One of the many challenges in coaching youth baseball is training for baseball. With kids you can meet this challenge by keeping the drills fun and often competitive. By keeping this fun they don’t even realize they are doing training and conditioning drills.
Infield Drill
One infield drill I do is have a base runner and an infield; no pitcher.
When the coach says “GO”, the runner starts around the bases.
catcher throws the ball to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, 3rd to 1st, 1st to SS, SS to home.
Then reverse, home to SS, SS to 1st, 1st to 3rd, 3rd to 2nd, 2nd to home.
The object for the infield is to beat the runner home. This drill is pretty fun for the kids and they really get into the competition.
Running Race
My ideas are pretty simple but they work. Kids hate to run, so I make a race out of it.
I get two kids, close in speed and agility.
Start the first one at home and have him run the bases as fast as he can.
Then start the second player about 15 ft. behind the first one.
Tell him to try and catch the other runner.
It works; the kids love it. They run faster and come across home plate laughing. Simple but effective.