Then, to lessen your frustrations during a game, walk through various situations and discuss how defenders should move to provide coverage for a hit. Once they are in motion it is easier for them to continue moving to the spot on the field where they are fulfilling their defensive responsibility. Center fielder: shortstop goes into the outfield towards the ball; the second baseman covers the base. Softball defensive signals are a tool that many teams are not familiar with or that teams think are too advanced to take advantage of. Most kids just dont grasp this concept. Illinois football defensive back Devon Witherspoon selected by Seattle * The Catcher is the only player that can see all the action on the field. We need for them to physically move to the correct distance beyond the base. What percentage of balls are hit everywhere else, at lesser speed and/or bouncing knee high or higher? Adjust a couple feet to their right or left so to have a clear line of sight to the batter. 1. All four players sprint until they are in position to fulfill their responsibility. These two athletes have their feet wider than their hips, knees are bent, hands and elbows are in front of the body with hands wpread a bit wider than the torso. The Pitcher moves towards the ball and covers first base (or backs-up first base). Folks watching that team will clearly recognize they are watching a quality of play at the 12u level that is unlike anything they have seen before. Pickoff attempts require a specific defender to cover the base to try to catch the runner off base. During the year, this drill fits very well into our daily Skill Building Warm-up aspect of practice. (see Pitcher below). HyperOps | 570 followers on LinkedIn. Basic Softball Defensive Strategy And Tactics Over throws are a big part of the game at this level. Once out kids learn and follow the teaching in this section we eliminate many of the unforced errors that are common in the game played on the small diamond. Then they holler (loud enough to be heard in the outfield) the number of OUTS and the location of the RUNNERS. Another common term used is Athletic position, which is perfectly fine. In some cases, in a situation where the ball is hit past the outfielders there is a relay to third base. When the Third Baseman is backing up throws to third base, rarely will they be in the ideal spot when the throw is made. Pickoff attempts require a specific defender to cover the base to try to catch the runner off base. CF and the corner outfielder opposite the side of the field the ball is hit to, after first making an aggressive in the direction of the ball (coach), sprint to back up second base and the opposite corner base. Softball Situations packet - Newington Athletic S The assumption of the outfielder, each time the ball is put into play in the infield, is that it will not be fielded and the outfielder will be getting the ball. In this case the second baseman then takes over the responsibility of covering second base. When straddling the base, young players rarely leave the base to make a sure play on offline throws.). This means, once they recognize they are not responsible to get the ball, their responsibility becomes the base. Given these two points, each game has many situations where a throw of 20' or less is in order. 1607 N. Market Street Champaign, IL 61820, Sign up and be the first to know about upcoming deals and new releases. Players at each outfield position, approximately 30 beyond the infield diamond (mark those spots with cones). Coaching youth Baseball and Softball. We want to educate our players on these facts during our first practices, The base is for the runners, the ball is for the defense. One example is a ball hit to the pitcher where the shortstop, thinking they may end up fielding the ball and moving aggressively to do so, is unable to cover second base. While we would like to get an out every time, the reality is it is not going to happen. This problem is eliminated by teaching the kids that the three players in the middle of the field, the Pitcher, Shortstop and Second Baseman always move towards the ball. The coach puts the bunt down into the mapped areas and the appropriate defender takes the bunt and throws it to first base. While that player is heading toward the pitching rubber, they are assessing the the situation on the field. For most it will quickly be obvious that they aren't playing the ball, so they move to their next responsibility: cover a base or back up a base/throw. The existence of these factors results in some fundamental rules of how team defense is played on the large diamond to be executed differently on the small diamond. The outfielder that has the ball hit in front of them, either the Left Fielder or Right Fielder sprints straight towards the ball, and doesnt slow down until they see the ball cleanly fielded by an infielder. We want TWO players in position to catch every throw; the player at the base who we hope makes the catch, and a second player beyond the base to catch the ball, if it gets past the base. The right fielder plays at a similar depth and should be between the second base and first base defenders. The magnet principle is a basic concept that can be used to help young players learn defensive coverage. If the throw is accurate, slide the throwing-hand foot/toe back against the side of the base. Ignore the 'key' at the top. Bunt Defense with runner at 2B or 1st & 2B | Discuss Fastpitch Softball The players are so much closer together on the small diamond. In this example we have a ball hit to the Second Baseman. Softball Strategies, Coverages, Signals & Charts - Softball Excellence There will be the odd instances when the roles of the two players will be reversed. Corner Outfielders: Midway between the Corner Base and Second Base, 60 beyond the back edge of the infield. Defensive Situations No one on Runner at 1 Runners at 1st & 2nd Bases loaded Runner at 2nd Runner at 3rd Bunt coverage 1st & 3rd Pick offs Rundowns Baserunning Situations Running from 1st (less than 2 outs) pop up ground ball to left side ground ball right side line drive deep fly ball Running from 2nd (no one on 1st, less than 2 outs) pop up We want them to see that they can get to the corner base as easy as they can get to Second Base. That fact, coupled with limited practice time we have at the youth level, results in kids not getting the reps needed learn the nuances of each position. Eventually a player on the field should be making the call, preferably . What Do Sport Performance Professionals Do? Ideally, they learn to run to where the carom will land. I encourage leagues to consider taking this a step further and instruct their umpires to call Time, get the next batter in the box, and keep games moving along. We teach this practice to the infielders because not every child can project their voice all the way to the oufield. It would be nice for the 9-11 age group to get into this part, but its not life or death. The infielders then echo this information to the outfielders (if needed). Early on this can be difficult to train. Use the magnet principle for defensive coverage in softball If you are not playing the Ball,cover a Base (home plate). Getting an out, any out is a big deal. Pitcher respsonsibilities on a ball hit to center field or to the Catcher. We've got some great eClinics that detail all types of defensive coverages.
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