Skills learned in youth baseball are designed to help improve your fundamentals as well as your understanding of the rules of baseball. Youth baseball skills range from catching to hitting and vary depending on your particular skill level. While some younger leagues revolve around hitting off a tee, others requires an adult or youth to pitch during the games.
Bunting
Bunting is a basic skill utilized by youth baseball players who are not in tee ball leagues. Bunting can help you advance runners on base as well as get you to first base depending on the positioning of the bunt. Moving up to the front of the batters box while bunting can help improve your angle while bunting. In addition, it also moves you a step closer to first base, increasing your chances of reaching first safely. A sacrifice bunt is designed merely to advance runners. As a result, these bunts are easier to execute and less precise than slap or push bunts. Both slap and push bunts are bunting skills that will improve your chances of getting a hit while bunting.
Fielding
Fielding is a basic element of youth baseball and one that consists of multiple skills that must be performed simultaneously to make a play. Fielding ground balls, line drives and fly balls are all elements of fielding that are essential to a complete player. As your youth baseball player improves, incorporate diving and jumping to catch balls into his repertoire to make him a more skilled athlete and defensive player. A major element with respect to fielding is having soft hands when fielding a ball. Hit your player a series of soft ground balls, forcing him to field them cleanly with his hands instead of his glove. This will give him a direct sense of how the ball feels when fielding and will not give him the range that a baseball mitt gives a fielder.
Pitching
Pitching is a skill that can be developed throughout a child's youth baseball career. Due to the development and growth of a child's body, specifically his arms, it is important to limit the type of pitches your player throws regularly. Curve balls and other breaking balls can end up damaging young arms. The first aspect of pitching that must be developed is your player's mechanics. Have him start on the mound without a ball in hand. Have him step back, rotating into a basic pitching motion. From here, have him bring his throwing arm directly over his head, following through with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
Base Running
Base running is a skill that often takes years of practice to master. Because of the variety of scenarios that a base runner can encounter during a game, it is important to simulate full-game situations with your players to help them improve as base runners. The majority of youth baseball leagues do not allow base runners to lead off from the base. As a result, you can only steal after the ball crosses home plate. A drill you can perform with your players to improve this skill starts with a catcher, pitcher and runner on first base. As soon as the pitcher throws the ball past home plate, instruct the runner to run as far off of first base as he can before running back to the base. If he is thrown out by the catcher because his lead off was too big, then he is considered out.
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