Fundamentals of Fielding a Ground Ball

Professional players make fielding a ground ball look easy. Their movements are fast and fluid, and belie the hours of preparation and hard work that star players go through to be effective. Focus on a few fundamental aspects of fielding, and, with practice, your movements may become fluid and natural as well.

  1. Body Posture

    • Your body's posture is vital in fielding a ground ball successfully. Squat down until your hips are almost parallel to your knee joint. You should be able to drag your glove in the dirt from this position, though if your arms are exceptionally long or short you may adjust as necessary. This prevents the ball from bouncing between your legs. Your chest should be leaned forward at approximately 45 degrees. This position ensures that if the ball takes a bad hop and strikes you in the chest, it will fall in front of you, allowing you to make the play.

    Read the Ball

    • Reading the ball requires practice. Deciding whether to wait for the ball in proper fielding position or charge the ball depends not just on how hard the ball is hit, but how the ball is bouncing as it approaches. Field the ball on a high hop. Balls that are hit into the ground tend to follow a pattern of long hop, high hop, short hop. Most often, when a ball takes a bad hop it was because the fielder failed to read the ball properly and tried to field a short hop. Moving up to field the high hop or back to field the ball once it begins to roll are both preferable to fielding a short hop.

    Hand Placement

    • Your hands do the actual fielding of the ball. From the proper fielding position, you should be able to drag your glove in the dirt. As the ball approaches, put the back of your ring finger on the ground in front of your head. Your glove should always be out in front of your face when you begin to field the ball. Move your throwing hand alongside your glove. As the ball reaches you, place your throwing hand over the top of the glove, trapping the ball inside. Do not stop the ball completely. Instead, give with the ball until your glove reaches your midsection just slightly off-center to your throwing hand's side to be in the best possible throwing position.

    Transition

    • As you bring the ball into your midsection you should step with your glove-foot at the target to which you are throwing. Outfielders can stand up and take a hop-step to generate more power for the throw, but infielders must take a short step to throw the ball quickly enough to beat speedy runners. This footwork is the transition between fielding and throwing that is the key to getting runners out in baseball.