Short Summary
- The coach introduces five drills for first basemen, starting with the “walking picks” drill.
- Players practice bare-handed picks by tossing a ball and trying to catch it as soon as it hits the ground, focusing on backhand and forehand techniques while maintaining good posture.
- The second drill is “wall ball picks,” where players toss a ball against a wall to work on their picking skills, switching legs to practice both backhand and forehand picks.
- The third drill, “fungo picks,” involves the coach hitting balls to the player at first base, mixing long and short hops to help them practice footwork and picking skills from various angles.
- The coach discusses footwork for holding runners on base, advising players to start with their right foot on the home plate side of first base and position their left foot at a 45-degree angle.
- Players should focus on taking one step and one shuffle off the bag to be ready for a ground ball or double play feed, ensuring they maintain proper positioning for effective throws.
- The video emphasizes the importance of footwork when fielding balls at first base.
- Players are advised to quickly get to the bag using their heels to find the corners of the base and maximize reach while avoiding injury from runners stepping on their ankles.
- The instructor highlights the need to be athletic and ready to adjust to bad throws.
- Overall, the video aims to improve first basemen’s skills through effective footwork techniques.
