Three cone outfield drill

At a glance

Sport

Baseball and Softball

Skill

Outfield

Ages

10U to High school

Players

2 (a coach and a player), with others rotating in

Time

About 10 minutes

Level

Intermediate

Equipment

3 cones, Gloves, A bucket of balls

Indoors

Needs a field

In a game, an outfielder might charge a sinking liner one moment and turn and run on a ball over the head the next. Most fly ball drills give one kind of ball at a time. This one strings three together, so the player has to finish one catch and get going on the next without a pause.

Three cones in a straight line make the route: in toward the coach, back past the middle, and a turn at the back cone. It takes a few minutes to set up, keeps the player working hard for about twenty seconds, and is easy to run for a whole outfield group by rotating players through.

Setup

• Set three cones in a straight line running away from the coach, several big steps apart.
• The player starts at the middle cone in a ready position, facing the coach.
• The coach stands in front of the line with a bucket of balls.

How to run it

1. The coach tosses a short, low ball toward the front cone. The player runs in and catches it, then drops the ball out of the way.
2. The player turns and runs back past the middle cone toward the back cone.
3. The coach throws a ball over the player's head, and the player catches it on the run and drops it.
4. The player goes around the back cone, turns the hips to face the coach again, and the coach throws a final fly ball.
5. The player catches it and throws it back. The next player steps in at the middle cone.

Coaching points

• Recover fast after each catch. The drill is about the moment between balls.
• Take tight paths around the cones rather than wide loops.
• Turn the hips fully on the last turn so the player is square to the final ball.
• Run through each catch instead of slowing down and waiting.

Common mistakes

• Celebrating or slowing down after the first catch, which makes the second ball late.
• Swinging wide around the cones and losing ground.
• Turning only the upper body at the back cone and catching the last ball sideways.

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.

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

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Frequently Asked Questions

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