Barry Davis 3-Pack

with Barry Davis,
Rider University Head Coach; over 900 career wins;
3x MAAC Coach of the Year, 2x MAAC Tournament Champions;
former Gloucester County College Head Coach;
4x NJCAA Division III National Champions;
4x NJCAA Division III National Coach of the Year;
member of the NJCAA Hall of Fame (2016);

Barry Davis takes you, play by play, through his playbook and how he drills defensive situations into his fielders. Through a series of drills, Davis focuses on eight baserunning situations that he feels are critical to success in the field. Using whiteboard breakdowns and on-the-field demonstrations, Davis shows you how to defend against runners trying to take an extra base, as well as bunt and situational defenses.

Defending Runners (Cuts, Relays and Rundowns)

Coach Davis takes you through the eight possible runner on base scenarios and how to defend each of them, no matter where the ball is hit. No matter where the runners are, your fielders will be prepared and know where to go with the ball. You'll view:

• Cutoff drills - Fielders learn the importance of communication, efficiency, and accuracy while maximizing putouts.
• Rundowns - Fielders learn to maximize outs during putouts while incorporating pitchers as effective defenders.

Bunt Defense

Prepare for those critical, game-changing bunt situations. As Davis explains, the bigger the game, the bigger the bunting game. Davis explains the typical bunt situations and how to defend them properly. When the game is close, the ability of your team to defend the bunt is often a determining factor in winning and losing.

Drills for Situational Defense

Learn six 'quick drill' variations to get all of your fielders situational reps, all in a quick (3-5 minute per drill) setting. Drills cover:

• Different situations for bunt defense.
• 3-1 put outs with the pitcher covering first base along with a bunt defense to third base.
• The pick-off game at first base and third base, as well as middle infield DP feeds.
• Double play combinations between the pitcher and the infielders.

Coach Davis puts a new spin on the classic 27 Outs drill that ties all the aspects of team defense together in one productive drill. Instead of using baserunners, Davis puts his team on the clock. The fielders must get the ball to the appropriate base in less than a designated time, or the defense is not credited with an out. Put pressure on your defense using the stopwatch!

Use this great video to learn how to develop an airtight defense!

130 minutes. 2018.

with Barry Davis,
Rider University Head Coach; over 900 career wins;
3x MAAC Coach of the Year, 2x MAAC Tournament Champions;
former Gloucester County College Head Coach;
4x NJCAA Division III National Champions;
4x NJCAA Division III National Coach of the Year;
member of the NJCAA Hall of Fame (2016);

Rider University head coach Barry Davis has accumulated over 900 wins in his career. That may seem like a lot, but that number pales in comparison to the amount of practices that Coach Davis has conducted to collect that many victories!

In this video, Davis leans on his years of experience to bring you some of the offensive drills that serve as stalwarts in Rider practices. You'll get detailed explanations from Davis on each drill, including a live batting practice format that makes sure every player has something to do, a bunting progression that also incorporates baserunning, and a mini game that you can tweak to simulate different game situations. Also included is his intra-squad scrimmage blueprint.

Live Batting Practice

Don't waste valuable practice time by having players standing around waiting for their turn in the cage!

You'll see a full view of the field as Rider goes through a batting practice session that aims to incorporate as many people as possible. Not only will players get reps in the cage, they'll also get opportunities to run the bases and throw to different bags in the field thanks to added fungos between swings. Thanks to the presence of baserunners, batters can also be tasked by coaches to hit for specific scenarios, such as a grounder for a hit and run.

Additionally, Davis gives you some ideas for detail-oriented secondary drills that can be done in foul territory at the same time as main BP to help players improve skills such as bunting and fielding.

Bunting and Baserunning

Bunting practice will help your players work on executing bunts for certain situations while teaching runners to make reads on the base paths. Davis often has his team work on bunting to simulate moving a runner over from first or second base, as well as a safety squeeze scenario when a runner is on third. Using a pitching machine for bunting practice works well, but Davis adds that using a live coach can make it more game-like. Once his team has gone through every bunting scenario, Coach Davis likes to have them work on their "slash" (showing bunt, then pulling back and trying to put the ball in play) as well.

Mini Game and Intra-Squad

Coach Davis' mini game format stresses doing everything at full speed. Everything is as game-like as possible, minus a batting cage around home plate which forces runners to peel off when going from third base to home plate. The main rules for the mini game are as follows:

• Start each inning with a runner on third and no outs.
• The batters must always stay on the bases after putting the ball in play, even if they get out.
• Coaches can always control where the runners are. (First and third is encouraged.)
• Always have 0 or 1 outs - never 2. (To require more thinking.)

Finally, Davis runs through his format for intra-squad scrimmages. Rider's scrimmages are three innings long and runners always go on a 3-2 count.

If you're seeking drills that get players reps and also expose athletes to numerous game-like situations, this video from Coach Davis provides exercises that will become mainstays in your team's practices for years to come!

108 minutes. 2018.

with Barry Davis,
Rider University Head Coach; over 900 career wins;
3x MAAC Coach of the Year, 2x MAAC Tournament Champions;
former Gloucester County College Head Coach;
4x NJCAA Division III National Champions;
4x NJCAA Division III National Coach of the Year;
member of the NJCAA Hall of Fame (2016);

Offense is more than just hitting the ball. Aggressive baserunning can be a key factor in putting pressure on the defense and scoring more runs. Barry Davis provides an informative resource for developing a team offense that can score a lot of runs by being aggressive on the base paths!

Using whiteboard breakdowns and on-the-field demonstrations, Davis presents six baserunning drills he uses to get his baserunners leading off aggressively and making good reads on batted balls. Davis explains the fundamental baserunning skills that all runners need, as well as lead-offs and baserunning reads, to put pressure on the opposing defense.

Fundamental Baserunning

Improve your fundamental baserunning ability with Davis' Fly Ball drill. This drill aims to help runners learn to read balls in the air and understand when to advance, tag, or stay.

The Cycle Drill will allow you to practice multiple baserunning situations, like hit and run, scoring from second, and scoring from third on a squeeze. This drill not only enhances a player's ability to read balls, it also improves cardiovascular conditioning

Leads

Be more efficient working on leads with Davis' Four-Corner drill. Have four pitchers on the mound and runners at each base working on their secondary leads. Pitchers can work on their slide steps and pick-off moves, while baserunners work to stretch their leads. Help your pitchers and baserunners work on:

• Hit and run (vs. RHP and LHP)
• Fake steal
• Straight steal on first movement
• Dirt ball read
• Squeeze

Reads

Baserunners must make split second decisions on whether to retreat back to the bag and tag up, or advance if they don't think the ball will be caught. The quality of their decisions can be the difference between them being safe or out. Davis demonstrates a Reads drill and how to work on live reads during batting practice so it's not just your hitters who are maximizing the BP time. Manufacture more runs with runners at third base using three cues, depending on the game situation and defensive alignment:

• Down angle
• Past the pitcher
• Through the infield

This is wonderful resource that allows, even in time-scarce practices, to teach and practice baserunning reads and advancements. By implementing teams drills explained in this resource, you'll not only develop players' baserunning instinct, you'll develop an aggressive offense that capitalizes on opponents' mistakes!

45 minutes. 2018.