Eyes In!. Then, if they see the ball is not coming to their area of the field, they go to their second responsibility of Backing-up a base. The information presented in this section is Basic. Using proper Underhand Toss technique, the player fielding the ball throws the ball to the base. This occurs over a couple of months, piece by piece. This illustrates to the player where the ball will go if not caught at the base. Prospect, Ill./Prospect) collected six more hits on the . This is important because the kids are standing close together. It describes what we want our player doing. Teach the First Baseman to be aggressively go after balls hit between them and the Second Baseman or between them and the Pitcher. The remaining players are placed along the first base line and will rotate into the drill at the catching position. Movement is critical. Occasionally the ball will get loose and the Catcher fills the role of Backing-up. These runners are not that fast. Softball Bunt Defense Explained - YouTube We want them to turn their gaze away from the ball, put their eyes on the base and get to the base as fast as possible. Bastion of the Vilnius Defensive Wall (Vilniaus Gynybines - Viator Older player (ages 10-12) often have vocal muscles developed enough for the outfield to hear them. The LF & RF need to be aware of this possibility. Once they are at the base, then they turn around and get in a Ready Position facing the ball. Our objective is for each defensive player to make a hard, aggressive step towards the ball when it is put into play. Note: These diagrams are old and will be replaced at some point. The right fielder plays at a similar depth and should be between the second base and first base defenders. The players need to understand that the player with the ball needs to remain conscious of the runners. I prefer Ready simply because it is more descriptive.Hey! We have the player run over to get the ball. We want to train our players that the moment TIME has been called, and/or the pitcher steps on the rubber, they immediately move their eyes from the ball to the Catcher (see below). When those times come up that a player is not sure what to do with the ball, we teaching them to run (sprint) with the ball straight for the pitching rubber. If a defender comes to a base before she gets to the ball, then her responsibility is to be on the base. However, if they are sprinting towards the correct spot, they will be on their way to retrieving an overthrown ball. On the infield side of the base (away from the path of the runner), Heel of throwing hand foot, next to center of the base (a few inches away, but not touching), Squared up and facing the ball, in a Ready Position (not a stretch^ position). Kids understand a key is needed to open the door to their house. Human Kinetics print books and eBooks are now distributed by Mare Nostrum, throughout the UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East, delivered to you from their warehouse. It may be more dramatic as running 30'-40' to reestablish the straight line relationship from the ball to the base to them in their backing up of a base. The first and third base defenders should be approximately 3 feet (9 m) in front of their base and 3 feet from the foul line. When the ball is near the pitching rubber, the player with the ball is an equal, and significant, threat to all base runners. 5 takeaways from Oklahoma Softball's sweep of the Baylor Bears