The Brilliance Behind the "Base-Ball" Drill/Communication

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic there has been a massive opportunity to learn every week in the baseball/softball coaching community. Many of the presenters around the world showcased their knowledge and genius in their respective sports of baseball and softball. This experience has grown both games at all levels of baseball and softball as well. One speaker in particular really stood out to me with a drill that she uses for her defenses in softball. Coach Nicole Parnell's drill is named Base-Ball. This drill is unique because it can be used as defensive communication between the outfield and infield defense. 

This drill starts with a defense on the field, base runners on different bases, and a coach putting balls in play with a fungo bat. It is up to the coaching staff to determine where they want to place base runners. 

The purpose of this drill is to teach the outfielder the importance of hustling after the batted ball, communication, and keeping the double play in order. When the ball is put in play, where the base-runner is in relation to the where the outfielder is at will determine the command the infield will say. If the outfielder gets to the ball before the base runner gets to the next base then the infielder (preferably third baseman) will yell, "Ball!" If the base runner gets to the next base before the outfielder gets to the ball then the infielder will yell, "Base!" 

This drill was created for the softball diamond, so the results are more definite with the shorter distances of the bases. For baseball, I would suggest that the coaches allow their catcher to have the final say on where the ball should go because field dimensions vary based from ballpark to ballpark. This added area of the Base-Ball drill builds a catcher's leadership ability and a team's communication clarity. As you can see, if this drill is done correctly it can work well with a defense in a game to prevent runs due to clear communication.

Over the weekend, I had a great conversation on Twitter with a high school baseball coach in Vermont, Coach Spencer Howard. We discussed this drill and how you can create variations to the drill. Two variations that we created was one for batting practice and another different form of this drill. In batting practice you can use the Base-Ball drill in live read situations. This can practice the communication in a game like situation. The second way to make this drill different is by taking away the infield entirely. In this scenario it is important for the outfield to live up to the slogan, "Last line of defense." The infielders would become the base runners with this variation of the drill. If the ball gets passed the outfielders then often times the opponent's base runners would get two to three bases. That is disastrous to a clean defensive inning and puts more pressure on the pitcher and rest of the defense. Therefore, this variation allows for the outfield to practice and get comfortable with making plays with the pressure on them. 

The base-ball drill is a fantastic drill and also use of defensive communication to prevent mistakes. This drill also helps the athletes communicate clearly with each other a skill that is necessary for success in life. In addition to all of that, the base-ball drill is a way to help everyone get better at cuts, relays, and double cuts.