3. Glove Presentation

Another way infielders can be more adjustable as they try to read the ground ball is by proper glove presentation. There are four things we want you to do with your glove:

  • Present the glove early
  • Keep the glove quiet
  • Point fingers down to expose the pocket
  • Start below the ball and work up

PRESENT THE GLOVE EARLY

Presenting the glove to the ball means having the pocket of the glove open to and pointed at the ball. The glove should be presented to the ball early and remain quiet. Many players have excessive movement with their glove and try to time the catch by patting their glove or flipping their glove to meet the ball.

@thesoftball_lab

Stop flipping your glove and presenting at the last second ❌ Present early to improve your timing, control, and consistency ✅ #softballdrills #softballlessons #softballcoach #fieldingdrills #infielddrills

♬ trap hip hop(1396717) – Jasper Lab

Instead, the glove should be presented early and any unnecessary glove movement should be eliminated. The pocket of the glove should be open to the ball and stay that way before your feet set up to catch the ball. The video below does a great job of explaining the idea of presenting the glove early.

KEEP THE GLOVE QUIET

To keep the glove in an adjustable position, you should eliminate excessive movement like swinging the arms, patting the glove, or flipping the glove. These types of actions are usually an attempt to time the ball with your glove. However, we should time the ball with our feet. The excessive glove moment makes it more difficult to adjust to the ball. See the video below.

FINGERS POINTED DOWN

The fingers should be pointed down when presenting the glove. This will allow you to expose the pocket of the glove to the ball. You should not stiffen your arm to do this. Stay relaxed, flex your wrist, and have your fingers hang down.

@legends_baseball

This is the correct way to place your glove in the infield. #basball #coaching #teaching #training #littleleague #legendsbaseball #littleleaguebaseball #speedball #infield

♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

START BELOW THE BALL AND WORK UP

When fielding a grounder, your glove should start below the ball and work up.

CLICK HERE FOR 3. FOOTWORK