I received this suggestion on [tag]baseball practice plans[/tag] from Kevin. This [tag]baseball drill[/tag] is great for your younger batters to hone their [tag]baseball hitting skills[/tag].
From Kevin”¦
We divide our [tag]baseball[/tag] team in half. Each team occupies a dugout…there is no defensive team in the field. A player on offense enters the batters box. A trash can is the catcher.
Either a [tag]baseball coach[/tag] pitches, or one of our pitchers takes the mound (pitchers are divided equally) (if I want the boys to practice hitting against someone their age, as this is our first year in kid pitch and all the boys are a little gun shy of getting hit by a pitch). Each batter comes to the plate with a full count. He must protect the plate, because if the pitch hits the trash can, it’s a called 3rd strike and the batter is out. If the batter lets the pitch go and it doesn’t hit the trash can, the batter gets another pitch. There are no walks, as we want the boys to hit. If the batter gets a hit (which is what I’m trying to encourage), I judge the number of bases based on the location/distance, etc., of the hit (an invisible man occupies the base). The next batter in order comes up and the same rules apply. I do this until there are three outs and then the sides switch out. The score is kept for as long as the drill is run.
The boys have taken to it and it helps accomplish more than one goal…
Learn to:
Protect the plate
Don’t take a called 3rd strike
Getting hit by a pitch is not necessarily the end of their baseball careers
Competition can be fun and not life and death
Our pitchers get more practice throwing against live hitters
I’m sure this is not original, by any stretch of the imagination, but don’t forget it…it has helped with our intimidated batters.