Equipment Needed
- Balls
- Bases
Keep practice balls on hand
A bucket of practice baseballs keeps advanced double-play turns moving at full game speed.
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- Set a full infield with a coach hitting ground balls at game speed to different infield spots.
- A middle infielder covers second base for each variation.
Instructions
- On a ball hit to the shortstop, the second baseman receives the feed and executes a standard pivot, dragging the foot across the bag.
- On a slow roller, the shortstop feeds with a underhand toss and the second baseman uses a jump-turn to clear the bag quickly.
- On a ball hit directly at the bag, the fielder receiving it may need to feed the covering player with a backhand or across-the-body toss.
- Rotate through all the variations so infielders see the full range of double-play looks.
Coaching Points
- Reading the type of ground ball early lets the infielder anticipate which turn technique will actually be needed.
- The jump turn is faster on close plays but sacrifices some arm strength on the throw — teach when each technique is worth the tradeoff.
- Clear communication about which base is getting the first out (if a double play isn't there) prevents a costly no-out mistake.
- This advanced footwork only pays off with real repetition against live-speed ground balls, not slow-rolled feeds.
Variation
Add a runner sliding hard into second to practice turning away from contact safely, or time double-play turns for a competitive element.