Short Hop Drills

Picking balls out of the dirt is a hard skill to teach at a younger level because even the best players still have some fear of the ball popping up and hitting them. The best way to do it is to teach them from a closer distance how to pick the ball, so that is almost becomes second nature.

There are three positions in which the fielder should field the ball:

a) Straight on
b) Backhand
c) Forehand

1) Have players partner up and stand about 10-15 feet apart.
2) One player should be the "thrower" while the other is the fielder.
3) The thrower should throw 10 short-hops (ball should bounce 1 foot in front of the player's glove).
4) Fielder should field the 10 throws in each position and immediately pull the ball up to their throwing position, making sure their body is also in the correct position.

The players should remember to "throw their glove at the ball." If they attack the ball, the ball cannot attack them.