How to track groundballs into your glove

[baseballplaya92]

I used to always track the ball but now i dont track the ball untill it COMPLETELy goes into my glove.. any drills to help this? thanks

[Jake Patterson]

I used to always track the ball but now i dont track the ball untill it COMPLETELy goes into my glove.. any drills to help this? thanksPM me your Email address and I will send you several drills. I can't load here due to file size.

[Mark H]

Make sure you are low fielding the ball out in front. Letting it get up under you challenges the eyes ability to track.

[Chris O'Leary]

Make sure you are low fielding the ball out in front. Letting it get up under you challenges the eyes ability to track.

Also, make sure you don't pick up your head at the last second.

[Jake Patterson]

Hi all,
I was unable to post the clips in Email so I posted at You Tube. First a little background - I have always believed that fielding and throwing drills should start small and progress to live action. Simply hitting GB's to players does little to help develop fielding skills. With that said there is a great deal of work that can be accomplished inside during the winter.

Review this out first as it will help you understand the clips. We start with no glove and progress to a series of footwork drills (footwork drills not attached) The object of the drills are to teach players to move to and through the ball while fielding out out in front. I also have the players watch the ball go into the glove. The drawing is crude, but I hope it helps.

52309

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO5DYEeyGfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_pspyi1zzM

[Sherpa]

Jake, its been years, but I was always taught to field the ball out front, but instead of "pushing forward about 6 inches and then up" as you say in the word doc, to let the glove soften and come slightly backward into the body. Like catching a football, your hands give a little upon the catch as you bring it in to your body. Am I reading that correctly? Thoughts?

[darivero]

My son has a great fielding instructor who is always harping about not using the web of the glove to catch ground balls but rather the palm of the glove with 2 hands.....he works on it by using the pancake glove first, then a web-less glove next, then the actual kid's glove....he wants them to field, middle left, and clear the ball out of the glove immediately.....

[TG Coach]

Get low (sit in the milk carton). Get the hands out in front (alligator mouth or pinkie to pinkie). Look the ball into the glove all the way to pulling it up to the chest. Rotate the ball to get a four seam grip.

For more advanced/older players they can be setting their feet while all the above is happening. For younger players focus first on getting the ball into the glove. Step towards the target and throw. Older players should be snapping the ball from near their ear, not winding up.

[Jake Patterson]

Jake, its been years, but I was always taught to field the ball out front, but instead of "pushing forward about 6 inches and then up" as you say in the word doc, to let the glove soften and come slightly backward into the body. Like catching a football, your hands give a little upon the catch as you bring it in to your body. Am I reading that correctly? Thoughts?Some teach that - most knowlegable coaches do not. Sucking the ball into the chest is inefficient and slows the transition. If you watch high speed film of the best they move arround the ball and through it (when possible). I use the drills to prepare the players for proper movement. Here's a clip compliments of HG (from an earlier post).

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[shake-n-bake]

What Sherpa is describing is how I'd recommend fielding a ball where you're going the short way with the throw. When the play is across the diamond, then what Jake is describing allows a fielder the time to load up and step into a throw.

[Jake Patterson]

What Sherpa is describing is how I'd recommend fielding a ball where you're going the short way with the throw. When the play is across the diamond, then what Jake is describing allows a fielder the time to load up and step into a throw.
The drill set also includes cross-body short toss, cross body long toss, shuffle pass. The drills sets above address what I consider the most important part of fielding a ground ball and that is getting the body and ball in the most effective and effiecient position to transfer and throw the ball.

[Bolts-Baseball]

Rotate the ball to get a two seam grip.We always use a 4-seam grip...

http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/grips/pg-4fb.jpg

[Jake Patterson]

We always use a 4-seam grip...

http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/grips/pg-4fb.jpg
Agree with TG - 4-seam gives the ball more carry. We do flip drills to get the players used to finding the seam. Flip the ball up, catch it and bring it back as if getting ready to throw. The goal is to find a 4-seam grip before the hand reaches the release position.

[Jim W.]

For help on tracking infield balls, I teach to count the hops. This helps focus on the ball hops to better position yourself to field it on the short hop. I also teach to get low, glove out front and to reach out and up to pick the ball on the short hop.

[BallCoach06]

For help on tracking infield balls, I teach to count the hops. This helps focus on the ball hops to better position yourself to field it on the short hop. I also teach to get low, glove out front and to reach out and up to pick the ball on the short hop.

Counting hops is a great drill. We use this drill when working footwork with our infielders. They have to work to the side of the ball to effective see the hops.

[halfguard]

at shortstop, ive always taught my son to take the angle at a ball coming right at him so he can judge the hops and speed. what about at 3rd base? i think he is more natural at 1st/3rd and what he has been playing lately. do you think there is enough time to do this at those positions?

[BallCoach06]

As far as fielding position, I teach the five triangle fielding position. When our infielders are in their fielding position (for a routine groundball), I want to see five triangles within their body parts. This is probably too hard to explain in words, so maybe I will try to put up a picture later.

When it comes to getting the ball out and up and throw, the rule is get it out as quickly as possible. A minor league player showed me last fall (I also saw a major DI coach talk about this at ABCA this year), that if you break the hands at the chest it will take two shuffles to throw (almost every time at game speed). But, if you break the hands below the belt and get the ball out and up early to throw you can throw in one shuffle to first. We tried it will our HS infielders this year, and boy did it improve our times to getting the ball to first on groundballs. We tell our kids to be an infielder and not a quarterback.

The throws must be a four seam grip. You don't want to throw sinkers, tailing fastballs, changeups, etc, to first base by using any other grip. Good four seam grip when throwing and very important to follow the throw.

I also teach pushing the hands forward through the ball and using deflection when fielding and transferring the ball. The only time I teach the ball actually being caught is on a pop up/line drive or tag play. Everything else I want to see a deflection and not a catch.

[BallCoach06]

at shortstop, ive always taught my son to take the angle at ball coming right at him so he can judge the hops and speed. what about at 3rd base? i think he is more natural at 1st/3rd and what he been playibg lately. do you think there is enought time to do this at those positions?

When it comes to teaching our infielders, we teach them all the same when it comes to fielding groundballs. We have two drill segments during practice. Group infield drills (all INF's) and individual drill work (SS/2B, 3B and 1B work individually by position).

1st and 3rd base is a more of a reaction position. So, when we work individually with our corner guys, we work a lot on getting low in their two-step approach and set position and then work a lot of reaction drills with the feet and hands.

So to answer your question, we don't work a lot on rounding the ball, etc., in individual drill work with our corner guys, but we teach it in group drills because we want our 3B, SS, 2B, to all be interchangeable and get work at all three spots.

[BallCoach06]

One other drill that might help with tracking the ball is simply thinking about keep your eyes behind your glove when fielding (should be able to see both ball and glove when fielding). This involves bending the knees and getting low. If you don't, you will be looking straight down into the glove instead of out front into the glove.


52378

[Sherpa]

I also teach pushing the hands forward through the ball and using deflection when fielding and transferring the ball.

So once the ball hits the glove, you're saying to push your glove AWAY from the body, not UP or INTO the body (a little give)? I always thought it was natural to field the ball and give a little as you come up and transfer the ball.

[BallCoach06]

So once the ball hits the glove, you're saying to push your glove AWAY from the body, not UP or INTO the body (a little give)? I always thought it was natural to field the ball and give a little as you come up and transfer the ball.

I teach moving the glove hand towards the ball (softly and just a little) just as your getting ready to field the ball. Help to promote soft hands and also keeping the glove on the ground.

My findings in giving a little with the hands is that most players will take the glove up as they give and the ball can skip under or they have to try to adjust and stab down at the ball. Also, I have found by giving it can sometimes take a ball that can be short hopped and turn it into an in-between hop (which we don't want). When this happens players have the tendency to field the ball too far underneath.

I want my kids to get a short hop (skip hop) or a big hop each time they field a groundball. If they happen to get the in-between hop, then they will have to give with the hands to try adjust to the hop.

The thing to remember is that the "push" out with the hands is very soft and minimal. If the move is really forced it will put too much weight out in front of the body and cause the player to be off-balance in the fielding process. We want this done softly with the hands only and not the entire body.

[TG Coach]

We always use a 4-seam grip...

http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/images/grips/pg-4fb.jpg

Thank you for correcting my error. I was thinking one thing and typing another. A two seam grip would have the fielder throwing the ball to first with movement. Not a good thing. A four seamer is straighter and has more velocity.

[Jake Patterson]

One other drill that might help with tracking the ball is simply thinking about keep your eyes behind your glove when fielding (should be able to see both ball and glove when fielding). This involves bending the knees and getting low. If you don't, you will be looking straight down into the glove instead of out front into the glove.


52378While Dustin is one of the games best I teach getting the glove palm more perpendicular to the ground (fingers pointing down as much as possible). I always felt that providing the largest profile (target) to the ball will increase the likelihood of you catching it. Along with this I teach NO FLIPPING.

[Jake Patterson]

So once the ball hits the glove, you're saying to push your glove AWAY from the body, not UP or INTO the body (a little give)? I always thought it was natural to field the ball and give a little as you come up and transfer the ball.
We teach out (to the ball) then up for transition. Never - back and in.

[BallCoach06]

While Dustin is one of the games best I teach getting the glove palm more perpendicular to the ground (fingers pointing down as much as possible). I always felt that providing the largest profile (target) to the ball will increase the likelihood of you catching it. Along with this I teach NO FLIPPING.

I agree. I am with you on this. When looking at the picture of Pedroia, I don't really look at his glove, I look at his hand. If we were to take away the glove, I think we would find his hand in the position you talk about (fingers pointed straight down and hand perpendicular to ground).

[Jake Patterson]

I agree. I am with you on this. When looking at the picture of Pedroia, I don't really look at his glove, I look at his hand. If we were to take away the glove, I think we would find his hand in the position you talk about (fingers pointed straight down and hand perpendicular to ground).
Agree....
52396

[rkbenn]

good stuff...i'd also like to add, fielding to the right of the ball (easier to judge the speed) also fielding more towards the left leg as the left leg is staggered behind the right.

[Jake Patterson]

good stuff...i'd also like to add, fielding to the right of the ball (easier to judge the speed) also fielding more towards the left leg as the left leg is staggered behind the right.

Start glove side and move to the throwing side while transitioning... Like this:
52407

[BallCoach06]

good stuff...i'd also like to add, fielding to the right of the ball (easier to judge the speed) also fielding more towards the left leg as the left leg is staggered behind the right.

Yes. I really didn't talk much about foot position, but I am a bid advocate of this as well. Left foot should be behind right foot.

[rkbenn]

joe and coach...nails as usual

[brian920]

Yes. I really didn't talk much about foot position, but I am a bid advocate of this as well. Left foot should be behind right foot.
I don't get it. I usually keep my left foot ahead of my right and I feel that this makes me quicker. Why should the right be ahead? Disadvantages/Advantages?

[Jake Patterson]

I don't get it. I usually keep my left foot ahead of my right and I feel that this makes me quicker. Why should the right be ahead? Disadvantages/Advantages?
Watch HG above. Left foot out, right foot step, shuffle, shuffle, throw...

[darivero]

Pedroia is going to catch that ground ball in his palm of the glove which is what you want, we practice all the time with gloves that have NO webbing....you want to catch everything in the palm of the glove with 2 hands....same as with the pancake glove....also clear the ball out of the glove below the waist,,,,excellent stuff guys.

Dave

[BallCoach06]

I don't get it. I usually keep my left foot ahead of my right and I feel that this makes me quicker. Why should the right be ahead? Disadvantages/Advantages?

Here is a link that describes this pretty well. It basically allows for more freedom of the glove hand and also assures that you should field the ball on the middle to left of your body.

http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=686975318&channel=627259063

When I first saw this technique a little over a year ago, I was a little skeptical. But since then I have seen quite a few MLB shortstops and 2nd basemen fielding this way. Jose Reyes, Stephen Drew, Pedroia, etc.

[halfguard]

any links for 3rd/1st base???

[rkbenn]

any links for 3rd/1st base???

i teach the same for all infielders.

[Jake Patterson]

any links for 3rd/1st base???See the back hand drill above.

[nick e]

just recently i have had trouble picking up the ball. I play short, and all of a sudden i cant get a jump on anything. I have been an all-area player since my sophomore year, and im a senior this year. Ive gotten my eyes checked, and still have 20/20 vision. Does anyone know why this is happening all of a sudden?

any eye drills anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated.

thanks.