Determining the best practice methods for amateur baseball teams is a challenging problem for coaches.
I think the ideal practice session is one that is "fun to do, keeps everyone busy as much as possible, and is beneficial for the match."
I'd like to share some of the practice methods that have been helpful to me so far.
Today's practice will focus on "toss batting + relay practice between infield and outfield."
A collection of articles on batting, fielding, and base running tips for beginners in amateur baseball.
overview
Basically, it's like toss batting with fielding practice.
The person who will toss the ball and act as catcher, and the batter, are positioned near home plate.
And we'll have at least two players in the infield and at least two in the outfield.
The tosser throws the ball to the batter, who then hits it.
If it's a ground ball to the infield, the infielder will throw the ball home.
If the ball is hit to the outfield, the infielders will form a line to home plate and throw the ball back.
Number of people required
The minimum number of players needed would be a pitcher/catcher, a batter, two infielders, and two outfielders, for a total of six.
Depending on the batter's hitting ability, it might be a good idea to increase the amount of defensive work slightly.
Practice points
For batters, toss batting is a practice method that emphasizes "timing" in batting.
Let's try batting with the aim of hitting long balls to the outfield.
The defensive players should focus on practicing coordination between the infield and outfield.
Outfielders need to practice fielding batted balls to the outfield while also ensuring they can return the ball accurately to the infield.
Infielders, acting as cut-off men for throws to home plate, need to draw a straight line while paying attention to their positions in front, behind, to the sides.
You'll also need to consider factors like the strength of the outfielders' arms, and decide whether to push the ball towards the outfield or pull it back towards the infield.
If a ground ball is hit to the infield, the ball will be thrown back to home plate, so it might be a good idea to have the runners on second and third base in a forward defensive position.
The person tossing the ball also acts as the catcher, so after the ball is hit, they will be giving instructions at home plate.
If the infielders are misaligned, instructions are needed on whether to move left or right.
There are many tasks involved, such as tossing the ball, giving instructions, and catching it, so it's surprisingly challenging.
Points to note
If the batter's skills aren't very high, the fielders may find themselves with little to do and end up with nothing to do.
Also, if there are too many ground balls to the infield, it becomes no different from infield practice drills.
Furthermore, if you don't understand the basics of broadcasting, it will just end up looking like you're simply picking up balls, so prior explanation is absolutely necessary.
When conducting practice, if the purpose, intention, and method are not communicated correctly, the practice will be less effective.
Arrangements, etc.
If the number of players is small, you can reduce the number of outfielders.
In that case, if the batter doesn't have some ability to hit the ball in different directions, the burden on the outfielders will increase.
Also, if there are many players, you can increase the number of defensive players, but if the batters don't have the skill to hit the ball in different directions, some players will end up with nothing to do.
You should be able to adjust the number of players to around 6-8 by positioning them defensively on the pull side and center field, and by dividing the roles between tosser and catcher.
If we had a few more people, we could adjust the number of players by having the pitchers practice individually in a corner.
This practice session, which involves reusing the task of picking up balls during batting practice for fielding practice, is quite physically demanding and enjoyable.
I would be happy if you could give it a try.
A collection of articles on batting, fielding, and base running tips for beginners in amateur baseball.
