Transcript Worthington Baseball Basic Fundamentals Receiving a throw: Set up  Starting position: - Shoulders square to target - Feet shoulder width apart - Knees bent - “Thumbs.

Worthington Baseball
Basic
Fundamentals
Receiving a throw: Set up
 Starting position:
- Shoulders square to target
- Feet shoulder width apart
- Knees bent
- “Thumbs Up”
Receiving Throw: Step 2

“Two hands”: throwing hand on thumb
of glove
 Small step to the ball:
Catch the ball between feet
Prepare to throw:
Gripping the Ball
 Pointer and middle fingers
are on top off the ball
 Thumb is under the ball,
the ball is resting on the
interior side of the thumb.
 The ring and pinky fingers
are curled, on the side a the
ball.
Throwing Technique
 Throwing-side foot parallel to
target
 Long step with glove-hand foot
directly towards target
 Point glove-side elbow at target as
the throwing arm moves back and
up
- ball is “away from target” meaning the
ball is turned away from the target so
the fingers are between the ball and
target
- Legs, stomach, and butt muscles are
loaded and ready to release
 You are now ready to explode towards the
target
Throwing Technique Continued
The accuracy and power of the throw is increased thru proper form and using
the entire body, not just the arm
 Step 1: glove-side elbow pulls down
which rotates shoulders and starts
the back shoulder towards target.
This action will cock and rotate the
wrist so the ball is toward the
target.
 start to exhale as the elbow pulls
down
Throwing Technique Continued
Finish the throw
 As the shoulders rotate and the arm
starts toward the target, keep the
two throwing fingers “behind the
ball”
 Reach out towards the target, snap
the wrist downward, spinning the
ball backwards.
 Bend at the waist, and continue to
let your weight move directly
towards the target; not to the side.
Staying behind the ball and keeping weight moving directly at target greatly improves accuracy
“Finishing” the throw
Accuracy depends on it
 Reach out to the target as if
you were going to wipe
your two fingers off o the
target
 Pull the two fingers down,
spinning the ball backwards
with the finger tips
 Wrist should end up down
with thumb pointed
downward
Ground Ball Technique
Getting started: “sit” in “Ready Position” as the pitch is released
 Preparing for each pitch: As the pitcher starts his motion, all
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infielders take two short steps, throwing side foot first,
glove-side foot is last to hit ground,(“Boom, Boom”) and “sit”
into the Ready Position.
“Ready Position”
Feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart with weight on
balls of the feet.
Knees are bent, thighs are parallel with the ground.(“Zs in
the knees”)
Back is upright, arms extended towards the plate with
“thumbs down”, back of the glove should be on the dirt.
Infield “Ready Position”
Ground Ball Technique
Attack and read the ball, don’t wait
 “Don’t get surprised”, expect the ball is being hit to you
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every pitch.
When ball is hit, attack it; don’t wait on the ball to get to
you.
Setting up:
“Boom, Boom” into ready position, feet and shoulders are
square with the ball.(Glove-side foot can be slightly forward;
shoulders must not slant)
Field the ball between shoulders, glove inside glove-side foot
Chest is out, butt is knee high, chin is down
Ground Ball Technique
Fly Ball Technique
Fly ball set up is very similar to receiving a throw
 Set up:
- Shoulders square to target
- Feet shoulder width part
- Knees bent
- Always keep feet moving, even
when you are under ball. (Tiny
chops)
 Making the Catch:
- “Two Hands”, throwing hand on
outside of the glove thumb.
- Catch ball between feet, glove over
glove-side shoulder. Take small step
with glove-side foot as you make the
catch.
Hitting Fundamentals
 Getting in the box: Get a routine, get set the same way every

-
pitch*.
Set up:
Hands near back shoulder and in tight to body
Knees bent, back straight; don’t bend over the plate
Head and eyes are level
* Ensure back foot is pointing straight across or slightly turned in
towards the plate.The back foot cannot be pointed towards he
catcher.
Set up
Hitting: “Get started”
Start every pitch the same way, expect it to hit every pitch and lay off
bad ones
 As the pitcher starts toward you, take a small step forward,
keeping your weight back.
 Keeping your shoulders in line with the mound, start your
twist by “squishing the bug” (rotating on the toes of the back
foot)
 Hands are still in tight and near back shoulders.
You are now in the “launch position”
“Launch Position”
Approach to the ball:
Launch position thru contact
Once you recognize the pitch and commit to swing:
 Hips are the first thing to go
- fire back hip at the ball, this will start to rotate the shoulders
which brings the hands forward.
- the weight is rotated forward; the back hip leads this. The
weight does not slide forward.
 Hands are in tight and always “inside the ball”; hands go
straight out to the ball, reaching full extension on contact.
 Top hand stays on top of the ball throughout approach.
 Accelerate the bat thru contact; do not stop swing on
contact.
Swing and follow thru
Legs, butt, stomach, and hands are tight on contact
Building a Stronger Swing
 In addition to good techniques, the boys can significantly add
power to their hitting by working on some basic bodyweight
strength exercises. These exercises will not bulk them up, but
instead give them a stronger core that can improve their
ability to hit the ball consistently out of the infield.
 These bodyweight exercises can be done three days per week
starting this offseason:
- Pushups – 3 sets of 10 repetitions (with 30 seconds rest between
sets)
- Squat thrusts – 3 sets of 10 repetitions (30 seconds rest between
sets)
- Crunches – 3 sets of 10 repetitions (30 seconds rest between sets)