When you’re coaching youth baseball, you always need as many drills as possible to keep the practices fresh and hold the attention of your players. The drills below are simple, quick, effective and the kids love them.
Gloves Off Drilll
It’s just what it says, gloves off.
You can take ground balls, fly balls, one hoppers.
You can do at any age from T-Ball and up.
You can do inside or outside.
You can do it with any kind of ball, (tennis, soft, or hard ball)
The best thing about the drill is that it promotes the use of two hands.
Throw anyone a ball without a glove and they will use two hand to catch it, now just add your fielding drills and work on all the fundamentals.
Recognition Drill
3rd base runner recognition drill.
This is for the runner on 3rd to recognize the situation offensively on a ball hit towards the left side.
Coach with fungo at home. Catcher, SS, 3B, and LF needed. Coach bats ball. Runner leads off on the toss. Runner must recognize if it’s a slow roller to 3B or SS, hard grounder or line drive to 3B or SS, hit to LF or fly ball to LF, then make the correct decision to go or stay.
Ear Catch
Best for youth players to get them catching in”glove up” position.
I use tennis balls for really young kids. Coach tosses balls up, player must rest glove on his shoulder next to his ear and catch the ball.
With experience, glove is allowed to rise off shoulder so long as its in good position.