Infield skills are built with lots of repetition, and that takes some planning when the facility is a drive away. Baseball Fielding Training in Arlington Heights, IL with Coach Cinz pairs longer sessions in Naperville with simple home work in between.
The approach is based on the 6 F’s of a great infielder: Feet, Field, Funnel, Footwork, Fire and Follow. The full method is explained on our fielding and infield training page.
How far is Arlington Heights from the Naperville facility?
Arlington Heights is in Cook County, northeast of Naperville. The trip is about 34.4 miles and about 51 minutes by car. Sessions at The Play & Thrive Club run in the off-season and on rainy days, so plan visits in advance and make each one substantial.
Making each trip count
Here is how many families at this distance structure fielding work:
- Book the Fielding Clinic. At 1.5 hours for $204, it covers the 6 F’s with drills, live action off the bat and situational plays. Teammates can share the group option at 3× the price.
- Or double up private lessons. Two back-to-back 30-minute blocks ($65 each) give an hour of 1-on-1 glove and footwork training.
- Send video between visits. Video Analysis ($35) lets a player submit a clip of their fielding and get drills back to practice at home.
- Add Zoom Lessons when you want live feedback without the drive.
Why Baseball Fielding Training in Arlington Heights, IL focuses on footwork
Many errors start with the feet, not the glove. If a fielder is flat-footed or takes a poor angle, even soft hands cannot save the play. Coach Cinz teaches players to get into a good ready position, field the ball out front, funnel it in and move their feet toward the target before throwing. He explains the reason behind each step, which parents say helps kids apply it in games.
Many fielding drills need very little space. A player can work on a ready position, glove angle and the funnel motion at home with a wall and a ball. After a clinic or lesson, Coach Cinz can point to the few drills that matter most for that player, so home practice stays short and focused. A clip sent in for Video Analysis then shows whether the footwork is holding up, and the next Arlington Heights visit can build on that instead of starting from scratch.
Players in nearby Mount Prospect and Palatine make a similar drive, so arranging a group clinic with teammates is often possible.
Begin with the free Benchmark. Fill in the online goals form, and Coach Cinz will reply within 48 hours with times to measure your player’s current skills. Then explore our infield training programs to choose a plan that fits your schedule from Arlington Heights.
Arlington Heights families ask
What is the best format for an Arlington Heights infielder who can only visit sometimes?
The 1.5-hour Fielding Clinic packs a lot into one visit: drills on the 6 F's, live balls off the bat and situational plays. With a drive of about 51 minutes each way, a longer session like this usually makes more sense than a single 30-minute lesson.
Can fielding really improve with online help?
Online help works best alongside in-person sessions. With Video Analysis, a player sends a clip of their fielding and gets drills back. Zoom Lessons add live feedback. Neither replaces live ground balls, but both keep footwork habits moving between trips to Naperville.
