This document is designed as a foundation for all coaches working at

the 10-12 year old level. While it may seem basic, its usefulness is the
focus on fundamentals – frankly, an area that many coaches overlook.
Baseball is an explosive sport – when things happen, they happen very
quickly. Players must react and to do so successfully requires a solid
grounding in fundamentals. Focus on these fundamentals and your
players are certain to improve. Build on the fundamentals with every
player on your team and your team will be competitive. There are four
primary sections to the document – fielding ground balls, fielding fly
balls / outfield play, hitting, and running practices including some
useful drills.

John Verducci is the primary source for the content. John has been with
LAMV PONY Baseball for nearly a decade coaching at all levels and
serving as the league's president. He's been one of our more
successful coaches. His teams have frequently won the championship
or finished in second place. That's not because he always has the best
players, it's because he's excellent at developing their talent. John has
a rich baseball background - he was a local star in high school and
went on to play at Stanford University where he was considered one of
the best defensive shortstops in the school's history. Following college
he played in the San Francisco Giants organization for several years.
He has a tremendous knowledge of the game but also a unique ability
to teach the game to young players. While it's impossible to capture
everything John teaches kids or his approach to coaching, we hope you
find this excerpt useful to you as you develop the young men and
women on your teams.
Fielding the ground ball

The foundation of solid defense is fielding the ground ball. The

pitcher’s goal should be to live low in the strike zone and induce
ground balls. Strike-outs are a bonus. Making outs with ground balls
should be the bread-n-butter of the defense.

Proper fielding starts with the “ready” position. The player should
always start down low, glove on or near the dirt with the palm up, and
the throwing hand out in front of the body. Players often start a game
with a good ready position but after six or seven innings they will lose
the discipline. This is when games are often won or lost. Stay focused
for the entire game. Don’t let your players slip on this.

The player should move quickly and aggressively to the ball as soon as
it’s hit with a cross-over step and good footwork. Better fielders will
“round” the ball hit to their side – first step may be a hesitation move
and then moving into the ball as it approaches with the ideal of
catching the ball at the top or bottom of the bounces arc. They should
stay low as they move and step into the ball keeping the shoulders
square and the left leg (right handers) slightly ahead of the right leg,
then shift to get in line for the throw aligning shoulders and hips in the
direction of the throw. Always make a shuffle move with the feet to
“close the gap” on the throw reinforcing that players should always
“throw with their legs”. If the shoulders and hips are in line with the
target and there is a good “shuffle-n-throw” move then the ball with
almost always be delivered on line.
Coaching points:
• Good “ready” position – Pre-pitch routine (similar to free-throws
in basketball or putting in golf) can be as simple as “right-left-
glove down” for right handers and “left-right-glove down” for
lefties. Corners should have their eyes focused on the hitter to
read hands on a bunt and middle infielders should focus their
eyes on the trajectory of the ball reading inside or outside
location and anticipating where ball will be hit.
• “Rounding” the ball
• Stay low moving to and through the ball – avoid the first move
being “up”
• Step into the ball with right leg (right handers) and field it in-
front. At the point where the ball makes contact with the glove,
there should be a nice triangle shape formed by both feet and
the glove. If the triangle is flat, the player is not catching it far
enough out front.
• Work from the ground up – there should never be a downward
motion with the glove just prior to catching it (glove should
always be below the ball).
• Use momentum and strong right leg (right handers) to pivot for
the throw
• Shuffle and throw – closing the gap to the target and use the
body to make the throw. Most players will shuffle with their right
leg/left leg (right hander/left hander) going behind their other
leg. Others will go in front. Both methods are OK.

Practice drills for fielding ground balls

Insist on the player always being in a good “ready” position before any
infield drill – don’t hesitate to stop the drill if players are not getting
into position, which will happen as they get tired (or a little lazy). If
hitting ground balls, do not hit the ball until the player is in the ready
position. A solid “ready” athletic position sets the foundation for the
play.

Drill 1 – “habituals”

This drill should be performed at nearly every practice – the point is to

make the mechanics of fielding grounders routine such that it becomes
a “habit”.

Players pair up and face each other from about 8 feet apart. Start by
rolling the ball to each other – focus on making the “triangle” (glove
and feet), fielding the ball in front, use the top hand to secure the ball
in the glove (glove catches the front half of the ball, bare hand catches
the back half of the ball), and then “pull” the ball up to a throwing
position with top hand on the ball – feet stay shoulder width apart the
entire time. Players remain in a low, athletic position. This drill can
also be done without the glove on.

After rolling it to each other 8-10 times, then shift to short hops from
close range, and then short hops from farther apart (25-30 feet). In
short hops, players should focus on “throwing the glove” toward the
ball as it hops up. Reinforce the idea that on any bad / short hop they
should “throw the glove at the ball.” Finally, move closer together
again and work on backhands. For backhands, the left knee is up and
right knee is down – players should be “scooping” the ball in a
sweeping motion on the backhand. Glove should not be static as the
ball arrives. Start by rolling the ball to the glove and then close range
short hops. These drills are designed to reinforce fundamental
mechanics. It’s not exciting but it’s focused and repetitive – good for
building a foundation.

Drill 2 – Round The Ball

Start players in a line behind a cone or tee and roll or hit a ball directly
at the cone / tee. Have the player run around the cone / tee to field
the ball and then throw to a target near first base. Right handed
fielders will move around the cone/tee to the right and left handed
fielders will move around the cone to the left. Best to run this drill with
two coaches and lines of players – one at short and one at second –
have players switch lines after each rep. The goal is to get them
moving to the ball, “rounding” it, and then throwing with momentum
toward first. Space your first basemen at a safe distance from each
other.

Drill 3 – On-The-Run

Start players in two lines – one at short and one at second. Hit balls to
the line opposite from where the player is starting. Coach will yell “go”
and hit the ball. Players should run around the back of second base
and field the ball on the move. Right-handed players can practice
backhand fielding moving from second to short. Coach alternates
hitting balls to short and second simultaneously to keep both lines
running. Player at the front of the line starts to run (before his ball is
hit) when the previous player catches the ball in his glove. Focus is to
field the ball on the move and improve transition from fielding to
throwing in one continuous motion.

Hitting

Basic hitting mechanics

• Stance – Hitting starts from the ground up. Feet should be
shoulder width apart, in a solid athletic position – good balance.
A check point is to lightly push a player from in front or behind
and then shouldn’t lose their balance. Players should not have
much weight on the heels of their feet. Moving both knees
slightly toward each other will shift the weight from the heels to
the balls of the feet.
• Grip – bat should be held in the fingers; not clutched in the
palms. “Knocking knuckles” should be lined up
 • Load – as the pitcher starts his motion the hitter should “load” –
shoulders rock back and weight shifts slightly to 60/40
• Stride – Front foot should “step” slightly forward / inward to the
ball – never step out (stepping in the bucket) – this is the most
common mistake young hitters will make which is a reason they
cannot hit the outside pitch (and another reason pitchers in
Bronco who work the outside part of the plate will be VERY
successful).
• Swing should be strong and straight to the ball. When contact is
made, top hand should have palm facing upwards and bottom
hand should have palm facing the ground. Power drives off the
back foot with strong hip rotation bringing the bat to the ball
from the inside. Belly button should be facing the pitcher at the
conclusion of the swing for full rotation.
• Let the ball travel deep – avoid getting on the front foot. Follow
through with strong extension

Three things to remember before they step in the box …

1. Have an approach
a. What has the pitcher been throwing (first pitch fastball for
a strike?)
b. How many outs?
c. Where are the runners? (no outs with a runner on second,
their job is to put the ball in play on the right side of the
field – put the ball on the ground. Runner on third and less
then two outs – score the run!)
d. Make adjustments with two strikes – do at least one of the
following:
i. Choke-up
ii. Get closer to the plate
iii. Widen the stance and get lower
iv. Move forward in the box (less common at younger
levels)
v. Expand your strike zone slightly
2. Swing at strikes
a. Be sure players understand the strike zone – early in the
season have a group meeting at the plate to show where
are ball can be and still be a strike. The strike zone is
 much larger than most kids think it is, especially on the
outside part of the plate.
b. Early in the count, be picky – look for one pitch in one spot
and be aggressive when you get it. Late in the count to
with what comes – ball outside then take it to opposite
field. “Spoil” questionable pitches by fouling them off –
live another day. Expand the zone. Don’t go down looking
– win the battle!
3. Make good swings
a. Hitting is explosive. Have one solid, repeatable swing with
good fundamentals and adjust timing to pitches – don’t
change the swing. Swing for line-drives or grounders by
having a slightly downward swing arc.
b. Remember – a ball hit on the ground requires three plays
to make the out: it has to be fielded, there has to be a
good throw, and a catch on the other end. A fly ball
requires one play – catch it. There are no bad hops in the
air.

Bunting – every player on the team should know how to bunt (no
exceptions!) All players should know the Golden Rule of Bunting: Only
Bunt Strikes!

Bunting mechanics:
• Hold the “back half” of the bat with the top hand – don’t wrap
the fingers on the bat (they’ll get crushed)
• Pivot the feet to get belly button square to the pitcher
• Keep the bat out in front – start the bat at the top of the strike
zone and work down. Be sure there is coverage to the outside of
the plate. Remember the Golden Rule.
• Move up and down with the legs, not the arms. Keep the barrel
of the bat above your hands at all times.
• Deaden the ball at impact with a slight “give” – don’t reach out
to it – let ball travel to the bat
• Goal is to lay down on the lines or foul – not back at the pitcher
Three basic bunts
• Sacrifice – show the bunt early and be committed. Bunt down
the first base line. The player is bunting to get themselves out
(sacrifice) and advance a runner. Follow the Golden Rule.
• Drag – show the bunt late and go down the third base line or
foul. This bunt is for a “hit”. Be quick out of the box on contact.
Follow the Golden Rule.
• Squeeze – runner is on third and likely coming home. Make all
attempts to make contact. A “swing through” bunt on the
squeeze is death. Drop the Golden Rule. Be sure to have a
unique sign for the squeeze with a corresponding
acknowledgement by the player (e.g., running his hand down the
bat) so the coach knows the player has the sign and won’t swing
the bat with a runner approaching.

A note on “taking” pitches. Yes, there is actually technique on taking

pitches. Hitters should be taught to follow a pitch all the way to the
catcher’s glove. They should be tracking the ball and checking to see
the final location. This helps hitters understand the strike zone and is
also very useful on passed balls with a runner on third base – they can
quickly see that a pitch has been missed by the catcher and work with
the runner on third. Hitters should welcome every opportunity to track
a pitch – looking for the good pitch they can successfully drive into
play. When taking a pitch the hitter should do everything he does
when he swings at a pitch EXCEPT swinging at the pitch.

Hitting drills for practice

(Note: If you find yourself standing on the mound throwing 15 pitches

to each kid with the rest of the team in the field to shag balls, slap
yourself – it’s not BP and it’s incredibly unproductive)

A good hitting session will typically have three stations: tees, live
throwing in a cage, and live pitching in the infield. Players will be in
four groups of three – one group at each station with a group shagging
balls on the field.

Tee work. An investment in a few lightweight “travel” tees and a good

number of wiffle balls will pay tremendous dividends. All successful
hitters spend considerable time working on their swing from a tee.
Coaches should set up stations with wiffle balls and tees adjusted to
different heights and / or locations so players work on a swing for
different locations in the strike zone – high, low, inside and outside.
They should focus on hitting outside pitches to the opposite field. Most
pitchers at the 10-12 year old level will work the outer half of the plate.
The pitch that is low and away is hard to drive and often results in a
ground ball. Hitters need to practice hitting that pitch to neutralize the
pitcher’s advantage. Using hard balls on a tee and a pop-up screen is
also useful so hitters can tell when they are driving the outside ball. It
starts from a tee and goes up to soft-toss and ultimately live pitching.

Batting cage. It’s easy to get caught up in just throwing pitches in a

cage. It’s mindless for the hitter and for the coach. The best approach
is to start each session with bunts – sacrifice, drag, and squeeze.
Then, work on the hit-and-run, going to the opposite field, and finally
let them “swing away” but always use a count. It’s best to start with a
2-1 count and then make them adjust if they get to two strikes or look
for the really good pitch on a 3-1 count. The goal is to always have
them thinking – have an approach (know the situation / adjust for two-
strikes), swing at strikes, make good swings. Batting cage work can be
done quite effectively with a coach sitting behind a screen tossing
pitches underhand to the batter at close range – locations are more
consistent, hitters need to react quickly, and coaches don’t get tired!

Live pitching on the infield. Hitting on the infield should replicate

game situations. It’s not the place to work on basic mechanics – that’s
for tees and cages. Always give a situation to the hitter including a
count. Have them lay down three bunts (sac, drag, squeeze) then
rotate to hit-and-runs / opposite field, etc. If there are three players in
the group hitting then put one of those players on a base and call out
the situation – e.g., “runner on second, no outs, 2-1 count, move the
runner to third or home – look to drive the pitch to the opposite field.”
This is a great opportunity to work on baserunning at the same time.

Outfield / Fly-balls

Outfield is easily the most overlooked position on youth baseball

teams. It’s common practice to “park” weaker players in right field
and let them stand around. In fact, outfield is the Achilles heal for
many teams and will prove to be their downfall in play-offs. All too
often we see outfielders who can’t catch a fly ball or don’t know what
to do once the ball is hit in their direction – where is the play? There
are four areas that need to be developed in outfield play. The routine
fly ball, the base-hit grounder to the outfield, the “extra bases” deep
fly ball or ball in the gap (especially with “open” outfield – i.e., no
fences), and throwing the ball back to the infield. Teams that can
execute in these areas and limit the damage from a ball hit in the gap
will prove to be successful.

Catching fly balls. Below are some of the fundamentals for fly balls:
• Solid “ready” position – unlike infield, the player should be
more upright and ready to run but should be in a
fundamentally sound athletic position
• First step back – on a ball hit to the player’s left or right the
first step will be a “drop step” in the direction the ball is hit.
Strive for your players to make a 180° drop step as their first
move so that they can run “sideways” to the ball hit over their
head and reduce the chance of back peddling to the ball.
• Moving into the ball as it approaches – ideally, momentum is
going forward as the ball is caught so the player can make a
strong throw back to the cut-off. A common mistake is
catching a ball over the head while backpedaling – the
“Statue of Liberty” catch
• The ball should be caught on the throwing side of the body so
the player can make a strong throw – the ball should be in
front of the player

Many coaches will hit fly balls to players in practice, which is fine if
they have very strong control. In order to build basic fundamentals,
it’s often useful to use a pitching machine aimed up into the outfield or
even a “sling shot” device (Easton makes one that works well) to be
sure there are consistent fly balls to the players. Less skilled players
will struggle with keeping the ball in front of them. One drill that works
well is to have players track a ball and have it simply land at their feet.
This is a similar concept to “taking” pitches – the focus is on
positioning and building confidence with the flight of the ball.
Fielding grounders in the outfield. There are three ways to field a
grounder in the outfield. First, is to drop one knee and field it in front
of the body. This is the safest way to ensure a routine base hit
remains a single and best approach with no runners on base. The goal
is to simply keep the ball in front of them and come up with a nice
throw to the infield and this is a great technique on youth fields where
the outfield grass is often uneven and untrue hops are common.

With a runner on base, players should use the same technique as they
do for infield grounders, which gives them more momentum for the
throw back to the infield. The downside is that a ball between the legs
is a sure extra base hit. The focus for the players should be to keep
the ball in front of them. The last way to field the ball is “do or die”. In
“do or die” the player will be running at the ball, “scoop” it on their
glove side, and make a running throw back to the infield. This
approach should be used with the game on the line and a “must make”
play at the plate. It’s high risk but the only option when it’s for all the
marbles.

Balls in the gap / over the head. These hits will almost always be for
extra bases. The goal is to limit the damage. The key is to start
running as soon as the ball is hit. Don’t wait for game situations to
coach this – it will be painful for the coach, the players, and the fans /
parents. Incorporate these hits into outfield work and practice the cut-
offs and double-cut.

Throwing the ball from outfield – the crow-hop. The signature throw for
a well-coached outfielder is the crow-hop. It’s a throwing motion that
must be coached and practiced – make it part of your throwing
progression. For the crow-hop, the outfielder should push off the front
knee and replace the front foot with the back foot. The best way to do
this is to elevate off the ground, lift the back knee first, then the front
knee, and put the back foot down approximately where the front foot
was. The crow-hop produces a strong throw using all the player’s
momentum with the ball coming in low and on target. Players should
throw the ball from the 12 O’clock position – this will eliminate throws
being offline.
Cut-offs. At younger levels, it’s common to have the second baseman
take cut-offs from right field and the shortstop to take cut-offs from
center and left field. At the 10-12 year old level, cut-offs should shift
to the first baseman and third baseman. First base will take all cuts
from right field and center on base hits with runners on second base.
Third base will take cuts from left field with the shortstop covering
third base. The first baseman becomes the primary cut to right and
center because – by definition – there is no play at first. This allows
the second baseman and shortstop to cover a base and be a back-up
on the throw. The first and third basemen should be coached to tell
outfielders that they are the cut-off (turn to the outfielders and say
(loudly), “on a base hit, I’m your cut). With a runner on third, the third
baseman will be the cut-off for a fly-ball hit to left field. They should
tell their left fielder, “on a fly-ball, I’m your cut.” Same goes for the
first baseman on fly balls to center and right with a runner on third
base.

Outfield practice

A good rapid fire drill is to have the players line up in the outfield and
hit balls to them from just inside the pitcher’s mound (about half-way
between the plate and the mound). Use a coach as the cut-off. Have
players start in right field, take a grounder, throw to the cut, and then
run to center to make a new line. Then hit balls to them in center,
they field it, throw to the cut, and then make a new line in right field.
Practice hitting hard ground ball base hits, fly balls, and deep balls (on
the deep ball, use the next player in line as the cut and then that
players throws in to the coach). This drill can move quickly and keeps
players running – a little conditioning is the extra bonus.

Another effective drill is “drop, line, pop”. Have players begin by

facing the coach about 6-10 feet away in a good ready position. The
coach holds the ball out either left or right and the player makes the
drop step and runs in that direction – the coach will throw the ball to
them while they are running. The player will catch the ball, throw it
back in and then run diagonally in the opposite direction. The coach
will throw the ball out as a line drive and they should catch it on the
run then throw it back. Finally, the player will run in toward the coach
who will throw the ball straight up like a pop-up and the player will
catch it.

Running a Practice

Players should arrive to the field 5 minutes before practice begins.

Remove gloves, bats, and batting helmets from the bags – you don’t
want to waste time on this once practice begins (let alone a game).
Find ways to reward players who are early (first in batting practice,
leading a drill, etc.)

Have players warm up with a game of simple “pepper” – do not let kids
just start throwing when they show up to practice. Players should
never be throwing without stretching first.

A basic pepper game involves three or four ‘infielders” and a batter.

The game goes like this:

1. The fielders throw the ball to the batter overhand and at half speed.
2. The batter hits the ball back with a half bunting type stroke.
3. Both fielders and batter attempt to keep play going for as long as
possible without a miss of either parties.
4. A batter is “out” when he misses a pitch (batter then goes to the
end of the fielding line and the fielder at the front of the line becomes
the batter) (strike) or the ball is caught on a pop-up (fielder who
catches the line drive switches place with the batter).
5. Limit batters to about 10 pitches if they don’t get out.

Start stretching within 5-10 minutes of practice start time. Form three
lines with “line leaders” (another opportunity to reward early arrival
players is to make them line leaders. Be sure to rotate this honor
among all of the players on the team, including the weaker players) –
remaining players line up facing the line leaders. Do the following
stretches:
• Right arm over left / left over right
• Arm circles – small / med. / large (forward and backwards)
• Forearm stretch – arm extended with hand up and gently pulling
fingers back with opposite hand. Shift to hand down then switch
arms
 • Trunk twists
• Flamingos
• Toe touches
• Sumo’s
• Hurdler stretch

Collapse the lines behind the line leaders and do plyometrics the
length of the base line (starting the line on the first base line).
Plyomentrics are exercises designed to produce fast, powerful
movements. Higher-level players from high school up through MLB will
do plyometrics before every game and at practices. JT Snow – the
famed gold glove first baseman for the SF Giants has said, “good
fielders have fast feet”. These drills are designed to build “fast feet”
and mimic many of the key moves in fielding and hitting.
• High knee run (out)
• High knee skip (back)
• Drunken sailor (out)
• Frankenstein (back)
• Karaoke (out and back) – exaggerate the left knee going high
across the front like the first move in a steal
• Shuffles (out and back) – keep the butt low with the glove hand
down – push off with the back leg, don’t click the heals (a little
thigh burn is a good sign the drill is being done properly)
• Simulated base running – take a lead (right, left, shuffle, shuffle).
Coach is in position as the “pitcher”
o Ground ball (out and back) – secondary lead, then
explosive move
o Straight steal (out and back) – be sure to use pick-off
moves and get players diving back to the “base”
o “In the face” on a lefty – steal on the first move

Throwing Progression with partners – receiver should always have a

two-handed “triangle” target (elbows are the lower part of the triangle
– glove at the top)
• Right knee up, left knee down (10 feet apart)
o Forearm “snap”
o Circle and throw
 Ball starts at the bottom of the circle – hand “open”
to the target
• Standing – feet facing forward, shoulder width apart (20 feet
apart)
o Pray, twist, break and throw
• Standing – feet facing sideways, should width apart (20 feet
apart)
 o Rock-n-fire
• Shuffle and throw (40 feet apart / 50 feet apart / 70 feet apart) –
simulates infield throw
• Long toss (high fly ball – goal is to stretch the arm – work over
the top). Simulates outfield throw. Start with ball in glove making
sweeping motion on the outside of their glove side foot, crow-
hop and throw from the 12 O’Clock position.
• Zipper drill
o Players form two lines facing each other
o Ball starts at one end of the line and throw down the line to
each other
o Focus on stepping to the ball, catching with two hands,
shuffle and throw
o (Coach will need extra balls to throw in when they are
missed – keep the drill moving and focus on getting up and
down the line cleanly)
o Once your team gets good at this, have them “throw and
then back-up the next throw”

• Four corners (optional)

o One player per base – throw from base to base
clockwise and counter clockwise. Other players rotate
in after each throw.
o Emphasize catching with two hands and shuffle-n-throw
to close the gap on the throw
o Start with catching and throwing then add in a tag
o Coach should be in the middle with a bucket of balls –
add balls in on over-throws
o This drill should move quickly – watch for tired arms!

Double-barrel grounders
Use two coaches and hit grounders. One coach works the middle
and the other works the corners – start easy with focus on
mechanics and then step it up. Add in throwing variations – third
to first, first to third, turning a pair in the middle, and then short
to first and third to second.
There are two keys to an effective practice: have a plan and use
stations. Know in advance what you are doing that day and tell the
kids at the beginning of practice. After doing the activities above
(which should be done at every practice), then there should be station
work (hitting, fielding, bull pens), some situation work with the full
team, and then finish with a fun drill – a running or throwing
competition that has two groups competing against each other. Below
is a sample practice plan for a 90-minute practice:

0-5: pepper
5-15: stretch & plyos
15-25: throwing progression & zipper
25-30: water
30-40: double barrel
40-70: hitting stations (water in between rotations)
70-85: outfield & cut-offs / situations
85-90: “fun” drill
o “Milkshake” throw – players line up in the outfield to make
throws to home. If someone can hit a tee at the plate they
get a milkshake at the next practice. Throws should be low
and hard.
o Relay race – start one group at second base and the other
at the plate. Each player runs all four bases and tags the
next in line. See which group and finish first.
o Home runs – line up at the plate, run to first, run to second,
run to third, then run the full bases.

Some additional thoughts / comments

1. Most kids are scared of the ball. If the game was played with a
soft cushy ball then it would be easy. But, it’s played with a hard
ball traveling 60mph or more. Our basic instincts tell us to get
out of the way of small hard objects flying at us – it’s
programmed into us as humans. It’s not natural to stand under
objects falling from the sky and catch them. The caveman didn’t
live long with that approach. Overcoming that fear is central to
 playing baseball well. It’s important to acknowledge the fear for
kids, let them know that everyone faces it, and then help them
through it with drills showing them that good technique will
produce good results and minimize risk of getting hurt.
However, it’s also important to point out that they probably will
be hit by the ball, it will hurt, but that pain will also go away (and
it’s rarely as bad as they think). Courage is the ability to
overcome fear. If you can coach your players to have that
courage they will be better players. It’s not done through
intimidation – rather, it’s repetition and working from slow pace
with good mechanics to greater intensity. No kid will overcome
their fear of the ball by having a coach hit hard grounders at
them and yelling at them to not be a wimp. It doesn’t work.
2. Some notes on positioning players
a. First base
i. Be positioned for the pick-off throw with the right
foot on the “plate side” of first base and the left foot
on the chalk line and sweep back to the runner
ii. When taking a throw from the field on a force, start
out “square” to the base and be ready for the bad
throw. Once the ball is on-line, then shift to a stretch
position – don’t start in the stretch position. If a
throw is off-line, have them step toward the ball once
they recognize the direction of the throw.s
iii. Play off the base and behind it with a runner on first
and second – don’t hold the runner on
b. Second base / short stop
i. With a runner at first, always shift to double play
depth – pinch in toward second – give up some
ground on the first and third sides to get the double
play
ii. Read the hitter – if he’s consistently late on the ball
then shade in that direction
iii. Read the pitches – know the pitching signs, read
them from the catcher, and shade to the side of the
pitch
iv. Know who is taking the throw from catcher on a
throw down to second. Receive the ball on the first
base side of second and be in a low position where
you can sweep the catch back toward the runner.
The other fielder should back-up the throw.
c. Outfielders
i. Right fielder positioning - the right fielder should
draw an imaginary line from third through second
base and take about seven big steps from that line
toward right field – that’s their “neutral” position.
 Left fielder should do the opposite.
ii. Read the hitter/ know the situation and adjust: is he
big, small, late with his swings, a pull hitter, where
are the foul balls going, what is the count? Don’t be
a scarecrow – move around!
3. Talk to your players during the game. It’s not realistic to think
players are going to know where the play is, what the situation
is, and what they need to be doing over the course of six or
seven innings. If they all take the field with their hat on then you
are doing well.
a. Signs – have a basic set of clear signs that are given for
every pitch. Some coaches don’t believe in calling pitches
but it’s good for kids to get exposed to that at this level –
it’s rare to find an 11-year old catcher who can call a
game. Don’t leave it to chance. It’s part of coaching.
b. Suggestions on signs
i. Keep it simple but mix things up so that the other
team doesn’t pick up your steal sign. Don’t
underestimate the opposing team’s players – often
they will pick up the sign before the coaches.
ii. Have signs for the following plays:
1. Runners:
a. Straight steal
b. Delayed steal
c. Running in the face of the left-handed
pitcher / stealing on first motion
2. Hitters:
a. Bunt
b. Squeeze (this should be accompanied
with an “acknowledgement” sign by the
hitter so you both know that the play is
on)
c. Take
d. Swing away
e. (on two strikes, remind the hitter of
where they are in the count and to
“expand the zone” – use your hands to
make the point
3. Pitches
a. Have a system where you call the
location and the pitch – you might tap a
place on your arm for location (inside,
middle, out) and have a number of taps
to the face or hat that correspond the
pitch: fast-ball, change-up, pick-off,
pitch-out
 4. Catchers
a. The most important sign for catchers and
infielders is what to do on the first and
third situation – hold the ball, throw down
to get the running, throw down to a
second baseman cutting in for a throw
back to catcher if the runner on third
attempts a steal, throw down to third.
Coach should relay the sign to the
catcher and catcher should step forward
and call attention of the outfields (“infield
– eyes up”) and then give the sign for the
play to the infield.
c. As the third base coach, you should talk to your runners.
You pick them up once they get to second.
i. Runner on second. Tell them the situation –
particularly, the number of outs. With less than two
outs, yell out the following reminder: “go on a
ground ball hit to the left side, don’t run into a tag for
a ball hit in front of them (shortshop), freeze on a line
drive, score on a ball hit to a gap, tag on a fly ball.”
Make it a habit to repeat this every time a player
gets to second. With two outs, be sure you tell them,
“two outs, go on anything but don’t run into a tag at
short”
ii. Runner on third. Have a green, yellow, red system.
1. Red: only go home on base hit (typically when
there are no outs and the top of the order is up
to hit) – don’t make the first or last out at
home.
2. Yellow: go home on a ball hit anywhere except
the pitcher – tag on a fly ball.
3. Green: go home on anything (game is on the
line and you need the run) – tag on a fly ball.