Infield Defense DayStandard Performance · Practice Plan P-01
A full defensive practice built around three rotating stations so no player stands in line. The goal for the day: clean exchanges, confident feeds and a team that wants the ball hit to them with the game on the line.
Dynamic warmup + throwing progression0:00 · 15 min
- Jog, skips, shuffles, arm circles down the line and back (5 min)
- Wrist flips and quarterback throws on a knee, 10 each (3 min)
- Throwing ladder: 30 ft, 45 ft, 60 ft, focus on footwork behind every throw (5 min)
- Quick catch competition: partners, 20 clean exchanges, first pair done wins (2 min)
Station 1 · Glove work and exchanges0:15 · 15 min
- Bare hand rolls: 10 slow rollers each, work through the ball, no glove
- Short hop ladder: partner tosses 10 short hops forehand, 10 backhand
- Exchange reps: 15 catch-and-transfer reps against a fence or partner, time the best 5
Station 2 · Feeds and double play turns0:30 · 15 min
- Middle infielders: 10 underhand feeds each from second and short
- 4-6-3 and 6-4-3 turns at half speed, then game speed, 8 reps each
- Corners: 10 fungo rollers each, focus first step and glove presentation
- Rotate groups so every player sees both spots
Station 3 · Fungo reads off the bat0:45 · 15 min
- Coach hits live fungo, infield at positions, 2 rounds of 8 balls each
- Round 1: get an out at first, every rep
- Round 2: coach calls the play before contact (second, turn two, look home)
Team defense · 21 Outs1:00 · 22 min
- Full infield takes the field, coach hits live situations
- Team must record 21 clean outs; an error resets the inning count by 3
- Runners on for the last 9 outs to force real decisions
- Loud communication required: every ball gets a call
Wrap + this week's Standard1:22 · 8 min
- One thing each player did well today, said out loud by a teammate
- Assign the week: 2 arm care sessions, 1 tee session, hydration every day
- Gear check for the weekend: uniforms, water, sunscreen, arrive 60 minutes early
Coach's noteKeep station groups at 4 players or fewer. If energy dips in 21 Outs, shrink it to 12 outs and finish loud. Never let a tired arm keep throwing: rotate throwers before form breaks down.
standardperformance · free for every coach · share it with your league
Train smart. Parent and coach supervision required. Stop any drill that causes arm pain.