Baseball fielding drills train players to get into the proper fielding positions
There are 4 Key Reference Point that need to be addressed when fielding a baseball. 1. Ready 2. Route 3. Fielding 4. Transition The following drills will help your players improve their baseball fielding technique in one of these four areas.
Ready Getting the players in motion is a good way to get them ready as the pitch enters the hitting zone. "Creeping" is a commonly used term for this movement. both infielders and outfielders need to be taking small steps toward home plate as the ball enters the strike zone. Think about how a tennis player is moving prior to returning a serve. This is the same concept that we are trying to achieve. Although the steps are forward they are very small steps so that the "creeping" does not take away angles when we move into phase two Routes.
Routes Baseball fielding drills to improve the range of a fielder is another way to develop great infielders and outfielders. When you break down routes there are basically 8 directions that need to be addressed when fielding a baseball.
When working with players to field a ground ball or catch a fly ball make sure that you cover eacn of the routes. 1-Fly ball directly over head 2-Hard hit ball to the player's left or deep fly ball over left shoulder 3-Line drive, ground ball to player's left 4-Soft ground ball or shallow fly ball to the player's left 5-Soft ground ball or shallow fly ball directly at the player 6-Soft ground ball or shallow fly ball to the player's right 7-Line drive, ground ball to player's right 8-Hard hit ball to the player's rigth or deep fly ball over right shoulder
Fielding To keep this organized let's break fielding a baseball into 1.Fielding a ground ball A. Above the waist B. Below the waist 2.Catching a fly ball A. Above the waist B. Below the waist
Transition Once the player has successfully fielded the baseball now he must be able to transition into a good throwing position. Not using two hands is the most common mistake during the transition phase of fielding a baseball. When players use both hands to field a ground ball or catch a fly ball they will be better able to get the ball out quickly and make a throw.
Ready Drills Now that we have covered the objectives for fielding and throwing let's look at some great drills to improve upon these four key reference points. Creeping-For a right handed throwing player Start with the left foot slightly out in front, knees flexed hands about waist high. Take a small step with the right foot followed by a short step with the left foot. Breaking down into the ready position to break on the ball. Creeping-For a left handed throwing player Start with the right foot slightly out in front, knees flexed hands about waist high. Take a small step with the left foot followed by a short step with the right foot. Breaking down into the ready position to break on the ball. Two points to remember: Make sure the steps are small enough to maintain maximum angles to the ball. And make sure the timing is accurate: the last step is down just prior to the ball entering the hitting zone.
Drills to improve routes can be as simple as hitting ground balls along the different routes. Remember the speed of the ball is also an important detail not just the direction. If hitting fly balls is difficult consider using a tennis racquet and either tennis balls or whiffle balls.
I like the soft hands products that are out that can be used with other baseball fielding drills to improve a fielders ability to field the ball out in front and give with it. Developing a players backhand is more difficult to do using these training aids.
Burn out is another common baseball fielding drill. Once the players' arms are loose they get a partner and from about 45 feet away they play catch The goal of this drill is to see how fast they can get rid of the ball and make an accurate throw. Remember the key point is to use two hands to get the ball out quickly in order to speed up the transition from fielding to throwing.
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