Five Tips to Help Your Child Become a Better Fielder

Do you want to help your child learn the basics of fielding grounders so that he or she becomes a budding star on the local Little League team? Here are 5 simple tips that my father taught me. Practicing with your child on the weekend or after work is not only a good way to help her become the best short stop or second basemen she can be, but it is also a great way to create happy childhood memories.

Posture:

Good posture is as important in baseball as it is in etiquette class. More so, really, since there are likely to be more eager fans at the game than at the next cotillion.

Good fielding posture is about two related things-stance and weight distribution. Your child should stand with his feet shoulder-width apart. Narrower than that and he will be unsteady on his feet. Wider than that and he will be too deep set in his stance, too planted, and unable to move quickly to his right or left. He should also stand on the balls of his feet rather than leaning back on his heels or lunging forward on his toes. This will heighten his balance and his ability to respond to any grounder that may come his way.

A proper stance is important but it means nothing without a proper weight distribution. Your child's weight should be evenly distributed on both feet. Again, it's all about balance.

Keep your eye on the ball:

This one seems obvious, but it's easy to overlook, especially for a Little Leaguer with plenty of distractions surrounding her on game day. Not to worry, spend a few extra minutes before you and your child practice reminding her that she can't catch what she can't see. For added emphasis, hold a baseball in your hand and have her watch it while you move it across her field of vision.

Do this and you might find that on game day, when all the other children are chewing on their gloves or kicking the clay, your child is watching each pitch as it leaves the pitcher's hand. If you are very lucky, it might even be because she wants you to be proud of how well she remembers your advice.

Charge the ball:

Now that your child has the proper stance and an eagle-like ability to watch the ball, the time for action has arrived. As soon as the ball comes off the bat, your child should be moving toward the ball-even if it is not hit at her. Teaching her to move each time, no matter what, ensures that she will be ready when the ball does come her way.

Charging the ball also has two important advantages over waiting for the ball to come to her. First, when she charges the ball, your child will get to it faster and have a better chance of throwing the runner out than if she had waited for the ball to make its way to her. Second, when she charges the ball, it covers less ground before reaching her. This reduces the odds that the ball will take a bad hop after rolling over a particularly uneven patch of field. Bad hops are bad news because they can cause your child to miss the ball, or, worse, because they can cause the ball to hit your child.

Keep your glove down:

How many times have you seen a ground ball roll under the glove and between the legs of a fielder? My guess is a lot more times than you've seen a ball hop over a fielders glove. This is because in the final moments before the ball reaches the fielder it is easier for him to pull his glove up to react to a high bounce or to let the ball bounce off his legs or mid-section than it is for him to drop his glove down and field the ball cleanly.

Teaching your child to keep his glove down near the ground as he charges the ball will help make sure he stops more grounders than he misses. Remember, even if he does not field the ball cleanly, as long as he stops it with his glove, your child still has a chance to make the play.

Pretend not be afraid of the ball:

Let's face it, when a baseball hits someone, it hurts. Even one of those soft baseballs that are used these days hurts when some unruly piece of clay or clump of grass causes it to take a bad hop and smack right into an unsuspecting fielder. So it is only natural for your child to be afraid. In fact, much of what makes baseball a challenging sport is the element of fear.

A child's natural reaction when a sizzling ground ball comes off a bat in his direction is to get out of the way, or, failing that, to protect his face and other important parts with his hands and arms. Helping him overcome that reaction is your job if you want to help him become a better fielder.

The main tool here is practice and repetition. Only after your child successfully fields many grounders will he learn that he can do so even though he is afraid. The good news, of course, is that doing well despite one's fear ("fake it till you make it") is an important life skill that you can teach him now, while he is still young and eager to learn from you.

That's it, except for one final thing. Even though your child might not become the next Derek Jeter, the hours you spend practicing together will turn into fond childhood memories. That is certainly true in my case. Now, go play ball!