Title
This drill develops quick lateral footwork and soft hands for fielding ground balls to both sides.
Compilation
If this video stacks several distinct drills back-to-back, split it into individual, draggable drills — each with its own clip, steps, and tags.
Coach's take
Great for building: Lateral quickness, soft hands, and consistent glove-to-ground contact for fielding ground balls.
Builds toward Fielding difficult ground balls cleanly to both sides, allowing for quicker transfers and accurate throws from an athletic position.
What it is
A player stands on a line, reacting to balls rolled to their left and right by a coach. The player shuffles laterally to field each ball, maintaining an athletic position and using two hands to secure the ball.
What it practices
This drill practices lateral shuffling, fielding ground balls cleanly to both the glove and backhand side, and quick glove-to-ground contact in an athletic stance.
Focuses on improving
It targets deficiencies in lateral agility and hand-eye coordination for fielding, building consistency in fielding ground balls outside the body's direct path.
How to run it
Perform 2-3 minutes per player, then switch. Do 2-3 sets.Setup
- 1Place a straight line on the ground (using tape, chalk, or a natural line).
- 2Place a hoop or marker in the middle of the line as the player's starting point.
- 3The player stands on the line in an athletic fielding stance, facing the coach.
- 4The coach positions themselves a few feet in front of the player with a bucket of baseballs.
Run the drill
- 1The coach rolls a ball to either the player's left or right side, within lateral shuffling reach.
- 2The player shuffles laterally towards the ball, keeping their feet low and wide.
- 3The player gets into a low fielding position, using two hands to field the ball cleanly in front of their body.
- 4The player secures the ball, stands up, shuffles back to the starting point on the line, and resets for the next ball.
Coaching cues
- Stay low through the ball.
- Soft hands.
- Shuffle, don't cross over feet.
- Glove to the ground.
- Eyes on the ball.
Common mistakes
- Standing too tall and not getting low enough to field the ball cleanly.
- Crossing feet over instead of shuffling, leading to an unbalanced position.
- Using only one hand to field the ball when two hands are appropriate.
- Not getting the glove all the way to the ground, allowing balls to roll under.
- Stopping feet before fielding the ball, limiting momentum through the play.
Progressions
- Increase the distance the coach rolls the ball, requiring more extensive lateral movement.
- Roll balls faster or with varied bounces to challenge reaction time and hand-eye coordination.
- After fielding, have the player perform a quick crow-hop and throw to a designated target.
- Require the player to keep the ball in the glove and make a quick transfer motion without throwing, focusing on quick exchange.
Coach notes