Looking for at-home baseball drills? Here are our top 5 – with a focus on hitting and fielding fundamentals.

Each one can be done in your back yard or even indoors, solo or with a partner.

For a complete workout, perform three sets of each drill for 30 seconds each – 15 sets in total. Start slow, then speed up once you’ve mastered the mechanics.

#5.  String Drill

Purpose

Batter practices taking a good, short stride.

String Drill Baseball Hitting Drill

How it Works

  1. Batter stands in normal batting stance with string tied from one ankle to the other.
  2. Measure the batter’s normal stride and then tie a piece of string equal to the distance from one leg to the other.
  3. Batter gets into normal stance.
  4. Coach says “Go.”
  5. Player loads, strides and swings.
  6. Coach says “stop.”
  7. Player freezes in follow-through.
  8. Coach says “OK.”
  9. Player returns to normal stance and the drill is repeated.

Coaching Tips

  • This drill is great for batters who over-stride or step out on their swing. The string forces them to get used to taking a good, short stride.

#4.  See The Ball

Purpose

Batter works on keeping his head still.

See The Ball Baseball Hitting Drill

How it Works

  1. Batter stands at the batting tee.
  2. Batter gets into good stance beside tee.
  3. The tee is empty – no ball is placed on it.
  4. Batter loads, swings and freezes.
  5. Through the entire process batter’s head should remain still and his eyes should be locked on the top of the tee.
  6. Unfreeze and repeat the drill.
  7. Drill can also be run without a bat.

Coaching Tips

  • When setting up, lead foot should always be lined up with the back of the tee.
  • Batter should be lining up in a position where if there was a ball on the tee he would be hitting it out in front of his body.
  • The key in this drill is that the batter’s head should not move and his eyes should remain focused on the area at the top of the tee all the way through.

#3.  Heavy Bag Knockdown Hitting Drill

Purpose

Batter works on moving body forward during swing, feeling resistance and following through.

At-Home Baseball Drills - Heavy Bag Knockdown Drill

How it Works

  1. Batter stands at tee in normal batting stance. A ball is NOT placed on the tee. A heavy bag is placed in front of the tee.
  2. Batter gets into normal stance.
  3. Coach holds the heavy bag in front of the plate, then steps back before the batter’s swing.
  4. Batter takes dry practice swing.
  5. He swings down and over the tee trying to come close to the top of the tee without hitting it, then connecting with the heavy bag
  6. The batter swings through the bag and knocks it over, following through after the swing.

Coaching Tips

  • This drill is important because you don’t want the batter to stop at contact. You want him to continue through the ball.
  • Batter should be finishing balanced.

#2.  Wall Ball Fielding Drill

Purpose

This drill simulates fielding a short hop or a tough ground ball. It is an excellent drill for developing “hand quickness.”

At Home Baseball Drills - Wall Ball Baseball Fielding Drill

How it Works

  1. The player stands about 4 yards away from the wall in a low crouched position with his hands apart. (The closer the player is to the wall, the more quickly he will have to react.)
  2. The player throws the ball against the wall and drops into fielding position.
  3. The player slides to the right or the left to get in front of the ball and catch it. He cradles the ball into his body as he catches it.
  4. If the ball goes to the right, the player must use a backhand catch. If the ball goes to his left, the player will use a forehand catch.

Coaching Tips

  • To increase difficulty, a partner or coach can throw the ball against the wall instead of the player
  • Create short hops by throwing the ball high off the wall, so it bounces directly in front of you
  • Create a line drive by throwing the ball off the ground first. It will bounce off the wall and come straight back on the fly.
  • This drill can be set up as a team competition by lining up the entire team against the wall. If a player drops a ball he is out. Play until there is only one player left.

#1.  Dive Play Drill

Purpose

This drill practices a situation in which a player must dive for the ball and QUICKLY return to his feet to make the throw. The focus of this drill is improving a player’s reaction time.

How it Work

The player is waiting in the Ready Position.  The coach calls “Go.”

The player takes one step to the side and makes the dive, stretching as far as possible.

He quickly pops up, squares his body to first base and simulates a throw.

Practice the dive play to both sides.

Coaching Tips

  • Practice without a ball until the technique is perfected.
  • This is a good drill for players to practice individually to develop a quicker reaction time.

Need More At-Home Baseball Drills?

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