GD's 1 Item Challenge

 

Instructors, coaches and trainers tend to be incredibly creative in their professions.  We challenged coaches at Game Day Athletics to take an obscure item and show us three different drills to use it for a team or athlete's training. Their insight never fails to impress! 

Seriously --- wait until we show you what else a plunger can be used for 😎
Take a look below to see how the staff prevailed in this month's 1 Item Challenge. 

 

 This Month's Item :  A TENNIS BALL  

Tennis balls are a great addition to your training tool-kit as a ball player. The size is similar to that of a baseball, and it's softer-exterior tends to be less intimidating to green players. The bounce of a tennis ball makes it an ideal substitute for learning angles in the outfield, or taking short hops in the dirt.  But besides "ball every days" and tennis racket high-flys, coaches have found that tennis balls can show us a lot about our game, too. 

And after reading this, if you find out you love tennis balls just as much as we do, you can purchase them slightly used in bulk for relatively cheap on eBay! After all, the stranger the hop, the better  🔥🎾🥎⚾ 

   

 Drill Focus: defense, ball handling, quick transfer, full body workout

How To:  Athlete tosses tennis ball high into air slightly in front of them. While tennis ball is still airborne, the athlete performs 1 full bur-pee, finishing by popping up into the fielder's position. The athlete should play the hop of the ball and work on getting rid of it as quickly as possible, whether to net or local target. Being bare-handed, athlete can feel the quick transfer of the pliable tennis ball from palm of the glove hand to throwing hand.  

 Drill Focus: hitting, eye-hand coordination,  contact point, bat path development, motor-skills

How To:  Athlete drops tennis ball on ground at the desired contact point (inside, middle, outside of plate.) Advance Tip: You can easily tape a home plate to the ground surface or draw one with chalk on pavement to give your athlete a clearer visual.  Athlete loads their swing and catches the tennis ball in the strike zone following the bounce with their back hand.  

Progress the Drill: Athlete can use a short-bat or use their bat by choking up to the top of their handle tape and work on back hand swings through contact point. 

Drill Focus: base running, acceleration posture, first three steps, stealing bases, running form, timing

How To:  Coach sets up the athlete as if on base to steal, and stands aside the base path about 15 ft from the starting point. The drop of the ball can signal the start of the athlete's run. The coach should drop the ball about chest high, and continue to shorten the depth of the drop to progress the intensity of the drill. The athlete's goal is to be able to maintain an acceleration posture for their first few strides of their run and therefore in a position to be able to grab the tennis ball. 

Progress the Drill: The lower the depth of the drop, the more challenging the drill. 

          Don't have a tennis ball? Ask Fido to borrow one. Turns out our furry-friends love them, too.  🐕🦮🎾