Fielding Drills

It's no secret that practice makes perfect. It's also no secret that doing fielding drills can improve your defense immensely.

These short hop/short catch drills are intended to improve your hand quickness and your fielding abilities.

For each drill, stand 20-30 feet away from another player. Keep your feet stationary and focus on your hands.

In each drill, throw 25 balls to your partner. Completing the complete set of drills provides you with the opportunity to field 150 balls in 10 minutes. Perform these drills five or six times a week to greatly improve your fielding abilities.

Bare Hand Roll (no glove)
• Place your glove on the ground behind you.
• Spread your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees bent and your hands in front of you on the ground.
• Roll the ball to your partner, and focus on catching the rolled ball with two hands.

Bare Hand Short Hop (no glove)
• Place your glove on the ground in front of you.
• Spread your feet shoulder-width apart with your knees bent and your hands in front of you on the ground.
• Throw short hops to your partner, making sure to catch each thrown ball with two hands.
• Because no glove is being used, all throws should be softly thrown.

For tools to help with these fielding drills, look for Rawlings' 5-Tool Training Program items including the Reaction Ball, designed to bounce erratically. Rawlings has partnered with Ripken Baseball to produce the 5-Tool Training line.

Visit RawlingsGear.com or contact a Rawlings Gear Customer Care representative at (866) 678-GEAR(4327) for information on tools to conduct fielding drills.