DIRT LINES "Ground Ball Drill"

DIRT LINES "Ground Ball Drill"
Great Drill For Teaching Ground Ball Fundamentals.

This drill is used to teach young players to get their hands and glove out front when fielding a grounder. The young player often gets in the habit of catching grounders close to his or her feet or slightly in front of the toes. As coaches, we want infielders to extend their arms and get the glove out in front so that they can see the ball into it. The player should "lay" the glove on the ground out in front of his body . Each players distance will vary. However, a good rule of thumb is to try and extend the length from the players arm or from the tip of the fingers to the armpit. Another good measuring scale is they should be able to extend the length of the the bat they use. This distance is measured on the ground from the back of his heel outward. For this drill we pair two players. The players will roll grounders to each other from about 6 to 8 feet. The coach draws two lines in the dirt about 8 feet apart. The players must catch the ball out in front of this line. The coach will then draw a second line for each player. this is the "feet" line.

The players feet must stay behind this line. The players roll the ball and catch it while making sure to:
1) Get extension,
2) Keep the elbows off the ribs,
3) Funnel the ball in using the top "bare" hand.
4) Work their feet as they bring the ball up to the correct "T" throwing position.
5) Roll the ball back to your partner
6) Repeat the process. 50 to 100 "GB's" each practice should be done.

The distance can be changed to accommodate the speed of the groundball work.

Have a great day,
Nick