Infield Drill: 1st Base Receiving Short Hops (Baseball & Softball)

Advanced first base drill teaching how to pick short hop throws, an essential skill for turning errant throws into outs.

1st Base Receiving Short Hops - Video Demonstration

How to Run This Drill

Players is on 1st base, with throwing side foot on the bag facing the coach
Coach is in the 2nd baseman position with a bucket of baseballs
Coach throws baseballs to the 1st baseman as short hops
1st baseman waits until the ball is thrown to stride towards the ball with the glove foot and pick the short hop by pushing their glove through the ball with their throwing side foot still on the bag
1st baseman places balls off the side and gets ready to receive another throw
Coach throws the 1st baseman short hops until they have had 10 repetitions (players may rotate if more than one 1st baseman)
This can also be done with the coach throwing from different positions

Coaching Points

Read the hop early - short hop or in-between?
Push glove through the ball - don't stab at it
Glove foot strides toward the ball
Keep eyes on the ball all the way into glove
Stay down through the catch
This skill saves errors and wins games

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