Drill Sets to Build an Efficient Team Defense

with Greg Burnett,
Texas Lutheran University Head Coach;
2018 NCAA D-III Runners-Up;
10 consecutive postseason appearances;
has produced nine All-Americans in 12 seasons at Texas Lutheran

Games are won and lost based on free bases. An efficient team defense will help your team win the free base battle by reducing errors. In this video, Texas Lutheran's Greg Burnett shows how to make your team more efficient defensively and win more games.

Team Defense Philosophy

Coach Burnett explains his four-part defensive philosophy:

• Make the "100% plays"
• Have athletic pitchers and infielders
• Pitchers must be good defenders
• Outfielders must be able to field ground balls and break back on fly balls.

This philosophy is explained by Burnett in a classroom setting before he goes to the field and demonstrates with players.

On The Field

On the diamond, Burnett shows two drill sets that his teams use daily. These can be completed in 10 minutes or less. These drills will help catchers with their throwing footwork, infielders with turning double plays, and pitchers with fielding their positions.

Burnett then moves on to pick-offs at first base. The Texas Lutheran program believes that pitchers must be able to control the running game. This multi-purpose drill helps base runners learn to read pitchers when stealing bases while improving catcher footwork and throwing mechanics. Pitchers will learn how to adjust their timing to the plate in order to disrupt the timing of base stealers.

A series of short hops drills are shown to help your players soften their hands. These are done in building block fashion, progressing from kneeling to standing to charging. Outfielders field ground balls from a fungo hitter at varying distances and angles. Then they are run through four variations of the Two Ball Drill.

Coach Burnett provides you with eight drills in total that will help your players improve their fundamental skills defensively. These drills will reduce errors made by your team through more efficient team defense.

48 minutes. 2019.