A team that knows the play before the pitch is fast. A team that figures it out during the pitch is slow. This drill is verbal: coach calls a situation, kids name the play.
What you need: A full team or position group. No equipment.
Setup: Defense in their positions. Coach near the pitcher’s mound.
How to run it:
- Coach calls a situation: “Runner on second, one out.”
- Coach asks: “Where do we throw on a ground ball to short?”
- Kids answer. Coach says right or wrong.
- Coach changes the situation: “Runner on first, two outs.”
- Repeat. Cover 8-10 different situations in 10 minutes.
What to watch: Are the same kids answering every time? Call on the quiet ones. Defense knowledge has to be team-wide.
If they’re struggling: Simplify the situations. “No runners, ground ball to short. Where?” Easy answer: first base.
If they’ve got it: Add tricky situations. “Bases loaded, no outs, ground ball to first.” The answer involves cutoffs and force outs.