Three Methods to Catch a Fly Ball

Catching fly balls is one of the first skills young baseball and softball players learn on the diamond. It is a critical skill for outfielders, infielders and catchers, who are all called on to catch fly balls routinely. It is a particularly important role for outfielders, who see the greatest variety of fly balls. There are multiple ways to catch a fly ball, and players should feel comfortable with each method.

  1. Two-Handed Method

    • The two-handed method is ideal for catching the ball when you have time to settle comfortably under a fly ball and catch it in a relatively stationary position. When catching the ball with two hands, you want to catch the ball above your head, watching the ball directly into your glove. The glove should be open with the non-gloved throwing hand poised alongside it. When the ball lands in the mitt, your gloved hand should squeeze the glove around the ball and your throwing hand should clasp the open side of the glove, ensuring the ball is inside.

    One-Handed Method

    • The one-handed method involves catching a fly ball in your mitt without the help of your throwing hand. This can be done catching the ball above your head with your glove held on a horizontal or vertical plane, or it can be done catching the ball off to the side at about head or shoulder level. The one-handed method is not the most secure way to handle a fly ball when stationary because your throwing hand is not there to help secure the ball.

    Basket Catch

    • The basket catch is when you catch a fly ball directly in front of you, under-handed, with your glove turned up to the sky and your throwing hand beneath the glove, as though the glove is a basket that you are holding. The basket-catch style was most famously employed by Willie Mays, the Hall of Fame center fielder. The basket catch is not advisable, except when necessary because securing the ball in the glove is more difficult than catching the ball up high, and because following the flight of the ball is more difficult.

    Circumstances

    • Sometimes circumstances dictate the proper method to use. For instance, an outfielder catching a routine fly ball with runners on base should catch the ball with two hands over his throwing shoulder, moving forward, so that he can transfer the ball to his throwing hand quickly and be prepared to throw the ball into the infield. Running catches typically are best done with one-handed catches, even when two hands are possible, because lifting your throwing arm when running can disrupt your eyes' tracking of the ball. The basket catch, meanwhile, is best used when you are charging forward to catch the ball.