Swarming Infielders

In your first few practices and games you will want to teach your kids how to play their positions without swarming after the ball. Our first game of the season made this very clear to the coaching staff. On several occasions we had ground balls with 4 or 5 kids piled on top of it. The coaches were yelling "throw the ball" with little effect!!! In some cases we had kids setup perfectly to field a ball only to have another kid rush in to try to grab it. I guess you can't fault the kid for wanting the ball, but as coaches we need to make sure the kids understand their responsibility in the field. So how do you do that? I've been searching the net for various opinions and drills and here is what I've found:

Coach Calls It and Disciplines Kids
Instruction from the Tee Ball University forum suggests that in the first few practices, the coaches should call out the first name of the kid that should field the ball. Then after getting lots of repetition, kids that cut into another kids territory should be disciplined by running a lap.
http://www.teeballuniversity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=4

Note: I'm not fond of this technique because it involves the coach making the decision for the kid and then punishing him/her for not performing correctly. I'd prefer to encourage the kid to begin to think about the situation, even at a young age. As for the discipline, I think this "university" is is missing the point of youth sports.

Learning to Call It
The bestsportstraining website suggest drawing large circles in the dirt of the infield. The player to whom the ball comes closest to (or the circle the ball comes closest to) fields the ball. In the event the ball travels between two circles, or right down the middle, the player who jumps first and "calls it" gets it and the other has to back off.
http://bestsportstraining.com/baseball-tips-and-drills-tee-ball

Note: I like this approach and plan on applying it to our practices.

Using Cones
CoachTeeBall.com suggests positioning cones to indicate zones in which the kids can field the ball. Here is a cheesy video that illustrates.



Note: This video really doesn't show the reality of the kids learning their responsibilities. Plus they look older than the Tee Ball level. You will need coaches out in the field with them to reinforce this.

Spread Kids Out
The FunBe T-Ball book suggests that you put kids into regular positions in the infield and to not stuff them in the infield. This will help prevent the kids from bumping into one and other and give them enough room to field the ball (at least 5 to 10 feet).
http://books.google.com/books?id=PnpKq20Ex90C&pg=PT88&lpg=PT88&dq=T-Ball+swarming&source=bl&ots=rRHX5X2iPO&sig=wKn_BIcEcPJlgCXj_oKLtfGf5OU&hl=en&ei=8gG_SaCgLee0twe-34n3Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPT89,M1

YouTube Videos of Swarming

1. Quick and Funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LocjIy1XioE

2. Long Consistent Footage 7:11 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaX3MwKFAZc

Tomorrow's Practice
Tomorrow we will be focusing on infielder assignments. We will be applying the Learn to Call it drill. The outfielders, which typically play on the infield dirt, will be instructed to back up the play. We will not be disciplining a kid for swarming the ball but rather illustrating the correct decisions and providing plenty of repetition. We'll see how practice goes.

If any of you coaches out there have your own drills, techniques and/or opinions, please share them.