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Baseball drill

Football tuck running drill

Outfielders run down fly balls with a small football tucked in the crook of the glove arm, carried the way a running back carries it. Holding it keeps the glove down while they sprint, so they run like athletes instead of chasing the ball with the glove up.

A young baseball player sprinting across the outfield grass with a small football tucked in the crook of the glove arm, the glove held low over it, as a coach watches
Video by Dominate The Diamond on YouTube. The write-up below is ours.

At a glance

Sport
Baseball and Softball
Skill
Outfield
Ages
6U to 14U
Players
2 (a coach and a player), or a line of players
Time
About 10 minutes
Level
Beginner
Equipment
Gloves, A small or foam football, A bucket of balls
Indoors
Needs a field

Watch a youth outfielder go after a fly ball and the glove is often up in the air from the first step. It feels like being ready, but nobody can sprint with one arm held out in front, and the ball usually lands just past the reach. Good outfielders run like sprinters, with both arms working, and bring the glove up only at the last moment.

This drill puts a small football in the crook of the glove arm, tucked against the body the way a football player carries it, with the glove hand over the front of the ball. As long as the football stays tucked, the glove stays down and the player has to run athletically. It needs nothing but a football and a bucket of balls, so it makes a quick block before regular fly balls.

Setup

  • Players line up at an outfield spot with gloves on.
  • The first player tucks a small football into the crook of the glove arm, ball against the ribs, the point of the football in the elbow and the glove hand over the front end, the way a running back carries it.
  • The coach stands 30 to 50 feet away with a bucket of balls, ready to throw or hit fly balls to either side and over the player's head. Keep the next player well back so the runner has room.

How to run it

  1. The player starts in a ready position with the football tucked in the glove arm and the glove low at the side.
  2. The coach throws or hits a fly ball to one side or over the player's head.
  3. The player turns and sprints to the spot, pumping the throwing arm and keeping the football tucked, so the glove stays down and close to the body.
  4. As the ball comes down, the player lets the football drop and brings the glove up to make the catch.
  5. The player picks up the football, returns it and the ball to the next player, and goes to the back of the line.

Coaching points

  • Carry the football like a running back: tight in the crook of the glove arm, glove hand over the front of it.
  • The glove stays down until the ball is about to arrive. If the glove comes up early, the football falls out.
  • Run like an athlete. Sprint to the spot with the throwing arm pumping, not a jog with the glove reaching out.
  • Take a direct route. Good running form does not help if the path to the ball curves.

Common mistakes

  • Carrying the football in the throwing arm, which leaves the glove arm free to come up early and defeats the drill.
  • Holding the football out in the hand instead of tucked in the elbow, so it bounces loose on the first steps.
  • Jogging because the football feels awkward. Use a smaller or softer one if it slows the player down.
  • Dropping the football early and running the rest of the way with the glove up.

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

6U to 10U

Use a soft foam football and easy, high tosses so players can think about the carry and the running form and still make the catch.

12U and 14U

Throw or hit the ball farther so players have to sprint for it, and mix in balls to the gaps.

Next: Free defensive lineup generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do outfielders run with their glove up?

It feels like being ready to catch, but it slows the player down because that arm cannot pump. Running with the glove down and raising it at the end gets them to more balls.

Which arm holds the football?

The glove arm. The football sits in the crook of that elbow with the glove hand over it, so the glove cannot come up until the player lets the football go.

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