Drills
Baseball catching the ball drills
Baseball catching the ball drills with video, setup, coaching points and how to run each one by age.
22 drills
- Barehand dot-tracking catching drill — The coach marks colored dots on a few balls and tosses them softly to a player's bare glove hand, and the player calls out the color as they catch it. It trains young players to watch the ball all the way into the hand.
- Barehand finger squeeze catching drill — A coach kneels a few feet away and tosses soft balls to a player's raised bare hand, and the player catches each one in the fingers and squeezes. It teaches young players where the ball should land and when to close the hand, before a glove does it for them.
- Barehand soft hands catching drill — Partners toss to each other from close range with no gloves, catching with two hands and then with the glove hand alone, and pulling the hand back toward the body as the ball arrives. It teaches beginners to give with the ball instead of stabbing at it.
- Bat barrel glove position drill — The coach holds the barrel of a bat out at different spots around a player's body, and the player turns the glove to the right angle and puts the pocket on the end of the bat. It teaches glove position at every spot with no ball, so there is nothing to fear.
- Bucket catching drill — A player catches soft, high tosses in a small bucket held out in front at chest height, which forces them to move their feet and catch the ball out in front of the face. A fun way to fix young players who let the ball drift over their head.
- Catch on the run drill — A player jogs toward the coach and then across in front of them while the coach leads them with soft tosses, high and low, to the glove side and the backhand. It teaches young players to keep their feet moving and catch without stopping.
- Close-range catch and trap drill — The coach kneels just a few feet from a very young player and tosses a soft ball into the open glove, and the player covers it with the bare hand. It gives three- to five-year-olds their first real catches and a two-hand habit.
- Flat paddle catching drill — A player wears a flat training glove and lets underhand tennis-ball tosses hit the center of it from different angles, without trying to catch them. It teaches the glove angle for every spot, high, low, forehand and backhand, before the glove has to close.
- Glove squeeze and hold drill — Players throw a ball into their own glove from a foot away, then squeeze the glove shut and hold it upside down at arm's length without the ball falling out. It teaches young players where the pocket is and builds the grip to keep a ball in the glove.
- One-foot balance catching drill — The player balances on one foot on home plate and catches random tosses to the glove side, the middle and the backhand side. It adds a balance challenge to basic catching and makes players reach with the glove while keeping the body centered.
- One-to-three ball juggling catching drill — Players work up a ladder of tossing and catching challenges, from one ball caught with two hands to two balls at once and, for the most coordinated, a three-ball juggle. It sharpens hand-eye coordination and soft hands, and players can do it alone.
- Over under partner catch drill — One partner throws overhand and the other answers with an underhand toss, then they switch. Young players get both kinds of catch, a firmer throw at the chest and a softer toss, while learning to give a good target.
- Partner simultaneous toss catching game — Two partners without gloves each hold a ball and toss them to each other at the same moment, catching the incoming ball and tossing again on the next beat. A quick hand-eye game that makes young players find the ball the instant it leaves their partner's hand.
- Quick hands partner catch drill — Partners play fast catch, moving their feet to each throw and letting the ball deflect off the glove into the throwing hand, then throwing right back. It trains a quick catch and transfer for older players.
- Selfies self-toss catching drill — Every player tosses a ball to themselves and catches it in the glove, first from a few inches, then at chest height, then just over the head. It gives beginners dozens of catches in a few minutes and teaches the glove to turn for a high ball.
- Short toss catching progression — Partners start 15 feet apart with gloves on and play underhand catch, two hands and then one, and only back up and switch to overhand throws once the catches are clean. A step-by-step way to build up to real partner catch.
- Tennis ball drop and snatch drill — A player holds a tennis ball out at eye level, lets it drop, and snatches it out of the air with the other hand before it falls past the waist, then repeats from that hand. A quick solo drill for hand speed and grip.
- Tennis racket reaction catching drill — A player tosses a tennis ball to a partner holding a tennis racket, who hits it right back at different heights and angles for the player to catch barehanded. It builds quick reactions, tracking and soft hands.
- Three-spot windshield wiper catching drill — A player stands on home plate and catches underhand tosses at three spots, the glove side, the face and the throwing-hand side, sweeping the hand across like a windshield wiper with the fingers up. It starts barehanded and called out, then moves to random spots and the glove.
- Thumb on the heel two-hand catch — In partner catch, the player rests the bare thumb on the heel of the glove instead of holding the bare hand in front of the pocket, so the glove closes onto the ball and the bare hand is right there to take it out. A small change that keeps fingers safe and speeds up the throw.
- Two-ball barehand circle catch — Players stand in a circle without gloves while a feeder in the middle tosses two balls at once to one player, who catches one in each hand. A fast, fun way to train soft hands and quick eyes.
- Up top, down low catching drill — Partners toss underhand to each other, first above the chest and then below the waist, and catch with the glove fingers up for the high balls and down for the low ones. A simple way to teach young players which way the glove turns.