Let’s begin with your head. Just like when a coach tells you to keep your head on the ball and “watch it into the catcher’s mitt” when hitting, the same is true for fielding. Watch the ball all the way into your glove because even the greatest of infielders can’t catch anything without keeping their eye on the ball.

Next, we’ll talk about your glove. It’s got to stay down on the ground. Practice fielding ground balls and keeping your glove flat on the ground at all times. You will find more balls “find” your glove when it is flat on the dirt.

Stay in front of the ball. You’ll not only catch more groundballs that way but you’ll find the balls you tried to backhand or “stab” at could’ve been caught by simply getting in front of the ball. Extending the arms is also important because it helps keep the ball in front of the fielder and allows time to recover if the ball should bounce off his body.

One final thing to think about when fielding a ground ball: do I charge the ball or stay back? More often than not, it is better to charge the ball because by staying back the ball could take a bad hop or a fast runner could beat the throw to a base. But the surface you’re playing on can also determine whether or not charging the ball is a good idea. Before the game, check

the surface of the infield. If it’s soft, you might want to think about charging ground balls during the game. If it’s a harder surface, staying back might be a good idea.