Title
First baseman works kneeling barehand picks progressing to pocket trainer and full mitt to isolate hand precision on ground-ball and short-hop receives.
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: Glove-to-ground angle, soft hands, and precise hand-eye coordination for fielding low short hops.
Builds toward Cleanly picking short hops at first base and confidently fielding low, tricky ground balls across the infield.
What it is
Player kneels with one leg extended, starting with barehand ground-ball reps (backhand and forehand) against a wall or from a partner feed. Form progresses from barehand isolation, to pocket trainer glove work, to full first baseman mitt, and finally stands to execute the pick live. The kneeling position eliminates footwork variability and forces precise hand placement and eye control.
What it practices
Develops short-hop hand positioning, barehand pick technique, and glove-to-hand transfer on ground balls. Trains eyes-to-glove tracking and working up through the ball on both backhand and forehand fielding routes.
Focuses on improving
Targets first basemen who struggle with short-hop and in-the-dirt pick accuracy. Isolates hand precision and eye positioning on picks by removing footwork and stance variability.
How to run it
5-10 reps barehand, 5-10 reps with training glove, 5-10 reps with game glove for both backhand and forehand.Setup
- 1Player kneels on one knee with the lead leg extended forward, setting up for either backhand or forehand.
- 2Glove hand rests on the back knee to isolate upper body and hands.
- 3Partner stands 5-10 feet away with a bucket of baseballs.
- 4Begin with no glove (barehand).
Run the drill
- 1Partner soft-tosses a low ground ball to the player's backhand or forehand side.
- 2Player fields the ball by working their bare hand through and up, eyes behind the ball.
- 3Secure the ball in the hand.
- 4Repeat steps 1-3 using a small training glove (e.g., pocket trainer).
- 5Repeat steps 1-3 using a regular game glove (e.g., first baseman's mitt or infield glove).
- 6Switch sides (backhand/forehand) and repeat the barehand, training glove, and game glove progression.
Coaching cues
- Hands forward, through the ball.
- Work up with the ball.
- Soft hands.
- Eyes on the ball, behind the glove.
- Stay low.
Common mistakes
- Pulling the hands back as the ball approaches.
- "Alligatoring" (not keeping hands together when fielding).
- Not tracking the ball all the way into the hand/glove.
- Stiff or rigid hands, not absorbing the ball.
- Not getting the glove head down to the ground.
Progressions
- Increase the distance between the player and the partner.
- Vary the speed or bounce of the fed balls.
- Transition from kneeling to a standing fielding position (without moving feet).
- Add movement drills after standing.
Coach notes
transcript
{
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"segments": [
{
"start": 0.0,
"end": 4.64,
"text": "If you're a first baseman and you can't pick a ball, then you need to watch this."
},
{
"start": 4.64,
"end": 8.08,
"text": "First step, you're going to take a knee because this is where we can isolate our hands."
},
{
"start": 8.08,
"end": 9.72,
"text": "And second, you're going to ditch the glove."
},
{
"start": 9.72,
"end": 13.36,
"text": "You're going to do this for both backhand and forehand, but we'll just start with backhand."
},
{
"start": 13.36,
"end": 16.72,
"text": "You're going to start with your leg out and your hand on your back knee so that you have"
},
{
"start": 16.72,
"end": 17.72,
"text": "room to work forward."
},
{
"start": 17.72,
"end": 22.04,
"text": "You'll either throw this up against a wall or you'll have a partner feed you."
},
{
"start": 22.04,
"end": 24.0,
"text": "And you'll work through just with your bare hand."
},
{
"start": 24.0,
"end": 26.88,
"text": "When you have just your bare hand, you obviously don't have a lot of room, so you've got to"
},
{
"start": 26.88,
"end": 27.88,
"text": "be very precise."
},
{
"start": 27.88,
"end": 33.8,
"text": "It's important to know that I'm working through and up when I catch the ball, and also that"
},
{
"start": 33.8,
"end": 36.32,
"text": "I'm keeping my eyes behind my glove."
},
{
"start": 36.32,
"end": 38.4,
"text": "Then only if you have one, use a training glove."
},
{
"start": 38.4,
"end": 42.36,
"text": "This is a pocket trainer, and do the same thing."
},
{
"start": 42.36,
"end": 46.12,
"text": "And then we transition to our first baseman's mitt."
},
{
"start": 46.12,
"end": 49.36,
"text": "And then you can stand up and try."
},
{
"start": 49.36,
"end": 53.88,
"text": "And then you can do the same thing on your forehand."
},
{
"start": 53.88,
"end": 57.52,
"text": "Even though this drill is most beneficial for first basemen, every fielder should do"
},
{
"start": 57.52,
"end": 59.68,
"text": "this because every fielder deals with picks."
}
]
}