Add another throw to every drill

I’m not sure if this is based in fact but it has always been my contention that more errors are made by bad throws as opposed to not catching the ball.  On top of that, we also see a lot of what I call “compound errors.”  A “compound error” (I did a post about this HERE) is when the player receiving the bad throw feels that he has to make up for the bad throw by rushing his throw.  What started as one bad throw quickly becomes contagious and results in more bad throws during the play.  We’ve all had the pleasure of watching a routine grounder to shortstop turn into a Little League home run due to several bad throws added on to the first.  Of course, this doesn’t just happen at the Little League levels. 

There are certainly plays where multiple throws are indeed necessary and not the result of a bad throw.  Take, for example, a grounder to shortstop with a runner at first base.  The shortstop makes the throw to first base but the other runner tries to go all the way to third base on the play.  This requires the first baseman to catch the shortstop’s throw and then make a throw of his own to third base to nail the runner.  Not easy to do.  Especially if it is never practiced.

• On outfield throws to home plate, have the catcher make the tag and then quickly get up to make a throw to either 2nd base or 3rd base as if to nail another runner.
• On plays to first base, have the first baseman make the catch and then fire it home or to 3rd base like above.