with Megan Smith,
University of Kansas Head Coach;
six straight seasons of 30+ wins (2011-16);
Over 300 wins all time; former LSU Assistant Coach
In this video, Megan Smith brings you drills that she has used over the years to improve her team's fielding. Smith will help keep your practices engaging with 17 innovative drills designed to improve footwork, turns, throws, and fielding position.
Footwork Drills
A player must move her feet to get into position. Learn how to help your infielders get into great fielding position with four footwork drills. Smith instructs how to practice quick feet and rhythm, which will help your infielders on routine ground balls and balls that they have to range to the sides to field.
Glovework Drills
Get your players' hands faster and more efficient with five drills. These drills are designed so that every player involved is working on some part of the game. For example, the Triangle Drill uses three players fielding, turning, and throwing to help improve on infield throws. In one fun drill, Light-Flight Pepper (a spin-off of the classic Pepper drill), the infielders play Pepper using light flight balls. This allows the hitter to pepper the ball harder without fear of injuring a fielder, and allows the infielders to work at a closer distance to improve their glove reaction.
Fungo Drills
Put it all together with eight fungo drills that will keep your infielders challenged. Smith offers several drills to improve fielding fundamentals, and drills that will challenge your fielders to make web-gem plays.
Let Coach Smith show you how to develop fundamentally sound, record-breaking infielders without sacrificing fun!
42 minutes. 2018.
SD-05316B:
with Megan Smith,
University of Kansas Head Coach;
six straight seasons of 30+ wins (2011-16);
Over 300 wins all time; former LSU Assistant Coach
The skills required to play the various infield positions are unique to each position. In order to be an effective infield coach, one must understand the diverse needs for each position.
Megan Smith offers 27 drills to build fundamentally sound infielders, position-by-position, by breaking down their technique and building correct mechanics using proven drills.
Her instruction covers:
- Ready position
- Fielding position
- Throwing position
- Drop step and angles to balls hit to the forehand and backhand
- Bunt fielding and throwing
- Double play feeds and footwork for middle infielders
Coach Smith even has a short segment on how to throw on the run. This is a fully comprehensive video on the basic fundamentals for infield play!
Drop Steps
The drop step is used on both forehands and backhands, so a good drop step is very important to help fielders increase their range. Smith explains the technique of a drop step and offers four drills to practice it. Get your players' feet moving faster and more efficiently and you will find them getting to more ground balls deep in the hole or up the middle!
Corner Fielding
Corner infielders have diverse job descriptions, as they must field ground balls like other infielders and also have bunt responsibilities. First basemen must also be able to pick a ball thrown in the dirt. Smith covers the techniques involved for each position and offers nine drills for these skills. In one drill called Hot Dog, players practice staying low and having their feet beat their hands by fielding a rolled ball behind their backs and between their legs.
Double Plays
Making two outs off of one batted ball can bail a defense, and your pitcher, out of a jam. Smith goes over feeds and footwork for both middle infield positions to help decrease the amount of time it takes to make the play and increase the chance of getting two outs. She then teaches the art of multiple "feeds" and the different footwork needed to turn a double play at second base. These tips save time and create more outs. In all, you'll get 12 drills Smith uses with her middles to practice initiating and turning the double play.
Let Coach Smith help you develop fundamentally sound infielders that will shatter records with their consistency!
63 minutes. 2018.
SD-05316C:
with Megan Smith,
University of Kansas Head Coach;
six straight seasons of 30+ wins (2011-16);
Over 300 wins all time; former LSU Assistant Coach
Throwing and catching are fundamental building blocks in the game of softball. Unfortunately, they are also some of the most overlooked and under-taught skills in the game. Megan Smith gives you a comprehensive look at throwing and receiving techniques, sequencing, and progressions that can easily be integrated into the practice setting. This will allow your players to understand efficient movement patterns from a variety of receiving positions and also learn transitions that can be easily repeated to help create accurate throw and get outs.
Throwing Mechanics and Drills
Coach Smith takes you step-by-step through a throwing progression that will not only allow your players to loosen up their arms, but will help create a fundamentally sound throwing pattern. Using Smith's towel whips training, players use a towel to create and improve whip, resulting in more wrist snap and better throws. She also explains a throwing progression for use during warm-ups. Start by isolating the upper body, and then progressively add in the legs and work to achieve proper throwing footwork. Coach Smith helps you build your throwers from the ground up.
Receiving Mechanics and Drills
Smith first breaks down receiving and transfer techniques. Receiving is incorporated with throwing just as it occurs during a game, making it extremely transferable. These techniques are then synced up with footwork to help the viewer understand sequencing of footwork and glove work to throw the ball accurately. Players also learn how to deal with bad throws, which is when most errors occur and games are lost.
Coach Smith introduces seven kinds of footwork that receivers must use during the throwing progression, and explains when the receiver should use each. These receiving footwork drills will allow your receivers to practice every kind of reception they could possibly need to make during a game.
Special Throws and Drills
In addition to regular throwing, Smith teaches how to transition from fielding a ball to throwing using her ball-in-glove series of drills. She provides drills for infielders and outfielders to work on the movements necessary to take a ball from the fielding position to throwing position. She also covers different types of throws, like relays and off-balance throws, which may pop up at a critical moment in the game and force your throwers to make a highlight-reel worthy play.
Additionally, Smith shows how your throwers can safely strengthen their arms using long toss and weighted balls.
The most valuable part of this video is that all these concepts can be incorporated into the throwing routine that you are already doing. Coach Smith explains how to make throwing more than just a part of warm-ups and how to make it a component of practice in and of itself!
54 minutes. 2018.
SD-05316D:
with Megan Smith,
University of Kansas Head Coach;
six straight seasons of 30+ wins (2011-16);
Over 300 wins all time; former LSU Assistant Coach
Running an effective team practice with a large roster can be complicated. It is often difficult to find engaging and efficient team drills that will challenge each player.
In this practice, you will witness exactly how Megan Smith works her team through various situations and gets all players prepared for upcoming games. Instead of players standing around and getting little out of the time, Smith does a terrific job of keeping things fast-paced and up-tempo.
On display are eight full team drills and a batting practice rotation that will help make your practices more engaging and efficient.
Team Defense
Get your whole team involved with full field long toss. Practice important throwing and receiving skills with your full team in a fast-paced, challenging environment. The expectation of proper technique for throwing, catching and making tags is on full display and is crisply executed.
Smith shares a pregame defensive sequence where you can get your outfielders and infielders several reps in only five minutes, which is ideal for pregame, where you are often limited on time. You will see the fundamentals that all coaches emphasize and hear the specific coaching points that Smith shares to make all players perform at their best.
Coach Smith also introduces communication drills that will help assure that no fly ball goes uncaught because of poor communication.
Defending the Running Game
Shutting down an opponent's running game can be a critical component of team success. Make sure your catchers and infielders get practice reps working on pick-off plays and steals to ensure a well-rounded defensive practice. Smith will also help you simplify first and third defensive plays, which are commonly chaotic situations that cause the team on defense to make mistakes.
Batting Practice
Smith shows you how to run an efficient batting practice where all players are involved and productive. Her three-group batting practice rotation allows your hitters to get live reps off a pitcher, your base runners to get live reads off of batted balls, and your defense to get game-like reps. Get more accomplished in less time!
Coach Smith shows you how to get more out of your players by getting more out of practice in this fantastic video!
58 minutes. 2018.