Infield Drills

Fielding Position Fundamentals

Before any ball is hit, infielders must be in the right position — ready position. This is the most common thing youth coaches skip, and the most common reason ground balls are misplayed.

• Feet wider than shoulder-width, weight on balls of feet (not heels)
• Knees bent, hips low — not just a slight crouch, a real athletic sit
• Glove hand down and forward, fingers pointing to the ground
• Eyes level and tracking the pitcher's release
• Pre-pitch routine: small weight transfer (trigger step) as pitcher releases

Ground Ball Sequence Drill

Run this sequence every practice. 5 balls per player, all from the same hitting position, varying location. This teaches infielders to read the ball from the first hop.

• Ball 1: straight at the fielder — pure fielding position repetition
• Ball 2: slight right — fielder must shuffle, stay low, field on backhand side of body
• Ball 3: slight left — crossover step, glove inside and across
• Ball 4: hard shot — fielder reads speed, adjusts depth of glove
• Ball 5: slow roller — fielder charges, fields and throws in one motion

Double Play Footwork

Double plays are the infield's signature play and require specific footwork drills that must be learned before they can be executed. Do not try to teach double plays mid-game.

• Second baseman feed drill: short-hops to SS, SS fields and fires to first. Focus on catching and releasing in one motion
• Shortstop pivot: SS receives at the bag, pivots around the base without stepping on it, fires to first
• Second baseman pivot: fielder drags foot across the back of the bag (not the top) and throws across their body
• First baseman feed: 1B fields and flips underhand to pitcher covering first — practice the right-handed flip vs. left-handed flip depending on where the ball is hit

Communication and Coverage Drills

More errors in youth baseball come from communication failures than from physical misplays. Train your team on who covers what before every situation.

• Pop-up drill: hit popup between SS and 2B — player who calls "mine" first owns it. No calls = drop. Practice the call loudly.
• Bunt coverage: run your bunt plays dry without a ball — who charges, who covers 3rd, who covers 1st
• First-and-third read: runner on 1st steals 2nd, runner on 3rd reading the play. Where do the fielders go?
• Rundown drill: 1st-2nd rundown — practice getting the runner out in 2 throws maximum

Infield Drills

Ground ball sequences, throwing mechanics, and positioning drills for infielders.

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