First Ground Balls: Teaching Young Infielders the Ready Position, Alligator Hands, and Approach

Ask a young infielder which play scares them and the answer is almost always the ground ball. It bounces, it has a hop, and it's coming right at them. The good news: with the right fundamentals, the grounder becomes the most routine play on the field. For 10-12 year olds, those fundamentals are three - get into a ready position, get low and field out front with two hands, and learn to go to the ball. This guide explains how to teach each one.

It starts with the ready position

Good fielding begins before the ball is hit. The infielder should be in an athletic stance and, critically, on the balls of their feet so they can move in any direction the instant the ball comes off the bat. USA Baseball's official infield progression, written by Boston Red Sox Minor League coordinator Darren Fenster, is precise about this:

"We are looking for infielders to be on the balls of their feet (front part of their feet, not solely on the toes) at the moment of contact." - Darren Fenster, Minor League Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator, Boston Red Sox (Little League University / USA Baseball)

For young players, the cue stack is simple: butt down, back flat, hands out front, eyes up. A flat-footed, stand-up kid is late to everything; a loaded, low one is on time. Spend real time here - the ready position is the platform every other fundamental sits on.

Field it out front with two hands - the alligator

The heart of the play is catching the ball out in front of the body with two hands. Reaching out front keeps the ball in the player's eyes and lets them see the hop; fielding it back under the body is how balls get eaten up. The universal youth cue is the alligator: the glove is the open lower jaw, low and out front with the fingers down, and the bare hand snaps down on top like the upper jaw closing. Two hands prevent the ball from popping out and set up the throw.

Starting players on their knees is the fastest way to groove this. As USA Baseball's progression notes, kneeling "takes the lower half completely out of the fundamentals to allow for complete focus on catching the ball, while also forcing players to field the ball out in front of their bodies." Once the hands are clean on the knees, stand the player up into the athletic base. The full step-by-step is in our first ground balls drill.

Teach them to go get the ball

The last piece is approach. Young players instinctively back up and wait, letting the ball pick the hop. Better fielders charge under control - a couple of small, balanced steps toward a softly rolled ball - and field it out front on the move. You don't need full game speed to teach this; rolling the ball a few feet out front so the player must step to it is enough to build the habit of attacking rather than retreating.

Common mistakes to watch for

• Standing tall. Re-cue "butt down, back flat." A high stance means the glove is high and the ball goes under it.
• Fielding under the body. "Out front - reach for it." Balls fielded beside or under the body can't be seen and get kicked.
• One-hand stabbing. Go back to the alligator and the kneeling reps until two hands are automatic.
• Eyes up early. "Watch it into your glove." The head pops up to look at the throw before the ball is secured.
• Backing up. Roll the ball short so they have to charge it.

Age-appropriateness and load

This is foundational, low-stress work for 10-12 year olds (and clean enough that even 8U can start on the knees with a soft ball). Rolled grounders at short range carry essentially no physical load, so it's a daily warm-up and teaching block in one. There's no arm-care concern at this effort; the only real caution is to keep the rolls slow and soft until the catch is automatic - rushing to firm grounders or real hops just rebuilds the flinch you're trying to remove.

The takeaway

Ready on the balls of the feet, low and out front with alligator hands, and a controlled charge to the ball - that's the whole foundation of youth infield play. Build it slow with rolled balls, and the grounder goes from the scariest play to the most automatic one. The mechanics are identical for softball, so the same progression carries your whole program.

Sources

• Little League University / USA Baseball - Infield Drill Progression (Darren Fenster) - balls-of-the-feet ready position, fielding out front, and the value of starting on the knees.
• Grip Boost - Baseball Drills for Beginners: Fielding, Throwing & Hitting - the alligator two-hand fielding cue and beginner ground-ball reps.
• Pecos League - Top Infield Drills for Youth Baseball Players - rolling-ball, two-hands, and ground-ball shuffle drills for young infielders.
• Dugout Captain - Fundamentals: Ground Balls - ready position, approach, fielding triangle, and exit-footwork breakdown.