Category: Outfield
Type: Drill
OH-MAN!
This is a combination drill. The drill works on position for the fly ball, footwork, throwing, picking up the ball in flight, speed, hitting the cutoff, and throwing accuracy.
The drill starts with a coach, a bucket of balls (at least 8), a catcher, and a cutoff man (Coaches may fill in these roles also). The rest of the players line up at or close to the outfield fence (usually left center or right center). The cutoff man goes to his regular position (ss or 2nd).
The object is for the outfielder to actually place the ball in the catchers glove at home plate with out making a single miscue of either throwing or catching. The key is accuracy of the coach that is hitting with the fungo.
Note: On smaller fields the coaches may throw the ball instead of hitting, this works very well for the younger players.
The coach will hit/or throw the first ball in the air high and long. The player should not have to move much. The player uses proper technique in catching then throws the ball to the cutoff man. Before the ball has left the fielders hand, the coach will throw another ball (throws or hits it), but this time it is not quite so high and shorter in length. Now the player must be on the move to catch the ball. Again, after he catches the ball, he must hit the cutoff man and continue moving towards home plate. Once again, before the ball leaves the fielder hands, another ball is on the way being a line drive or a short hop. Determined by the players position on the field, the player fields the ball and throws to either the catcher or the cutoff man. The player needs to keep moving toward the catcher at the highest rate of speed, but yet still under control. The coach keeps hitting ground balls to the player and now the player should be on the dirt infield and throwing the ball to the catcher, still moving forward until he places it in the catchers glove.
This drill can be modified for strict or lenient guidelines as to throwing accuracy. But, if the player misses just one ball...then to the back of the line and "OH-MAN" he/she has to do it again.
The drill is fun and the kids enjoy it. As the kids get better (and the coaches hitting accuracy) we hit balls faster and harder and tighten up the guidelines to throwing accuracy. I have used this drill for ages 8 to 18.
Submitted by: Ralph Lunsford
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