Nov
22
Youth Baseball Drill – “Get the Ball Out”
ByBEHIND THE DRILL: Catching the ball and getting it out of the glove quickly is important and will improve the players ability to get more outs.
SKILL LEVEL: Basic
DRILL TYPE: Catching
PURPOSE: This Drill helps young players with getting the ball out of their glove quickly.
EQUIPMENT: Baseball
PLAYERS: Any number of players
TIME: 10 minutes
SETUP PROCEDURE:
- Players line up in a single file line facing the coach.
- Each player steps out on command and gets into baseball ready position.
- Coach throws ball to them in the air about chest level.
- Player works on catching the ball with two hands.
- As the ball enters the glove the free hand should come over the top of the ball and the player immediately takes the ball out of the glove and holds it up next to the glove to show the coach.
- The player throws the ball back to the coach.
KEY COACHING POINTS:
- Make sure the players get into a baseball ready position before throwing the ball.
- Make sure the player is using two hands.
- You want to ensure the player is getting the free hand on top of the ball all most immediately up it getting into the glove.
- They should be pulling the ball out and holding it up next to the glove immediately and in control.
- They should be loose and relaxed when making the catches.
- You can vary the difficulty of the drill by throwing the ball to different locations around the body. Overhead, down by the knees or from side to side.
- The player should be under control each and every time but get the ball out of the glove quickly is the objective of the drill.
- Once they learn the basics you can add a throw into the drill to give it a more realistic feel.
