Youth Baseball Fielding Drills for 7U–10U Players

Before you start

Kids at this age miss ground balls for two reasons: the glove is late, and the feet are still. Nearly every drill below fixes one of those two things. Run two drills per session and run them well.

Seven fielding drills

• Barehand rolls (7U–10U): roll balls from ten feet and have the player field with two bare hands out front. Teaches soft hands and stops the between-the-legs habit fast.
• Four-step approach (7U–10U): on each roll the player takes a controlled left-right-field-throw rhythm. Say the count out loud until the feet do it without being told.
• Triangle drill (8U–10U): set three cones in a triangle; the fielder works around the ball to field it moving toward the target instead of sideways.
• Forehand and backhand rolls (8U–10U): ten to each side, glove thumb down on the backhand, no reaching across the body on the forehand.
• Short hop reaction (9U–10U): from fifteen feet, throw firm short hops. The player attacks the hop rather than backing up and letting it play him.
• Do-or-die and slow roller (9U–10U): the fielder charges, fields off the glove-side foot, and throws on the run. This is the play that decides close youth games.
• Outfield drop-step and gap read (8U–10U): first move is a drop step, not a step forward. Alternate balls over each shoulder and into the gap.

A 40-minute defensive practice plan

• 5 minutes — barehand rolls as a warm-up
• 10 minutes — four-step approach and triangle work
• 10 minutes — forehand, backhand, and short hops
• 10 minutes — live infield with throws to a base, coach calling the situation
• 5 minutes — one competitive round: ten clean plays in a row or the round restarts

Making it stick between practices

A parent and a tennis ball against a garage door covers most of this. Ten minutes of barehand and short-hop work four nights a week will change a player's defense inside a month — more than any weekend camp will.