Figure 8 drill.
Going from straight on to backhand, always going infront of the cones after fielding. Keep your feet in motion while you stay loose and create some rhythm. 6 reps total.
Tennis ball bounce drill to work on timing. Focus on staying middle of the field/opposite field unless it’s really inside.
This is good for someone who is always early and pulling every ball or who is on their front side too much.
A bunting drill from my latest YouTube video
Set up two buckets third base lane and first base lane and aim for the buckets. The goal is to let the ball travel and to make contact more on top of the ball so the ball drops straight down and dies.
Dansby Swanson walking through this infield routine via his YouTube video. I cut it up to show my favorite parts but the full length video is on his channel.
I just stumbled on this and absolutely love seeing different perspectives on how the pros go about their routines.
Clips from my latest YouTube video “4 infield drills you can do alone with a glove, a bucket + balls.”
When I was younger, I was always throwing a ball off a wall or hitting rocks with sticks. Now that I’m older, I still find ways to get in some reps with minimal equipment/help.
A competition u can do on your own is tossing a ball & seeing how many line drives in a row u can hit to the back of the net. Helps w/
1) Hand eye coordination
2) Controlled load. Don’t rush
3) Keeping hands up
4) Making contact on the ball to where you can create some backspin
Slappers 🤩 I chose to make the entire reel of
@andrews_aliyah
to show you exactly how much of a threat one slapper can be. If you can do it all (bunt, soft, chopper, power) the defense will have no idea how to play you.
There’s not much of a caption for this one except watch the feet. Left foot is replaced by the right foot after you field in order to get the feet under you for that quick release.
Here’s a handful of drills you can do at home.
Remember- it’s good to do the same things over & over every single day. It doesn’t have to be glamorous or a bunch of crazy looking drills every time. Working on the small “boring” things consistently will make you a great player.
Put a tee with a ball in front of your front foot. Focus on keeping your hands through the zone as long as possible, opposed to ripping them out. If you rip your hands out of the zone too soon, you’ll hit the ball off off the tee in front of you.
Set a ball on tee on outside corner. Tosser throws you middle/middle in/inside pitches.This helps work on staying inside the ball¬ casting the barrel.The 2nd part to the drill is the tosser will randomly fake a toss. If tosser fakes it, hitter will hit the ball off the tee
It’s a lot easier to practice full speed and slow it down in a game if you need to. What we can’t do is practice half speed and except to go game speed come game time. Practice how you want to play.
The goal of a slapper is to get on base. If it’s a ground ball, it will be more left side of the field since it’s the furthest to first.Left foot/chest/hips stay facing left side. If it’s for power,stay in and behind the left leg. Read the defense, create some chaos & get on base
Fly balls are intimidating for the littles. Instead of just hitting fly balls or throwing as high as you can, start out very easy to build up their confidence and work on proper glove positioning. Here, we took out the bottom half and the girls are only focusing on catching high
The other main focus when working through a ground ball is timing. Having your left foot hit helps keep everything fluid. W/ this drill, start with right leg out & shuffle forward. Keep good rhythm. Start low w/ glove out bc you’ll be around that position when going full speed
I have no problem showing u I mess up from time to time because this is reality. U can’t be perfect 100% of the time.If u push yourself out of your comfort zone,you’re going to make mistakes.That’s part of becoming a better player.Things that keep me humble: my
@ValleBaseball
k47
Tosser will roll a ball & athlete will field it on the run like a do or die situation. The athlete will then run to the bucket, drop the ball, & make sure he/she is square to the tosser before drop stepping & taking off. Tosser will toss the ball over the athletes shoulder.
Drill
#1
from my latest YouTube vid “2 infield conditioning drills”
I have this as “conditioning” bc the drill is a bit longer, you get in a bunch of reps & work fundamentals while getting your heart rate up. It’s great for off season work.Keep feet in motion &stay under control
Shortstops turning a double play on their own —> If it’s a bang bang play and there’s no time to set the feet, throw it on the run. Right foot hits the bag while throwing off that same foot. Be aware on where the runner is sliding because you’ll more than likely need hop over her
An outfield throw is a lot farther than an infield throw, therefore we need a longer arm path. This drill helps feel that path and getting to where we need to be before firing forward.
You can either have someone standing behind you holding the ball or place a ball on a tee.
RELAYS.
The idea is to put yourself in the best position to get rid of the ball as quick as possible.This means you’ll be catching the ball in motion(right foot is in the air as you’re receiving & turning) &once your left foot hits the ground, you’ll be in line & ready to throw
A good warm up drill for younger kids to get the correct footwork down while feeling what their body should be doing while fielding a ground ball. Make sure the feet stay in motion when going in and out of the ladder and gloves stays ready to go - minimal movement).
The goal is always to stay inside the ball regardless of pitch location + staying connected increases bat speed. I am using a dodgeball here but you can use a tennis ball or a smaller softball.
One of my favorite drills to work on tracking pitches.
5 softballs fit across the plate. The ball closest to the batter is 1 and the ball the furthest is 5. You will hit normal front toss while also saying which ball, the ball being tossed, is crossing over on the ground.
This
A small clip from my latest YouTube video, blocking tips for catchers staring Reagan Glanz l. Reagan, current catcher at Marshall University, does a fantastic job breaking down how to block. It’s always so great to have players sharing their knowledge to help grow this game!
Partner glove work with
@heckycrespo
(and a nice leg workout😅)
Picks:
Straight in
Glove side
Backhand
Bend at the knees, not the waist. Flat back. Fingers down. Flat wrist. Eyes behind the ball. Minimal glove movement (no big swiping motion).
I’m using my
@ValleBaseball
K47
Outfield drill to work on gaining ground and using that glove foot to push out (not up) to generate some power.
Start on your glove foot, hop twice and push out into the crow hop before throwing. The two hops helps to feel staying in the legs and pushing off.
Pick drill
Get your feet going while the tosser throws glove side and backhand. I like to go quick so you can focus on control. Stay under control with your feet and work on timing. Minimal movement with your glove.
You can have the best swing but if your timing is off, it does you no good.
I see far too many kids setting up incorrectly when doing tee work.
Letting the ball travel too deep will jam u&catching too far out front will force u to hit the ball off the end of the bat & roll over
A good visual I use for hitters on where to make contact for certain pitches.
•Inside is about right in front of front foot
•Middle is about even with front foot
•Outside is about right inside of front foot
Every hitters contact points in relation to the plate will look
Check out exactly what happens when hands drop trying to hit the higher pitch. You’ll get more bottom half of the ball & pop straight up,just like I did.I went back&looked at my swings on video &even though I felt my hands were high going to contact, they could have stayed higher
I missed the entire ball two times IN A ROW 🫠Not quite sure I’ve ever done that in my life but here we are. It happens
As athletes, we will never be perfect. You can work your butt off day in & day out and still mess up. It’s a part of playing sports. It’s how you bounce back.
Small clips from my latest YouTube video “how to drag bunt from the left side”
•Perfect the bunt down first base line. That is the hardest bunt to cover.
•Barrel comes quick through the zone.
•Barrel should be out before left foot crosses over.
•Top hand is dominant. I
Crossover backhand progression. I position this way if a ball is hit far to my right & I need to reach to field it. Left foot is crossed over opposed to left foot in front. I start from my knee to feel myself working in my legs. I then move to a standing position.
Outies- when running for a ball over your head, find the fence. The other outies should be talking to you and yelling fence if you’re close but use your throwing hand to find it and use the fence to your advantage. Remember, you can always come in some if you need to.
Keep your momentum going to your target by fielding the ball more on your glove side. In order to do that, play to the right of the ball. Right foot will hit to the right of the ball so when your left foot hits, ball is more on the left side of your body.
Outfield drill to work on catching over the shoulder.
Start on knees with the athlete facing the direction they would be running. Have them pump their arms like they are running & toss a ball right over their shoulder.
Move to standing & tossing so they are running 1-2 steps.
A small clip from my latest YouTube video “hitting drill if you drop your hands or dump your barrel”
If you know me by now, you know I like to keep things simple. A bunch of people ask “what’s a good drill if I drop my hands or always get under the ball.” My go to is the high
How much you open up depends on where you are in relation to the bag you’re throwing to.Use a lower arm slot for a quicker release. Stay down and in your legs. The more you come up, the longer you are holding on to the ball.
As you’re done fielding & going around the next cone, keep your chest squared up to where the ball is. When you’re coming around the cones, keep the short choppy steps. Play to the right of the ball so when the left foot hits, the ball is more on the left side of your body
My dad (former head baseball coach at Kent State University, Wake Forest & University of Akron) giving some advice on how to maximize practice and reps. If you’re getting some off season winter workouts in, break up into small groups and find a leader to help run the stations.
Infield diving progression.
Start out with the athletes on their knees, rolling the balls close to get them comfortable. Have them stand up and gradually roll them further away.
Receiving feeds for a DP with my
@ValleBaseball
Eagle Switch Pancake. With this training glove, it promotes that “deflection” we want in order to get rid of the ball quicker. Ball hits in the center of the glove & deflects into the throwing hand. Code “megrem” gets you a discount
A small clip from my latest YouTube vid “how to work through a ground ball +4 drills”
1 of 2 main focus points on getting an infielder to work through a ball is to get the feet moving and to stay in motion. Once the feet start, they really shouldn’t stop until after the throw.
A drill from my latest YouTube video “infield drill to work on staying low”
You will be shuffling glove side while fielding 3 balls. The first two balls will be tossed to the side and the last ball will be thrown. Make sure you’re staying low the entire time in a good fielding
A couple clips from my latest YouTube video “hitting tip to increase bat speed and power”
Drive your backside into a firm front side. There are examples at the end of this video.
A general idea on how u can set up at 3rd,depending on where the throw is coming from.The biggest thing to remember is u need to give outfielder a throwing lane.Set up depending on where the ball is.Get in your legs so as the ball is coming in, u can move down w/ the tag quickly.
Drill
#2
from my latest YouTube video. This pretty similar to the 1st drill except we are going more in a straight line opposed to forward and back. Stay low and present the glove early.
5 reps of each
-straight on
-backhand
-picks glove side
-picks backhand
A little backhand glove action.
Depending on how it’s hit, you’ll want minimal glove movement and it’s your feet that take you through the ball, not the glove.
Current D1 baseball coach
@MattRem13
touches on the importance of what coaches notice when recruiting. In softball/baseball, you’re going to fail more than you’d like. As an athlete, how do you handle it? Do you mope and walk on and off the field? Do you throw your equipment and
This is my
@MattRem13
at 4 years old during a tball game😂 Playing imaginary ball. So great. Do you think my dad taught him this? No way. We were just always watching baseball. The best way to learn is to watch.
Glove work.
I am taking my bottom half out of the equation and working strictly glove. Chest is over knees, flat back, head stays still.
I am working between both
@ValleBaseball
Eagle 8S and K47. Code “megrem” gets you a discount on all of their gloves.
Inside/outside hitting drill to work on pitch recognition and adjustment.
Both tees are
@TannerTees
Pro. You can use code megrem for a discount on all of their equipment.
Clips from my latest YouTube video “band drill to get into proper throwing position”
Once you separate center of body, you want to go straight back. Palms down, elbows up. This drill forces you to get to that position without any extra wasted movement.
PSA: THIS IS IN REGARDS TO YOUTH KIDS AND KIDS STARTING OUT. The older and stronger they get, the more they will understand how to use their back side better.
I’ve been doing this for a while now and already know the response I’m going to get on this video. However, if you work
Do or dies from a knee.
Athlete is going to start on their back knee, with their glove foot out. Roll a ball right to their glove and right when the ball hits the glove, the athlete is going to push out with their front leg into their crow hop to throw. This mimics fielding a
3rd drill from my latest YouTube video. On one knee, this drill takes the bottom half away while strictly working hands. This also helps if you fly out of the zone too soon.
Clips my latest YouTube vid. The 1st drill takes away the bottom half & works strictly hand path. 2nd drill, you’ll be standing &you can start to add in the bottom half. I prefer to start in my load so I can feel where everything should be before I fire.
Outfield drill to work on exploding into the drop step.
I prefer the subtle shuffle to the quick drop step so there’s a physical change in speed and they can feel that first step into the drop step being explosive. For this specific direction, they should be planting with their
Turnin 2 from 3rd base
What I love about this:
•Glove foot hits when ball hits glove to keep momentum going to target.
•She’s using just glove hand(not 2 hands) because ball is outside her body frame.
•Because ball is outside her body frame, her body is slightly turned to
Play to the right to get the ball more on the left.
Meaning, don’t go straight in to a ball. Get your body to the right of the ball so when your left foot hits, ball is more on left side of your body (I like to think under my left eye) which is your glove side and it’ll help
Get comfortable using different arm slots. I get ALL the time, “don’t throw side arm you’ll get hurt.” False. Know when you use a lower arm slot and know how to go about it correctly.
The bucket is a great visual for hitters to prevent getting under every ball
I personally wasn’t strong enough to lift every single ball & hit it out.W/ this approach,I was a hitter who put the ball in play&who could consistently get on base with few strike outs.This worked 4 me
Hitting drill to work on timing and off speed pitches.
Toss some tennis balls, making sure athlete is keeping their hands back and staying in their legs. Try and work up the middle, allowing that ball to travel.
A drill from my latest YouTube video “slapping drill to work on balance and power”
Because we are swinging off one leg, it’s important we use that left leg to our advantage. Staying planted and balanced on that leg and focusing on driving through with your hips will give you
Slapping footwork rules. This seems to always, and when I say always I mean always, be a topic of conversation when I post a slapping video. Let’s go over the rules.
Steals: When the pitcher starts her motion, you’ll want to rock back with her as her arm is going back. When she is close to the top of her motion, you’ll want to start to get your momentum going towards the base you want to steal. As she is on her down motion (about 3/4 of the
A drill from my latest YouTube video “infield drill to work on glove control”
Partners will be a couple feet away. The partner rolling the ball will roll the ball quickly either right or left. The person receiving the ball needs to react quickly to field the ball cleanly. Any
Drill to work hand path.
I know this may seem ridiculous but if you have a player who rips their hands out of the zone, flys open or rolls over right after contact, this drill gives great feedback and helps feel what hands need to be doing. If the bat goes anywhere but straight,
Points to think about when picking the ball glove side:
•Work ground up.
•Fingers stay down, wrist stays flat.
•When working outside of your body frame, just use your glove hand.
•Turn your body to where the ball is going.
A small clip from my latest YouTube video “the importance of the prep step + how to go about it”
The point of the prep step is to get a quick reaction to the ball. 2 things need to happen: be on time (feet land a split second after ball hits bat) & stay on the balls of your feet
When you’re in 8U but you have those fundamentals on 🔒.
Taking an angle with a deep drop step✔️
Head stays on the ball and very still ✔️
Pumps arms while running 100%✔️
Reaches last second✔️
If you’re hitting the ball/tee that is in the back, it means your barrel is getting too loopy. This is good for ground balls and choppers.
I am using the
@TannerTees
Pro and Tanner Heavy tees. Tees in the last clip are Tanner original. Code “megrem” gets you a discount.
Picks: Glove side, backhand, glove side, throw.
Finger tips down, flat wrist, glove working ground up, eyes behind the ball, feet/body turned in the direction of the ball, bending in the knees- not the hips.
Added another girl to the MegRem Softball girl gang last week🩷
Quinn Crespo
We didn’t find out gender until birth & we were convinced the entire time it was a boy. But now I get a mini me 🥹
@heckycrespo
Going about 75%, go wide with your feet and take the bottom half out of the swing. By taking out bottom half, you can focus strictly on keeping your front side closed while staying inside the softball, keeping your hands through the zone.Focus on hitting everything opposite field
Focus on the barrel hitting the seams closest to you to work on staying inside the ball. If you’re hitting the seams furthest from you, your barrel is getting away from you & you’re getting around the ball.
Hitting is hard. Period.
Unfortunately, you’re going to have days where nothing is going your way and it can get so frustrating. I’ve experienced it first hand and have witnessed it during lessons. My best advice: not every day is going to be 100% and if you’re out by yourself
Staying closed with my front shoulder a bit longer in order to make solid contact and to allow my hands to stay through the zone. I like to aim for the seams closest to me and hit more oppo.
Using my
@CamWoodBats
one hand trainer.
Code: megrem
Batting gloves:
@bruceboltus
Did someone say coaches clinic?!? 😏
I’ve got something cookin with these 2! 👏🏼 Stay tuned.
•My dad: Rick Rembielak. 601 wins as a D1 coach.
•My brother: Matt Rembielak. Current D1 assistant coach.
@MattRem13
Check those feet though! It runs in the family.
In my clinics, I focus A LOT on footwork but also how you want to come up after you field. The throw after fielding a ball is just as important as the footwork to the ball.
Bunt for a base hit
When squaring, you’ll need to transition quickly w your feet & get your barrel out quickly.This should be one continuous motion.That means, right when you’re squared up, the ball will hit your barrel & you’ll be making your way to 1st base. Don’t stop the feet
1st base drill.
Before the ball is even thrown, you should be recognizing where it’s coming from so you can square up to the throw. For this drill, your partner will toss you 5 different picks as you make your way around the bag, simulating throws from different parts of the
Toss balls to yourself to get the feel of staying low and through the ball. Glove works under the ball. My head and upper body stays pretty still and quiet while my glove works.
It’s a fun drill to get the heart rate up while working on footwork & glove work.
Focus on keeping the feet in motion while staying light & quick. Fingers stay behind the ball & wrist stays flat as you work through the ball.
Glove is
@ValleBaseball
K47. Use code megrem
Throwing on the run.
•Throw off your right foot.
•Different angles call for different slots. In my terms, I like to say shoulders are tilted a certain amount depending on where you have to throw it.
•Chest and hips are opening as you release.
•Move forward after the throw
Slappers & choppers
•let the ball travel even with the body before making contact
•goal is to hit the ball as close to the plate as possible for a high bounce
•get the ball to the left side of field which means crossover foot & hips/chest need to be facing that direction