Blocking

• Expect the Worst

 

• Show no pain or disgust
• Deaden the ball
• Recover
• Keep runners from advancing
• Block everything
• Do not allow the ball to hit your glove
• Look ball into your body
• Eyes to Tuck
• Glove first, knees and body follow
• Set angle with a chance to make a play
• Be as big as you can be in a “C” position
• Head tucked
• Sink your hips towards the ground
• Bare hand behind your glove on the groun
• Open Hand
• Punch
• Cowboy

 Remember to always breath out when blocking each pitch, Exhale out “Poof”

Four types

• Attack balls
• Ball that hit out in front of the plate, need to attack and grain ground to keep the ball from taking bad hops
• Oh crap balls
  • Balls that hit right in front of you, low fast balls etc.
  • Last minute
• Extreme balls
• Sell out
• Balls to left, treat them like a ping pong paddle
• Balls to right, treat them like an infielder backhanding a ball
• Side to Side
  • Man on 1B
    • Nike Swoosh
    • Ball on left side, direct the ball back towards the plate
    • Ball on right side, direct the ball into the LH batters box
  • Man on 2B
    • Reverse Nike Swoosh
    • Ball on left side, direct the ball into the RH batters box
    • Ball on right side, direct the ball back towards the plate

• Drills
• Sit and get hit – blocking position, absorb balls with your chest, follow the ball into your body
• Knee blocks with paddle-use lower half
• Dry blocks – coach points to location
• 6 points
• No glove blocks – block balls while hands behind your back
• Extension blocks – start with butt up and glove out and on the ground, push out and slide
• Paddle blocks – block balls hile wearing an infield soft hands glove to keep from using your glove to catch the ball
• Drop down blocks – coach uses the option pass to throw short balls at catcher
• Short blocks – coach is down on 1 knee 15-20 feet away
• Long blocks – coach or Atec machine is about 50 feet away
• Block and Recover
• Baseline Blocks

• Machine
• Distance
• Breaking Balls
• COMPETE

 

• Head to Head Race
• 3 Spots / 6 Blocks total
• Up Down Blocks
• times

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