Trouble Fielding routine groundballs

[baseballplaya92]

Lately it seems like i cant field a routine ground ball to save my life.. i dont know whast wrong.. i gues it just feels like my timing is off and im usually going to fast and have to hurry and then i boot it.. or im going to slow and i have to wait on it. Does anyone know of anything i can do to help me
? thanks

[SimiBaseball]

Fielding Slumps

Most fielding slumps are a result of a problem with the eyes or glove position. It seems like your feeling is that you have a rhythm issue. The only resolution for this is practice time. Start with medium speed hand rolled balls directly toward your position and "find" your rhythm. Then work up to balls off the bat to your left and right. If you still find yourself booting routine grounders, have someone videotape. Look at your fielding arm and glove position, watch your eyes.

[gwynnfan]

Typically it is timing and comfort. Start out with someone rolling you ground balls from 25 ft away. Then have them move back to 45 feet and hit soft ground ball at you. ( have them fist them or hit the ball off the spot just before the barrel. it takes enough off to make it easier to hit softly ) and simply work your way back. Get set on all the balls. Use the soft one to get lose and comfortable. Don't get lazy with the soft ones. Many players think it is beneath them. Ozzie Smith started like that every day, even when he was in MLB.

[JeepTJ12]

You're rushing. You don't notice it because it happens in a split second, but right before the ball goes into the glove you're taking your eye off the ball because you've already moved to throw. I'd focus on fielding the ball following it all the way into the glove and then step and throw. Break it down in slow motion and then take game ground balls.

[Chris O'Leary]

Lately it seems like i cant field a routine ground ball to save my life.. i dont know whast wrong.. i gues it just feels like my timing is off and im usually going to fast and have to hurry and then i boot it.. or im going to slow and i have to wait on it. Does anyone know of anything i can do to help me
? thanks

You may be picking your head up just before the ball enters your glove (possibly due to fear of being hit or rushing your throw).

You have to field the ball out front and watch it all the way into your glove.

[CoachB25]

Take a yardstick. Lay in on the ground, get a baseball and put it in your glove. Put another baseball on the ground in front of the yardstick. Now, be far enough back as to simulate stepping forward to field a ball. Step with your glove foot over the yardstick and bend down pretending to field the ball that is on the ground about 12-18 inches in front of the yardstick. Therefore, your feet are offset with the gloveside foot forward on one side of the yardstick and the other just behind the yardstick. Now, do the alligator. We call it the alligator because you're going to drop your throwing hand into the glove simulating catching and gathering the ball. As you do this step over with your back foot into the throwing position and simulate a throw. If you take your time and pay attention to detail, this will give you a lot of repetitions fielding the ball without the wear and tear on your throwing arm. When your ready have a friend hit medium speed balls and field in this same manner working on form. I hope this helps. We do this drill every Saturday with my daughter.

[BallCoach06]

When you say "routine", are you talking about the balls hit right at you. In my opinion, those are the hardest to field. It is tough to judge the hops and speed.

One thing I would recommend is making sure you are working to the right of the ball. That way you can better judge the speed and hops of the ball.

[AltaLomaStorm]

Like others already said, we roll ground balls to our boys every practice - directly at them, glove side and back hand. This helps us identify mechanical problems before we move to actually hitting any balls to them.

With our kids, most problems can be found in fielding the ball "too deep," i.e. between their legs. Fielding "on their heels" is also common with the younger guys. We like to use pads instead of always using their gloves, which reinforces proper hand position and fielding the ball "out front."

One drill I like is to have the kid take their hat off, turn it upside down and put the bill of the hat in their mouth. Now, when they field, their hands will have to be "out front" or the hat will block their view when looking down while fielding the ball "too deep."

[Ursa Major]

One drill I like is to have the kid take their hat off, turn it upside down and put the bill of the hat in their mouth. Now, when they field, their hands will have to be "out front" or the hat will block their view when looking down while fielding the ball "too deep."

ALS, that's priceless! Consider that drill . . . stolen!!

[Jose Reyes]

i remember a few years ago my coach made us do the hat in mouth drill and one kid gagged on his hat and threw up. this post doesn't really contribute to the thread but i thought it was a funny story

[wogdoggy]

get your azz down and your glove out in front...make sure you "BREAKDOWN" to get the ball.

[FedEx]

I've had periods like that. Where you just CAN'T field a ball you know you could before. Basically what people are telling you here. Get your glove out and get low. Too often I see stick figures just try and throw their gloves at the ball. Get your body down there, because if the ball happens to get a tough hop it won't be completely lost, you'll have it bounce of your chest.

But stick with it man, usually if you've ever been a good fielder you won't lose it, just going through a rough time with it.