Infield Skills:

Catching Fundamentals:

Games & Fun:

Infield Drills:

FlyBalls can be used for much more than just outfield drills. The rubber ball is soft enough to take away fear of injury, but firm enough to simulate real game action. The accuracy of FlyBall's slingshot-action makes it easy for a coach at any level to control focused infield drills that can be challenging to control using a Fungo bat. In fact, many coaches choose to do these focused drills by rolling or tossing a baseball instead of hitting it.

Substitute a FlyBall for the baseball in these drills. You can start by launching the ball slowly...the players will gain a feel for the drills and not fear the ball. As their skills progress you can easily increase the speed of the ball and the challenge of the drill.

Veteran's Tip: FlyBalls are great for little leaguers, but don't miss the training opportunities they offer for advanced players as well. Many high school and college teams spend a great deal of their practice time early in the season indoors. FlyBalls are perfect for use indoors. Take the outdoor infield drills to the gym and keep up the level of intensity. Focus on details, keep your players "on the ball". And basebal coaches, you'll be a big hit with the basketball coaches, no more baseball scuffed gym floors!

Short Hops: Practice all kinds of short hops: Straight-on, backhand, gloveside, hot potato in the hole. Focus drills on the fundamentals of quick feet, centering the ball, moving to either side, keeping your eyes on the ball.

Remember that keys to becoming a good infielder are learned skills, not merely the result of natural ability.

"Get To 90": Have your players get their legs to "90". "90" means they've got their weight on the balls of their feet and their butts down, creating a 90 degree angle (or more) at the knees. Their feet should be a little past shoulder width apart, in other words in a good "athletic stance".

"Show Me The Button": Have your players show you the button on their caps as they do these drils. If you see the button on their hats it means their head is down and they're watching the ball into their glove. Players often shy away from the ball for fear of injury. This is a learned habit. With the right tools you can instill the right habits in practice. If you use FlyBall your players can focus on the drill without feeling the need to shy away from the ball. Once that habit is learned its an easy transfer to hardballs and then to the game. Perfect Practice Makes Perfection. Give your players a good start.

"Funnel It": You've heard people say "he's got soft hands". They don't mean he uses hand lotion. What they really mean is they're great at what my coaches called "funnelling" the ball. Have your players envision a funnel that travels from about two feet in front of them right up in to their belly buttons. Then have them practice fielding the ball at the head of that funnel and pull the ball back into their belly button right the through the imaginary funnel. Have them pretend that the ball is an egg. If it were an egg, you wouldn't be able to hold your hands in one place and catch the egg, it would break. to catch an egg, you must give with the ball, you must cusion it, you must bring it up through the "funnel".

Quick Picks: Short hops don't happen only after the crack of the bat. Every infielder will get bad throws and whether they can pick that throw or not will be the result of their practicing quick picks. Have your first baseman dig out bad throws. Have your middle infielders and third basemen practice "grab and tag"; this is where they're simulating a bad throw from the catcher or another infield that they pick and then have to make a tag on. Have them practice pop-tags, sweep tags and swipe tags. The more game situations you can simulate, the more prepared your players will be.

Bare Hands: The best way to practice catching with two hands and working on soft hands is to do your infield drills with and without a glove. The glove is obviously an incredibly important tool, but it can sometimes get in the way of learning the best fundamentals. Young players often work with gloves that are too big for them and develop bad habits about catching the ball. The most common is just using the glove hand to field grounders and catch flyballs. If you take the glove away, the player will not be able to field the ball with just one hand. They'll have to use both hands. Therefore doing the drill bare-handed will enforce the habit of catching with two hands which is the most important defensive skill a player can learn; it's the foundation that they'll build the rest of their skills on.

And remember, it's about having fun. FlyBall puts the Fun in Fundamental!

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