Fielding Ground Balls in Baseball Step-by-Step

Fielding ground balls in baseball is one the first skills that you have to master when you begin playing in Little League. The ground ball is a tricky thing to get the hang of. With time and proper technique, any young player can learn to field ground balls like a pro. How you coach them now will determine how well they field ground balls in the future, because their first habits will follow them in this area.

The first step to fielding a ground ball is to make sure they get in front of the ball. Little League players in particular will try to field the ground ball from the side because of a fear of the baseball. This fear can be tough to get over as a young player because the ball does hurt when it hits them. The key here is repetition and encouragement. The more ground balls a player properly fields, the better his odds of staying in front of the ball in the future.

To help with this, one should throw ground balls to a young player first. This can help them to get over the fear, because the ball will not be coming quite as hard. Move them from side to side by throwing the ball away from where they are set up, and encourage them to move their feet to get in front of the baseball.

Starting from a proper position is vital as well. The young fielder should be in a semi-squatting position with their hands up and at the ready. Their feet should be slightly wider than shoulder length and stationary so that they are ready to pivot and go after a ball that is away from them.

Fielding ground balls this way builds confidence in a young player. When they begin to field ground balls off your bat in practice, begin with slower ground balls and gradually increase the speed. This will help them to get used to the various hops and bounces that the ball can take.

Encourage the fielder to at a minimum knock the ball down. Even if they only stop the ball from entering the outfield, the play is not totally lost. The key is to keep the ball in front of them, no matter how hard the ball is hit. The baseball will not hurt them except in the most unusual of circumstances.

Another key to fielding ground balls is to know when to charge the ball and when to wait on the ball. This is relatively simple to teach. Explain that any ball they have to wait on to get there is the ball that they should charge. Any ball that should not be charged is hit too hard to have time to move towards anyway. Remind them that the quicker they get to the baseball, the quicker they can make the throw and out.

Fielding in baseball is not a difficult thing to do if you spend time working on it regularly. Practice and technique are the keys to success when it comes to fielding the ground ball.