How to do the drill
- 1
Get in your stance. Your partner stands behind you, says "hit," and throws the ball high behind you or to one side.
- 2
Pop up, pull your mask off and hold it until you find the ball.
- 3
Turn your back to the infield, toss the mask away and run under the ball.
- 4
Catch it with two hands above your eyes. Count every catch out of 15.
- 5
Do 3 rounds of 5: wiffle ball with no glove, soft ball with the glove, then a regular ball.
Coaching cues
- Find it, turn, glove up.
- Back to the infield.
- Catch above your eyes.
What good looks like
The mask comes off fast, you turn your back to the infield, and you catch it above your eyes.
Safety
Clear bats, helmets and buckets from the area. Toss the mask away from your path. Wear a helmet once you switch to real balls.
Why this drill
Pop-ups near home plate spin back toward the infield, which makes them the trickiest fly balls on the field. Turning your back to the infield lets that spin carry the ball to you.
Next catching drillTennis Ball Wall Blocking →
