This drill teaches kids to move their feet to the ball instead of reaching. Every grounder comes from a different angle, so they can’t cheat or predict where it’s going.

Equipment needed: 16 baseballs, four cones, flat open space.

Setup: Place four cones in a square: two cones at home plate (your position) and two cones 20 feet away from you, creating a square 20 by 20 feet. The hitter stands in the center.

How to run it:

  1. You roll a ground ball to one of the four corners, calling it out: “Right front,” “Right back,” “Left back,” “Left front.”
  2. The kid moves to that corner and fields the ball.
  3. They throw it back to you or to a base.
  4. Repeat. Do four reps to each corner. That’s 16 total.

What to look for: Footwork, not glove work. The feet position the body. If the feet are right, the glove finds the ball. If the feet are wrong, the glove compensates and the kid is out of position for the throw.

Variation: For older kids (10), after they field the grounder, call out a base (first, second, third) and they make the throw. For younger kids (8-9), let them just field and roll it back.