How to do the drill
- 1
Stand in the outfield 20–30 steps (40–60 feet) from your partner. They roll ground balls and call "block" or "charge."
- 2
Block: drop to your throwing-side knee, glove-side foot out, glove on the ground between them.
- 3
Field it with two hands, chest over the ball. Stand up and throw to your partner.
- 4
Charge: run hard, field it just outside your glove-side foot without stopping, crow hop low and throw on a line.
- 5
Do 10 of each. Count every clean field (no bobble, straight into a good throw) out of 20.
Coaching cues
- Block when there's no play.
- Charge when the run matters.
- Hop, then throw.
What good looks like
Blocks that stop everything, and charges fielded at full run with a throw on a line or one hop.
Safety
These are 20 real throws: stop sooner if the arm feels tired, and skip this the day after pitching. Use tennis balls until players can field hard grounders cleanly.
Why this drill
Most outfield ground balls only need to be stopped, but one bad hop gives away an extra base. A few decide a game and need to be charged. Practicing both teaches outfielders to read which one the play calls for.
Next fielding drillPick a Hop Drill →
