Using the Chalkboard Tool
The chalkboard is an interactive baseball field where you can drag fielders, draw ball paths, draw runner movements, and diagram defensive plays. It works on phones, tablets, and laptops. No account is needed for most features.
What You Can Do
Drag-and-Drop Fielder Positioning
Place fielders anywhere on the baseball field by dragging them. This is the core of the tool. You position your defense and then draw the movements, throws, and runner paths that make up a play.
Draw Ball Paths
Draw lines showing where the ball goes: ground balls to fielders, throws between positions, relay throws to home. Ball paths show the sequence of a play from hit to final throw.
Draw Runner Movements
Draw the paths runners take on the bases. Show leads, steals, advancement on hits, and baserunning decisions.
Free Draw Mode
Use the free draw tool to add any custom annotations to the field. Draw circles around areas of emphasis, mark zones, or sketch anything that helps explain the play.
Pre-Built Play Library
The chalkboard includes 59 pre-built defensive plays organized by category:
Cutoff and relay plays: Positioning for singles and extra-base hits to every outfield zone. Shows where each fielder goes, who is the cutoff, who backs up.
Bunt defense: Coverage responsibilities for sacrifice bunts, drag bunts, and squeeze plays with various runner configurations.
First-and-third defense: Multiple defensive options for the first-and-third steal situation. Shows when to throw through, cut the throw, or hold the ball.
Double plays: Infield double play turns from different positions. Shows footwork at second base and the throw to first.
Pickoff plays: Daylight plays, timing plays, and pickoff moves to each base.
Rundowns: Proper rundown technique between each set of bases. Shows chase direction, throw timing, and backup positions.
To use a pre-built play, browse the library, select the play you want, and it loads onto the field ready to view or modify.
Animation
The chalkboard supports play animation, which brings diagrams to life.
Step-through playback: Advance through a play one step at a time to explain each phase. Pause at any point to discuss what is happening.
Full-speed playback: Watch the entire play unfold in real time to see how all the pieces fit together.
Runner animation: Runners follow curved base paths with realistic timing. You can see how fast a runner advances relative to the defensive play.
Fielder animation: Fielders move to their positions with trail visualization showing where they came from.
Ball trajectory animation: The ball follows its drawn path with realistic timing, showing throws and relayed balls.
Animation is useful for teaching because players can see the play develop rather than trying to interpret a static diagram.
Play Builder
The Play Builder is a multi-step wizard that helps you create custom plays from scratch.
Step 1: Ball type - Select whether the hit is a ground ball, fly ball, or line drive.
Step 2: Hit outcome - Set the result: out, single, double, triple, or home run.
Step 3: Throwing sequences - Define the sequence of throws. Who fields the ball? Where do they throw it? Who backs up?
Step 4: Name and categorize - Give the play a name and assign it to a category so you can find it later.
The Play Builder produces a complete animated play that can be saved to your account (premium) or shared via URL.
Saving and Loading Plays (Premium)
With a premium account, you can save custom plays to your account and load them later.
Save: After creating or modifying a play, save it to your account with a name and category.
Load: Browse your saved plays with preview thumbnails. Load any saved play back onto the field for viewing or editing.
Delete: Remove saved plays you no longer need.
Saved plays persist across devices. Create a play on your laptop at home and pull it up on your phone at practice.
Public Sharing
Any play can be marked as public and shared via a direct URL at /chalkboard/play/{id}. Send the link to assistant coaches, parents, or players. Anyone with the link can view the play without needing an account.
This is useful for sharing team playbook pages, sending a specific play to a parent who missed practice, or building a collection of plays that the whole coaching staff can reference.
Tips for Effective Diagrams
Keep It Simple
A good diagram shows one concept clearly. If you need more than a minute to explain what a diagram shows, break it into multiple diagrams or simplify.
Use Animation for Complex Plays
Static diagrams work for simple positioning. For plays with multiple phases (cutoffs, relays, rundowns), use the animation feature so players can see the sequence unfold.
Test with Players
Show the diagram to your players and ask them to explain what it shows. If they cannot, simplify the diagram or add more context. Then have them walk through it on the field.
Common Plays to Diagram First
If you are new to the tool, start with these essential plays from the pre-built library:
- Standard defensive alignment (no runners)
- Bunt coverage (runner on first)
- First-and-third defense (double steal attempt)
- Cutoff and relay (single to outfield with runner on first)
- Rundown (between first and second)
- Pop fly communication (who calls off whom)
These cover the most common game situations and give players a visual reference they can study.
Mobile Use
The chalkboard works on phones and tablets. Touch and drag to position fielders, use your finger to draw paths. The field scales to fit your screen. Creating plays on mobile works well for quick diagrams. For detailed play building, a larger screen is easier to work with.
Coming Soon
There are plans to add multiple field views (infield-only zoom, outfield-only zoom) and a layer system for showing and hiding different elements of a play in a future update.
Related Documentation
- Using the Practice Planner - Plan practices with drill diagrams
- Building Station-Based Practices - Diagram station layouts