Calling the ball

[StacieM]

Mike: thanks

starsnuffer: I do like that idea of infield having one cue and outfield having another. Sometimes it makes it more clear for the girls.

But definitely, as many have already stated, this is an important issue to PRACTICE so that the girls get it and it's CLEAR to everyone.

Granted, I want the out, but even more importantly is safety for the girls. I saw two players get taken out and miss 2 tournament days due to a collision (SS & LF). Sickening when it could have been avoided if coaches make this a priority from the start and everyone knows how it works and what's expected.

 

[Mike]

I am going to stress the priorities and trusting teammates as #1. I think I am going to have them use two verbal cues, "mine" 3 times for calling balls and "I got it" 3 times for calling off other players. I think this is easy to remember and learn and they are clearly different commands. Thanks for all the responses.

 

[softballphreak]

I am going to stress the priorities and trusting teammates as #1. I think I am going to have them use two verbal cues, "mine" 3 times for calling balls and "I got it" 3 times for calling off other players. I think this is easy to remember and learn and they are clearly different commands. Thanks for all the responses.

"Mine, mine, mine!" should be sufficient to call off other players. If you add a second cue I would suggest "Take it, take it!" for the person getting out of the way; but as an option for those players. The player calling the ball doesn't have time (or reason) to give two different sets of commands.

I thought about using "You, you, you" for the non-fielding player but that sounds too much like "Two, two, two". A side note, that's a reason players should learn to call base numbers instead of names. "Home, home" sounds too much like "hold, hold", for example. Same logic saying only "back, back, back" to base runners at first instead of "no, no, no" which sounds too much like "go, go".

 

[Mike]

The player calling the ball doesn't have time (or reason) to give two different sets of commands

.

I should clarify. The second baseman going back for a pop fly declares "MINE" and the RT fielder who decides she is going to take the ball declares "I GOT IT", different verbal que so the 2nd baseman knows for sure she is being called off. Would work the same for short over
3rd, etc...

Another thought is I am starting to overthink this, I should probably start with driving home priorities and calling loudly and build from there.

 

[FPMark]

"Driving home priorities" is where it gets fun. It takes a lot of practice for the players to get comfortable with it. You will think everyone has it down, and then, an infielder goes back for a pop fly in the shallow out field, calls it, only to have it go just over her head and land at the outfielders feet behind her. Sometimes it's just hard for the LFer to call off the star SS (especially when SS is calling it). Just keep practicing and eventually it will start making since to them.

Hint: Running poles usually speeds up the learning proccess.

 

[Jim]

Keep it simple. When the pop-up goes into the air each fielder should react to it as if they are the only player on the field. This way you don't get the old "I thought she was going to get it" As soon as one of the players knows that she can indeed catch the ball, she should call for it "I GOT IT! I GOT IT! I GOT IT!". If that player hears a priority fielder call them off, they get out of the way. If they don't hear anything, they catch it. Important: THEY NEED TO KNOW THE PRIORITY SYSTEM FOR THIS TO WORK!

If two players are calling for the ball at the same time... The priority fielder catches it. This is why in professional baseball we say "I GOT IT! 3 times. (one word calls like "mine" or "ball" may not be heard when two players call for it at the same time) More words = Better chance of someone hearing you (even if they are calling it too).

We actually do not have our catchers call for the ball at all. They go after it as if they are the only one out there and they catch it if they aren't called off. If they hear an infielder call for it, they get out of the way and allow the fielder to catch it.

Keep the communication simple so that it is all instinctive and reactive. PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE the communication for high comfort and confidence levels in each other.

 

[Greenmonsters]

We talk about practice and repetition being the key, which they are. But Why? IMO, because it builds the TRUST necessary to know that the lower priority fielder WILL peel off and let the higher priority fielder focus on making the catch without having to worry about getting plowed. And the trust is built between individual players, not positions. So its not realistic to expect that a 2B, SS, CF combo that hasn't worked as much together will be as smooth at it as the regular combo. One good reason to have players begin to specialize at 1 or 2 positions as they get older and more serious.

 

[Jim]

We talk about practice and repetition being the key, which they are. But Why? IMO, because it builds the TRUST necessary to know that the lower priority fielder WILL peel off and let the higher priority fielder focus on making the catch without having to worry about getting plowed. And the trust is built between individual players, not positions. So its not realistic to expect that a 2B, SS, CF combo that hasn't worked as much together will be as smooth at it as the regular combo. One good reason to have players begin to specialize at 1 or 2 positions as they get older and more serious.

All very good points.

 

[rowdy]

I would agree with teaching the priorities, but do have a different call for the outfield and the infield. If you have a ball that is hit between second, short and center we want the two infielders to know that the outfielder is calling them off and the only way to know that is if they use a different call. Infield in our case uses ball and outfield uses mine.