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| SOFTBALL LINKS |
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Patricia Piper Practices Pickles Pugnaciously
by Dave
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
I love pickles. They're fun to watch. They are less fun to be involved in and far less fun to coach. A poorly executed pickle from the defensive point of view can be be disastrous. Similarly, a pickle which presents a scoring opportunity that doesn't materialize is overwhelmingly frustrating to the offense. If you are the coach of a team, you want your girls to be ready on the both ends to execute the play while keeping their wits about them. The first team that breaks down is often the loser in these situations. And as always, practice familiarizes the kids with the situation and teaches them how to quickly think their way through it. This article focuses on the defensive perspective of pickles.
The first thing you want to instill in your kids on the defensive end is the situation dictates the defensive reaction. There are really only two kinds of pickles. One is done on purpose by the offensive team and the other is accidental. The first situation occurs when the offensive team is trying to manufacture a run. Runners might be on first and third when the runner on first steals and stops between the bases. Or a runner might have just gotten a base hit pushing somebody to third but not allowing them to score, the runner rounds first aggressively, makes for second, and looks to draw a throw. As soon as the ball leaves the throwers hand, the runner on third breaks for home. In these situations where the offensive team is trying to create a defensive breakdown, it is often best to simply end the play and not engage the runners. Pickles in these situations are only a good idea if you are dealing with good college players. Even the best high school teams should not engage unless, as in the first and third situation, you have already designed and practiced a defensive play. In any event, the last thing you want to do defensively is trade a run for an out unless you have a huge lead, in which case it isn't likely to be a pickle caused purposely by the offense.
The second kind of pickle involves a runner on base who made a mistake. She is likely a little confused and embarrassed about having gotten herself into this. If you act quickly, you can take advantage of her confusion. Assuming you don't have the risk of giving up a run, the next priority is to prevent the runner from getting an extra base. The lowest priority has to be getting an out.
In order to handle these priorities, the first, most important lesson is that pickling the runner is not an occassion to make a bunch of throws. If you make more than three or four throws, chances are pretty good one of them is going to be errant and allow the runner(s) to move up.
Obviously the play begins with a player who has the ball realizing that the runner has been caught off base. She makes the first throw. If the runner is close to the previous base and the thrower is also close to the runner, it is OK for her to throw to the player covering the over-run base. This usually happens when the ball comes quickly into the pitcher or catcher and the runner doesn't see who has the ball. This really isn't much of a pickle but it is an opportunity to get an out.
In most other circumstances, the player with the ball should either throw to the lead base or run at the runner. This is because you don't want to give up the extra base. Throwing to the lead base first prevents this and most often the runner will turn and run to the previous base. If that happens, your fielder at the lead base should make a clean catch and then throw to the fielder covering the previous base. If the runner is in the middle of the bases and completely stopped, often the best thing is for the fielder to run directly at the runner rather than throwing the ball to another fielder. This often freezes the runner or causes her to make a decision to run towards the base she thinks she can make. The fielder with the ball must keep good balanced body position while running. This means her run is more of a jog than a sprint. She must be ready to make a good, accurate and strong throw to the right base.
You may be surprised to find that running directly at a runner will cause her to freeze. I remember the first time I tried this as a player. The runner was fairly well skilled but he was expecting me to make a throw so he could either advance or sprint back to the base he just left. He was standing between second and third and I was at the plate having just tagged a runner out. I looked up, saw him and jogged right at him. He never made a move the whole time I was running and I promptly tagged him out. Afterwards we talked and he told me that he was just waiting for me to throw the ball and when I didn't, he just could not think of anything to do. He panicked. So I strongly urge you to indoctrinate your kids with the notion that running at the runner is often the best defensive move in pickle situations. Just make sure they understand that the fielder at the previous base should not run the runner to the next one.
Assuming throws are necessary, as I said, the first throw most often is to the lead base. The fielder who now has the ball should jog slowly at the runner. She has to know that somebody else is now covering the base she was just covering. She cannot be thinking, "I'm going to make this throw and then I have to get back to cover the bag." Her responsibility almost always ends after making the throw. But she should not immediately make a throw to the base. As we said, your first priority is to push the runner back, the second is to get an out. So she runs at the runner until she is convinced the runner has decided to try to get back and only then does she make a throw.
When a defensive player involved in a pickle has just thrown the ball, she must immediately get out of the way of the runner and other fielders. Fielders staying in the play is the most common cause of throwing errors. If the fielder who has just caught the ball needs to make a subsequent throw, the last thing you want is for her to have to decide between two players to throw to. Think of times when you have been involved in pickles. Most often you throw the ball in between the two fielders figuring somebody will catch it and tag the runner. You don't want that to happen to your kids. After throwing errors, the most frequent cause of a runner being called safe in a pickle, is a fielder called for interference. The rule must be, you throw the ball, you get out of the way, and do so in a hurry. Once you throw the ball, you are out of the play - your job has been completed. A player can circle back into the play but only when someone else has made a throw and she is now covering the base.
Another defensive consideration is ownership of the baselines. Your defensive players must know absolutely that they own the baselines. Quite often runners in pickles are called out for leaving the baseline. Teach your players to run directly in the baseline. Don't let them get into a habit of chasing the runner out of the line. This leads to runners juking fielders into mistakes. If for example, your catcher encounters a third base "dancer" (someone who comes half way down the base line, trying to draw a throw), she should physically force the runner back to third while staying in the baseline, if she engages her at all.
Just to sum up, here's what you want to tell your players:
- The situation dictates the play. Don't let someone score.
- Don't give up the next base.
- Minimize the number of throws.
- Running at the runner is often the best play
- Back each other up and after you throw, get the heck out of the way. Be ready to step in and cover the base for someone who has just chased and thrown.
Practicing Pickles
Practicing pickles can be a fun way to break up a practice and a great way to teach softball as a thinking person's sport. Your pickle session begins with discussion. You must instill the thought process first, the priorities next, and only then can you physically practice.
The best way to practice pickles is to play the old time favorite game of running bases with just a little adaptation. Divide the team into two groups, one running and the other playing the field. You can do a game between two bases (first and second) or you can play between two sets of bases (first and second and second and third or third and home) simultaneously. Have fielders stand at each base with backups at each base. If you are using two bases, start your runner in the middle. If you are using three, have one runner on base and the other in the middle. Have one player stand at the pitcher's circle and throw her the ball to initiate the game. If you are using just two bases, you can modify this by having a catcher or outfielder initiate play. In any event, start one runner between the bases and let play develop.
It is important to have a whistle or other noise-making device so you can stop play at any moment. You will undoubtedly see all sorts of mistakes made and can point them out in this way. The best way to correct situational fielding is in the moment. How many times have you been in a game and seen something develop where you wish you could just have 15 minutes of practice to work out. That's what you are doing here. You make a game out of a pickle and then correct mistakes.
You can even set up a point system and have the two sides play against each other. With three bases, make getting to the third one four points, the second two and getting back to the first base one, or anything you choose. Play numerous repetitions with players constantly shifting positions. The game itself is fun and after just a few times, your players should be able to keep their heads when all about are losing theirs.
Whatever you decide to do when planning your week's worth of fielding practices, please don't forget the pickles!
 
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