Advanced Team Defense Drills for Baseball

with Jim Morris,
former University of Miami Head Coach; 2016 NCAA College World Series;
2x NCAA World Series Champions (1999 & 2001);
2x American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) National Coach of the Year (1999 & 2001);
Back-to-Back-to-Back ACC Coastal Division Champions (2014-16);
4x ACC Coach of the Year; 1,590 wins - only the sixth head coach in the history of Division I baseball to reach the 1,500 wins mark

Jim Morris provides you with an inside look to his program's whole-team defense practice. In this video, he takes you through the aspects of his defensive coaching that have made the University of Miami's baseball team one of the most efficient units in the country. In all, 10 different facets of defensive play are illustrated. You'll see defensive practice drills, game situations, and strategies to prepare your team for games.

Watching this video is like sitting in the bleachers observing the coaching staff work out the team on the first day of practice. The coaches start each segment with a group meeting, then they send the team out to their positions to run the drills. Watch as the coaching staff implements each part of their defensive game plan and the correlating drills. Coach Morris builds on the saying "don't expect anything from your team if you haven't taught it" and provides his team with every possible defensive situation they must master.

Fly Ball Communication

Every team needs to communicate effectively to be a good defensive squad. A communication and priority system is important to make sure your team gets outs on balls in the air and to help players avoid collisions. Using a pitching machine for accuracy, Coach Morris focuses on team defense regarding communication for pop flies along with base coverage assignments. While players go through these game situations, Coach Morris and his staff provide feedback.

Cutoffs and Relays

Coach Morris moves to relay plays from the outfield and focuses on teaching outfielders and infielders their duties to decrease an opponent's offensive efficiency. An assistant coach hits fungos to different outfielders, and the infielders react to the mentioned situations and throws. Players are instructed to make accurate throws and concentrate on listening and processing the situations given for each drill.

Bunt Defense

You'll see how Coach Morris helps his new ball players understand bunt coverage and how to always get an out. Coach Morris goes into bunt defense, covering his rules which will make it easier for your players to make decisions. In this segment, he also works on pick-offs and rundowns. Every time a bunt or infield hit is executed by a coach, the entire team defense structure goes into motion.

Outfield Defense

Outfielders receive live fungo practice to execute hitting and fielding, along with making proper throws. Coaches provide feedback and explain each situation to increase reaction time and efficiency so outfielders know how to react right away to each hit.

This video is designed to help you develop a cohesive efficient defensive unit. Defensive errors are costly and can be the difference between having a poor team and a great team. By watching this video, you will learn how to instruct your players to be game-ready mentally. By exposing players to different game situations, players know how to respond effectively and rapidly to in-game situations.

159 minutes. 2017.