Softball drill

Find the fence drill

Name: Outfield Find The Fence Drill - By Winning Baseball
Channel: Coach Trent Mongero
Description: An outfielder drop steps and runs back to the fence, reaches out with the bare hand to find it, and then settles under a fly ball and catches it. It teaches outfielders to locate the wall safely without taking their eyes off the ball.

An outfielder drop steps and runs back to the fence, reaches out with the bare hand to find it, and then settles under a fly ball and catches it. It teaches outfielders to locate the wall safely without taking their eyes off the ball.

Video by Coach Trent Mongero on YouTube. The write-up below is ours.

At a glance

Sport: Baseball and Softball
Skill: Outfield
Ages: 12U to High school
Players: 2 (a coach and a player), or a small group in a line
Time: About 10 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Equipment: Gloves, A bucket of balls, A cone, An outfield fence
Indoors: Needs a field

Balls hit to the fence scare young outfielders, and for good reason: running into a fence at full speed hurts. Many players either pull up early and let the ball drop, or run into the wall because they were watching the ball the whole way. The skill is finding the fence by feel while the eyes stay on the ball.

In this drill the player runs back toward the fence, reaches out with the bare hand to touch it, then catches a ball tossed near the wall. Because the coach is tossing, the pace stays controlled while players learn the routine. Run it on a field with a fence or a warning track.

Setup

Place a cone in the outfield about 30 to 40 feet in front of the fence.
The coach stands near the cone with a bucket of balls.
The outfielder starts at the cone in a ready position, facing the coach and the infield.

How to run it

The coach calls a side, glove side or throwing side.
The outfielder drop steps to that side and runs back toward the fence, looking back toward the ball.
The coach tosses a high fly ball that will come down near the fence.
As the player nears the fence, they reach back with the bare hand to find it.
With the fence located, the player settles, catches the ball, and sets the feet to throw back to the infield.

Coaching points

Find the fence with the bare hand and keep the glove hand free for the catch.
Keep the eyes on the ball while running back. The hand finds the fence, not the eyes.
Learn your field: where the warning track starts, and how many strides it is to the fence.
Locate the fence before jumping, never leap blind.

Common mistakes

Turning to look for the fence and losing the ball.
Running full speed into the fence without reaching for it.
Using the glove hand to find the fence, which leaves it out of position for the catch.
Pulling up short of the fence and letting a catchable ball drop.

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.

Print the drill card

Smaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).

By age

12U

Start closer to the fence and jog through the first few reps. Use softer, lower tosses and focus on reaching for the fence safely.

14U and up

Start farther away, toss higher, and finish each rep with a real throw to a cutoff player.

Next: Free defensive lineup generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you teach outfielders to play the fence?

Teach them to use the warning track and the bare hand to find the fence while keeping their eyes on the ball, then practice it with controlled tosses like this drill before adding fly balls off a bat.

More drills

Start free. Upgrade when your season needs it.

The free plan includes one team and one of each document type, with no license fee and no credit card. Paid plans start at $2.50 a month billed annually, cancel anytime.

See Pricing

No credit card required. Free plan available.