Short/Long Toss - Players stand about 15 feet away from each other. We want to stress proper mechanics (closed stance, throwing hand back behind the ear/head, glove pointed at our target, sling the ball to the target). Throws are made to the other player's chest. Players should NOT stretch to catch the ball, they should move their feet to catch the ball at their chest. Have the players move back approximately 10 feet and repeat. Hard tagging should be incorporated into the catch routine. The hard tag is a straight down then up motion, not a swipe. You can, time permitting, move the players back to up to 50-60 feet. At this range, most players will need to incorporate a crow hop to make a strong throw to their target. NO RAINBOWS. I'd rather see a one hop throw on a line, than a rainbow that takes forever to get to its target.

Ground Balls - Players should be in ready position, hands out/glove open. We want our players to have strong hands, not funnel the ball to their glove. The bare hand and glove should be away from their body (if they can't see their hand/glove while looking at the batter (glance down without moving head), their hands are too close to their body). Players should make throws of 45-60 feet (this incorporates long toss into the same routine). If a backhand play is necessary, their nose should be over their glove. If it's a slow roller that can be picked up with a bare hand, make sure the player can move "around" the ball to be in position to make a throw quickly.

Outfield Ground Balls - Players can either field ground balls with a "box it" position of "do or die" charging.

"Box it" is used when the ball gets to the outfield very quickly. Players are encouraged to get in front of the ball, drop to one knee, and "box" the ball with their body. They then throw to the appropriate base. *Make sure the infielder who catches the ball at the base, does a hard tag.

With "do or die", players charge a ball and, while running in, glove down, they scoop the ball, crow hop, throw on the run, and follow their throw. We want to encourage our players to cut down on their steps with ball in glove/hand. They need to get rid of it quickly (hopefully to the right base/person). Too many times, we see kids just hold the ball (not knowing where to go with it) or run in toward the infield while holding the ball.

The next article will cover basics of pitching.