WebBall.com - Know Your Role

Lot of territory, cover it well

This page is your short course to the essential skills and know-how you must have to be good in the outfield. Check in-motion and recommended drill pages for techniques and practice suggestions.

Ready, set, go!

Be patient, be ready, be explosive.

Before the pitch...
- Check the base runners.
- Check your position. Don't hug the lines unless the situation calls for it.

On the windup...
- Lean in, balls of your feet, square to the plate.

On contact...
- Take time to read the ball (work on drop step technique)
- Rock back on the first step. (It's better to get burned in front of you than behind.)
- Hustle to the ball - get there early.
- Over your head, turn and sprint.

Catch & Throw

The Catch...
- Line yourself up for the throw BEFORE the catch, not after.
- Runner on, take roller off your glove foot
- Ball in air, flip glasses down at top of arc, or find ball through webbing.
- Call it... mine-mine-mine!
- As you catch it, move through the ball.

To throw...
- Line up your glove-side shoulder to the target.
- Elbow up, fingers on top of the ball.
- Make it a line-drive or one-bounce throw (no rainbows) and chase it in.

Drill Work

All drills help all players, but these are especially important for outfielders. Put extra effort into them when the coach runs these during practice.

Combo Drill... this is a great routine to work on all your basic fielding skills

Turn and Sprint... (also called the 3-Fly Drill) Work first on the catch and drop, then with a throw, and work off both shouders (remember the initial drop step)

Goal Post Drill... combines rollers, hoppers, long toss and relay. Work on relays because you may be playing infield at times, but make sure you get the long throw low and on target.

Pre-Game Warm-Up... remember to work on the throws as well as the catches - both those full throws towards home (hitting the cut-off of source), and accurate throws to bases.

B.P. Scoring... When the team is doing B.P. work on reading the batter, getting under the ball. You and other outfielders can keep score. (Also 'American Ping').

Cut-Two and Pop-Fly Drill are good for working on your communications skills.

Special Situations

Ball at the fence...
- Before game, count warning track strides.
- Feel for fence with throwing arm.
- Jump straight up - land on throwing leg.

Bunt shown...
- Be ready to charge in hard to cover at the bases.
- But don't break too early.

Ground balls...
- With lead runner at second, move through ball, come up throwing.
- With lead runner at third, make a safety stop, throw to cut-off at second.

Fly ball, lead runner at third...
- Catch ball on throwing side, one-hop it to the plate.

Not your play?
- Balls hit to opposite field, runners stealing, then base coverage is up to you, too!