Purpose
To practice fielding line-drive balls using the crossover step and drop step. Also develops outfield communication skills.
Drill Setup
- There are three people involved in this drill: The Coach (CH), the Helper (H), and the Interceptor (I).
- The coach and helper stand 50 ft apart, facing each other.
- The Interceptor stands 30 ft from the coach, facing the coach, 20 ft off the midline. (see diagram)
How it Works
- Coach throws a line drive or low fly ball to the helper.
- The Interceptor uses a loud, strong voice to call out for the ball and then uses a crossover step or drop step to move toward the ball.
- The Interceptor catches the ball before it hits the ground, then crow hop throws the ball to the coach for the drill to restart.
- Prior to the next coaches throw, the Helper should adjust their position left/right and/or front/back to change the direction of the throw each time.
- If the Interceptor misses the ball, the Helper catches the ball and throws back to coach.
Coaching Tips
- To make this more challenging, add TWO Interceptors, place them each 20 feet on each side of the midline.
- The players will need to communicate to avoid collisions.
- The player who doesn’t get the ball should position themselves to back-up.