Category: Outfield
Type: Drill
MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE
A good drill for outfielders is what I call "Monkey in the Middle." You need four outfielders lined up in a row. The two inside men are the ones who start the drill and are the cutoff men. The two outside men are the outfielders. The drill uses one ball and a continuous ball movement from outfielder to infielder, back to outfielder and finally returning to the infielder.
To start the drill one of the inside men will throw a groundball or fly ball to the outfielder on his side. As the outfielder gets ready to catch the ball, the inside man who threw the ball gets in position as the cutoff man. The outfielder catches the ball and throws through the man who started it to the other inside man (throwing through the cutoff man). Once the second inside man catches the ball from the far side outfielder, he turns and does the same thing to the outfielder on his side. You keep doing this until the coach says stop.
Things to look for in this drill are the outfielders getting into proper position as they field the ball, using a proper crow hop, their throwing mechanics, and height of the ball on the throw. Every once in awhile either the coach or one of the inside men can yell “Cut” to make sure the outfielder is throwing a ball that can be cut off. Then have the guys switch positions and the inside men can go to the outfielders positions and outfielders can go to the inside positions. After you have developed better arm strength you can move this drill to the football field to get longer throws.
Submitted by: Brandon Ball
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