Outfield - reacting to ball off the bat

[mad hornet]

Looking for suggestions on Outfield drills I can do with my 11-12 year old players to get them to better react to a ball off the bat. I played a lot of outfield and often I can remember starting to react as the pitch was coming in before contact. Need help teaching that!

 

[Perfect Circle]

A scouting report of the hitters, and a heads up signal for the probability of it coming there way from SS. Like most everything else, being in sync with pitcher... have them watch for when her arm circle comes on the downward swing...2:00 oclock. Just like running bases, ready to explode @ 2:00, frontwards, or backwards. Have them react to every pitch...frontwards or backwards every other time. Like the best re-bounders in BB...it seems like the best just happen to be in the right place @ the right time...

 

[David Carter]

The other and most obvious thing is just practice, practice, practice and practice with the ball coming off the bat, does it get old sure but you know what it also just simply works.

 

[redhotcoach]

IMO it is the hardest thing for girls to do period. Lots and lots of practice off the bat.....and it still takes years.

There are lots of footwork drills, they are good, but don't help when you guess wrong.

 

[CoachKevin]

I try to work with the outfielders on this aspect during live BP. See where the pitch location is and how the batter is swinging the bat to get a "jump" on the ball. There is a difference between LF vs CF vs RF in the look of the ball coming off the bat, the spin of the ball, ect. It amuses me when coaches put a starting RF player, into playing LF and expects the same results.

 

[CoachKevin]

A scouting report of the hitters, and a heads up signal for the probability of it coming there way from SS. Like most everything else, being in sync with pitcher... have them watch for when her arm circle comes on the downward swing...2:00 oclock. Just like running bases, ready to explode @ 2:00, frontwards, or backwards. Have them react to every pitch...frontwards or backwards every other time. Like the best re-bounders in BB...it seems like the best just happen to be in the right place @ the right time...

Soooo PC you would have them explode forwards on one pitch, then backwards on the next pitch?

 

[Perfect Circle]

Soooo PC you would have them explode forwards on one pitch, then backwards on the next pitch?

Explode is the word that syncs them to the pitcher.... she explodes off the rubber. When she was 8, we called it crawling with pitcher. She does 4 Corners and the karokoe too...I have Her doing it since she was 9, and practice all fielders drills since she was 8...just for tryouts... Why?

Here is mine doing a little "come get it ...go get it" to warm up at a light practice...last month.

 

[Sparky Guy]

You do it the old fashioned way. You physically show them. What I do with young ones is to put them in CF. I would stand behind them and grab a handful of jersey. I would have someone hit the ball to one side or the other. ( I cheated and pointed which direction I wanted it) I would break on the ball dragging the player with me. After a few times of being pulled around the outfield by the back of their jersey they figure out when, how hard, where to and how fast to get there. After a short time the girls were breaking harder then me and I couldn't keep up with them. After they are running at the ball you let go of jersey and let go after it on their own. My OF always got a good jump on the ball.

 

[PA SB Dad]

Also hit them fly balls right-handed and left-handed so they get used to judging how the ball comes off the bat with a different spin.

 

[mad hornet]

You do it the old fashioned way. You physically show them. What I do with young ones is to put them in CF. I would stand behind them and grab a handful of jersey. I would have someone hit the ball to one side or the other. ( I cheated and pointed which direction I wanted it) I would break on the ball dragging the player with me. After a few times of being pulled around the outfield by the back of their jersey they figure out when, how hard, where to and how fast to get there. After a short time the girls were breaking harder then me and I couldn't keep up with them. After they are running at the ball you let go of jersey and let go after it on their own. My OF always got a good jump on the ball.

Yea got to admit I'm not real comfortable with that idea. But it is something I haven't tried!