How do you teach quick IF throws?

[quincy]

Another drill I like but have to tried yet is to have a fielder stand behind a cone.

Roll the ball at the cone. The fielder is forced to move to her right around the cone, then they will be moving slight towards the base while catching the ball, come up throwing.

Hope I am explain it right, seems like a good easy drill to work on player’s footwork and body position.

 

[02Crush]

We bought 6 of those skilz flat mits for $15.00 each. When we ran stations for infield they have to field with these instead of their own glove. It forced the player to use two hands to receive the ball rather than merely catching the ball in a glove then having to pull the ball out with the throwing hand. Being forced to use two hands placed the throwing hand very close to, if not on the ball at the point of fielding and creating a more ready position to rake the ball back to throw it. We began to see 1-2 seconds shaved off of the transition timing, more accurate throwing, more outs at 1st on batter runners in our last three tournaments. A worthwhile investment for us. It also led to more confidence in their fielding which allowed us to begin working on footwork and other details of fielding. I like them for now. Try one and see what you think. We began to see how a lot of time is wasted when after they field the ball they have to move their throwing hand around their body over to the glove, then into the glove to remove the ball then rake it back to a throwing position and the finally back towards the target to release the ball. You get the point that if we could do something to shorten something in this cycle we would gain time and if we gained time we would get more outs. It worked b/c after they ball bounces off the flat glove up into them enough they finally realize the throwing hand needs to be involved in fielding the ball to control it. This is where the the initial first step listed previously is getting trained out of them and thus cutting time off their transition and throwing.

 

[Dtwn92]

This stuff was posted a while ago but I wanted to thank those who gave advice. It has worked very well so far.

 

[Wellphyt]

We do several of the more basic Kobata fielding and throwing drills at every practice. I can run through them in about 30 minutes. We've been doing them for two years and I feel like they have made a big difference. Like others here have already pointed out, proper foot work is a big part of being quick. One drill that we do a lot is the one where the players are split up into groups of five and form a circle. Player starts by throwing ball to player across from them and so on and so on. The pattern is similar to throwing it around the infield after a strike out, but the players are a little further apart.

The focus is on cutting towards the ball with the glove foot and getting sideways to the target by getting the body around the ball as the ball is pulled in toward the chest area. The goal is to do everything in one smooth motion with no pauses. To be quick, but not rush. One key is to get the girls comfortable with getting their feet square to the target at the same time the ball is being pulled in towards the chest. Kobata describes it as getting the body around the ball. I believe most of us guys who played growing up, do it naturally. Many girls have a tendency to stand and wait on the ball. This drill will get them moving their feet.

We do two maybe three circles if we have enough players/coaches; and race to five. Losing circles do five push-ups The race gets the girls used to making throws under pressure. Sometimes the pressure gets to them resulting in them tightening up and making a bad throw. Those of you who have played know the feeling.

 

[starsnuffer]

+10000 on the Kobata videos.

There are progressions you can do to teach your infielders. First, you need to make sure they understand a proper athletic position. The back should be arched with the shoulders back and chest out (opposite a cat) with a strong and compact core. This is true of all sports, and this is what separates the athletes from the kids that like to play ball. With this understanding, have them kneel (still in an athletic position), pick up a ball placed on the ground in front of them, and then throw the ball about 15-20 feet from the same position in which they picked up the ball. The throw is not a "sidearm", but rather the entire upper body is nearly horizontal to the ground. Let them see that, when thrown correctly, the ball will tail towards home, when thrown from SS to 1B.

Then repeat with kneeling with the front foot on the ground, then do the same drill only rolling the ball to them instead of having them pick it up. Now put them on their feet and do the same drill (rakethrough fielding). Increase the speed and distance to the players comfort level. Before you know it, you've accomplished your goal.

Athletic position is key. If the player starts arching their back the wrong way or "bending" to get the ball, start over.

-W