How to Catch

Teaching a child to catch a ball can be broken down into several phases. Follow the steps below and your child will soon be tracking fly balls like a major leaguer.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find something that you both enjoy. Baseball (or any sport) is meant to be fun. Try making a game out of these exercises. If your son or daughter refuses to work on catching, either it is extremely difficult for them or they aren't interested in the sport.

    • 2

      Begin by teaching the child to catch without a glove. This keeps it simple as you work on increasing their hand eye coordination. Take a tennis ball and gently begin to lob balls at the child. Teach them to keep their hands away from the body while catching. Keeping the elbows in makes catching easier however it encourages trapping the ball with your chest.

    • 3

      Give the child a baseball glove. Continue with the same exercise focusing on correct form. Teach the child to keep their glove in front of them and watch the ball all the way into their glove. It may take time before they can coordinate opening and closing the mitt so use synthetic or soft baseballs.

    • 4

      Play a simple game of catch with a real baseball. The child should be confident enough to catch a hard ball without fear. Begin slowly with underhand lobs then transition to tossing once their skills improve.

    • 5

      Throw the ball slightly out of their reach so they have to move to catch it. Moving to catch is a more complex skill and may take some time to master. Begin by throwing the baseball a few inches to their right or left and gradually increase the distance to a few feet.

    • 6

      Try different variations. If you aren't getting anywhere, try throwing Frisbees, footballs, water balloons, anything that will encourage the skill in a non-threatening way.