Baseball drill
Goalie fielding drill
A young fielder guards a small goal marked on the ground and tries to stop every ground ball a coach rolls at it. It turns fielding into a game and teaches kids to move their feet and get in front of the ball.
At a glance
- Sport
- Baseball and Softball
- Skill
- Infield
- Ages
- 6U and 8U
- Players
- 2 (a coach and a fielder), or a short line of fielders taking turns
- Time
- About 10 minutes
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- Gloves, A bucket of balls (soft balls for the youngest players), Two cones or two extra balls to mark the goal
- Indoors
- Yes
Young players often stand still and reach for a ground ball, or turn sideways and let it go by. The goalie drill teaches them to slide over and put their body behind the ball: anything that gets through the goal is a point for the coach.
It is a good first fielding drill for tee ball and coach pitch, and it works in a gym, on grass or in the backyard. Keep score out loud. Kids who would lose interest in plain ground balls will ask for one more round when there is a score to beat.
Setup
- Mark a goal with two cones, gloves or balls. Start it narrow, about three to four feet wide, so the fielder can cover it with a shuffle or two.
- The fielder stands in the middle of the goal in a ready position, glove on, feet a little wider than the shoulders.
- The coach kneels or stands about 10 to 15 feet away with the balls.
How to run it
- The coach rolls a ground ball at the goal, sometimes right at the fielder and sometimes toward one of the cones.
- The fielder shuffles sideways to get in front of the ball and fields it with the glove down and open.
- A clean stop is a point for the fielder. A ball that rolls between the cones is a point for the coach.
- The fielder throws or rolls the ball back and gets set for the next one.
- Play to five or ten, then switch fielders. As players get better, widen the goal or roll the ball harder.
Coaching points
- Move the feet first. The fielder should slide over so the ball comes to the middle of the body, not reach out with the glove alone.
- Shuffle, do not cross the feet. Crossing over makes it hard to get back in front of the next ball.
- Knees bent and back flat, with the glove out in front where the fielder can see the ball go in.
- The glove stays open toward the ball with the fingers pointed down to the ground.
- Cheer the stops. At this age, wanting to win the point is what gets the feet moving.
Common mistakes
- Fielding the ball under the body or between the feet, where the player cannot see it.
- Bending at the waist with straight legs instead of bending the knees to get down.
- Turning the glove over so the back of it faces the ball, which lets the ball roll right under it.
- Making the goal too wide too soon, so the fielder gives up on balls they cannot reach.
By age
Tee ball
Use soft balls, a goal barely wider than the stance, and slow rolls. A ball blocked with the body counts as a save.
Coach pitch
Widen the goal a step on each side and roll firmer. Only a clean catch in the glove counts as a save.
8U
Back up, widen the goal to 12 feet or more and add bounces, or let two fielders compete for the most saves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if a young player is afraid of the ball?
Use a soft or foam ball, stand closer and roll it slowly. Once the player is stopping most of them, switch back to a regular ball a little at a time.
How wide should the goal be?
Start just wider than the fielder's stance, so a shuffle or two covers it. Widen it as the player shows they can move sideways and still field the ball cleanly.
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