Defensive measuring stick

[NBECoach]

There was a thread that referred to college coaches changing hitting styles of players they recruited with mostly bad results. The thread seemed to send the message that there are multiple ways to hit well and that actual performance is the measuring stick. This got me to thinking, does this happen with defensive technique also?

I am a HS coach and I’ve spent dozens of hours studying defenders and how they position themselves, react, field, their footwork, and throwing motion. There appears to be a pretty consistent technique once players get to college. However, in HS and TB (with exceptions) defensive technique appears to be an afterthought as long as the defender makes most of the plays. Worse yet the players unknowingly believe that if they made a play, that they must have done it correctly.

When I attend local tournaments (Non-showcase U10-U18) among other things I see players who:

Are unprepared to field a ball hit their way

Don’t get to balls they should

Cannot back hand a ground ball

Don’t turn sideways to throw routine outs

Take 4-6 steps toward where they throw it

Outfielders who have a hard time fielding ground balls

This is all technique which can be taught, yet it appears that it is largely ignored in favor of offense.

At U10-U18 is actual performance the defensive measuring stick or is there none?

 

[_MIA_]

Technique matters. Sometimes a SS won't get more than 1 GB in a game but you can tell a decent amount about them just by looking at their "actions" in between innings..My kid is only 10 but I have told her a number of times you never know when somebody is looking at you...

 

[joe720]

Think it comes down to some organizations just don't have the time to break everyone down and build them back up. From what i've seen around you see them take time on middle infield but not too much on the other positions as they have limited time.

Depends what the parents work on with them really. Realistically most teams get 2-4 hours a week with their TB team. Grand scheme of things it's not a lot of time. Not that i am using it as an excuse but parents should be spending the time outside of team practice to help their child really work on the fundamentals of the position they want to play.

But that's just my opinion.


edit: on a side note i can tell pretty quickly how good a team will do defensively by watching everyone else besides who the ball gets hit to. When you see 9 other players moving on a ball that isn't hit to them, you know you are facing a good defense.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Technique matters. Sometimes a SS won't get more than 1 GB in a game but you can tell a decent amount about them just by looking at their "actions" in between innings..My kid is only 10 but I have told her a number of times you never know when somebody is looking at you...

What's Marcela's pre-pitch routine, Standing still in a ready position, or creeping forward?

 

[_MIA_]

What's Marcela's pre-pitch routine, Standing still in a ready position, or creeping forward?

Creep..she actually takes more steps then I would like sometimes. She also kind of "hops" a bit naturally as the pitch crosses the plate but I never taught her to do that (I remember myself doing that as well just naturally)

 

[ANNASDAD]

Creep..she actually takes more steps then I would like sometimes. She also kind of "hops" a bit naturally as the pitch crosses the plate but I never taught her to do that (I remember myself doing that as well just naturally)

Yep, Anna creeps, that's what I teach middle infielders, not 3B or 1B. With Anna being a pitcher and knowing pitch calls, of course she'll cheat with what pitch is called.....inside or outside, just hope the pitcher hits her called spot!

 

[_MIA_]

To be honest 1/2 of the IF I see don't correctly get the timing of getting their LF down as they field the ball and it sticks out like a sore thumb when you watch them..

 

[_MIA_]

Yep, Anna creeps, that's what I teach middle infielders, not 3B or 1B. With Anna being a pitcher and knowing pitch calls, of course she'll cheat with what pitch is called.....inside or outside, just hope the pitcher hits her called spot!

Once you've played long enough you can actually cheat a bit just by how the batter swings at a particular pitch...

 

[BigSkyHi]

Think it comes down to some organizations just don't have the time to break everyone down and build them back up. From what i've seen around you see them take time on middle infield but not too much on the other positions as they have limited time.

Depends what the parents work on with them really. Realistically most teams get 2-4 hours a week with their TB team. Grand scheme of things it's not a lot of time. Not that i am using it as an excuse but parents should be spending the time outside of team practice to help their child really work on the fundamentals of the position they want to play.

But that's just my opinion.


edit: on a side note i can tell pretty quickly how good a team will do defensively by watching everyone else besides who the ball gets hit to. When you see 9 other players moving on a ball that isn't hit to them, you know you are facing a good defense.

My DS uses many of Kai's drills by teaching them to the player and the parent for some light homework away from the field. Overall his 11U team is pretty awesome defensively.

 

[quincy]

DD was yelled at a couple times fielding and she became timid. In OF she stopped being aggressive, nothing was getting behind her. Playing SS she would have got that if she was taller.

I could not get it out of her, coaches moved her from a really good fielder to OK.

It is really annoying.

End of rant.