Kids want to get out on the baseball field and play, but they won't keep that enthusiasm without the right skills and training. As a coach, you need to run your young players through drills that improve their game and keep them active and interested. This practice, plus positive feedback, helps kids succeed on the field.
Base Running
The QC Baseball website suggests a relay race that's good for conditioning and helps runners make turns around the bases. Half the players stand at home plate, and the other half at second base. The first player in each group runs around the bases holding a ball. When she returns to her starting point, she hands the ball to the next player, who does the same thing. The first group to get all its players around the bases wins the relay.
Timing a Fielder
Davis Little League, an organization in California, recommends a drill in which you time players as they field the ball and throw to first base. The coach rolls a ball to a player who stands in a specified infield spot. The fielder runs to the ball, picks it up and throws to first while the coach times her with a stopwatch. The time is only recorded if the throw is accurate enough for the first baseman to catch.
Bad Throws
It's helpful to give players practice fielding bad throws, according to QC Baseball.
Players line up near first base, and the coach stands between first and second. The first player approaches first, and the coach throws her a ball in the dirt, a high ball or a ball to her right or left. She retrieves it, throws it to the coach and gets back in line. Use a softer ball for younger players, but not a tennis ball because the hop is different.
Quick Release
The quick release drill helps develop catching and throwing skills, according to Davis Little League. Two partners stand 20 feet away from each other and make good throws back and forth as the coach counts from 20 or 30 to zero. The player who isn't holding the ball at zero is the winner. If a throw is bad, the countdown begins again.
Member Comments