Baseball Canada Coaching Drill: Second Base Double Play Footwork

Establish proper footwork around the bag.
Give second baseman an opportunity to handle different types of feeds from the shortstop.
Allow middle infielders to become familiar with each others tendancies.

With 2-3 people set up in double play depth around second base (double play depth requires the infielders to move approximately three strides towards home plate and four strides towards second base), feeder roles the ball to the shortstop, who delivers the ball to the second baseman.
The second baseman performs the proper footwork and returns the ball to the feeder. This is repeated 8-10 times.

There are two basic types of receiving feeds when turning a double play:
Across the Bag - Make sure the infielder is in a good ready position, with their knees bent and their hands away from their body. Their left foot should be placed on the back, outside corner fo the bag. For turning the double play across the bag, the infielder must go to the ball initiating movement with their right leg. Once the transfer is made, make sure the right shoulder is closed to the target before throwing the ball..
Push off the Bag - Make sure the infielder is in a good ready position, with their knees bent and their hands away from their body. Once the transfer is made, make sure the right shoulder is closed to the target before throwing the ball. Pushing off the bag to turn a double play is performed when the ball is hit close to the bag, allowing the shortstop to underhand flip the ball.
Instead of going to get the ball, space is maintained away from the bag by pushing off of it after receiving the ball in order to make the throw.
Make sure the infielder's shoulders are lined up directly to their target. The tendency is to open the shoulders to the target, resulting in a wide, weak throw.

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