Catcher's Defense of Home Plate
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cause...Thats how I roll...What would you do? You do have the left fielder come up to back up the throw. What if you had a catcher that always over throws over the 3rd baseman's head... Until she can make the throw, just go with it in 10u...
lol lol you may be rolling down hill.... who's going to back up your left fielder when she misses the throw or your catcher throws it over your left fielder head??? everyone would be looking at why did they do that?? Don't run at her or anything stupid just check her and throw back to the pitcher. She's going no where unless you do something stupid and throw the ball away. Yes your left fielder needs to back up position as well as 2nd baseman should back up the throw from the catcher to the pitcher....
lol.... thats still my play...stupid things happen every game. Seen a couple last night ... When your back up is needed, they need to do something with the ball besides keep it from rolling to the fence. If they use my play in practice, it will help keep them alert, and gives them a chance to get in the game. The focus of my answer was to suggest spreading the work load to the whole team, to help not wearing out OP's catcher. Not all will break for home, just because they see what they think is the ball sailing over 3rd baseman head, but some will. My point is to win this game runners trying to distract the pitcher, since their leading by even being on 3rd.
Sounds like your in the fear of putting the ball into play camp. Not sure because your just commenting to me. What do you think OP ought to do? Feel free to download and figure out how to get this in your playbook. Maybe I'll make one for your answer... Does lol mean loads of laughs, or laugh out loud...2U? Trying to figure whether to get a wheelbarrow or a speaker for your clip...???
Plan.... Z - YouTube
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Joeman39 - one of the rules of DFP is do not engage PC when he is in this (^^^^^) state of mind...
Back to the OP, if your pitcher and catcher are relatively close together, most kids will not be able to get a delayed steal on you. It is important for the catcher to look the runner back and be sure they are not leaning forward and not too far off the base, and get the ball back to the pitcher who is out in front of the circle. Your pitcher and catcher should be able to make two 25 foot throws to each other in the time it takes a 10 year old to go 50-55 feet down the line.
Back to the OP, if your pitcher and catcher are relatively close together, most kids will not be able to get a delayed steal on you. It is important for the catcher to look the runner back and be sure they are not leaning forward and not too far off the base, and get the ball back to the pitcher who is out in front of the circle. Your pitcher and catcher should be able to make two 25 foot throws to each other in the time it takes a 10 year old to go 50-55 feet down the line.
Thanks for giving him the heads up (^^^).... I came right out the gate trying to give OP an answer that would be different than the one he is per-disposed to, I think he had pretty much had his mind made up before posting. I'm not so sure them throws are as easy as they should be when pitcher is getting rocked...and the Catcher (who is most generally the first to realize your going to lose) is frustrated by the pitchers giving the game away. Some great risky plays made by the rest of the team, can often snap them out of the despair... I have lots of others that work too, but I thought I would give him one of my own, I'm sure we all know the rest.... The little LF'er wants to go to college too maybe...She needs to be one who loses it for the team once in a while, instead of the regular list of losers... :{))
02Crush
Way past gone
My thoughts exactly. We have two very strong, good throwers for their age. We are working on accuracy. I like the David Carters comment about throwing it to the runners back and having the third basemand shadow. Right now we have SS come over to cover the base, 3rd shadows, LF comes in as a back up. We are all in position and the girls have done a great job of getting this concept and each person doing their job. We even have our two first basemen understanding the need to be crashing down the line as a home plate back up should the catcher get tired of the BS and step out a couple and engage. I just want to save the legs on a hit day in all that gear at age 10. In this cool weather they would attack every time if I let them.
02Crush
Way past gone
We do have a solid tournie closer (as solid as a 10 yo can be). Pitching and loading the bases is not the issue. Teams using this rampant strategy to manufacture a run is the problem. Yes it does wear all my players on the left side down as well. But they are also not wearing the gear on a 100 degree day. I am not so worried about it now. May and June a different story. I hate this tactic as it wastes time and energy in already short tournament games. However is a part of the game and for me a chance to teach the team how to get outs against overly aggresive coaches making a solid statement in the process to others watching. I did have my mind made up when I posted. However, I posted because I am at a point of disliking the baserunning strategy in 10U more than feeling my way is the right way to stall it before it happens. I like much of what I heard here and thanks to all fo posting. I am sure there are some other ideas as well so keep it coming.
BTW PC, I did actually run the LF throw in a Sunday scrimmage game. It did not work. Her throw back to the Catch was close but in the end did not work.
Was cool to watch through. It was as if I had opened a chest of GOLD for the girls when I explained the play. They loved the idea that we could run a play. At this age so many teams do not do that. They just focus on fundemental skills. Our LF came in and 3rd base coach had no idea she was there. Catcher threw her the ball. She snagged it and returned fairly quick. Problems was....Baserunner saw it and reacted well to get home and slide.
BTW PC, I did actually run the LF throw in a Sunday scrimmage game. It did not work. Her throw back to the Catch was close but in the end did not work.
Was cool to watch through. It was as if I had opened a chest of GOLD for the girls when I explained the play. They loved the idea that we could run a play. At this age so many teams do not do that. They just focus on fundemental skills. Our LF came in and 3rd base coach had no idea she was there. Catcher threw her the ball. She snagged it and returned fairly quick. Problems was....Baserunner saw it and reacted well to get home and slide.
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BTW PC, I did actually run the LF throw in a Sunday scrimmage game. It did not work. Her throw back to the Catch was close but in the end did not work.
Oh No!!! My worst fear.... someone took my advice!!! You did read my signature? I hope I'm not liable if you lost the game? Also, now you will never be taken seriously on DFP again... Just kidding.
02Crush... I'm going to be 100% Honest with you... I think I know who you are in the real world. I want to start by saying that you are a Great Coach, and highly (6'4"+) respected widely in my lawn chair group, and even by my enemies. You have an awesome DD, and are a wonderful family man! And an outstanding Teacher/Counselor!!! If I'm right, your the guy who picked me up at a game by telling me that our team was "afraid to put the ball in play"
If your not who I think, then most of the ^^^ could be deduced in the way you approached this (your) thread. Firstly, you have successfully dealt with a Crazy Dad, "that guy" and a real "Certified softball maniac". Like your LF'er now, I'm inspired to work extra hard at making that play work...Get more practices in with it... don't try it till you lawl them with a couple throws back to 3rd. Getting the Coach is easy... you got to give that runner the attention she is wanting...she like everyone thinks they want the attention, until they get it. You got to sell it as a bad throw. Now you gave the third base Coach (hopefully) the HC, an extra job, now LF'er can distract him, as he is really nervous(annoyed)...with runner on 3rd... keep him looking over his shoulder with fakes .....Let him know, you went looking for the girl that can make this play,(no fair putting one of your stars out there for this) just as hard as you did for that pitcher, and for the other pitcher you too are going to need to win it all. We all know your pitcher can't throw 65mph, and your left fielder can't get the ball on a hop at the fence and throw it clear to home on a 1 hop......YET... Start out nailing the slower ones who are not paying attention. Start out just showing the play in warm ups when taking the field, even when you know you not going to use it....Make LF'er the greatest pain in the neck ever that HC has to face. You seen a glimps of "The Gold" I would start having them working on how they will bow correctly when they get it in the Olympics, you gotto make sure they don't lose their balance when they are standing up on them risers.
Secondly ...You have replied that I was somewhat correct in my assumptions of your question. I felt that you are letting them get to you with the lead off junk. I'll prophecy to you, like I told DD about bunting when we started with it..."There will come a day when you will love anyone trying to move around on third" :{)) DD told me after she laid one one down against the best pitchers in our world, for the second year in a row, in a game...the Championship that she Loves bunting!!! even better than hitting!!! The better she bunts, the harder the rest swing, (they think if she can bunt against the monster, they can hit her) and they more teammates that want to bunt too!!! But She knows Its easier to bunt than hit one...now
DFP Biz... Your question was a no brain er for me.... I could tell you might want to see something outside the box. You thanked in advance, and left it open for all "input"...What I really liked was that you were giving AC's voice...(but yet you were still trying to form consensuses in case you got a off the wall AC who thinks like me) If they had more interaction with HC, they might not be sniping every girl every second of every game trying to let everyone know they are a coach... I just wish my DD would just have a chance to think during games. Or that they were really talking about something that they had actually worked on in practice with that particular AC. All that is needed for my DD in game pressure is "good job" (my pet peeve)
Here's the whole truth...Our team has wrist bands, that has 9 plays under the flap. Plan Z is not one of them. Your's is. Plan Z was what I made up on my own so that I could make the video, of how we are making videos of each (accepted) play, that is available on our private page. It was a scrimmage of all tools needed and a practice for the real ones on our site, without putting our plays on the internet when I started out doing it. Parents can watch the real plays in that format with their DD at home after they log in ... The personification of the LF was to show alittle of how I think the parents of the LF'er thinks. It was my Idea to put the # of the player, the team logo so they don't get lost or mixed up, and I'm working on getting their picture on the front flap too. Not just a picture, but the picture will be an animation, that will be their own Logo, (similar to JF's) and can be used to individualize them on all their fundraising stuff for all "Their Family, Fans & Friends".
Thx for getting me in a game Coach!!! Even though it didn't work yet. It did get another 30+ views since I shared it with you! Hopefully I have drove some of our competition to check it out for our big tourney this week end. I know I'm a virtual pain in the neck, but really I hope I have said enough that one glimps of something helps you... and that I haven't just ran off the "heavy hitters" on here from saying ditto to how your going to do it!!! But thats how I roll, and why everyone else has to scroll.
Good Luck ~PC
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Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
This all makes perfect sense using the PC translator/decoder ring/wristband. The only thing I can add is that, if all else fails, you can move the 3B from the dining room to the kitchen, SS from the dishwasher to the stove, bring the left fielder in from the living room and see what happens when the door to the freezer filled with ice cream sammies is left open as bait for the trap.
