Ready Position, Glove Out Front

Foundation · Free lesson

about 45–60 minutes

Fielding Lesson 1: Ready Position, Glove Out Front

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Level: Foundation (HS and up) · Time: about 45–60 minutes · Need: a glove, a tennis ball or baseball, a wall or rebounder, a partner if you have one

Goal: Field from a balanced ready position with the glove out in front of your body every time.
Why it matters: Most errors start before the ball is hit: flat feet, glove on the ground too early, or hands too close to the body. A good prep step and a glove that works out front give you time and soft hands on every ground ball.

1. Watch first (about 11 min total)

Video	Channel	Length	Why we chose it
Wall Ball with Bill Ripken	MLB Network	1:09	A former MLB infielder shows wall ball: glove out front, soft hands.
Ready position in the infield	MLB Network	4:45	MLB Network on the ready position in the infield.
Mastering the Infield Prep-Step	American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)	1:31	Coaches association clip on the prep step every infielder needs.
Infield Wall Ball Progression to Work on Hand-Eye Coordination	Figure It Out Baseball	3:35	College wall-ball progression for hand-eye and hands.

2. Do this: drills, sets and reps

Drill	How	Sets × reps	Cue
A. Wall ball from the knees	On both knees 8–10 feet from a wall. Throw and field with the glove out front, then the bare hand covers.	2 × 20 reps	“Catch it out front.”
B. Wall ball on your feet	Wide base, knees bent, hands out. Field the rebound, then step and throw to a spot on the wall.	2 × 20 reps	“Wide, low, out front.”
C. Prep-step reps	From your ready position, take a small prep step as the “pitch” crosses the plate. Land balanced and react to a toss.	3 × 8 reps	“Land as the ball is hit.”
D. Right-left-field	Approach a rolled ball: right foot, left foot, field it out front (right-handed throwers).	3 × 10 reps	“Right, left, field.”

3. Common mistakes and fixes

Mistake	What you see	Fix
Flat-footed	No movement as the ball is hit	Prep step timed to the hitting zone.
Glove too far back	Ball eats you up between the feet	Wall ball from the knees. Glove starts out front.
Stabbing at the ball	Ball pops out of the glove	Give with the ball. Soft hands, fingers down.
Standing too tall	Ball goes under the glove	Wide base, bend the knees, not just the back.

4. How to measure progress

Clean-in-a-row: Wall balls in a row without a bobble. Goal: 20.
Prep-step timing: Film 5 reps. Did you land as the ball arrived? Goal: 4 of 5.
Partner rolls: Clean fields out of 20 rolls. Goal: 18 of 20.
Move on to Lesson 2 when: you get 20 clean in a row in two sessions.

5. At-home version

Wall ball with a tennis ball against a garage door or steps.
10 prep steps in front of a mirror, timed to an imaginary pitch.
Bare-hand short hops off a wall to soften the hands.

Challenge: 20 clean in a row. If you bobble, start the count over.

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