This drill is part of the PitchVision Academy fielding drills series, for more in this series click here.

Purpose: The long barrier is a staple of fielding skills, but really being able to run in, attack the ball and return it quickly takes practice.

So although this drill is simple, the key points to work on are not the basic long barrier, but getting to the ball quickly, picking it up and returning it accurately. That takes a lot of practice and this drill is ideal.

Description: The coach (C) rolls the ball towards the fielder who runs in quickly, stops it with the long barrier and returns the ball to the wicketkeeper (W) accurately. The fielder then goes to the back of the group.

Variations: To encourage competitiveness, speed and accuracy you can keep score: For example giving a point for a clean pickup, a point for an accurate throw and so on. You can also make the feed more difficult by bouncing the ball so it is bobbling when it reaches the fielder.

To view an animated version of this drill, click here.