Equipment Needed
- Several balls
- Cones to mark cutoff spots
Setup
- Place an outfielder in left, center, or right field with balls; a cutoff infielder lines up between the outfielder and the base receiving the throw.
- A receiver waits at the target base; rotate through all three outfield spots over the course of the drill.
Instructions
- Coach hits or throws a ball to the outfielder, who fields it cleanly and gets it to the cutoff quickly.
- The cutoff player lines up on a straight throwing lane between the ball and the base, calling for the ball loudly.
- Cutoff catches the throw in an athletic position and pivots to relay it to the target base, hitting the cutout chest-high.
- Rotate outfielder, cutoff, and receiver after every 3 reps so every player practices all three roles.
Coaching Points
- The cutoff player should adjust their line constantly as the outfielder moves — the throwing lane is rarely a fixed spot.
- Outfielders should hit the cutoff with a low, hard throw rather than a lofted one; a one-hop throw to the cutoff is often more accurate than a fly ball.
- Cutoffs should catch with two hands whenever possible to speed up the relay.
- Call out the target base loudly before the throw arrives so the cutoff already knows where the relay is going.
Variation
Add a trail runner going first to third to give the relay real stakes, or run two simultaneous lines (left field and right field) to double the repetitions in the same amount of time.