Outfield help

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Apr 26, 2015
704
43
DD spends a good deal of time (when she's not catching) in the OF. She is a great outfielder and honestly this is where I foresee her playing in the future. (fwiw - she is a great catcher too - but she is small and fast so probably more valuable to her team in the OF). Anyway - I digress...

DD is fast. She tracks a ball well and has a great arm. She is usually fearless - when catching she will make crazy dives to catch foul popups, she doesn't back down from bigger stronger girls when there is a play at the plate, etc. She is a good baserunner who loves to slide. She thinks the amount of dirt on her uniform dictates how much fun she has...so ... the problem?

She rarely dives in the outfield. Now I get that if you dive and miss it takes longer to regain your footing and retrieve the ball and make the play...but - IME you have to push your limits to make the great plays. She is such a perfectionist that she is afraid to miss. She would rather play it safe and let the ball take a hop than dive. I have been trying to encourage her to push her limits IN PRACTICE. She won't. I told her that is why outfielders HAVE to back each other up. So if one misses, there is someone else to help out. She won't listen to me...help!!!
 
Jun 23, 2017
5
0
Indiana
Has your daughter been taught how to dive as an outfielder? That could be something she needs. One drill that works is to have outfielders start on their knees and throw balls just out of reach so they have to lay out for the ball to catch it. Usually go straight in front and off to the side. You can increase difficulty by having them stand and work on eventually running and diving for the ball.

Maybe a look at some softball dives in the OF on Youtube could be good motivation as well, where she is able to see and replicate good dives from outfielders.
 
Apr 26, 2015
704
43
She has actually been taught how to dive. That is what confuses me. She will do it all the time during practice when no balls are being thrown. :confused: And during tryouts she was laying out for every ball. (Although she already knew she had a place on the team so maybe that was why she was willing to take a risk). I think it really stems from her being afraid of missing the ball. It has been drilled into her that as an outfielder she is the last line of defense. If she misses a play it is likely going to result in a triple or a HR, where if an infielder misses it is usually just a double. She is not afraid to get dirty or throw herself on the ground. I told her practice is the perfect time to make mistakes...but she is such a perfectionist. Ugh!

I will definitely check out some youtube clips...that is a great idea! And I will work with her from her knees.

I also realize there are times where the perspective of the coach or spectators is off and we think the ball is reachable when it is in fact too far out...but I still think you have to push past the "safe zone" to become an exceptional player - and that is what she wants to be.
 

TMD

Feb 18, 2016
433
43
Elite OFers have a great combination of skill (speed, ball tracking, arm, etc.), instinct, fearlessness, and aggressiveness. The instinct piece includes knowing when to and when not to dive. Hard sinking liners that would definitely roll to fence if missed versus pop flys that may only bounce and roll a few more feet if missed are two pretty different situations, and depending on game circumstances the OFer may or may not dive. 99 out of 100 times if the OFer is sprinting to a ball and dives and misses, they should be applauded for the effort.

How skilled are the other OFers? Is your daughter confident that they are backing each other up to minimize the impact of a missed dive? Do they regularly practice OF communication in practices? In my experience, the more cohesive the OFers are as a unit, the more effective (aggressive, fearless, etc.) they will be as individuals.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Does she know how to slide to catch a ball? A lot of times sliding is a safer play because your body is more likely to block the ball if you can't catch it.
 
Apr 26, 2015
704
43
Elite OFers have a great combination of skill (speed, ball tracking, arm, etc.), instinct, fearlessness, and aggressiveness. The instinct piece includes knowing when to and when not to dive. Hard sinking liners that would definitely roll to fence if missed versus pop flys that may only bounce and roll a few more feet if missed are two pretty different situations, and depending on game circumstances the OFer may or may not dive. 99 out of 100 times if the OFer is sprinting to a ball and dives and misses, they should be applauded for the effort.

How skilled are the other OFers? Is your daughter confident that they are backing each other up to minimize the impact of a missed dive? Do they regularly practice OF communication in practices? In my experience, the more cohesive the OFers are as a unit, the more effective (aggressive, fearless, etc.) they will be as individuals.

Thanks for the above. I probably shouldn't 2nd guess her as she is a pretty darn good player with great instinct. I just don't want her to be held back by always playing it safe.

I actually think you might have hit the nail on the head with this one. DD is the only OFer who consistently runs to cover/back up the others. CF only makes a play if it comes right to her and rarely moves to back up her teammates.. DD used to play CF until AC decided that was where his daughter should play. DD now mainly plays LF but occasionally plays RF. I told her to make sure she is encouraging her teammates to back each other up.
 
Apr 26, 2015
704
43
I'm not sure if she knows how to slide to catch a ball...I've never seen her do that - but it sounds like a good idea. When she catches she is fearless. Just not sure why that hasn't carried over to the OF where it seems less likely she would get hurt - but I guess she isn't scared of getting hurt but rather not making the play.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
Also make sure she understands when to and when not to dive. Ball down the line with a one run lead...no In the hole with other outfielders on track to be behind early innings or good lead...yes

Everyone assumes playing outfield is easy but if you do it right you are making a lot of decisions out there and you need to run all the scenarios in your head BEFORE the ball is hit.
 
Apr 26, 2015
704
43
^^^so true! DD's coach recruited a team of middle infielders. He claimed he could make any good infielder into a good outfielder. He has since learned how terribly mistaken he was! We have watched girls backpedal thru the entire outfield trying to catch a ball. The idea of a drop step cannot be made clear. They don't understand how to watch the ball off the bat for trajectory. It is crazy. The team has 2 very good outfielders (DD and the RFer) but DD is only out there about 50% of the time. CF has a great arm - but doesn't move. Outfield takes a special breed...at 10U it was where you put the weaker players - but not anymore!
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
Not everyone dives. I played OF most of my BB career and rarely if ever would dive and yes I know how to.
Sliding catches, running into walls, collisions with other OF (unintentional) I had no fear of any of those. Diving head first for a ball in the air, not really a comfortable thing for me so rarely did it.
I did not have the same aversion to head first slides or dives on base paths which I would use when I felt it was the right call.
 

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