Cut-off and relay system

Setup

1. Full defence on the field, including a pitcher. The catcher wears full gear because runners will be sliding in at home.
2. Two runners in batting helmets: one starts with a lead off second, one is a batter-runner waiting beside home plate, clear of the coach's swing.
3. The coach hits from beside home plate and steps back into foul ground straight after each hit.
4. Walk the coverages through once with no ball before going live (see the coaching points).
5. Warm arms up properly first: these are long, hard throws.

How it runs

1. The coach hits a single to right field. The runner on second tries to score and the batter-runner rounds first.
2. The right fielder charges and throws home through the first baser, who lines up as the cut-off about two-thirds of the way to the plate. The pitcher sprints to back up home.
3. As the throw comes in, the catcher reads the runners and calls: 'Let it go' (no call) to let it through, 'Cut four!' to cut and throw home, or 'Cut two!' to cut and throw to second.
4. On 'Cut two!' the first baser catches, turns to the glove side and throws to the shortstop covering second for the tag on the batter-runner.
5. Next, hit balls to left (the third baser cuts throws home) and into the gaps (a middle infielder goes out as the relay and the other trails behind as a second relay). Rotate runners every few balls.

Coaching points

• Single to right, runner scoring: 1B is the cut-off, 2B covers first, SS covers second, 3B covers third, P backs up home, CF backs up RF.
• Single to left, runner scoring: 3B is the cut-off, SS covers third, 2B covers second, 1B covers first, P backs up home. Some teams use 1B as the cut-off on every throw home; pick one system and keep it.
• Ball in the gap or to the fence: the nearest middle infielder goes out as the relay with hands up shouting 'Here! Here!', and the other trails about ten metres behind in case the throw is off line.
• Outfielders: throw through the cut-off's head, low enough to be cut and to reach home on one hop.
• Cut-off: stand side-on with the glove up so the outfielder has a target, and shuffle to get on the line the catcher calls.
• Fielders without the ball stay out of the runners' path; standing on the base line is obstruction. Taggers set up beside the base.
• Runners at home slide or go around the catcher, and the catcher doesn't block the plate without the ball. Check your competition's rules on plate collisions.

Common mistakes

• Cut-off standing on the wrong line, so the outfielder throws to an empty space or the throw takes the cut-off's head off.
• Catcher calling too late, or too quietly. The call must come before the ball reaches the cut-off.
• Outfielders lobbing high throws that can't be cut.
• Nobody backing up home or third, so an off-line throw lets extra runners move up.
• Relay player drifting too deep, so the outfielder's throw dies in the air.