Baseball player performing fielding baseball drills in full baseball uniform on a baseball diamond

Baseball Drills to Help Improve Your Fielding

For youth baseball players who are just getting started, running fielding drills is a great way to get acclimated to the game.  The more practice drills you can run, the quicker your skills will develop.

Baseball Drills To Help Improve Your Fielding-  Catching Fly Balls

Catching fly balls can be difficult for new baseball players, because it is not a skill that they are used to.  Gaging where a ball is going to land is a learned skill that requires practice. 

Fear is also a factor, as if you do not catch the ball, there is a good chance that it will hit you in the face.  A good idea for new players is to use a ball that is softer, so that it lessens the fear. Tennis balls or soft rubber balls are perfect for this drill.

You can start this drill from about 10 feet away and work your way up to further distances.  The coach or another player will simply throw the ball up into the air, with a trajectory planned to land by the player who is practicing catching.  As skills develop, you can perform this drill by batting off a tee to a certain area of the field. 

Baseball Drills to Help Improve Your Fielding-  On Your Knees

When a baseball player gets on his knees in the outfield, it forces their hands in front of them.  Because their hands are in front of them, it is easy to watch the ball enter the glove.  

If the player can get in the habit of keeping their hands in front of them, they will be less likely to field too deeply between their legs and miss it. The outfielder should try to center his body in front of the ball, so they can use their body to block it if it bounces. 

Baseball Drills to Help Improve Your Fielding- Cut-Off Relay

Every kid wants to make a big play, but this isn’t always the smart play.  Kids need to learn the importance of the cut-off man.  

Running drills where the outfielder throws to his cut-off man to make the play will help with gameplay.  By practicing this play, you can hopefully stop other teams from getting extra bases or runs because of an error.  

Baseball Drills To Help Improve Your Fielding- The Vuk Edge

The opposite of practicing your fielding, is being the one to hit balls to the outfield, line drives to be fielded and pop fly balls to be caught and sent to a cutoff man. If you are taking lots of hits at bat, you should plan to make that as efficient and effective as possible.

Using VukGripz batting gloves and VukGripz bat grip tape can drastically improve your ability to not only hit a baseball, but control where you want that ball to go.  There truly is an increased edge given by using Vuk products

VukGripz batting gloves are lightweight with a stretchy back and double padded soft leather palms. They use increased friction to improve grip and control on your bat.  VukGripz bat tape gives players a better surface to grip when they are at bat.  They will increase your exit velocity  and add fluidity to your swing.