The READY POSITION is one of narrow stance with the weight on the balls of feet and the center of gravity relatively high, so that the outfielder can move quickly in any direction. He must be ready to move rather instantaneously in an unknown direction. You should walk into the ready position.

PRE-PLAY MENTAL PREPARATIONS:
1. Determine how the ball bounces off the wall.
2. Determine how the ball meets the corner of the fence.
3. Say to yourself "EVERY BALL HIT IS GOING TO BE HIT TO ME." Prepare yourself mentally before every pitch. That way you will never be caught on the short end.
4. Be alert to each special situation. Always expect the worst so you will be ready. Know what you are doing with the ball on every pitch.
  a. Know when the bunt is in order.
  b. Know when the tying or winning run is at bat or on base.
  c. Know who has exceptional speed.
  d. Look for changes in sun and wind.
5. Study the hitters so you will know who pulls and who hits with power and then play accordingly.

FROM THIS POSITION:
  a. Read every pitch inside and outside
  b. Read the bat angle. The hitter will show you where the ball is going.
  c. Sound will tell you how far the ball is going.

FIELDING FLY BALLS:
  a. First response is to jerk the head back using inner ear.
  b. Use the drop step for fly balls over your head then cross step. Drop directly towards the straight line route to the baseball.
  c. Always run full speed after fly balls. Get under them and wait to catch it.
  d. Never glide to the ball, or get in the habit of timing your catch.
  e. Always stand deeper from where you think the ball will land so you are able to turn through the ball when you make the catch. If possible catch the ball going toward infield.
  f. Time the catch and go into a throwing motion. Set up 6-10 feet behind fly ball when possible.
  g. Don't get under the ball. Keep the ball to the side angle.
  h. Lock the ball into the glove.
  i. On diving catches use the shoulder roll, finish and get the glove up.
  j. On sliding catches use a pop-up slide technique with your glove to the side.
  k. Remember the ball will always curve toward the foul line.
  l. Most outfielders use a very large glove.
  m. Catch the ball on the throwing side above the shoulder with two hands as the rear foot hits the ground.

FIELDING GROUND BALLS: The key is to break hard on every play. Charge all ground balls, even though it is directly at an infielder and appears to be a sure out. Get in the habit of backing your infielders.

INFIELD TECHNIQUE: Always field the ball in front of you. Right handers practice fielding ground balls on the left foot. Charge at full speed until you are ready to make the catch, then CROW HOP to get under control. After you have caught the ball off your lead foot, throw by planting your back foot. Stare down low line drives and ground balls.

THROWING:
  *Always grip across all four seams with your fingers apart.
  *Always throw overhand with full arm extension.
  *Right-handers TUCK your glove against your chest when throwing to prevent flying open.
  *Over-emphasize the follow through when warming up and during infield practice. You'll find this will strengthen your arm as well as make it accurate.
  *Always hit your cut-off man to prevent further advancement.
  *Don't worry about where the runners are. Just hit the cut-off man.
  *Never THROW THROUGH (shortstop) to your infielders.
  *CROW HOP to target to create momentum and power.
  *After the catch get the meat hand into the glove as quickly as possible.
  *Be sure that you finish with the chest over the front foot.
  *With the baseball stopped at the fence, step over the ball - crow and throw.
  *On the glove side while running hard to cut the ball off - you step over and throw back.

Need for Fundamentals

When watching a Major League game I'm often amazed at the number of times I see a lack of fundamentals when it comes to playing the outfield. In the World Series between the Giants and Angels a runner scored on a shallow fly ball to right field simply due to the outfielder playing the ball so poorly. It wasn't a difficult catch, there wasn't any sun in his eyes. He simply drifted on the ball and was backing up as he caught it. The runner recognized the opportunity and scored on a play he normally wouldn't have had a chance on. This is just one example of many that can be seen daily in Major League games. I really don't understand why Major League Managers put up with poor play in the outfield. They would never stand for it from their infielders. This is not to say that there aren't some amazing defensive outfielders in the game, but more to point out that the expectations of defensive performance in the outfield seems to be lower.

catching a fly ball

You may agree or disagree, but either way you're probably wondering what my opinion on this subject has to do with coaching youth baseball? It has to do with the value and priority you as a coach place on building a strong defensive outfield. If defensive play at the pro level seems to be held to a lower standard than other positions, do you think it's not at the youth level also? Many coaches want to hide players in the outfield and hope that they don't see much action. I'm not saying a coach should move his/her best players to left or right field, but I would suggest that by teaching outfield skills and raising the expectations, you can see significant improvement in the defensive ability of your outfield. As a coach you need to realize that outfield play can be improved drastically by implementing a system that emphasizes the importance of outfield play to the success of each play during a game.

Coach and Player Expectations

Due to the fact that outfielders often see less action than other players, it can be difficult for a player to stay mentally focused on the game. I'm sure we've all seen a ball being hit into the outfield and the player not being "in the game". While it's an embarrassing situation, it's also easy to understand. As coaches, we need to try and redefine for our players the definition of "action". Most players will consider action to be an opportunity to make a play with the ball. You need to try and relate to your players that action really is the act of being in the proper position to make a play. It requires hustle and paying attention to the game and can be achieved on each and every play during a game, whether the player touches the ball or not. If your players buy this definition of action, you will be much closer to having an outfield that is ready on each and every play during a game.

Turning Expectations into Results

Definition is one thing, results are another. As a coach how can I keep my outfielders focused? In the section Outfield Approach, a pitch by pitch preparation from a player standpoint is discussed. While this will help to keep an outfielder focused, it is really secondary to you defining the role of the outfielder and the expectations that go along with it. Each player on the field has a role on each and every play during a game and that includes the outfielders.

Here's an example that you will see over and over again in youth leagues. An overthrow is made at a base. The ball rolls into the outfield where the outfielders were simply standing in their positions, the runner takes an extra base, maybe two. The coach yells out to the outfielders, "Why weren't you backing up?" The players simply shrug their shoulders and go back to their positions. They have no answer. It may have been discussed at practice, but they hadn't been backing up all game and the coach didn't say a word. How were they supposed to know there was going to be an overthrow?

Even though the coach may have talked about the importance of backing up during practice; by not mentioning it during the times when it didn't result on a chance to get the ball, he/she undermined the importance. In the section Backing Up the subject of where to be on each play is discussed in more detail. For now, the important thing to emphasize to your outfielders, is the value they provide to the team when they stay in the game on each and every play. Simply telling them won't be enough. You must provide positive feedback during practices and games when players hustle to the proper spot.

Outfield - Approach

Player Tip

Success in the outfield comes from repetition. It takes time and practice to become a great defensive outfielder. Try and make practice as fun as possible. Challenge yourself and your friends to make the plays during practice and in your spare time that you dream about making in a game.

Some spectacular plays can be made in the outfield, prepare yourself to make those plays.

Being Prepared

Keeping yourself prepared in the outfield can be difficult at times. It takes focus to be a good outfielder. There may be a number of innings where you don't get a chance to touch the ball. One way to keep focused is to come up with a routine that you can use when playing. The routine keeps your mind from wandering and keeps you alert and ready. Below are the parts of a sample routine.

Come up with your own routine. Something that keeps your mind working and focused during the game. Chances to make a play might not happen every inning, but when the chance comes, you want to be ready.

Youth Coaching Advice

Depending on the age of the kids, you may be able to teach them part of a routine. Each year, they will be able to grasp a little bit more. By teaching them a routine at any position you are helping them understand the game of baseball. Start the kids off by backing up. Kids love to run and by having them back up on each play, they get to run and make a decision about where they should be. Even if they don't going to the right spot they are still running around and trying to respond to the play. That's certainly an improvement over standing still and looking at the clouds or building a mound of dirt with their shoes.

Starting Position

Start in an athletic position. Many times, outfielders stand up or rest their upper body weight on their knees while the pitcher delivers the pitch. These outfielders are not ready to get a good jump on the ball. Prepare yourself in much the same way as you would if you were playing in the infield. The main difference is you don't need to be as close to the ground. Bend your knees, keep your feet shoulder width apart, bend your arms, and place them in front of you.

The Pitch

ready position

As the pitcher throws the ball, get yourself ready to move. To do this, put your weight on the balls of you feet. This allows you to push off quickly in any direction. To get from the athletic to the ready position, use some sort of movement. Take a slight hop to put yourself in this position, or take slight steps forward transferring your weight from side to side. Whatever way you choose, time it so you distribute your weight evenly and are on the balls of your feet when the pitch crosses the plate.

The picture on the right demonstrates a shuffle forward to get into position. Notice that the hands are not on the knees in the ready position. You don't need to have your hands out in front as far as they are demonstrated in the picture, but they need to be in a position that enables you to move quickly.

Outfield - Backing Up

One of the best ways to keep yourself in the game and to help your team is to back up on every play when the ball is not hit to you. By backing up you can keep a runner or runners from advancing on an errant throw.

Here are a couple examples to give you an idea:

Position - Right Field

Situation: Runner on First, batter bunts the ball, ball is fielded and an errant throw is made to first. If you are backing up first on the play, you may be able to keep the runner from going to third and you most likely will keep the batter on first.

Position - Center Field

Situation: Runner on First, ball is hit back to the pitcher, Ball is fielded and an errant throw is made to second. If you don't move, the runner will easily make it to third. If you are backing, the runner will most likely have to stay at second.

Position - Left Field

Situation: Runner on first, double play ball hit to the first baseman, first baseman overthrows the shortstop. If you are backing up second you will probably keep the lead runner from advancing to third base. If not, it's an easy extra base and maybe a run.
Situation: Runner on second, batter bunts the ball, ball is fielded by the pitcher who makes an errant throw trying to get the runner going to third. If you are backing up the play, you may keep the runner from advancing, saving a run, and the batter from going to second.

As the above examples illustrate, backing up can prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

Outfield - Communication

When the ball is in the air the center fielder has authority over every other fielder on the field with the left and right fielders next. When a ball is hit in the gap between outfielders, it's critical that the outfielders communicate. If you're the left fielder and you're running towards the ball in the left field gap, you want to make sure you make a call for the ball as soon as you're comfortable that you can make an easy catch. Then listen for the center fielder to call you off or confirm that you have it.

The above situation requires that you put a system in place for calling for the ball. Below is an example that has been used in many programs successfully.

Different Call

The fielder who has authority to call off another, will use a different statement to call for the ball.
Example: Left and Center fielder are converging on a fly ball. The left fielder will yell "I got it", or "mine". If the center fielder wants to take it he will yell, "Get out".
It's important that the fielder understands where he is and who has control. Another example would be a fly ball hit in the shortstop area. If the shortstop has to come in on the ball, he is in control and would make a "Get out" call in any communication with another fielder. If the ball is hit over his head, he then has to make an "I got it" call since he could be called off by the left fielder or center fielder.

Confirmation

Using the first example above, if the left fielder calls for the ball and doesn't hear anything from the center fielder, he may be tentative going after the ball, thinking that he may get called off. If on the other hand he gets a confirmation back from the center fielder, "You got it" or "Yours", then he can be confident that he is going to field the ball without risk of colliding with the center fielder.

Outfield - Fly Balls

Jump

When the ball is hit, get a good jump. A good jump depends on your reaction time, which can improve through repetition. Watch the ball all the way to the plate; both the location of the pitch and your knowledge of a particular hitter helps you anticipate where the ball may go and give you a chance for a better jump.

Footwork

It's difficult if not impossible to get a good jump without good footwork.

When the ball is hit to your side, your first move will be a crossover step.

When the ball is hit over your head to the side your first step will be a drop step, followed by a crossover.

If you overrun the ball you can stop and take an inside step back to the direction you came from. You should face the ball as you change directions.

When the ball is hit directly over your head, you first step will be a deep drop step with your throwing hand side.

The reason to drop with your throwing hand is if you need to switch sides as your running back on the ball it's much easier to switch from your throwing hand side to your glove hand side and make the catch then the other way around.

One of the most difficult fly balls to judge is the ball hit directly at you. If you don't immediately recognize whether the ball is going over your head or going to drop in front of you, freeze. The worst thing you can do is guess. Simply freeze, try to determine where the ball is and listen. The other outfielder may be able to see the trajectory better than you and yell at you to go in or go back.

Run Hard

Once you have determined approximately where the ball is going to land, start running hard to that spot. This will give you time to make adjustments if you misjudged the ball. If you coast toward the ball and you find out the ball is going to land farther away than anticipated, you may not have time to get to that spot.

Don't Run On Your Heels

If you run on your heels toward a fly ball, you will notice that the ball is bouncing. This often happens when you coast toward the ball. Run hard and try to keep more on the front part of your feet and the ball will stay steady in your vision.

Get Behind The Ball

You will dramatically improve your velocity and the time required to throw the ball if you get behind the ball as it comes down and start moving in the direction of your target as you catch the ball.

Circle The Ball

Sometimes you have to sprint as fast as you can just to have an opportunity to catch a ball. Other times the ball will be hit high enough that you will have extra time to get yourself in a good position to get behind the ball. One technique that will help you get in position is to circle the ball. With a ball hit to your side it's risky to try and take a direct angle to cut it off. If you miss judge the distance and speed at all, the ball may get by you. By taking an angle that is deeper you can circle behind the ball and catch it moving forward with the ball in front of you. While it might take slightly longer to get to the ball, you will be in a better position to not only catch it but make an accurate throw. The diagrams below show the incorrect angle and proper angle to take when running to the ball.

fly ball incorrect angle to the ball fly ball correct angle to the ball

Turn Your Back

When dropping back on a ball hit directly over your head, it's important that you drop to your throwing hand side. If you drop straight back on your glove hand side, turning your back on a ball on the other side will require you to make a backhanded catch. This is a more difficult play. By dropping back on your throwing hand side, you are in position to turn your back quickly to the ball if it's curving toward the line. This is common for a right-handed right fielder or a left-handed left fielder. The turn should be made as quickly as possible.

Although it's a skill that isn't used very often it is one that takes a lot of practice to become good at. Of course a spectacular catch might be your reward.

Inside Turn

The inside turn is used when you are going after a fly ball at an angle and you need to change directions. You will plant and push off with your outside leg and open up with your trailing leg in order to change directions. The advantage to the inside turn is that you can keep your eye on the ball the entire time.

Playing the Fly Ball in the Sun

One of the most difficult plays in baseball is the fly ball or line drive that is hit directly into the sun.

The Jump

It's important to get a good jump on the ball and quickly anticipate where you think it will land. Often the ball is lost soon after being hit, which means your first analysis of where the ball is going to land is essential.

Listen

Once you have lost the ball in the sun, continue in the direction of where you believe it will land. Listen for other outfielders to tell you if you're going in the wrong direction.

Shielding Your Eyes

When you turn to find the ball, either while running or after reaching the spot you think it will land, use your glove to shield the sun from your eyes. It's important that you don't stare into the sun directly. If running at an angle that makes it difficult to get the glove up, use your throwing hand to shield the sun.

Fly Ball Above the Sun

As your running, if the ball is above the sun, shield your eyes by looking over the top of your glove towards the ball.

Fly Ball in the Sun

Once the ball has dropped into the sun, switch to shielding your eyes with the bottom of your glove. You will be looking under your glove for the ball to drop out of the sun. Many players make the mistake of continuing to look over the top of the glove for the ball. This is incorrect since the ball, as it is coming down, will be visible first below the glove. If you look over the top of the glove, you may never see it.

Outfield - Ground Balls

Approach

How you field a ground ball will often be dictated by the situation and where you are in relation to the ball.

With nobody on base, and the ball hit near you, your goal is to make sure you keep the ball in front of you and field it cleanly to keep the baserunner from advancing to second. You will in this situation want to field the ball like an infielder.

Fielding Ground Ball

With a runner at second and the ball hit sharply to you, you may determine you have a chance to throw the runner out at home. In this case you will want to field the ball off your glove hand side.

Charging

The speed at which you charge the ground ball will also be determined by the situation. If you have time to field it like an infielder you will want to approach the ball under control and get yourself in position to catch it. Even if the situation dictates that you rush to get the ball you will need to break down and get under control before you get to the ball. This will allow you to set yourself up to make a good throw which will more than make up for the time you used in slowing down.

Other problems with charging the ball at full speed are difficulties in timing your approach to catch the ball on a big hop and being able to handle a bad hop.

Circle The Ball

If you have time, make sure you try to circle the ball and keep it in front of you. With a ball hit to your side it's risky to try and take a direct angle to cut it off. If you miss judge the speed at all, the ball may get by you. By taking an angle that is deeper, you can circle behind the ball and catch it moving forward with the ball in front of you. While it might take slightly longer to get to the ball, you will be in a better position to not only catch it but make an accurate throw.

Backhand And Forehand

Even with the goal of trying to circle and get in front of the ball, there will be times when you will need to catch a grounder going hard to each side. Practice catching ground balls both on your forehand side and backhand side. When catching these ground balls try to keep low to the ground and your glove near the ground. Remember it's easier to raise your glove to the ball then it is to drop your glove to the ball.

Outfield - Throwing

As I relate in the Playing Catch section, the first time I remember being taught to throw by someone other than my Dad or brother, was in college. The reason I believe it's important to mention here is for an outfielder, the ability to make a long accurate throw is an important skill. More importantly it's a skill that can be improved and learned. After learning how to throw properly and working on that skill, my ability to throw the ball well became one of the skills that I was most proud of. I used to circle the ball (covered in the Outfield - Ground Ball section) on a base hit and I would act as if I wasn't in a hurry, just hoping that the runner would see that and try to take an extra base or take a big turn. Either way, I was trying to set up a situation where I could gun him out. For me that was confidence in my ability. In the outfield you want to get the ball in quickly to prevent a runner from advancing, but in my mind I was always hoping they would try for that extra base. I enjoyed that feeling of confidence. If your a player, know you can always improve your ability to throw the ball well. Hopefully you will give it the attention necessary to develop it into one of your most prized baseball skills.

More information on throwing technique can be found in the Playing Catch section of this site.

Hitting The Cutoff

Many coaches continually yell out to the outfield during the game, "Hit the cutoff man", "Make sure you hit the cutoff", "Why didn't you hit the cutoff?". But, unless you practice plays which require a decision to be made during practice, your outfielders may not really understand why it's important. During practice don't always have the ball go through to the base. Have your players use "Cut" followed by a different base.

When working on hitting the cutoff man in practice. Don't overlook the positioning of the cutoff. The following is a common example from an outfielders point of view. The outfielder in question has a strong arm. A runner is on first and there is a hit. The runner is going to attempt to make it to third base. The outfielder knows he has a great chance of throwing the runner out at third. The problem is the cutoff man has come out way too far. If he hits the cutoff man they probably won't get the runner at third. If he throws the ball to third, he has failed to hit the cutoff man. Either way he'll probably feel like he did the wrong thing. You may give him positive feedback if he hits the cutoff man on that play, but it's not that often that he gets a chance to throw a runner out and believe me your positive feedback won't take away from the fact that he had an opportunity taken away from him.

Infielders need to be taught to be aware of the arm strength and position on the field of the outfielder making the throw. You want your cutoff man, if necessary, to make a short accurate throw. They shouldn't be cutting the distance in half. They should be trying to maximize the arm of the outfielders. Remember this is two sided. If the cutoff person errors on the side of being too far away from the outfielder, the outfielder must recognize his limitations and throw the ball on one hop to the cutoff person.

Player Tip

There is no quicker way to a negative reaction from a coach then to miss the cutoff man.. Always aim low. If the cutoff man is too far away and you think you need to throw it real high to get it there, aim low instead. A nice long one hop bounce will be easy for him to field and will get there quicker than tying to get it there in the air. It will also save you from a dugout discussion about the importance of hitting the cutoff man.

Crow Hop

The purpose of the crow hop is to put you in a throwing position quickly after fielding a ball, with the added benefit of giving you some momentum toward your target.

You know where you are throwing the ball.
You need to get the ball in quickly to either throw a runner out or to keep a runner from advancing.
You are fielding the ball in front of you.
You are moving in the direction that you want to throw. See Circle the Ball in the Fly Ball and Ground Ball section

Below are two progressive images of a crow hop being used on a fly ball and ground ball. Study the images and then we'll discuss the steps involved.

Crow Hop - Approach

It's important that you are moving in the direction that you want to throw when fielding the ball. The crow hop is used to put you in a throwing position along the same path that you are moving. It is not useful in changing your direction.

The crow hop is a controlled move. Meaning you can't be running full speed and perform it. On a fly ball if you have time to get behind the ball and move forward in a controlled way as you catch it, you are in a good position to use the crow hop. If you are catching the ball on a sprint, running to the side, or backing up, you're not in a position to use the crow hop. The same applies to a ground ball. The difference in the ground ball, is that you don't have to wait for it to come down. You can sprint hard towards it. This adds the need to break down as you approach the ball. Breaking down is the process of changing from a full sprint to a controlled speed in which you can field the ball. It's more than just slowing down, it involves timing the bounce of the ball and your feet position. Remember you want to field the ground ball off your glove hand side with that foot forward. Breaking down puts you in that position as you continue forward.

You'll notice in the photographs above that the glove side foot is forward when catching the ball. After catching the ball trailing leg will initiate the crow hop. This is done by kicking it up and forward passing in front of the other leg. Turn your foot as you bring it forward to be perpendicular to the target. At that same time you want to point your lead shoulder and lead hip towards the target. The combination of these actions will align your body for the throw.

Cow Hop - Result

As you land you will now be in a position to throw the ball. Simply continue the motion by stepping forward and making the throw. From catching the ball to the follow through on your throw, the entire action should be one continuous smooth motion.

Player Tip

The crow hop is a controlled move that requires good balance. It is used to put you in a good position to throw the ball. Don't rush it! If you try and get through the crow hop too quickly, your arm will not be in a position to follow your body and make a good throw. You have to transfer the ball from your glove to your hand, get a good grip, and drop it down to begin your throwing motion. This takes time. The resulting throw of making that transfer correctly will more than make up for any lost time.

Shuffle

There are many times when you can't get yourself set up to use a crow hop. So how do you gain momentum to make a long throw? The answer is a shuffle of the feet. It's very similar to the type of shuffle you would use when leading off a base. The difference is that on the last shuffle before throwing the ball you will cross your back leg behind your front leg, plant it, push off and throw.

Below is a shuffle being performed from right to left. The fielder has just backhanded a ground ball and has planted his right leg. He's too deep in the outfield to be able to just step and throw. So to gain momentum towards his target, he is going to shuffle towards the target and then throw.

Steps:

Ball is fielded and player has slowed down and planted his back leg.
Step forward with front leg toward the target. Keep shoulder closed.
Plant front leg and start to bring back leg forward. You're gaining momentum.
Cross back leg behind front leg. This is similar to the hop in the crow hop, but since you're body is already lined up towards the target, it's much easier to cross your leg behind. This also keeps your front shoulder and hip closed, ready to throw.
Plant your back leg, stride with your front leg, and throw the ball.

Use Anytime

The example above was on a ball that was backhanded, but the shuffle can be used on any play. Some players prefer this method to the crow hop and use it even when they could have used a crow hop. Personally, I find I can get more on the ball using the crow hop, but the shuffle throw is still a necessary skill that you will use on a regular basis.

Arm Strength

There's no substitute for throwing a baseball. Often players ask what they can do to improve their arm strength. While there are some great resources for weight lifting and other conditioning exercises that can help, I believe long toss is the single most beneficial thing you can do to gain arm strength.

Player Tip

Some keys to throwing accurately from the outfield include:

Always use a full arm motion, don't use a short throwing motion like an infielder or catcher.
Always grip the ball across the seems. Improper grip on the ball can cause it to tail and or dip when you throw.
Throw overhand not three-quarter or from the side. Throwing the ball overhand with the proper grip will allow you to throw the ball on a line.

Hit Counter

Playing the Outfield

Need for Fundamentals

Coach and Player Expectations

Turning Expectations into Results

Outfield - Approach

Player Tip

Being Prepared

Youth Coaching Advice

Starting Position

The Pitch

Outfield - Backing Up

Outfield - Communication

Different Call

Confirmation

Outfield - Fly Balls

Jump

Footwork

Run Hard

Don't Run On Your Heels

Get Behind The Ball

Circle The Ball

Turn Your Back

Inside Turn

Playing the Fly Ball in the Sun

The Jump

Listen

Shielding Your Eyes

Fly Ball Above the Sun

Fly Ball in the Sun

Outfield - Ground Balls

Approach

Charging

Circle The Ball

Backhand And Forehand

Outfield - Throwing

Hitting The Cutoff

Player Tip

Crow Hop

Crow Hop - Approach

Cow Hop - Result

Player Tip

Shuffle

Use Anytime

Arm Strength

Player Tip

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