In today’s video blog, we are talking about communication drills for working on your team defense, focusing on positioning and communication on the fly ball.
1st Base Fly Ball Communication
Drill Focus:
Dropping back on the forehand and back hand side and working on communicating with the outfield.
Remember you have a communication system in place. If the ball goes up, it goes down, and someone has to call it by peak flight.
If you have conflict between 2 infielders and an outfielder, set your precedence. I have the outfield take precedence when both the infielder and the outfielder call it.
Be sure the player is dropping back quickly, staying on one line of the ball and making the catch.
Foul Ball Fly Ball Communication
Drill Focus:
To make sure the 1st baseman feel comfortable going right up to the fence.
We never want that ball to “thread the needle” which means between the infielder and the fence. Go all the way to the fence and then move back towards the field of play. Get to the fence/find the fence and then move inward
Fielding Bad Throws
The responsibility of the first baseman is to do a good job of fielding the poor throws from her other fielders, so this is a good drill series to incorporate into your practice plan. It has the first baseman work on dropping back towards the infield side, getting back into position to cover first base, set her feet and work the proper mechanics to on receiving the throw, glove foot out, and being able to catch the strike, the ball that is in the dirt, and the throw that is wide and high, during which she has to go ahead and release her foot and tag the runner coming in.
Its important you build confidence with your first baseman in fielding those balls that are in the dirt. Many times, if you have player that is afraid of the ball, use the softie balls and practice throwing the balls into the dirt as she plays first base and holds down the position. As she gets better, you can go back to a normal regulation softball. You can also put catchers equipment on them, so they can be more confident in working on their glove work when the ball is in the dirt.
Safety Issues
I recommend that the coaches throw the poor balls. We don’t want out other infielders practicing bad throws.
Will you be trying these Communcation drills with your players? Feel free to share any comments or suggestions below! And don’t forget to Become a Fan on Facebook, where I will be sharing more great softball communication drills and much more!