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Quick
Release
This is a great drill for players in
T-ball through Farm for developing good
hands and a quick release.
- Have players line up across from
a partner about 20 feet apart,
either standing up or on one knee.
- Have them 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.
- Kids will need to catch and
release the ball quickly.
Glove Extension
Proper fielding calls for the glove to
be extended out in front of the player.
Younger players often hold the glove
directly below them when awaiting a
ground ball. This drill helps promote
the required glove extension.
- Lay a bat on the ground
perpendicular to a line of 4-5
players.
- The first player in line is 6
feet from the bat in a ready
position.
- The coach is 10 feet from the
players.
- The coach calls 'ready' and
rolls a ball toward the bat.
- The first player in line runs up
and gets in a proper fielding
position directly behind the bat
without touching it. To prevent the
ball from rolling into the bat, the
player must have his glove extended
in front of the bat toward the
coach.
- When the player fields the ball,
he sprints to the coach and places
it at the feet of the coach and
takes his place at the end of the
line.
Lateral
Movement
Use this drill to improve lateral
movement for handling ground balls and
line drives. The drill station group
competes to see who can keep the most
balls from hitting a fence behind them.
- Find a fence about 20 feet wide
and 6 feet high.
- One at a time, fielders stand in
front of the fence while a batter
stands about 40 feet away. The
batter can be a coach or other
player.
- The batter hits 10 balls to
different spots within the fence
area (grounders, line drives).
- The fielder must stop the balls
from hitting the fence.
- Each fielder is hit 10 balls and
the fielder who stops the most wins.
Quick Throws
A great fielding drill is to time
players fielding a ground ball and
throwing to first base. Have the players
start at a specified position on the
infield (a good spot is the edge of the
outfield grass or near shortstop
position) The coach is positioned near
the pitcher's mound and rolls a ball
directly at the fielder. The fielder
charges the ball, fields it and throws
to first base. As the coach releases the
ball, he starts a stopwatch. The coach
stops the stopwatch when the throw is
caught by the first baseman.
There is no time announced if the
first baseman can't catch the ball. It
is very obvious that not charging,
fielding the ball in front, using
alligator hands, etc. add a lot of time.
The players will compete with each
other, but they will also compete
against themselves to get a better time.
The ball is rolled, so it is easy to
field, and players that are not the best
fielders are usually not discouraged.
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