Barehand dot-tracking catching drill

At a glance

Sport

Baseball and Softball

Skill

Catching the ball

Ages

6U to 10U

Players

2 (a tosser and a catcher)

Time

About 5 minutes

Level

Beginner

Equipment

A few balls marked with colored dots, A glove for the last round

Indoors

Yes

Coaches say watch the ball into the glove so often that young players stop hearing it. This drill gives the eyes a job. Each ball has a colored dot, and the player has to say the color as the ball lands in the hand. A player who looks away early cannot answer, and both of you know it right away.

It needs only a marker and a few balls, takes five minutes, and works with players of any position. It is especially useful for players who flinch or turn their head on a toss, because a soft ball from close range takes the fear out of it.

Setup

• Draw a large dot in a different color on several balls, on two opposite sides of each so a dot shows whichever way the ball spins.
• The player stands or kneels in a comfortable catching position without a glove, the throwing hand behind the back or resting on a knee.
• Kneel about 5 feet away with the marked balls.

How to run it

1. Show the player the ball, then toss it softly underhand to the glove-side shoulder.
2. The player catches it with the bare glove hand.
3. As soon as the ball is in the hand, the player calls out the color of the dot.
4. Repeat 10 to 12 times, mixing the colors.
5. Put the glove on and do another five tosses, still calling the color on each catch.

Coaching points

• Soft, accurate tosses from close range, so the player is never afraid of the ball.
• Watch the nose and chin. Both should follow the ball into the hand.
• Relaxed fingers. The hand waits for the ball instead of stabbing at it.
• The color has to come out right at the catch, not after the player looks down at the ball.

Common mistakes

• Looking at the ball after the catch to read the color. Ask for the answer as the ball arrives.
• Tossing hard or from too far away, which brings the flinch back.
• Using small dots the player cannot see. Make them big and bright.

Printable drill card

Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

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Frequently Asked Questions

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