We rotate the whole team through these pregame [tag]baseball practice drills[/tag], 3 at a time to get hitters ready.
Set up the 3 home plate throw downs (in foul territory facing the outfield) about 10 feet apart and about 20 feet from the pitcher (with the outside home plates angled to the pitcher).
A pitcher (usually one of the [tag]baseball coach[/tag]es) throws to three batters (with helmets) in succession. (Make sure lefty’s are at the left home plate so that batters are not back to back). After hitting the ball each batter immediately goes through his hitting routine an is ready for his next pitch.
Make sure to work on bunting and avoiding pitches that will hit the batter. Rotate when the bucket is empty. The next 3 batters in the rotation will be shagging balls using their helmets to collect hit balls. (they will be eager to pick up balls and get them back to the pitcher’s bucket when they know they will be hitting next). The 3 batters when done can then rotate into another pregame drill.
Gear needed:
3 home plate throw downs.
1 full bucket of soft foam balls or whiffle balls.
Each player should have bat and helmet ready to speed up rotation