The purpose of this softball outfield fly ball jurisdiction drill is to give the outfielders an idea of how easy it is to cover the amount of space for their position. Often we see two outfielders running for the same ball and sometimes colliding with the ball falling to the ground. Most coaches will teach the players to call for the ball. It could be their name or another word that is used.
When out in the field, it can feel like there is a lot of ground to cover. With this drill it takes some of the pressure off and lets the outfielders experience just how much time they have and how easy it can be to cover their space.
Softball Outfield Fly Ball Jurisdiction Drill
Set up cones that measure off the space for each outfield position and hit fly balls to them. The fielder in each position is only allowed to field the balls in their “zone”. The neighboring fielder must run behind the fielder in a straight line to back them up. The fielder catching the ball must call their own name to indicate they are catching the fly ball.
You will find that fielders will feel much more confident about their abilities to field a fly ball in their position. You can also modify the drill to include infielders to prevent the middle infielders from inhibiting the outfielders on a fly ball that can be easily caught by them. The outfielder should always have priority over an infielder on any fly ball that is behind the infielder.
In this Outfield Fly Ball Jurisdiction Drill you can place cones just behind the infielders where you think their range should cover. It is easier for them to see then cones than to determine their coverage by the grass. This will give them a reference that can transfer to the game.
