Shortstop Ready Position Drill
This simple shortstop ready position drill reinforces the ready position and making the play at first. Ready Position is where baseball defense begins. Youth baseball is a great place to teach our youths an athletic ready position. This term and position is used in all of sports . So learning the ready position will help them not only in youth baseball but other sports as well.
This is a great way to loosen up and start practice on the field after sideline warm ups.
- Divide players up at Shortstop and First Base, Put parent or coach at shortstop making sure ready position is implemented. Put parent or coach at first to support the first baseman. A coach or parent at home to hit ground balls to shortstop.
- Hit ball to 1st player in line at shortstop – player fields ball and makes throw to 1st, then gets in line at first.
The player at first starts a line in 2nd base position. - After all players have got in shortstop ready position and fielded the ball, start hitting to the newly created line at 2nd base.
- The second baseman makes the play from the ready position to first base and moves to the line at third.
Simpler Ready Position Warm Up
A much simpler way to perform shortstop ready position drill, is to simply line up the players at shortstop, and make the play at first base. The player then starts a line at second. You can use a parent/coach or rotate your normal first basemen. However, we usually dont know who our first baseman are going to be for a couple of practices.
Let the kids take at least 2 rotations at short and at second, being sure the players are responding to the command “Ready”!
You should see players get in an actual ready position. Don’t cry out “ready” all the time like many coaches do during games. It simply results in stories like the boy who cried wolf. There is no way to always be ready in youth baseball. Player should be in an athletic relaxed position until the pitcher begins his windup(this is where creeping can come to play). Youth baseball players need to learn when they can let their guard down, and when to be on their toes in a baseball ready position.
This drill takes just a few minutes to do and is a great practice warm up drill to get the kids ready, fielding, throwing, and moving, while adjusting their throws from different lengths. You can then break into your stations.
After ready position is being implemented and you have decided positions for your players..have your first baseman (basemen) catch the balls. It will give them a lot of catching opportunities. An asst. or coach should no longer be needed at shortstop, so now an parent or coach can now be placed to help reinforce the first baseman and his job.
