ETAA Baseball

Many coaches continually yell out to the outfield during the game, "Hit the cutoff man", "Make sure you hit the cutoff", "Why didn't you hit the cutoff?". But, unless you practice plays which require a decision to be made during practice, your outfielders may not really understand why it's important. During practice don't always have the ball go through to the base. Have your players use "Cut" followed by a different base.

When working on hitting the cutoff man in practice. Don't overlook the positioning of the cutoff. The following is a common example from an outfielders point of view. The outfielder in question has a strong arm. A runner is on first and there is a hit. The runner is going to attempt to make it to third base. The outfielder knows he has a great chance of throwing the runner out at third. The problem is the cutoff man has come out way too far. If he hits the cutoff man they probably won't get the runner at third. If he throws the ball to third, he has failed to hit the cutoff man. Either way he'll probably feel like he did the wrong thing. You may give him positive feedback if he hits the cutoff man on that play, but it's not that often that he gets a chance to throw a runner out and believe me your positive feedback won't take away from the fact that he had an opportunity taken away from him.

Infielders need to be taught to be aware of the arm strength and position on the field of the outfielder making the throw. You want your cutoff man, if necessary, to make a short accurate throw. They shouldn't be cutting the distance in half. They should be trying to maximize the arm of the outfielders. Remember this is two sided. If the cutoff person errors on the side of being too far away from the outfielder, the outfielder must recognize his limitations and throw the ball on one hop to the cutoff person.

Crow Hop

The purpose of the crow hop is to put you in a throwing position quickly after fielding a ball, with the added benefit of giving you some momentum toward your target.

You should only use the crow hop when:

• You know where you are throwing the ball.
• You need to get the ball in quickly to either throw a runner out or to keep a runner from advancing.
• You are fielding the ball in front of you.
• You are moving in the direction that you want to throw. See Circle the Ball in the Fly Ball and Ground Ball section

Below are two progressive images of a crow hop being used on a fly ball and ground ball. Study the images and then we'll discuss the steps involved.

Crow Hop - Approach

It's important that you are moving in the direction that you want to throw when fielding the ball. The crow hop is used to put you in a throwing position along the same path that you are moving. It is not useful in changing your direction.

The crow hop is a controlled move. Meaning you can't be running full speed and perform it. On a fly ball if you have time to get behind the ball and move forward in a controlled way as you catch it, you are in a good position to use the crow hop. If you are catching the ball on a sprint, running to the side, or backing up, you're not in a position to use the crow hop. The same applies to a ground ball. The difference in the ground ball, is that you don't have to wait for it to come down. You can sprint hard towards it. This adds the need to break down as you approach the ball. Breaking down is the process of changing from a full sprint to a controlled speed in which you can field the ball. It's more than just slowing down, it involves timing the bounce of the ball and your feet position. Remember you want to field the ground ball off your glove hand side with that foot forward. Breaking down puts you in that position as you continue forward.

You'll notice in the photographs above that the glove side foot is forward when catching the ball. After catching the ball trailing leg will initiate the crow hop. This is done by kicking it up and forward passing in front of the other leg. Turn your foot as you bring it forward to be perpendicular to the target. At that same time you want to point your lead shoulder and lead hip towards the target. The combination of these actions will align your body for the throw.

Cow Hop - Result

As you land you will now be in a position to throw the ball. Simply continue the motion by stepping forward and making the throw. From catching the ball to the follow through on your throw, the entire action should be one continuous smooth motion.

Shuffle

There are many times when you can't get yourself set up to use a crow hop. So how do you gain momentum to make a long throw? The answer is a shuffle of the feet. It's very similar to the type of shuffle you would use when leading off a base. The difference is that on the last shuffle before throwing the ball you will cross your back leg behind your front leg, plant it, push off and throw.

Below is a shuffle being performed from right to left. The fielder has just backhanded a ground ball and has planted his right leg. He's too deep in the outfield to be able to just step and throw. So to gain momentum towards his target, he is going to shuffle towards the target and then throw.

Steps:

1. Ball is fielded and player has slowed down and planted his back leg.
2. Step forward with front leg toward the target. Keep shoulder closed.
3. Plant front leg and start to bring back leg forward. You're gaining momentum.
4. Cross back leg behind front leg. This is similar to the hop in the crow hop, but since you're body is already lined up towards the target, it's much easier to cross your leg behind. This also keeps your front shoulder and hip closed, ready to throw.
5. Plant your back leg, stride with your front leg, and throw the ball.

Use Anytime

The example above was on a ball that was backhanded, but the shuffle can be used on any play. Some players prefer this method to the crow hop and use it even when they could have used a crow hop. Personally, I find I can get more on the ball using the crow hop, but the shuffle throw is still a necessary skill that you will use on a regular basis.

Arm Strength

There's no substitute for throwing a baseball. Often players ask what they can do to improve their arm strength. While there are some great resources for weight lifting and other conditioning exercises that can help, I believe long toss is the single most beneficial thing you can do to gain arm strength.