All Star Practice 5 | eaconsulting

ALL STAR PRACTICE 5 Focus: Agility, Catching/Throwing/Fly's, Infield Dailies, 4 Corners, Fielding, Pitching/Catching, Hitting/Bunting, "Stinger" Hitting Game, Infield/Outfield: Situations/Positioning, Bunt Coverage, Covering Steals, Covering Bunts, Relays/Cut Offs

Agility Warm Up (10 Min)

Player shuffles laterally right and left around the outside of the cone with glove tucked

Running with their glove tucked in and out of cones
Every other time, have the player drop step around the cone

Catching/Throwing/Fly’s (15 Min)

Knee wrist snaps with glove
Throwing from the knees
Regular throws starting close and slowly move back.
Add a competition for fun having the players attempt to throw into a bucket from 10-12 feet
The focus is on elevating the ball with a proper release point and wrist snap
Catching and moving through the ball
- Player sets up in an athletic position
- The player steps forward with her glove foot as she receives the ball fingertips up and throwing hand to the side
- The player continues working through the catch by carrying her momentum forward as she crosses over with her throwing hand foot
- The players momentum continues through the ball as she plants her throwing hand foot
- Her glove foot strides toward the target finishing in a throwing position
Coaches toss short fly balls directly to the player
- Focus should be catching ball above the shoulder finger tips up
- Player’s left foot should be forward when catching if possible
- Encourage the player to communicate “ball”, “ball”, “ball”
Start with short fly balls and progress higher as appropriate
Drop step left (right handed player)
- Player sets up in an athletic position
- Player drop steps with their left foot while tucking the glove
- The player crosses over with their right foot
- The proper angle is then taken towards the ball
Drop step right (right handed player)
- Player sets up in an athletic position
- Player drop steps with their right foot while tucking the glove
- The player crosses over with their left foot
- The proper angle is then taken towards the ball

Infield Dailies (10 Min)

Dailies are performed by two players that are 5-7 feet apart
If the players are having difficult feeding to each other and it's not efficient, have the coaches step in

4 Corners (10 Min)

In groups of 4, the player's form a square roughly 7 feet apart (small 4 corners)
The rotation of the ball will start clockwise.
The player's are positioned in an athletic position to receive the ball with both hands giving a target
With their feet stationary, they will call for the ball, "Ball"
Their shoulders will be square to the ball upon catching
Upon throwing, the players will simply pivot their feet to the target without stepping
The throw will be a dart throw with the ball not coming past the ear and using mostly the wrist
This should be very controlled and accurate
Go around 6-7 times and then reverse to go counter clockwise

In groups of 4, the player's form a square roughly 20-25 feet apart (big 4 corners)
The rotation of the ball will start clockwise.
The player's are positioned in an athletic position to receive the ball with both hands giving a target
With their feet moving in place, they will call for the ball, "Ball"
Their shoulders will be square to the ball upon catching with momentum moving towards their target
Upon throwing, the players using quick feet will have momentum to their target throwing to their targets glove side
Have the players work on quick transfers with the ball coming out of their glove and it to a throwing position
This should be move quickly with lots of communication
Go around 6-7 times and then reverse to go counter clockwise

In groups of 4, the player's form a square roughly 20-25 feet apart (big 4 corners)
The rotation of the ball will start reverse clockwise.
The player's are positioned in an athletic position to receive the ball with both hands giving a target
With their feet moving in place, they will call for the ball, "Ball"
Their shoulders will be square to the ball upon catching with their glove foot stepping towards the ball (right handed player)
Upon throwing, the players will drop step with their back foot to align their bodies to the target
Have the players work on quick transfers with the ball coming out of their glove and it to a throwing position
This should be move quickly with lots of communication
Go around 6-7 times and then reverse to go counter clockwise

Fielding (10 Min)

Have the players line up at short stop in a single file line
A coach will be in front with a bucket of balls about 15 feet away to feed them ground balls
Another coach will be in line with first base but about 10 feet in front to shorten the distance to receive throws
The player at the front of the line will receive a ground ball rolled to them, throw it to the coach in line with first base, and then run to the end of the line
The coach feeding ground balls will roll them balls:
- Directly to so the players can work on coming through the ball
- To their glove side to work on lateral movement and angles to the forehand side
- To their hand side to work on later movement and angles to the backhand side
- Slow rollers just outside their hand side so they can work on throwing on the run
The focus should be on proper footwork and fielding positions

Infield/Outfield Defense (30 Min)

Infield/Outfield
Situations/Positioning

Infield/Outfield Warm Ups (10 Min)
- Split the team in to two groups
- Have one coach work with outfield fundamentals throwing or hitting fly balls and grounders
- Have another coach work with the infield rolling or hitting grounders
  - You can have the players stay in one position or can rotate them through the infield from third, to short stop, to second, and then first
  - Work on force plays to first, second, third, and home and explain defensive positioning and coverages
  - Stress the fundamentals of good footwork, working through the ball, staying athletic, and good throws
- After 10 minutes, the infield goes to the outfield and outfield goes to the infield

Infield/Outfield Defense (20 Min)

Coach places the players in positions
- The coaching starts with the outfield hitting to the left fielder, center fielder, then right fielder (Work on relays as well)
- The coach hits each outfielder 3 balls with the outfielder throwing to second, then third, then home
- When the outfield is throwing to 2nd base:
  - The second baseman covers 2nd base on all balls hit to the left side of 2nd base
    - When the second baseman covers, the right fielder is the backup and gets in to proper position if the ball gets passed
    - The short stop is the cut off on all balls that get by the outfielders on the left side
  - The short stop covers 2nd on all balls hit to the right side of 2nd base
    - When the short stop covers, the left fielder is the backup and gets in to proper position if the ball gets passed
    - The second baseman is the cut off on all balls that get by the outfielders on the right side
- When the outfield is throwing to third base:
  - The third baseman covers third base
    - The pitcher is always the back up
    - The short stop is the cut off on all balls fielded by the left and center fielder with the second baseman covering 2nd base
    - The second baseman is the cut off to balls hit to right field with the short stop covering 2nd base
- When the outfield is throwing home:
  - The catcher covers home
  - The pitcher is always the back up
  - The short stop is the cut off on all balls hit to the left of 2nd base with the second baseman covering 2nd base
  - The second baseman is the cut off on all balls hit to the right of 2nd base with the short stop covering 2nd base
- The coach then hits balls to infielders
- Each position receives 4 balls all at once or staggered (Work on both force plays and tag plays and explain proper positioning of the receiver for each)
  - When the third baseman fields:
    - When the third baseman throws home, the short stop rotates to cover 3rd base and second baseman covers 2nd base
    - When the third baseman fields a ball for a force out at 3rd base the short stop covers 3rd base if necessary
    - When the third baseman throws to 2nd base, the second base covers and turns two with the right fielder backing up
    - When the third baseman throws to 1st base, the first baseman covers with the right fielder backing up
  - When the short stop fields:
    - When the short stop throws home, the catcher receives and the second baseman rotates to cover 2nd base
    - When the short stop throws to third, the third baseman covers and the short stop drop steps with balls hit to their glove side
    - When the short stop throws to 2nd base, the second baseman covers turning two
    - When the short stop throws to 1st base, the first baseman receives the ball
  - When the second baseman fields:
    - When the second baseman throws home, the catcher receives and the short stop rotates to cover 2nd base
    - When the second baseman throws to third, the third baseman covers and the short stop covers 2nd base
    - When the second baseman throws to 2nd base, the short stop covers turning two
    - When the second baseman throws to 1st base, the first baseman receives the ball
  - When the first baseman fields:
  - When the first baseman throws home, the catcher receives and the short stop rotates to cover 2nd base
  - When the first baseman throws to third, the third baseman covers and the short stop rotates to cover 2nd base
  - When the first baseman throws to 2nd base, the short stop covers turning two
  - When the first baseman fields she touches first for the out with the second baseman rotating to 1st base if needed
- Go through 3-4 cycles of the above with the infield and outfield
- Next, work on situations with runners on various bases and let them know how many outs there are

Hitting (25 Min)

Tee
- Athletic stance with no stride approach
- Feet positioned straight or slightly inward with weight on the inside
- Feet are positioned just outside the shoulders with equal weight on each
- Have the player just get to contact and through to extension starting slow then progressively getting faster maintaining proper form
- Focus on staying athletic through to extension with chin staying down
- Have the player take a full swing finishing high at the shoulder
- Position the tee to the middle contact point and have the player take a full swing
- Position the tee to inside contact point and have the player take a full swing
- Position the tee to outside contact point and have player take a full swing
- Make necessary adjustments to a player’s swing

Soft Toss
- Coach kneels to the side and slightly in front of batter
- Coach slowly tosses the ball to batters strike zone
- Batter swings through with focus points above
Front Toss
- Coach pitches from 12-15 feet away
- Keep focus on proper mechanics
- Make necessary adjustments
Sacrifice Bunts
- Athletic stance with feet opened up towards pitcher
- Bat start at the top of the strike zone
- Bat is at eye level
- All pitches above the bat, the bat is pulled back
- All pitches in the strike zone, the legs get the bat to the ball
- Arms are flexed and upon contact a small push can be made to the ball
- Bat is slightly angled for placement down 3rd and 1st

Base Hit Bunts
- Have a coach demonstrate the proper fundamentals of a base hit bunt
- Player sets up in an athletic stance
- As the pitch is delivered the player starts to drop step with their back foot
- The players back foot touches the ground on the drop step as contact is made with the ball
- All pitches above the bat, the bat is pulled back
- Bat is slightly angled for placement down 3rd and 1st

Hitting - "Stinger" Game (20 Min)
- This game can be played individually or in groups
- For the sake of this description we will split the team in to two even groups
- Group 1 is at bat first while group 2 is shagging in the field
- Each player in group 1 will have two rounds of at bats
- A coach front tosses from roughly 20 feet
- The batter should be selective on pitches to swing at only swinging at pitches they can hit hard
- During an at bat, the batter will continue to hit for every hard hit ball with the coach being the judge
- When the batter hits a ball that is not deemed a hard hit by the coach, she steps out and the next player steps in
- This continues until all batters have had two rounds
- Group 1 keeps a cumulative count of balls hit hard by their team
- After group 1 completes their round they shag on the field and group 2 bats
The focus on this game should be pitch selection and concentrating under pressure to hit each ball hard

Pitching (20 Min)

Wrist snaps restraining pitching arm shoulders stay isolated
Long Toss
- The pitcher starts at the mound and moves back about three feet after each successful pitch across the plate
- Once the pitcher fails to reach the plate, she moves forward and starts her long toss from that location
- The pitcher pitches 20 pitches from this location
Full Motion from the mound

Catching

Setup/Positioning
- Feet are shoulder width apart
- Knees fully bent
- Back is straight
- Glove arm is at 90 degree with glove opened towards pitcher
- Throwing hand is behind back
Framing/Receiving
- Glove arm stays flexed and out in front
- For an inside pitch, upon catching the ball the catchers thumb is up
- For an outside pitch, upon catching the ball the catchers thumb is down
- For a high pitch, upon catching the ball the catchers palm is down
- For a low pitch, the catcher receives the ball finger tips up
Blocking
- Feet are kicked out behind catcher
- Body/Chest is over the ball
- Shoulders are square to the plate
- Glove is positioned on the ground between legs
- Throwing hand is placed behind the glove to protect it
- Chin is to the chest
- Goal is to have the ball hit the chest and drop straight down towards the plate
Throwing
- Upon catching the ball, the catcher pops up staying in an athletic position
- Feet touch down on the balls simultaneously
- Glove shoulder is facing target
- Glove is pulled towards ear and ball is transferred to throwing hand
- The ball is separated from the glove in back of throwing shoulder

Player shuffles laterally right and left around the outside of the cone with glove tucked

Running with their glove tucked in and out of cones

Every other time, have the player drop step around the cone

Add a competition for fun having the players attempt to throw into a bucket from 10-12 feet

The focus is on elevating the ball with a proper release point and wrist snap

Player sets up in an athletic position​​

The player steps forward with her glove foot as she receives the ball fingertips up and throwing hand to the side

The player continues working through the catch by carrying her momentum forward as she crosses over with her throwing hand foot

The players momentum continues through the ball as she plants her throwing hand foot

Her glove foot strides toward the target finishing in a throwing position

Focus should be catching ball above the shoulder finger tips up

Player’s left foot should be forward when catching if possible

Encourage the player to communicate “ball”, “ball”, “ball”

Start with short fly balls and progress higher as appropriate

​Player sets up in an athletic position

Player drop steps with their left foot while tucking the glove

The player crosses over with their right foot

The proper angle is then taken towards the ball​

​Player sets up in an athletic position

Player drop steps with their right foot while tucking the glove

The player crosses over with their left foot

The proper angle is then taken towards the ball

Infield Dailies (10 Min)

​​

Dailies are performed by two players that are 5-7 feet apart

If the players are having difficult feeding to each other and it's not efficient, have the coaches step in

4 Corners (10 Min)

​​

In groups of 4, the player's form a square roughly 7 feet apart (small 4 corners)

The rotation of the ball will start clockwise.

The player's are positioned in an athletic position to receive the ball with both hands giving a target

With their feet stationary, they will call for the ball, "Ball"

Their shoulders will be square to the ball upon catching

Upon throwing, the players will simply pivot their feet to the target without stepping

The throw will be a dart throw with the ball not coming past the ear and using mostly the wrist

This should be very controlled and accurate

Go around 6-7 times and then reverse to go counter clockwise

​

In groups of 4, the player's form a square roughly 20-25 feet apart (big 4 corners)

The rotation of the ball will start clockwise.

The player's are positioned in an athletic position to receive the ball with both hands giving a target

With their feet moving in place, they will call for the ball, "Ball"

Their shoulders will be square to the ball upon catching with momentum moving towards their target

Upon throwing, the players using quick feet will have momentum to their target throwing to their targets glove side

Have the players work on quick transfers with the ball coming out of their glove and it to a throwing position

This should be move quickly with lots of communication

Go around 6-7 times and then reverse to go counter clockwise

​

In groups of 4, the player's form a square roughly 20-25 feet apart (big 4 corners)

The rotation of the ball will start reverse clockwise.

The player's are positioned in an athletic position to receive the ball with both hands giving a target

With their feet moving in place, they will call for the ball, "Ball"

Their shoulders will be square to the ball upon catching with their glove foot stepping towards the ball (right handed player)

Upon throwing, the players will drop step with their back foot to align their bodies to the target

Have the players work on quick transfers with the ball coming out of their glove and it to a throwing position

This should be move quickly with lots of communication

Go around 6-7 times and then reverse to go counter clockwise

Fielding (10 Min)

​​​

Have the players line up at short stop in a single file line

A coach will be in front with a bucket of balls about 15 feet away to feed them ground balls

Another coach will be in line with first base but about 10 feet in front to shorten the distance to receive throws

The player at the front of the line will receive a ground ball rolled to them, throw it to the coach in line with first base, and then run to the end of the line

The coach feeding ground balls will roll them balls:

Directly to so the players can work on coming through the ball

To their glove side to work on lateral movement and angles to the forehand side

To their hand side to work on later movement and angles to the backhand side

Slow rollers just outside their hand side so they can work on throwing on the run

The focus should be on proper footwork and fielding positions

​

Infield/Outfield

Situations/Positioning

Infield/Outfield Warm Ups (10 Min)

Split the team in to two groups ​

Have one coach work with outfield fundamentals throwing or hitting fly balls and grounders

Have another coach work with the infield rolling or hitting grounders

You can have the players stay in one position or can rotate them through the infield from third, to short stop, to second, and then first ​

Work on force plays to first, second, third, and home and explain defensive positioning and coverages

Stress the fundamentals of good footwork, working through the ball, staying athletic, and good throws

After 10 minutes, the infield goes to the outfield and outfield goes to the infield

Player sets up in an athletic position

Player sets up in an athletic position

The proper angle is then taken towards the ball

Player sets up in an athletic position

Split the team in to two groups

You can have the players stay in one position or can rotate them through the infield from third, to short stop, to second, and then first

The second baseman covers 2nd base on all balls hit to the left side of 2nd base

When the second baseman covers, the right fielder is the backup and gets in to proper position if the ball gets passed

When the short stop covers, the left fielder is the backup and gets in to proper position if the ball gets passed

The third baseman covers third base

The pitcher is always the back up

The pitcher is always the back up

When the third baseman fields:

When the third baseman throws home, the short stop rotates to cover 3rd base and second baseman covers 2nd base