Infield Drill: 1-2 Drill (Baseball & Softball)
An infield glove awareness drill that adds verbalization to the Go Drill. Players say "one" when they present the glove and "two" when they feel the ball, building conscious awareness of glove timing and preventing the common mistake of letting the ball get under you.
How to Run This Drill
- Run this drill after players have completed the Go Drill and understand the basics of attacking the ball. Same setup: line of players, coach rolls ground balls, net or target for throws.
- As you present the glove to the ball, say "one" out loud. The moment you feel the ball in the glove, say "two" out loud.
- The correct timing sounds like "one...[pause]... two" with a clear beat of space in between. Wrong timing sounds like "onetwo" with no space - meaning the glove was presented too late and the ball was already under you.
- Coach calls "Go!" Player sprints into the ball. As the glove goes out to receive the ball, player calls "one" loud enough for coaches to hear. When the ball hits the glove, player calls "two." Then throws.
- Coaches listen for proper spacing between "one" and "two." If it sounds like one rushed word, tell the player to get their glove out sooner - they are late.
- If the player is saying "one" and then the ball gets under them before they say "two," they need to present the glove earlier and continue moving through the ball.
- Continue rotating through the line. Players say the cues loud enough to be heard - not screaming, but audible to the coach.
- After players have the timing down, coach can cue: "go back to two steps" - meaning take only two quick steps after fielding before throwing, to practice getting rid of the ball fast.
Coaching Points
- "One" when the glove goes out, "two" when you feel it - there must be space between them. One-two with a gap, not onetwo all run together.
- If the ball is already under you when you say two, you are presenting the glove too late. Get it out sooner.
- This drill makes the invisible visible - players cannot feel their own glove timing, but they can hear it.
- Keep the glove out front throughout the approach. Do not wait to stick it out at the last second.
- Still sprint into the ball on Go - do not let the verbalization slow down the aggression of the approach.
Quick Actions
At a Glance
Equipment Needed
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