Fielding Ground Balls

Ready Position

• Your feet should be pointing toward home plate
• your weight on the balls of your feet
• knees slightly bent and hands relaxed in front of your body.
• As the pitch is released move toward home plate by stepping with the glove side foot first into a balanced position ready to move in any direction after the ball.

Photo by f:11 photographic design

Fielding Position

• Your feet should be still while you are fielding the ball.
• Your upper body and hands continue through the ball with your glove side foot slightly ahead of your throwing side foot
• Your feet should be slightly more apart than shoulder width.
• Your glove should be on the ground with the palm facing the ball and your throwing hand should be near the glove (either to the side or on top as the ball gets near your glove).
• Watch the ball go into your glove.
• Cover the ball with both hands and bring the ball and glove to your throwing side.
• Get your body under control and then step at the target with your throwing side foot.
• Now begin the throwing motion.

Photo by f:11 photographic design

Special Ground Balls

• Balls Hit Right at You –
  If the ball is hit hard right to an infielder, he/she must hold their ground and keep their glove down on the ball as these types of groundballs tend to jump up due to that amount of force and topspin on the ball. The fielder needs to keep their body in front of the ball and sometimes use their body to help block and stop the ball. If the ball is hit slowly toward you (called a slow roller), the infielder will have to charge the ball and field the ball on the run. After fielding the ball the fielder must make sure his/her body is under control before throwing the ball, or else the throw will be wild.
• Balls Hit to Either Side of You –
  The player will have to use a cross-over step in order to field a ball hit to either side of them. The player must be sure to cross over with the foot farthest from the ball in order to ensure the quickest reaction and the most ground coverage.
• Slow Rollers –
  These balls must be charged by the player in order to get the ball quickly and have time to throw out the runner. Sometimes the player will have to field the ball with his/her bare hand and then make the throw on the run.
• Backhands –
  Balls that are hit to the player’s glove hand side that he/she cannot move to get in front of must then be backhanded. In order to backhand a ball, the player will turn their belly button to face the place where they will field the ball, turn their feet to this same location, bend both knees, crossover step with their throwing hand side foot, and turn their glove over so that the thumb is closest to the player. The player should make sure they keep their glove open to allow the ball to get into it, and that they keep their palm facing the ball instead of facing the ground as some players will tend to do.