Baseball Drills: Playing Catch : Long Toss

Drill: Long Toss

Purpose:
This drill helps build arm strength for all players.

Equipment:
Baseballs; Watch and cones if playing the game.

Setup:
Two lines of players paired up.

Execution:
Each pair is a team competing against other pairs.

Make sure all players have properly warmed up their arms. This is not a game to get warmed up.

Set a time limit on the game. I usually set the time limit for 2 minutes and play the game 5 times.

Players will start out a certain distance away. Set a few cones so that distance is set.

Set more cones behind those cones in increments of about 5 yards.

Players throw the ball back and forth, 1 throw each. If the ball doesn't hit the ground, the player on the side of the cones moves back to the next cone.

Players continue to move back as long as the ball doesn't hit the ground.

If the ball hits the ground, the player on the side of the cones must go back to the original cone and start over.

At the end of 2 minutes, the team that is the farthest away wins.

To make the game more difficult have the player catching the ball anchor a foot the way a first baseman does when covering the base. If either player has to pull his foot to catch the ball, the team cannot advance to the next cone. To make it even harder, have the team start over if either player has to pull his foot to catch the ball.