Fielding ground balls

[LHPMomTexas]

I'm trying to find fun, engaging ways to get my daughter to be better at fielding a ground ball. We're trying to address the "glove not all the way down", but she is a lefty and has been fielding off to the side instead of squaring up to the ball. I know most answers are "practice, practice, practice" but I'm looking for different drills or workouts to: 1) get the glove down and 2) field it center of the body versus side of the body. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[CrazyNani]

YouTube has a lot of fielding instruction videos. MegRem Softball might be a good one for your daughter because her videos aren't extremely technical and she demonstrates very well. When I was young, I would throw a tennis ball against a wall and field it with my hands. I had to field 27 in a row, cleanly, (27 outs), or else start all over again. She can throw them against the wall in a way that would make her have to move laterally to reach the ball. She can throw harder and softer to simulate different types of grounders to challenge herself.

 

[_MIA_]

I'm trying to find fun, engaging ways to get my daughter to be better at fielding a ground ball. We're trying to address the "glove not all the way down", but she is a lefty and has been fielding off to the side instead of squaring up to the ball. I know most answers are "practice, practice, practice" but I'm looking for different drills or workouts to: 1) get the glove down and 2) field it center of the body versus side of the body. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated.

How old? Like @CrazyNani mentioned there a lot of drills on YouTube including some by the person who made the below video. The only thing with drills is that little ones may get bored quickly. A little game like below, with a little feedback (not a lot..) may be fun. Wallball where you play with her (if you can ) can be fun too. Also don’t be afraid to roll balls to her.

 

[canyonjoe]

I'm guessing she is young. A lot of young players are afraid of the ball and really they should be until they get really good at fielding. I would get some tennis balls and work close in throwing a lot of quick grounders to her. Don't even get far enough away that she can field it to the side. She'll pick it up quickly and realize she can field almost anything.

 

[Westwind]

I'm guessing she is young. A lot of young players are afraid of the ball and really they should be until they get really good at fielding. I would get some tennis balls and work close in throwing a lot of quick grounders to her. Don't even get far enough away that she can field it to the side. She'll pick it up quickly and realize she can field almost anything.

I really like this. In a world where parents want to pay $100 an hour to solve any problem that comes up there are simple and fun ways to work on stuff!

 

[uncdrew]

Gravel field, no mask, composite bat. Blast short-hops at her until she's crying.

Problem solved. No more softball ever.