Baseball is not only a fun game to play, but also helps develop great hand-eye coordination and quick reaction time. However, not everyone can get to a baseball field or batting cage daily to hone defensive and offensive skills. But nearly everyone has a yard or common area to perform drills such as hot box, tennis-ball fielding, the dive game, and more. Working on your game at home can speed your development of fundamental baseball skills.
Hot Box
This base-running drill can be played with three players, including two defenders and one base runner. Position the two defenders on opposite sides of your available area --- a backyard, for example --- with the runner next to the defender who has the ball. To begin, the defender with the ball will chase the runner. The defenders will throw the ball back and forth to each other until the runner has been tagged out.
Tennis-Ball Fielding
Position yourself in front of a wall. Throw a tennis ball against the wall and field it as it bounces back. Throw the ball at different angles to work on getting in front of the ball, backhanding, slow rollers, and so forth. If you are an outfielder, throw the ball onto a roof and catch it as it falls off. Tennis-ball fielding will improve your ability to quickly field the ball.
Dive Game
To work on defensive skills, throw a ball to the left side or to the right side of a player. The object of the drill is for the player to dive in front of the ball to stop it. The player does not have to actually catch the ball, however --- just stopping it, in the style of a hockey or soccer goalie, suffices.
Home Run Derby - Simple Version
This hitting drill helps players make contact almost each time with the use of a tennis racket, tennis ball, and cinder block. Position the player next to the cinder block. Next, bounce the ball as high as possible off the cinder block. The player will then time the ball as it drops, and attempt to make contact. The player should hit the ball as hard as possible.
Stoop Ball
Separate players into two equal teams for this defensive drill. Bounce a tennis ball off a stoop or concrete steps, as high as possible. One team will attempt to catch the ball before it bounces back to the ground. If the ball hits the ground once, it qualifies as a single for the team who bounced the ball. If the ball hits the ground twice before being caught, it qualifies as a double, and so forth.
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