it out', 'go 2' or 'make the turn' along with an appropriate visual signal (pointing to the bag, windmilling the arms, etc). If the player is told to 'beat it out' he or she should run through the base as if beating out a ground ball. If the player is told to 'go 2' he or she should make a proper turn and head to second base, sliding into the base if appropriate. If the player is told to 'make the turn' he or she should round the base and take 10 strides toward second base while facing the field. The first base coach can then tell the player to 'get back' to the base or 'go' to second.


Side to Side

Set up 2 markers (cones, mitt, etc) about 10' apart on the infield dirt. Position a player between the markers. The player does not need a mitt. A coach will roll a ball to one side of the marked area. The player will slide step in that direction and bat the ball back to the coach with his or her hands. The coach will then roll a ball towards the other end of the marked area. The player slides to that side and bats the ball back to the coach. Repeat. The coach should have several balls in case one or more does not get batted back. The number of repetitions and the distance between the markers will depend upon the skill level of the players.

Content

Ratings Guidelines


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Hitting - Contact


1 (Poor): Seldom makes contact; poor pitch selection; strikes out most at bats
2 (Below Average): Occasionally makes solid contact; below average pitch selection; strikes out a lot
3 (Average): Consistently makes contact; sometimes contact is solid; puts ball into play; understands strike zone
4 (Above Average): Good pitch selection; almost always makes solid contact; high on-base percentage
5 (Excellent): Great pitch selection; gets hits with regularity; difficult to strike out

Hitting - Power

1 (Poor): Produces weak hits when contact is made; hits rarely leave infield grass
2 (Below Average): Can pop ball up; hits rarely go into outfield
3 (Average): Can hit hard grounders and will occasionally put balls into outfield
4 (Above Average): Can put ball into outfield; hits line drives
5 (Excellent): Can put ball deep into outfield; hits hard line drives

Fielding

1 (Poor): Weak fielder; occasionally makes plays
2 (Below Average): Usually makes simple plays; rarely makes harder plays
3 (Average): Always makes simple plays; occasionally makes harder plays; sometimes covers proper base/backs up plays
4 (Above Average):Always makes routine plays; usually makes harder plays; always covers bases/backs up; usually catches fly balls as well as grounders
5 (Excellent): Superior fielder; always makes difficult plays; usually makes outstanding plays; always in the proper position; consistently catches fly balls as well as grounders; demonstrates knowledge of fielding at all times

Throwing

1 (Poor): Poor technique; weak throws
2 (Below Average): Pushes rather than throws; can throw from 2B to 1B but not from SS or 3B
3 (Average): Good technique; can throw from 3B to 1B
4 (Above Average): Proper technique; can make throws from anywhere on the field; knows where to throw
5 (Excellent):Superior arm strength and technique; all throws strong and accurate; consistent knowledge of where to throw

Running

1 (Poor): Slow; poor base runner
2 (Below Average): Slow; does not always know when to run
3 (Average): Average speed; steals bases; can slide
4 (Above Average): Fast; runs well; steals bases; makes proper turns; slides well
5 (Excellent): Superior speed and base running ability; rarely thrown out; always able to take an extra base; proper sliding technique

Presence

1 (Poor): No real knowledge of the game
2 (Below Average): Below average knowledge of the game; usually does not know which base to throw to or run to; does not think 'what do I do if...
3 (Average): Knows where to throw the ball; covers bases; sometimes thinks 'what do I do if...
4 (Above Average): Throws to the proper bases, covers bases; runs aggressively; backs up properly; always thinks 'what do I do if...
5 (Excellent): Superior knowledge of the game; always is in the correct position; always thinking ahead; a leader on the field

Pitching

Note: There are two groups of pitching ratings - use the groups to create the total number
Ex: To give a player a 3 rating in Velocity or Control, either select Average (3) from Velocity/Control 1 and leave Velocity/Control 2 unchecked or select Poor (1) from Velocity/Control 1 and select Below Avg (2) from Velocity/Control 2

Velocity - (in two parts*)

1-2 (Poor): Usually does not reach the plate
3-4 (Below Average): Reaches plate with little speed; players often make contact
5-6 (Average): Fair velocity; only above average players usually make contact
7-8 (Above Average): High velocity; ball usually not hit solidly except by superior players
9-10 (Excellent): Superior velocity; ball almost never hit solidly even by superior opponents

Control - (in two parts*)

1-2 (Poor): Usually walks many batters
3-4 (Below Average): Often walks many batters
5-6 (Average): Can get through innings without walking in multiple runs; average strike/ball ratio
7-8 (Above Average): Rarely walks batters; usually stays within pitch counts; high strike/ball ratio
9-10 (Excellent): Rarely walks batters; can mix speeds and locations; uses a minimum of pitches; very high strike/ball ratio

Mechanics (Baseball)

1 (Poor): Does not show any sign of good pitching form.
2 (Below Average): May be able to pitch from the stretch. Shows signs of being able to leg lift, stride, and break.Timing is poor and release point is erratic.
3 (Average): Pitches from the stretch. Has good leg lift. Stride and break are generally on target line. Timing and release point is adequate.
4 (Above Average): Good form pitching from the stretch. May be able to pitch from the windup.  Timing and release point are fairly consistent. Has good follow through.
5 (Excellent): Can pitch from the stretch or windup with confidence. Stride is long, breaks into a strong power position, timing, release point and follow through are very consistent.

Mechanics (Softball)

1 (Poor): no understanding of pitching form, improper technique, pitches illegally (taking steps toward batter), cannot reach home plate
2 (Below Average): Can pitch underhand, but not windmill.  Poor form and inconsistent release point
3 (Average): Able to pitch windmill but poor mechanics and technique, has potential but lacks formal training, can throw strikes on occasion
4 (Above Average): Able to pitch windmill with proper technique and consistent release point, good control
5 (Excellent): same as #4 but more consistent and has more than one pitch. Confident and strong understanding of pitching

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