Making excellent use of practice time is vital in baseball. Once the season begins, players have so many games to play that practice time is often limited. So, it's important to provide players drills prior to the season and also give them drills that they can do before games. Fast-paced drills are often the most effective because they keep players focused and sharp.
Multiple Ground Balls
In order to make sure your fielders use the right technique when fielding, they have to show they know how to handle all ground balls. Line half your players up at shortstop and the other half at second base. Start off with the first player at shortstop. Hit a hard ground ball that he must field going to his left. Then hit a hard ground ball where he must go to his right and field with his backhand. Then hit a third ground ball that is right at him. Not only must he field all three ground balls, he must make the throw to first base. Then hit three similar ground balls to the players at second base. Make sure all players field grounders at both positions.
Hit It Where It's Pitched
One of the most important lessons a baseball player can learn is to hit the ball where it's pitched. Players who try to pull outside pitches generally struggle at the plate. However, if you hit the outside pitch to right field, you can hit that pitch with power. The most effective hitters will hit the ball where it's pitched. In this drill, the batting practice pitcher will throw four inside pitches to the batter, four pitches over the middle and four over the outer half of home plate. The key to this drill is for the right-handed batter to hit the inside pitch to left, the ball over the middle to center and the ball over the outer half to right field. For each ball hit correctly, the batter gets two points. If the ball goes over the fence, she gets two bonus points. The batter with the most points wins the drill.
Base-running Drill
Base running is often the most overlooked aspect of the game. In this drill, each runner gets a chance to run from first and second base. When the runner is lined up at first, hit a one-hopper to right field. As the player rounds second, he has to decide whether to run to third or not. If he decides to run and makes it, he gets two points. If he decides to run and gets thrown out, he gets no points. If he decides to stay at second, he gets one point. Then place the runner on second and hit a line drive one-hopper to center field. The runner has to either stop at third or score and the same point system comes into play. The base runner with the most points wins the drill. This drill helps teach the base runner to make effective decisions and how to run the bases effectively.
Bunting Drill
Building runs late in the game is vital for any team involved in close games. One of the ways to do this is with effective bunting. Lay out two circular pieces of artificial turf on the infield. One should be on the third base side of the infield, and the other should be on the first base side. Each one should be about 15 feet from home plate. In this drill, the batter will try to bunt three pitches into each circle. This will help the player learn to bunt effectively and with touch. Remember, when the batter is bunting the primary idea is to "catch" the ball with the bat. That will deaden the ball and help the batter stop it before it reaches an infielder.
Knockout Drill
This is an excellent game for pitchers of all ages. It encourages accuracy when throwing from the mound. In this drill, the first pitcher in line tries to throw a strike. If she does, she goes to the back of the line and is still alive. If she does not, she moves to the hot seat. If the next pitcher throws a strike, the first pitcher is knocked out. If she does not, that pitcher moves into the hot seat and the first pitcher is safe and goes to the back of the line. Continue in this manner until there is only one pitcher left on the mound.
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