A shortstop should be an aggressive take charge type of player. The shortstop should be a good decision maker, have good range, a good “glove”, and a strong arm. It is not a rule but the shortstop on a Little League team is typically one of the best players on the team due to the difficulty level of the position. This is not to say that these players won’t play other positions as well but identifying who the main infielders will be to start the season is a good idea and having more than the six required(pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, and shortstop) is essential.
Take a look how to do it below.Īfter four or five practices focusing on the basic skills, it will be time to select the seven or maybe eight players who will make up the infield unit. The creep step is essential to creating defensive range.
During game, situation drills, when to throw and when not to throw can be discussed. Challenging players in practice will help develop a better player. Allow players to make throwing attempts on very difficult plays and even plays that they would probably “eat the ball” during a game. Hit balls to the left and right of players, “in the hole”, and also make them charge “slow rollers”. Once players appear to be grasping the basics, range can then be added to the practice drills. The four B’s – ball base backup baserunner At this time, stress the importance of making the play before making the throw which was the significance of starting by just practicing the fielding first. The infielders will now learn the proper techniques of making the throw from both short and second ( we will get to third base later as it might be a little easier to try and identify the middle infielders first). We can get into a bit later some first baseman specific skills that can be worked on during this drill. Position two or three players that have been identified as possible first basemen at the first base position. After a few rounds of just fielding then add in the throwing. Fielding balls bare handed will help develop the basic mechanics needed to properly field a ground ball because it will force players to use two hands which will help players to “get down” on the ball. Players can put their gloves away and hardballs can be replaced with a safety ball or tennis ball ( a smoother surface may be required for the tennis ball). If this is the case, an even more basic drill can be used. A common mechanical flaw that may be seen early on is players not “getting down” on the ball. Make sure players are practicing good form and mechanics.
Rotate hitting balls to those positions as players rotate in and out. A good basic drill is to split up the team into two groups that will be positioned at the second base and shortstop positions. Build infielders from the ground up and start by just focusing on the fielding. The first few weeks of practice should include very basic drills that focus on fielding and throwing. Infield Basics The Foundation : Fielding & Throwing *In this article, the pitcher and catcher will not be broken down into specific details (such as pitching mechanics or catching technique) but rather will be discussed in relationship to the other infield positions. Let’s now take a look at how to properly develop a Little League team’s infield. However, what’s important is not how much practice but what is being practiced. Baseball Coaching Tips for the InfieldĬoaches tend to spend a lot of time practicing their infielders and unfortunately sometimes at the expense of other positions and players. The ability to properly develop infielders can be just as challenging for a coach. A number of different factors make the infield positions very challenging such as decisions having to be made quickly more often than not, having to field very hard hit balls at times, and simply just being closer to where the ball is actually coming off the bat. At the younger levels, playing the infield can be a pretty intimidating thought for a lot of young players.
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