Individual Outfield Defensive Techniques
Individual Outfield Defensive Drills
Individual Outfield Defensive Techniques
There are many different skills that must be learned in order to have an effective defense in the outfield. Depending on what play needs to be executed, decides where the players will be positioned and what techniques will be performed.
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to get herself under control before fielding a ball, as well as getting her feet into proper position to make an accurate throw to her target.
Execution of the skill: The fielder should approach the ball by sprinting at it. When she gets to about 12 to 15 feet in front of it, she should start to use her gather steps to get herself under control. Basically gather steps are short, choppy stutter steps. By doing this, the outfielder is getting her feet into position so she won't have to waste time doing that when she is ready to throw the ball to her target. This technique should always be used before receiving a ground ball or a fly ball that she can come in on to get.
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to properly catch a fly ball so that she is in position to make a quick accurate throw to her target.
Execution of the skill: When a fly ball is hit to an outfielder, she should approach it the same way as she does a ground ball. She should get herself behind the ball, and then start to come up towards it. When she gets to about 5 to 7 feet in front of the area that she is going to catch it, she should start using her gather steps. Her glove should be positioned at her forehead with her free hand next to the glove. After she catches it, she should then quickly transfer to proper throwing position while making a crow hop with her free hand leg.
click to enlarge click to enlarge
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to receive a ground ball while using her momentum when she needs to come up and make a throw to a base.
Execution of the skill: When receiving the ground ball, after using her gather steps, the outfielder should have her glove-hand foot a little out in front of her free hand foot (in the shape of a V) with a wide base about shoulder width apart. She should then bend at the knees and a little at the waist to go down to field the ball with her momentum still going forward without stopping. Her glove should be extended out in front of her body with her head down watching the ball all the way in the glove. Her free hand should be close to the glove ready to trap the ball in it.
click to enlarge
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to receive a ground ball while using her momentum when there is going to be a close play at the plate.
Execution of the skill: When receiving the ground ball, after using her gather steps, the outfielder should receive it to the outside of her glove-hand foot. Her knees and waist should be bent, and she should be working from the ground up. Her glove should be touching the ground when the ball enters it. The outfielder should scoop the ball up and go straight into her crow hop to throw the ball to her target.
click to enlarge
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to stop a ground ball hit to her when no one is on base.
Execution of the skill: When receiving the ground ball, after using her gather steps, the outfielder should get down on her free-hand knee with a wide base. The back of her glove should be flat on the ground with her free hand ready to trap the ball in the glove. It is a good idea to bend her free-hand leg around so that it covers the hole created between the legs, just in case the ball happens to get under or to the side of the glove.
click to enlarge
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to position herself to receive the fly ball or ground ball so that the ball is in a straight line between her and her target (AKA Body-Ball-Target).
Execution of the skill: The outfielder always wants the ball to be between herself and her target. For example, if the throw needs to go to home plate, then the outfielder needs to get the ball straight between herself and home plate. The way she accomplishes this is by first taking a drop-step to get herself in good position behind the ball. When she gets behind it, she should then sprint towards it, and take her gather steps to control herself before she receives the ball.
click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to protect herself from colliding with the fence while trying to catch a fly ball.
Execution of the skill: When an outfielder realizes that she has to go back to catch a fly ball, she should first take a drop step. When she feels like she is getting close to the fence, she should extend her back arm towards the fence. Her arm should be slightly flexed so that if she makes contact with the fence, she won't hurt herself.
click to enlarge
Skill 8: Ball at the Fence Relay
For: All outfielders
Purpose: Teaches the outfielder how to correctly pick up a ball at the fence and how to relay it in to her cut-off.
Execution of the skill: When the outfielder gets to the ball by the fence, she should center herself around the ball. She does this by having her hips should be perpendicular to the fence with the ball out in front in the center of her body. She should bend at the knees to pick up the ball. In order to make sure she gets a good grip on it, she should push down and twist the ball into the ground. She should quickly transfer to proper throwing position. As she is doing this, the outfielder should take a crow hop crossover step away from the fence to create momentum behind her throw. Her back foot should cross IN FRONT of her body. This allows her to cover more distance away from the fence than if she would cross her back leg behind her body.
click to enlarge click to enlarge click to enlarge
Individual Outfield Defensive Drills
Now that a fielder knows how to execute proper techniques when fielding a ball in the outfield, we can move on to some individual defensive drills that incorporate these techniques while involving all outfielders in the same drill. Here is a brief overview of 3 specific drills.
The purpose behind this drill is to teach the outfielders how to communicate with each other whose going to catch the ball without colliding or shying away from each other.
The drill works as into
The outfielders go to their respective positions. The coach hits fly balls or ground balls into the left-center and right-center gaps. If the centerfielder calls the ball, then the other outfielder has the job of backing her up. She does this by running 10 to 15 feet behind her. the same goes for the centerfielder if the other outfielder calls for it. There should ALWAYS be a back-up for an outfielder when the ball is hit in the gap!
The purpose behind this drill is to teach the outfielders how to protect each other from colliding with the fence.
The drill works as follows:
The outfielders go to their respective positions. The coach hits a fly ball that is close to the fence. When the outfielder gets just passed the warning track, the other outfielder yells to her, "fence, fence, fence". By hearing this verbal cue, as well as using her finding the fence technique, an outfielder should never get hurt from running into the fence.
Back Home