We all need some [tag]fun baseball drills[/tag] to liven up our baseball practices mid season. The “It’s Not Natural Drill” aka “Backwards Baseball” which is best used later in the season fits this category perfectly.
This 30 – 45 game will bring a lot of laughter while still enforcing focus and fundamentals of [tag]baseball[/tag]. Have your starting 9 take the field at their normal positions with a batting practice pitcher on the hill (lot’s of strikes). The rest of your baseball team get’s to hit normally with a goal of scoring as many runs as possible until the final player gets a turn at bat.
The challenge of this [tag]baseball drill[/tag] is that all batters must run to 3rd base 1st, and 1st base 3rd before arriving at home plate. All groundballs must be thrown to 3rd for a put-out or second to third for a standard ‘double-play’.
After the last hitter hits, the starting nine comes to the plate but must switch hit opposite their normal strength. (Switch hitters must hit from their weakest side). Just as the second squad, they must reverse the normal order in which they run the bases.
Players who mistakenly and instinctively start towards first base, must return and touch home plate prior to running to 3rd (1st). Prepare to laugh!