great infield drills

[Amy in AZ.]

I find that beginning coaches are sometimes lost as to what to do with their infielders. Many times they are just put in position and one ball is hit to each of them, while everyone else stands around.

This drill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5atTaVXYE8&feature=relmfu
keeps every one moving, talking and interacting.

Note the foot work and the hand and body position for infield throws.

 

[starsnuffer]

Great video Amy, thanks for posting!

I can't stress enough how important it is to roll balls for infield practice and insure proper mechanics. So many times I see coaches go out and try to hit ground balls as hard as they can. One or two girls will field properly, and the rest are scared out of their mind and end up back on their heels, butt in the air, fielding like a granny . . . all because of the coach. It's amazing how quickly a bad coach can destroy great mechanics that take another 6 months to fix.

Teach the girls to field properly and aggressively on balls they are comfortable with, and when they do get a hard grounder or short hop they will field it correctly. Scare them, and they'll field everything the wrong way, including the slow rollers.

-W

 

[sluggers]

Note the foot work and the hand and body position for infield throws.

Exactly...coaches *MUST* know the correct footwork, hand motion and body position for infield throws. What this video doesn't show is Candrea correcting players--which (trust me) he will do if they make a mistake.

Nothing drives me crazier than to see a coach mindlessly hitting groundballs without watching players.

A variation on this drill is to have two lines with 2B in the middle. The coach rolls the ball to the SS and then she flips it to the person covering 2B, and the 2B person throws the ball to the coach. After a while, you roll balls to 2B, and she flips it to the SS, who then throws the ball to the coach.

 

[Coach JV]

Good point Ray, I recently made my CF into a SS since she
had the best body position during these drills of anyone on my team.
She was a recent pickup (fall) who asked to play OF. When I approached
her about trying to play SS, I asked why she never played IF.
Her answer was, my last team had 5 coaches with daughters on the
team, they were the infielders. (she was cut from this team)

Silver lining? we played her old team last week, she led off with a double to
LF and threw out a girl at home on cutoff to preserve a 2-1 win.

I have always used your 2-line variation of this drill, having them change
lines each time thru. It is a great way to give them lots of reps

 

[obbay]

Great drills, thanks Amy!
looks like another drill we can work on indoors until the weather lets us get outside!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Thanks. If you have younger girls, they can field the ball and run up and put it in your bucket, until they get it. Don't add too many new things at once.

Girls can also do a "walk through", where they don't use a ball, at all.

 

[rowdy]

I would recommend all of the USA Softball videos. They all have some things you can do and if the USA Team is doing them you know it worth your time and effort.

 

[batspeed]

Feet work is key another video that shows feet work, it is only part I can not figure out how to show the whole thing but you will get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da6jFUatfq4

 

[starsnuffer]

I do that four corners drill sometimes, but we do it like the Japan National Team does it, you start out with a 20' "box" (girl at home, 1b and 3b 20' up the line, 2b about 30 feet from home), go around 4 times, then go to 40' up the line (each girl moves after they throw the 4th time), go around 4 times, then go to 60'. Time them.

This allows them to work on several different distances of throws at the same drill and they get to compete against their teammates.

-W

 

[RichK]

I do that four corners drill sometimes, but we do it like the Japan National Team does it, you start out with a 20' "box" (girl at home, 1b and 3b 20' up the line, 2b about 30 feet from home), go around 4 times, then go to 40' up the line (each girl moves after they throw the 4th time), go around 4 times, then go to 60'. Time them.

This allows them to work on several different distances of throws at the same drill and they get to compete against their teammates.

-W

I've started using a "small" four corners drill to work four other throws too: forehand underhand flip, backhand underhand flip, rock-and-fire overhand (counterclockwise) and pivot-throw overhand (clockwise)...we then move back and work four corners both directions with inside and outside pivots...it's been very good for our girls.