The Little League Coach

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Fire Play

One of my most favorite plays is the "fire play". It is simple, and most teams use some variation of it, but calling and utilizing it as the "fire play" makes it simple to communicate w/ the players involved immediately.

What is the "fire play"? Very simply it is when the right fielder throws to first to retire the batter . The ole’ 9-3 out so rare but so exciting. Why do we call it the "fire play"? Because as the right fielder is approaching the ball, we can yell "fire, fire, fire, fire!" and then he can focus on fielding the ball. He doesn’t have to look up and make a decision thereby giving the runner an extra step.

The fire play is almost always close, so it is important to take every last inch away from the batter. Yelling to the fielder helps, having a first baseman w/ a good stretch helps also.

Catcher Backs Up

Finally, the catcher HAS to back up the fire play. He should run down the line and get in behind the first baseman in line w/ the throw. Quite often you will get a cheap out at second because the runners instinct is to immediately take off for second.

Do you have any cool plays you use? Let us know!

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Specialty Position

Right Field is a specialty position . We all know that in Little League the strongest players play in the infield. This doesn’t mean that outfielders are not important! Quite the contrary, picking up outs in the outfield is a huge bonus. The right fielder can be your weakest fielder but they need a strong arm and a will to back up first base on almost every play.

The right fielder need not be quick, but it is a bonus if the are. They will need to be able to track fly balls but the least of them are hit to them. They have to have the strongest arm because they often throw to first base and need to be able to fire to third base also.

Key Characteristics

Here are some characteristics of a good left fielder :

• Dedicated
• Strong Arm
• Committed to back up
• Able to track fly balls

A right fielder that makes every routine play as well as some spectacular ones can get a good pitcher some very key outs.

Can you think of any other valuable characteristics a right fielder should have? Please share them.

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