Defensive alignment and positioning

Setup

1. All nine in the field: pitcher, catcher in full gear, four infielders and three outfielders. The coach stands at home plate with a fungo bat; the catcher stands beside the coach and well out of the fungo swing.
2. Agree the team's names for each depth: 'standard', 'double-play depth', 'infield in', 'corners in', 'no doubles' (outfield deep, corners guarding the lines).
3. Check your competition's rules on shifts. Some competitions require two infielders on each side of second base and all four infielders on the infield dirt when the pitch is thrown.
4. Spare players stand behind the backstop or a fence, never in the fungo area.

How it runs

1. The coach calls the hitter and situation, for example 'right-handed pull hitter, runner on first, one out'.
2. Fielders have 5 seconds to move. The catcher checks the alignment and relays any changes with hand signals, as in a game.
3. The coach hits a fungo to test it: a ground ball for a double play, a ball in the gap, a line drive down the line.
4. Play the ball out to the right base, then the coach calls 'standard' and everyone resets.
5. Work through 10–12 calls. Finish with three 'random' calls where fielders must also work out the outs and runners themselves from the scoreboard.

Coaching points

• Shade for the hitter: a pull hitter moves everyone a step or two to the pull side; an opposite-field hitter the other way. Outfielders move more than infielders.
• Double-play depth: middle infielders a few steps in and toward second, so they reach the bag in time for the feed.
• Infield in only when the run on third matters more than the hitter reaching base, usually late in a close game with fewer than two outs.
• No doubles late in a game when protecting a lead: corners guard the lines, outfield deeper, giving up the single to stop the extra base.
• Adjust for the count: hitters pull more when ahead in the count, less with two strikes.
• Everyone checks the outs, the runners and the count before every pitch, and talks to the fielder next to them.

Common mistakes

• Infielders moving in but the outfield staying at standard depth, leaving gaps behind.
• Playing double-play depth with two outs, when the out at first is enough.
• Shading for a hitter's reputation, not what the catcher and coach can see in the swing and count.
• Moving late, as the pitcher comes set, so the alignment is not ready.
• Breaking the shift rules your competition uses.