Special thanks to Mel for sending this one in. If you’re looking for fresh ideas for your [tag]baseball practice plans and drills[/tag], you should try this [tag]baseball drill[/tag] with your team!
From Mel”¦
Every coach likes to put his [tag]baseball[/tag] team through game situations in practice. The coach puts a team in the field and hits fungoes for game situations. I have found that if I am hitting the fungoes I cannot see what every player is doing in every situation. Therefore I invented Team Fungo Ball.
I divide my squad into two teams. The first team is the home team and the second team is the visiting team. The home team takes the field and the visitors are at bat. The visiting team will bat first. The rules are simple. Each player goes to home plate with a ball and a fungo bat. He may hit the bat anywhere he wants. The exceptions are, he may not hit the ball back at the pitcher, he may not bunt, he may not hit a foul ball and he may not swing and miss. In all of these cases, he is out. I keep score and keep notes about what I observe during the 7 inning game. My assistant coach coaches third base, but the hitting team must have a first base coach or the batter is out. The winning team packs the equipment, the losing team runs 15 – 60 yard sprints. You can usually play a 7 inning game in about 45 minutes.
After the game, go over the notes you took and emphasize the positives. You will be amazed at how much more you will see by being an observer. Also, you will be excited by your players’ enthusiasm during the game. It is a great team builder. Non-starters will be involved and can do well. There is usually an air of excitement and competition. We usually do this at the end of [tag]baseball practice[/tag].