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BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL
*** PRACTICE DRILLS ***
FIELDING
THE BASICS
John Ottavino on
our DVD uses the mental cue of “beat the ball with your knee” – which is his
unique way of saying “get in front of the ball” or “line it up with your belly
button”. Use whatever cue works.
Start in the Ready
Position.
Then move to catch
the ball between the legs. (Slightly towards the leg of the throwing arm is
better, so you can make the weight transfer more quickly.) Place the non-mitt
hand so that if the ball takes a bad hop, the hand will be there to protect the
face. Some coaches call the position the “alligator jaws” or “the jaws of
death”. The ball is not really caught in the mitt, but is stopped by it so the
throwing hand can pin it to the mitt, and quickly pull it out. Then assume the
proper throwing position – turned sideways when the mitt hand pointing toward
the target andthe throwing arm extended back.
Tips:
When moving
laterally to field a ground ball, do not cross over – side step. Practice this
when using the ground ball drill. Always end the drill coming up into a proper
throwing position.
Mitt Position When Catching a Line drive:
The main things to
remember are: 1/ keep the elbows in - no chicken wings; 2/ reach out for the
ball, but not too far -- and bring it to you, welcome it; 3/ when the ball is
above the belt, keep the fingertips of the mitt hand up, and 4/ when it is below
the belt, point the finger tips down.
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GROUND BALL DRILL - QUICK ROLL & TOSS
Have someone roll
a wiffle ball to each side. Quickly field it and toss it back underhand.
Repeat 12 times. Keep the butt down and stay behind and beneath the ball with
your mitt. Always sidestep, do not cross one foot over the other.
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FLY BALL DRILL
Have someone toss
wiffle balls (and eventually regular game balls) in the air. Get behind the
ball so that you are catching the ball as you are moving toward your throwing
target. Then throw the ball back to the person who is tossing it to you.
Repeat 12 times.
 
Variation: Alternate the throws, tossing some to the side.
When the ball is thrown to the side, turn your body sideways and use a cross
over step.
Many thanks to the Berkeley Carroll Varsity Baseball Team
and their coach, Walter Paller, for providing these instructional tips.
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| 
78th Precinct Youth Council 
