Situations are one of the hardest things to teach. There are so many of them. Base running,tagging up, bases loaded, slap defense, lead runner, bunts, fake throws, even rounding the base on a hit is a situation you have to teach. Stress the three B's. BALL. First is the play on the ball. BASE. Cover your base. BACKUP. Where you should be to backup the play. Every body should be moving no matter what.
I like to start with the basic get the runner stealing second. You have to teach them where and how to stand to make sure that the SS is in the right postion to get the throw, so her feet are pointing the right way so if she doesn't get her knees taken out. You have to teach the 2B where to postion themself so they are not too close on an overthrow. Where the CF should run to cover all of this. then tell them why. If you tell them SS takes the throw on a steal and you two back her up then next thing you know you have three players within a 10' circle around second base and the ball just bounced past all of them and is headed into CF. The next thing you know that runner is headed to third and what happens next is you gussed it, an overthrow to third and the runner scores. Teach the left and right fielders where to go on this play and tell them why. Then teach them getting a runner at third. Work on this a lot. Teach it to the whole team on where to go. After they have it down pretty good have everyone move to a different postion and do it again. Have the out fielders play infield and the infield play outfield. If you can get the left fielder to play LF like a SS then you are on the way to a pretty good start.
Next I like to teach them a basic bunt defense. Where to move to and why. Where the out fielders move to and why. When they get it down then add base runners. Teach them to go from first to third on a bunt. this will go a long way in getting the OF involved. After they get that down real good work on the fake throws and so on. Again make the girls play in different spots so they learn how to cover and where to go to backup. Don't be scared to make the girls make extra throws after the play has run. Run a bunt play and have them throw to first then third then back to second then third then first. Keep calling out bases to make them react to where you tell them to throw.
The biggest thing I like to work on is bases loaded. What do you do? We have all seen it where the ball is hit to the first baseman and they tag the runner and then don't have time to throw it home and a run scores. Or the first baseman throws it home and gets the lead out and there is no one there to cover firstbase to get the game winning double play. Work on it by running the play then add extra throws. Have them go home then first then throw to third then home then second. Do your best to make them react to where you tell them to throw after the play is done. you want them to react. Try to get them to mess up. I might mix it up a little. If i tell them to throw to 2 I want the throw to go to the base. If I say second then I want the throw to go to the second baseman where ever they are (they might be backing up second or first and I want to keep the girls on there toes).
When they get it all down pretty good then add baserunners and you will see how they all react. If I add baserunners I like to make the plays simple at first then make them harder. Simple in field hits to get the runners. Later on I hit the ball in the gaps to the fence. To teach the girls how and where to rotate On a hit. I also explaine why. If the ball is hit shallow in the gap to right I want my IF to move a certan way and to where. We take it step by step on where to go. If the ball is hit shallow to left then what to do. Next is down the lines, to the fence, and so on. after a few in slow motion then we speed it up. Once the play is under way I may add throws. OF throws to the cut to home then first then third. When I add baserunners then I only use one at a time. I want them to react to the ball from where they are at. Work on tagging up and when. An easy pop fly to right you won't go to second but if you are on third you go. You want the runners to realize when an OF hit is not going to be caught stress to the baserunners to try to get extra bases. I want to react to the throws even if they tag home have them keep running to first. The fielders should try to get as many outs as they can and the runners should get as many bases as they can. You are not trying to get them to react to the situation. You are trying to get them to react to the baserunners. The runners dictate the situation. At the same time you are trying to get the runners to react to the throws. I want the runners to react to the ball as well as me. It is hard to do and it sounds like chaos but start easy. Runner on second hit a grounder to SS and the play starts. The runner goes on the throw to first. First throws to third to get the lead runner. Later on run the same play but have the first baseman add a throw to second. to get a "ghost runner" and have the lead runner break for home so the next throw is to home. This is a good way to get the runners to react to the throws. Add CHAOS by adding extra throws or extra baserunners. As time goes they will learn that they might tag and go home on a flyball to left but not run to third. They will also learn when to follow the runner in front of them.
Have the girls play the usual postions and have them make the play at first. But add extra throws when they don't expect it. After they throw to first tell them to throw to CF. Then CF to third Then second then first then second again. Make sure the throws to second are taken by the fielder that it supposed to take them. Make outfielders throw home and hit cuts. In the middle of it have them throw to second or third. Teach them to react and cover bases. Try your best to make them mess up. They will know when they messed up, you don't have to tell them. Don't be scared to have the outfielders play infield on these plays. These are great drills to teach them not to throw it around. Most teams can handle two throws on a play it is the third and fourth throws that kill you. Have them make extra throws by calling out where you want it to go if they can throw to all 9 spots on the field to the correct fielder at the time (ie. SS covering second) with no overthrows then you are off to a good start.
Have the infield play in for a tag play at home. Teach them that the throw should be at the catchers knees for this and not at the chest. I will tell the SS play at home and as I hit the ball I might say tag play. That means the throw should be down. I might say Force, then the throw is at the chest, Again add more throws after the play is done. Teach the same throws to the outfielders. Explain why you don't want the catcher to get killed and that anyone can catch a ball thrown low or on a bounce but ont everyone is ten feet tall.
When they get these things down pretty good then I have my catcher call out bases for the extra throws just to get them thinking about how to call plays out to the fielders. If I can get the catcher to direct the plays and no overthrows then things will take care of themselves.
Again in practice I like to move the fielders around when doing these drills. First of all your next stud SS might be in RF and you don't even know it. Next I think That out fielders tend to get into an out fielders mode where they think that all they have to do is get the ball and throw it to the cutoff. I want the left fielder to think that they are the "second line of SS." We have all seen the great play by the CF when they get to charge in one the ball and then catch it then throw it home on a rope to get the player tagging up at third. I'll bet somewhere in there life that CF played or practiced at SS.
I like to start with the basic get the runner stealing second. You have to teach them where and how to stand to make sure that the SS is in the right postion to get the throw, so her feet are pointing the right way so if she doesn't get her knees taken out. You have to teach the 2B where to postion themself so they are not too close on an overthrow. Where the CF should run to cover all of this. then tell them why. If you tell them SS takes the throw on a steal and you two back her up then next thing you know you have three players within a 10' circle around second base and the ball just bounced past all of them and is headed into CF. The next thing you know that runner is headed to third and what happens next is you gussed it, an overthrow to third and the runner scores. Teach the left and right fielders where to go on this play and tell them why. Then teach them getting a runner at third. Work on this a lot. Teach it to the whole team on where to go. After they have it down pretty good have everyone move to a different postion and do it again. Have the out fielders play infield and the infield play outfield. If you can get the left fielder to play LF like a SS then you are on the way to a pretty good start.
Next I like to teach them a basic bunt defense. Where to move to and why. Where the out fielders move to and why. When they get it down then add base runners. Teach them to go from first to third on a bunt. this will go a long way in getting the OF involved. After they get that down real good work on the fake throws and so on. Again make the girls play in different spots so they learn how to cover and where to go to backup. Don't be scared to make the girls make extra throws after the play has run. Run a bunt play and have them throw to first then third then back to second then third then first. Keep calling out bases to make them react to where you tell them to throw.
The biggest thing I like to work on is bases loaded. What do you do? We have all seen it where the ball is hit to the first baseman and they tag the runner and then don't have time to throw it home and a run scores. Or the first baseman throws it home and gets the lead out and there is no one there to cover firstbase to get the game winning double play. Work on it by running the play then add extra throws. Have them go home then first then throw to third then home then second. Do your best to make them react to where you tell them to throw after the play is done. you want them to react. Try to get them to mess up. I might mix it up a little. If i tell them to throw to 2 I want the throw to go to the base. If I say second then I want the throw to go to the second baseman where ever they are (they might be backing up second or first and I want to keep the girls on there toes).
When they get it all down pretty good then add baserunners and you will see how they all react. If I add baserunners I like to make the plays simple at first then make them harder. Simple in field hits to get the runners. Later on I hit the ball in the gaps to the fence. To teach the girls how and where to rotate On a hit. I also explaine why. If the ball is hit shallow in the gap to right I want my IF to move a certan way and to where. We take it step by step on where to go. If the ball is hit shallow to left then what to do. Next is down the lines, to the fence, and so on. after a few in slow motion then we speed it up. Once the play is under way I may add throws. OF throws to the cut to home then first then third. When I add baserunners then I only use one at a time. I want them to react to the ball from where they are at. Work on tagging up and when. An easy pop fly to right you won't go to second but if you are on third you go. You want the runners to realize when an OF hit is not going to be caught stress to the baserunners to try to get extra bases. I want to react to the throws even if they tag home have them keep running to first. The fielders should try to get as many outs as they can and the runners should get as many bases as they can. You are not trying to get them to react to the situation. You are trying to get them to react to the baserunners. The runners dictate the situation. At the same time you are trying to get the runners to react to the throws. I want the runners to react to the ball as well as me. It is hard to do and it sounds like chaos but start easy. Runner on second hit a grounder to SS and the play starts. The runner goes on the throw to first. First throws to third to get the lead runner. Later on run the same play but have the first baseman add a throw to second. to get a "ghost runner" and have the lead runner break for home so the next throw is to home. This is a good way to get the runners to react to the throws. Add CHAOS by adding extra throws or extra baserunners. As time goes they will learn that they might tag and go home on a flyball to left but not run to third. They will also learn when to follow the runner in front of them.
Have the girls play the usual postions and have them make the play at first. But add extra throws when they don't expect it. After they throw to first tell them to throw to CF. Then CF to third Then second then first then second again. Make sure the throws to second are taken by the fielder that it supposed to take them. Make outfielders throw home and hit cuts. In the middle of it have them throw to second or third. Teach them to react and cover bases. Try your best to make them mess up. They will know when they messed up, you don't have to tell them. Don't be scared to have the outfielders play infield on these plays. These are great drills to teach them not to throw it around. Most teams can handle two throws on a play it is the third and fourth throws that kill you. Have them make extra throws by calling out where you want it to go if they can throw to all 9 spots on the field to the correct fielder at the time (ie. SS covering second) with no overthrows then you are off to a good start.
Have the infield play in for a tag play at home. Teach them that the throw should be at the catchers knees for this and not at the chest. I will tell the SS play at home and as I hit the ball I might say tag play. That means the throw should be down. I might say Force, then the throw is at the chest, Again add more throws after the play is done. Teach the same throws to the outfielders. Explain why you don't want the catcher to get killed and that anyone can catch a ball thrown low or on a bounce but ont everyone is ten feet tall.
When they get these things down pretty good then I have my catcher call out bases for the extra throws just to get them thinking about how to call plays out to the fielders. If I can get the catcher to direct the plays and no overthrows then things will take care of themselves.
Again in practice I like to move the fielders around when doing these drills. First of all your next stud SS might be in RF and you don't even know it. Next I think That out fielders tend to get into an out fielders mode where they think that all they have to do is get the ball and throw it to the cutoff. I want the left fielder to think that they are the "second line of SS." We have all seen the great play by the CF when they get to charge in one the ball and then catch it then throw it home on a rope to get the player tagging up at third. I'll bet somewhere in there life that CF played or practiced at SS.
