Top 12 Infield Drills for Baseball Players of ALL Ages & Skill Level [Super Easy & Effective!]
Infield drills are an essential part of any baseball player’s training regimen. These drills focus on improving a player’s fielding skills, such as footwork, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time. In this post, we will summarize the top 12 infield drills for baseball players of all ages and skill levels, as presented in the YouTube video by YouGoProBaseball (embedded at bottom of post).
- INFIELD DRILL #1 – The Barry Larkin Pancake Glove Drill
To perform this infield drill you will need a pancake glove and hands like Barry Larkin. In this drill we are working on being soft with our hands while popping the baseball up gently to catch it with our throwing hand. In real games we do not want to field this way. The purpose of the drill however is to get the feel for controlling the ball with our glove hand. - INFIELD DRILL #2 – The Backhand Drill
The Backhand Drill is a great infield drill you can have your players do by themselves. All they will need is a baseball. You can do this infield drill with your barehand and progress it to using a baseball training glove. This drill will help your players practice the backhand without taking too many resources from your practice time. - INFIELD DRILL #3 – Mini Wiffle Ball Drills
These infield drills are by far some of my favorite because of the benefit you will see from your players. If they are able to catch/field those mini wiffle balls from the mini wiffle ball pitching machine, catching real baseballs is going to be a piece of cake. - INFIELD DRILL #4 – The 3 Cone Tag Drill
Try this infield drill if you are wanting to work on your players moving their feet while trying to apply a tag. This is a great drill to get your players feet moving and learning to tag on the move. All you’ll need is 3 cones and a few baseballs. - INFIELD DRILL #5 – The Short Hop Drill
The short hop can be one of the toughest plays in baseball if you don’t practice it correctly. Use this infield drill to work of picking the short hop so that when it comes game time you’re ready to scoop those balls out of the dirt. - INFIELD DRILL #6 – The Square Agility Fielding Drill
This is a great infield drill that incorporates fielding, agility, and a bit of conditioning all into one. Set up 4 cones in the shape of a square and have your players perform agility movements around the cones. At the end of their footwork, have them come around the last cone and field a baseball. This infield drill is fun and challenging. - INFIELD DRILL #7 – The A Drill with Nick Shaw
The A Drill is a great drill to work on creating space when fielding a baseball. If you’re not fielding the ball on a short hop, then you’ll want to field it on a long hop. You DO NOT want to field it in between. The A Drill will help your players learn the correct way to take that “tweener” and turn it into an easy to catch long hop. - INFIELD DRILL #8 – The Tennis Ball Drill with Doug Bernier from Pro Baseball Insider
Using a tennis ball in your infield drills is a great way to promote soft hands. Take it from MLB infielder Doug Bernier who never made an error in the show. Make sure to keep some tennis balls in your ball bucket to break this infield drill out at your next practice. - INFIELD DRILL #9 – The Hands Routine by Matt Antonelli from Antonelli Baseball
This is one of the most viewed infield drills on my channel ever and for good reason. MLB infielder Matt Antonelli breaks down his Hands Routine that helped him become a great fielder and that he still uses with his players to this day. - INFIELD DRILL #10 – Wall Ball Fielding Drills
There’s nothing better than grabbing a ball and finding a wall. No coach needed. Get your work in and have some fun doing it. - INFIELD DRILL #11 – The Short Fungo Fielding Drill with Kole Enright and Chris Marlo
Fielding balls from your knees is a great infield drill as you have seen from the earlier drills mentioned above but add in a fungo to the mix and it becomes a lot tougher. Try this infield drill with your more advanced infielders and watch the magic develop in their hands. - INFIELD DRILL #12 – The Quick Turn Fungo Drill
This is a great infield drill to work on reaction time. You must have an experienced coach hitting fungos for this infield drill. You should also only use this drill with your more advanced fielders. Watch the full video below to learn more.
In conclusion, infield drills are a crucial part of any baseball player’s training. Incorporating some of these top 12 infield drills into your practice sessions can help players of all ages and skill levels develop the proper fielding technique, footwork, and reaction time needed to become successful infielders. Remember to provide positive feedback and encourage players to have fun while they’re learning and practicing. With the right infield drills and a positive attitude, young baseball players can become confident and skilled infielders.