To make sure they understood this concept completely we decided for the fourth practice we would implement what we call the “GUTS” drill.

Before practice we explained exactly what we expected out of each player and the team as a whole.  When a team player was not giving 100% hustle and focusing on the task at hand we would stop the drills and call the entire team to the 3rd base foul line.

We have the team line up finger tips apart and one of the coaches would call out “down”. All players would do push ups, then the baseball coach would call out “over” and the kids would do sit ups and finally the coach would call out “up” and the kids would run in place.

After this drill was complete we would talk to the kids about team work how everyone has to give their best for the team to succeed.  We emphasized that it’s not about winning every game and being perfect but it’s about giving your best effort every time.

I was amazed at how quickly the players came together as one team.  They immediately started encouraging each other and communicating during practices to hustle and stay focused.  Even at the following practice I overheard a couple of the kids telling each other we have to give 100% hustle and stay focused today because I don’t want to do the “GUTS” drill again.

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Line up your players, with four players to a line, stretching from one foul line to the other.
Make three or four lines depending on how many players you have at practice.
The baseball starts at the left field line, is thrown to the player in left-center, then thrown to right-center, then to the right foul line and then the sequence is reversed.

When the ball makes it all the way back to the left foul line, the player drops the ball and all of the players rotate up one position with the player who started on the left foul line running all the way to the right foul line.

Once all of the players have rotated through each position in the chain this drill is done.

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When the players are done playing catch (warming up their arms) keep them where they are on the field. You will probably have about 6 on each side depending on your team size in right or left field depending on if your home or away.

Start the baseball on one end and “zip’ the ball back and forth working your way down the line to the other end then back again.

Once they get good at it, do it that way twice. Then have the guys at the starting end once they have thrown, run to the other end as the whole group rotates, so now the whole team is throwing and rotating to the opposite end.

Try it; it’s fun and your players will be warmed up and ready to play!

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Double Tees
For the first drill I use 2 tees. Put a ball on a tee at home plate in the normal hitting position. Then go ten feet toward the mound and set up another tee with a ball on top. The players hit off the tee at the plate, trying to knock the ball off the tee at the mound.This teaches them to hit the center core of the baseball. Each player gets ten swings.

Foam Golf Ball Drill
We use yellow hard foam golf ball for a hitting station in practice. They can be purchased at any large retail store, and the come in a bag of 24. Down on one knee out in front of the batter I bounce the ball into the “contact zone.” The smaller ball makes batter concentrate on the ball and teaches a quick, compact swing.

Optional: To increase difficulty replace bat with a piece of 1” or 1 ½” PVC bat length capped on both ends. Create several PVC bats and experiment with filling them with various materials to add weight.

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Batting: Both hands should be held at the shoulder with the bat an inch above the shoulder, that way the bat is close to level/slightly raised/hits down on baseball and therefore hands and thus the bat gets to the ball quickly.

Cutoffs:  Always throw the ball to the glove side/chest high with the glove side of the player receiving the ball turned sideways to advance the ball the fastest to the next target.  This eliminates spinning, rotating the body and having to get the body in positon to throw after receiving the ball from another player.

Doing this correctly saves valuable seconds in relay throws.  Both the initial player throwing and the player receiving the first thrown must execute their responsibilities correctly in an effort to throw out runners.

Chin touching Shoulder: I’ve noticed a lot of kids from over the years pulling their heads off the ball and that takes their eyes off their target,which isn’t going to help them hit the ball. So simply have them keep the chin tucked into the shoulder; it really helps to keep the eyes on target and hits will start to pile up!

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One of the baseball drills I run is a quad toss.  You take four players and set them into a cube formation roughly 10 feet apart.  One of the guys rolls a grounder to the guy on his left who picks it up and flips it to the next guy like you are practicing for a double play.

Works on pulling the glove back and good food work.  Then I will have them go to the right where they practice backhanded flips.  Same thin–practicing on foot work and the back hand as they go.  Now, if they get to feeling good about themselves add another ball which causes the pace on it’s own to quicken up.

Another drill- I have my players do soft-toss with TWO balls.  They toss both baseballs at the same time and say “top” or “bottom”.  The hitter then has to react quickly and hit the ball called.

This is a good easy transition from plain soft-toss.  Easy to learn, as it doesn’t really change drills from soft-toss, and it works on quick reflexes and great hand-eye coordination.

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This baseball drill will show kids if they have a short compact swing/ or a long, slow, sweeping swing.

To encourage kids to utilize a short, compact, quick swing have them stand in their normal batting stance with their back foot(right foot for right handed batters, etc) up against a fence, wall, dugout etc.

Have them take a normal swing and if their hands drop the bat in a horizontal position before swinging (as most youth hitters do) they will drag the bat across the fence.

If they keep the bat more upright(near 45degrees), dissecting the back of their helmet and swing the hands quickly down through the zone then they will not hit the fence/wall etc.  Great instant feedback for the kids!!!

They’ll be on their way to catching up with that fastball!

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You will need a stopwatch for the first drill and four cones.
Set the four cones in a square shape about 15 feet apart.  Put the outfielder in the middle of the four cones.
Place a fielder about 20 to 40 yards away from the cones (depending on age level you’re coaching).
The coach throws a “fly ball” to the outfielder (it needs to be accurately done to land within the artificial square).

Start the stopwatch when the baseball hits the glove of the outfielder.  Stop the time when the ball hits the glove of the cut-off man.  Outfielders will enjoy trying to beat their own time as well as those of others.

You can coach curl hop, catching position, off-hand position, etc….

Another baseball drill that is good for outfield is this one for fielding ground balls.

Have your players charge all ground balls at full speed until about 15 feet from the ball, then slow charge so that they will have full control of their body and can release the ball in 1 ½ steps.

They need to keep their seat down when fielding ground balls. Keep their glove close to the ground. It is easier to bring the glove up than to get it down.  Play all ground balls in front of the body and make sure the ball does not get past you.

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* All you need is a wall (preferably a tall one), indoors or outdoors, and a rubber ball and glove.
* The player is positioned a few feet from the the wall facing it.
* The player throws the baseball up against the wall.
* The player must do the drop step and run to catch the ball that has gone over his/her head.
* The distance of the bounce off the wall is determined by the strength of the throw.

This baseball drill can also be done with a partner where the partner throws the ball for the other player.  This works well as the receiver doesn’t know how hard the ball will be thrown.

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Some are scared of the baseball, some are working on timing, some are learning what is in the strike zone, some swing just to swing, etc. This baseball drill helps them feel more comfortable at the plate.

The first time I use this baseball drill with a team I do it without telling them my purpose until I can prove my point later to them in the drill.

Start by playing normal catch and try to aim the ball at their partners chest.  Then they move down to aiming for the belt buckle area and then finally the knees.To catch the ball they should be banding down.

Once they are thinking about the catching portion and aim of the throwing, I have them turn as though they are standing in a near batting stance when it is their turn to catch the ball.  They put their glove hand across their chest and their throwing hand behind their back.  They try to catch the ball thrown across the plate.  They are only allowed to move their front foot AND the only direction they can move it is toward the thrower or forward (towards the plate). I still have not used language to them to show them this is actually a batting drill.

Once they are doing well with that I replace the glove with the bat and ask them what is the difference between a bat and a glove.  They still need to see it, time it, and adjust to make the play whether it is a catch or a hit.

This baseball drill seems to remedy many of those problems and if a recurring problem occurs it stands out and helps narrow down what they more specific issue might be.

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