Baseball drill
Extreme catch throwing game
Partners play catch while one player moves back a cone after every good catch and then works back in. It turns warm-up catch into a short game that builds distance and accuracy a step at a time.
At a glance
- Sport
- Baseball and Softball
- Skill
- Throwing
- Ages
- 6U to 12U
- Players
- 2 per pair (any number of pairs)
- Time
- About 10 minutes
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Gloves, One ball per pair, Four cones per pair (or one shared line of cones)
- Indoors
- Needs a field
Left alone, young players either stand in one spot for all of warm-up catch or back up too far too fast and start throwing with only the arm. Extreme catch gives each pair a short track of cones. A clean catch earns a step back; reaching the last cone means working back in.
Because a pair has to complete the catch to move, players aim at their partner's chest far more carefully than in plain catch. Run it right after the arm warm-up at the start of practice.
Setup
- For each pair, put down one cone for the player who stays put.
- Set three more cones in a line from that cone, the first about 20 feet away and the others about 5 feet apart behind it.
- One partner stands at the single cone; the other starts at the nearest cone of the three.
How to run it
- On the coach's call, the moving player throws to the partner, who catches and throws it back.
- Each time the pair completes a throw and catch, the moving player backs up to the next cone.
- After a clean round from the farthest cone, they work forward one cone at a time.
- Back at the first cone, the partners switch spots and play the round again.
Coaching points
- Step toward the partner and use the legs more as the distance grows, rather than slinging with the arm.
- Aim for the chest. A ball the partner can catch is the only way to move back.
- Move the feet to get in front of the ball when catching instead of reaching to the side.
- Glove side pointed at the partner on every throw.
Common mistakes
- Lobbing the ball high in the air at the far cone instead of throwing it on a line.
- Rushing to beat another pair and throwing wildly.
- Moving back after a dropped ball.
Printable drill card
Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.
Print the drill cardSmaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).
By age
Coach pitch
Start the first cone at 12 to 15 feet and space the cones about 3 feet apart, so nobody is out past their range.
10U and 12U
Start around 25 feet, space the cones farther apart, and make players catch with two hands to earn a step back.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a pair drops the ball in extreme catch?
The moving player stays at the same cone and tries again. For older groups, make a drop cost a step: move forward one cone.
What if I don't have four cones for every pair?
Lay out one line of cones and have every pair line up alongside it, so the whole team shares the same distance markers.
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