How to do the drill
- 1
Face your partner 5 steps (10 feet) apart: feet wide, knees bent, hands up in front of your chest.
- 2
No glove first: catch underhand tennis ball tosses with both hands, letting your arms give.
- 3
Glove on, throwing hand beside it. Above your belly button, thumbs up; below it, pinkies down.
- 4
Watch it into the glove, squeeze and cover. Do 3 rounds of 10 and count every catch out of 30.
- 5
At 8 of 10, take 3 steps back. From 10 steps (20 feet), switch to soft overhand throws.
Coaching cues
- Eyes on the ball.
- Thumbs up, pinkies down.
- Squeeze and cover.
What good looks like
Feet move to the ball, the glove opens toward the thrower, and the throwing hand covers right away.
Safety
Use a tennis ball or soft ball until the player catches without flinching. Keep tosses underhand and easy at first.
Why this drill
Every part of the game starts with a catch. Two hands and the right glove angle turn drops into outs, and a soft ball takes away the fear that makes young players turn their heads.
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