Trafford Level Green Baseball Association

Coaching Practice Planner

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Coaches Tips

Every practice - Stretches (arm stretches, shoulder stretches, windmills, quad stretch (leg pull), back stretch (pull knee back), toe touches, bend to sides, sit and reach for toes, pull one leg behind, jumping jacks, push-ups)

Every practice - Review Signs

Every practice - Pre-thought (know the count, check the runners, think about the next play).

Every practice - Running lap around the field or sprints from 3B line to 2B base path

Drill - Live Pitching to Batters

Fielding

Warm-up Routine

Stay in Circle (except to field ball or cover home plate)

Pitching Form

Eye on Lead Runner

Drill - Stations (3 tees, 1 net)

• Knob to ball

• Bat behind back, flex hip

• Full Swing - Ball on tee (or double tees) into net. 

• Full Swing – Eyes Closed (later practices)

Drill - Soft Toss (from side or front)

• Golf balls or plastic 9” baseballs

• Real balls into net

Drill - Hit off coach

Drill - Hit off machine

Drill -Hit off pitchers

Drill – Bunting (sacrifice type, slap type for some with good control, No drag yet)

Signs

Turning away from wild pitch

Every Practice - Basic Throwing Motion (4 seam grip, ball off of palm, high elbow, point at target, right instep in line with target, overhand release, wrist snap)

Every Practice - Swimming on knee

Every Practice – Basic Catching (present a target, use two hands, catch on backside of glove closed and capture with hand, basic glove positioning for above and below waist throws)

Drill – STAR game (throw in “star” pattern with runner trying to circle bases before the throw reaches home

Drill - Relay (teams of three)

Ready Positions

Basic positioning in infield – Cover your base after each pitch with runners on base (depends on the strike count and who is on base)

Basics for each position:

• How to cover the base (go over each base)

• How to tag a runner (low - on the feet)

Drill - Bunt Coverage:

• Yell “BUNT!”

• No runners on base

• Runner on 1B, 1B and 2B or 2B only

• Runner on 3B (other could be occupied also)

Drill - Steal Coverage

Catcher Position:

• Throwing to 2B, 3B on steals (no wrist snap, few steps, move glove back to ball)

• Throwing to 1B on bunts

• Running at Baserunner who has moved too far off base

• Blocking Home plate

• Basic positioning with no runners on and without

• Mask throwing (if they can handle it)

• Basic catching (glove up and down, to the sides when needed, move feet before move glove to the sides)

• Drill – Blocking balls in the dirt

Drill - Run through to orange base, in 3 foot line, return to white

Taking leads (after every pitch crosses home plate)

• In foul territory when on 3B

Taking at turns at 1B (short-5 foot, wide-10 foot)

Pickup 3B coach (when more than half way to 2B)

Slide at all times if someone is covering a base unless a coach yells STAY UP

Stealing – 2B and 3B

Drill - Running Game (teams on Home and 2B)

Drill – Coach Communication (pg 113) – 2 teams (Home and 2B, 1B and 3B coach) signs given to runners to advance, slide, etc

Drill – Cycle girls through each base giving different directions (short turn, wide turn, steal, run through, advance 1B to 3B, hold, continue to home, slide, etc)

Drill - Sliding – on Mat

Drill - Sliding – on Dirt

Aggressive Baserunning (force defense to make you go back to the base)

Delayed run at 3B (wait until play made on batter before scoring)

Tagging Up (on any deep fair or any foul ball)

Drill – Situational plays with runners on

Drill – side to side (spider) from 3B to 2B and 2B to 1B an dvice-versa

Drill – Four fielders on Bases to Start. Start at Home, throw to 1B then run to 1B.  Continue in CW and CCW fashion.  Rotate new player at Home.

Drill – Basic two lines of fielders with a coach batting the base to them.  Rotate the line.  You can rotate the receiver by making the person who makes an error become the new receiver.

Drill – Infield Loop (Page 142 of book – this is a fun workout)

Ready Positions – rock on your toes

Basic positioning in outfield (LF, LC, RC, RF)

Basics for each position:

• 1st step is back

• Turning the shoulder

• Glove down until its needed

• Catch above you head and use two hands

• Backup locations for each position

• Throw ahead of a runner

Drill – Steal coverage (LC, RC)

Drill – Situational plays with agressive baserunners

Drill - Fly balls coach throw/hit – 1st step back.

Drill – Outfielders at different locations – 3 corners (catch a machine pitched ball from different angles)

Drill – 4 outfielders – hit balls in between – Learn to yell “Mine!” and backup.

Drill – Throw to cutoff (if deep), to base or to pitcher

Drill – Blocking technique

Drill – Backing up outfielder to your left or right

Drill – Quick pickup (instead of basic blocking) when needed

Drill - 10 fielders – Situations plays with real runners, steals, bunts, fly balls, etc. 

Drill - Live Pitching with a full infield (and fully dressed catcher) at least

Drill – Live pitching/machine pitch with three teams of three (or 4), rotate every 20 minutes until all have batted.  Fully dressed catcher.