How to Teach Fielding in Little League

Fielding a ground ball is something that every little leaguer should learn how to do in his or her first year of playing baseball.

It’s not my years as a college baseball player (UCLA 1988 to 1993) that help me coach/teach baseball; it’s my years working at the UCLA baseball camps and my years of teaching since 1996 that help me coach little leaguers.

Here are some tips I've picked up for teaching fielding.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Make sure the kids are in the ready position before each play. They should have their legs bent a little and have their glove about a foot above the ground.

2. Teach the kids that when the ball is pitched to them they should get in front of the ball, so that they are fielding it directly between their legs.

3. Have them bend their legs so that they are almost squatting (not just bending at the waist) when they field the ball.

4. Tell them to field the ball out in front of them instead of directly between their feet.

Resources

• Rock and Roll Kindergarten