Infield fundamentals: 4 things every Little Leaguer should drill daily

Most Little League defensive errors aren't because of bad athletes. They're because of four small fundamentals that almost nobody drills consistently.

Glove work. Footwork. Throwing accuracy. Pre-pitch position.

Here's a 10-minute daily routine that turns each into a reflex.

1. Glove work (3 minutes)

The number-one mistake young infielders make: catching the ball with their hand, not their glove. They reach with the glove like a basket, the ball pops out, and they're done.

The fix is teaching the glove to do its job: funnel, not catch.

The drill: short hops on knees

• Kid kneels facing partner, knees about 6 feet apart.
• Partner gently rolls a tennis ball or soft baseball straight at them.
• Kid lets the ball short hop into the glove — meaning the ball bounces just in front of the glove.
• Glove starts at the dirt. Funnels up to the chest.

20 reps. Glove goes down-to-up, never up-to-down.

Watch for: the glove getting "scoopy." Should be a smooth wrist roll, not a flop.

2. Footwork (3 minutes)

A young infielder who plants on a ground ball is dead before the ball arrives. The feet should be alive — adjusting until contact with the glove.

The drill: shuffle approach

• Kid stands ready position 15 feet from partner.
• Partner rolls a ball to one side.
• Kid shuffles (doesn't cross-step) to the ball, gets in front of it, fields with two hands.
• Reset. Roll to the other side. Repeat.

20 reps total, alternating sides.

Watch for: the kid running through the ball instead of getting in front of it. Shuffles, not sprints.

3. Throwing accuracy (3 minutes)

Two-thirds of infield errors aren't fielding errors — they're throwing errors. The fielder catches the ball, then throws it five feet wide of first base.

The drill that fixes this isn't more throws. It's slower throws with intent.

The drill: target practice

• Kid stands 30–40 feet from a target (an open glove, a fence post, a cone).
• 10 throws. Each throw should hit the target chest-high.
• After each throw: kid grades it themselves. "Good." "Wide." "High." "Low."

Self-evaluation is the magic. The kid trains their brain to feel where the ball is going before it leaves the hand.

Watch for: rushing. If they're hurrying their throws, slow them down. Accuracy first, speed later.

4. Pre-pitch position (1 minute, but every pitch)

This is the one nobody drills because nobody teaches it.

A young infielder watches the batter, watches the pitcher, but doesn't move. They stand flat-footed. When the ball is hit, they're starting from zero.

The fix:

The pre-pitch hop

Every pitch. Two-foot hop just as the pitcher releases the ball. Lands in athletic position — knees bent, weight on balls of feet, glove down, hands ready.

You're not big-jumping. Tiny hop. Just enough to put your body in motion at the moment the ball is in play.

Why it works: a body already in motion reacts to a hit ball faster than a flat-footed body.

How to teach it: at any infield practice or backyard catch, the parent says "hop" right before tossing or rolling the ball. After two weeks, the kid does it without prompting.

The full 10-minute routine

Run 3 times a week. After 4 weeks the kid's defensive game will look different. After 8 weeks the coach will notice without being told.

The thing nobody talks about

Hitting gets all the attention because hitting wins box scores. But every Little League game is decided by 2-3 defensive plays — fielded or muffed — and the kid who's consistently in the right spot, with the right glove, throwing accurately, stays in the lineup.

Defense isn't glamorous. It's underrated. It compounds.

Defensive fundamentals are baked into every session at the garage — even hitting-focused work includes glove work and footwork. Book a free first session to see how we structure a single 60-minute session across both sides of the game.