This drill teaches outfielders to communicate, call for fly balls, and apply the CF-priority rule under pressure.
Equipment: bucket of balls, pitching machine, 2 bases
1. Set up the pitching machine at home plate and aim it for fly balls.
2. Put a base in CF and a base in RF, right where the CF and RF would stand.
3. Line up 3-4 players at each base.
4. Have the machine launch fly balls near each base and have players take turns catching and throwing to a cutoff person.
5. After a while, tell the players CF has priority.
6. Launch balls between the bases so both players converge on the ball — the players have to work on calling for the ball and learning that the CF has priority.
7. Once they get the hang of it, tell them you are not stopping the drill until they make X catches in a row. Start with 5, and you’ll see it might take a while. Having a number to get off the field adds to the pressure and makes it so players really focus.
If you want more drills like this one — outfield communication, pressure situations, the works — jump on the newsletter or snag the free Quick Start Guide at the link below.
