Fielding Drills

RT Staff Note: The Following is from Baseball Corner.com.

- Fielding Drills -

Baseball Fielding Drill Countdown Drill
This is a fun drill to help first and second graders develop good hands, and a quick release.

Have the players line up accross from a partner about 20 feet apart. They are to make good throws back and forth as many times an they can while the coach counts down from 30 to zero. The player who does not have the ball at zero wins. (You should see the kids scramble for a dropped, or loose ball.)
(coach Kevin Nickelson)

Baseball Fielding Drill Glove Extention Drill
Young players often make the mistake of fielding ground balls with their glove directly beneath them, rather than extended out in front. This drill helps ensure proper extension.

Lay a bat on the ground perpendicular to a line of players. The first player in line should be 6 feet from the bat in a ready position. The Coach stands about 10 feet away opposite the players, and rolls a ball toward the bat. The pPlayer must approach the ground ball and assume a good fielding position right behind the bat, without his feet touching or going over it. In order to prevent the ball from rolling into the bat the player must have his glove extended in front of the bat. Once the player secures the ball, he sprints forward, places it at the feet of the coach, and runs to the end of the line. The Coach keeps rolling a ball to the next player each time a ball is placed at his feet.
(Coach Colbert)

Baseball Fielding Drill Fence Drill
This drill is designed to quicken reaction time to grounders and line drives using lateral movement. The entire team competes in a contest to see which player can keep the most out of 10 balls from hitting a fence or wall behind him.

Mark an area of a fence or wall about 20 feet wide and 6 feet high. One at a time, fielders stand in front of the fence. A fungo hitter stands about 40 feet away, and hits balls to him. The hits should be to different spots within the fence markings (left, right, grounders, line drives). The fielder has to prevent the balls from hitting the fence behind him. Each fielder gets 10 balls hit to him. The fielder with the most stops of the 10 balls wins the round.

Baseball Fielding Drill Dirt Lines Ground Ball Drill
This drill is used to teach young players to get their hands and glove out front when fielding a grounder. The young player often gets in the habit of catching grounders close to his or her feet or slightly in front of the toes. As coaches, we want infielders to extend their arms and get the glove out in front so that they can see the ball into it. The player should "lay" the glove on the ground out in front of his body . Each players distance will vary. However, a good rule of thumb is to try and extend the length from the players arm or from the tip of the fingers to the armpit. Another good measuring scale is they should be able to extend the length of the the bat they use. This distance is measured on the ground from the back of his heel outward. For this drill we pair two players. The players will roll grounders to each other from about 6 to 8 feet. The coach draws two lines in the dirt about 8 feet apart. The players must catch the ball out in front of this line. The coach will then draw a second line for each player - this is the "feet" line. The players feet must stay behind this line. The players roll the ball and catch it while making sure to:

1. Get extension.
2. Keep the elbows off the ribs.
3. Funnel the ball in using the top "bare" hand.
4. Work their feet as they bring the ball up to the correct "T" throwing position.
5. Roll the ball back to your partner.
6. Repeat the process 50 to 100 times.