Looking for some good drills for my son. He is a SS/C and he has very quick hands but I feel he needs to have softer hands as well. Looking for drills and training aids that might help. Thanks in advance
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I'm probably stating the "too obvious", but...
For catchers, we use a bucket of tennis balls and throw medium speed from about 10-15' and they catch them bare handed with the glove hand only.
For IF, we use the "quick hands" trainers - the training "glove" that is foam front, plastic back and has elastic bands to put your fingers into.
For catchers, we use a bucket of tennis balls and throw medium speed from about 10-15' and they catch them bare handed with the glove hand only.
For IF, we use the "quick hands" trainers - the training "glove" that is foam front, plastic back and has elastic bands to put your fingers into.
quote:Originally posted by cabbagedad:
I'm probably stating the "too obvious", but...
For catchers, we use a bucket of tennis balls and throw medium speed from about 10-15' and they catch them bare handed with the glove hand only.
For IF, we use the "quick hands" trainers - the training "glove" that is foam front, plastic back and has elastic bands to put your fingers into.
My son does have a glove made by Ripken similar to what you are referring to. Also have heard that tennis balls are a good tool, will begin to incorporate, thanks.
Buy a racquetball and throw it against every wall you see. Field it barehanded. It works.
We use the racquetball drill but we also use the reaction balls(The balls that appear to have other little ball protruding out of it). They create a lot of unique bounces. Matt Williams, ex-mlb guy, stated that we he was at UNLV they had ping pong paddles in their gloves that he attributed to his soft hands.
I've been studying on "soft hands" for a while now and what I've found is a lot of times the elbows are the culprit.
quote:Originally posted by NDD:
I've been studying on "soft hands" for a while now and what I've found is a lot of times the elbows are the culprit.
Can you elaborate on what that means?
Thanks
They extend their elbows and that makes their hands hard. Everything is connected. What I have taken to doing is using "soft hands, soft elbow" as a cue. Elbow slightly flexed and relaxed.
It came to me while watching Coach Stubbs' video yet again. He mentioned it, I looked and low and behold...
It came to me while watching Coach Stubbs' video yet again. He mentioned it, I looked and low and behold...
quote:Originally posted by NDD:
They extend their elbows and that makes their hands hard. Everything is connected. What I have taken to doing is using "soft hands, soft elbow" as a cue. Elbow slightly flexed and relaxed.
It came to me while watching Coach Stubbs' video yet again. He mentioned it, I looked and low and behold...
Thanks
Not at all
My favorite soft hands trainer is free and readily available for those of you who have access to the old rubbery-coated foam type football hip pads. I'm talking about the old school hip pads w/ the two canvas loops the belt slides through, not the more modern ones with the slits the belt weaves through.
Take the pad, put your pinkie through one loop, your thumb through the other, and trim offthe lower end (the end towards the knee).
It has a concave shape that fits the palm better than flat soft-hands trainers.
Sometimes I even wait until the football coach is ready to throw them out before I take them!
Take the pad, put your pinkie through one loop, your thumb through the other, and trim offthe lower end (the end towards the knee).
It has a concave shape that fits the palm better than flat soft-hands trainers.
Sometimes I even wait until the football coach is ready to throw them out before I take them!
Kids I've coached have had a lot of success with simple pick drills that I picked up from watching Dominican players in pre-game. Get down on a knee 10-15' in front of the player and throw short hops to them that they have to pick. We do this in front, glove side and backhand. It forces kids to play the ball out in front where they can see it and to attack the ball always from the ground up. As NDD mentioned soft elbows, never locked out, is important particularly on the backhand where the elbows do most of the adjusting. Positioning of the glove at the start of this drill helps get across the idea of getting your body down to the ball. We would end our pre-practice/pre-game warmmup with picks like this.
Play wall ball with tennis ball.. over and over again everyday
quote:Originally posted by njbb:
Play wall ball with tennis ball.. over and over again everyday
I'll second that. It probably helped my boy who already has soft hands, until he did it so much that he developed some separation in his elbow. (Yes, he developed a bad throwing motion as he threw a tennis ball against the house for an hour or two a day, but that is corrected now.) Really a good all-around fielding drill that is done with no assistance.
I am with 3rdgeneration on this one. Anything below the knee...pick through it.