Special thanks to Mike for sending this one in. If you’re looking for new ideas for [tag]indoor[/tag] [tag]drills[/tag] for [tag]youth baseball practice drills[/tag], you should try these out!
From Mike”¦
Two of my player’s favorite indoor [tag]baseball[/tag] drills are two that we call “Knock-out” and “Knock-out Supreme“.
The two versions differ in that in one version four players line up inside the designated lane area of two basket ball hoops(THIS WORKS WELL WHEN DONE ACROSS THE LONG GYM FLOOR UNDER TWO SIDE BASKETS.) The players stand shoulder to shoulder across the end line at the bottom of the lane. One side starts with a softee(indoor ball) they [tag]throw[/tag] the ball into the four players on the other end line. The idea is to throw a ball past the opposing team, if the ball is missed or dropped that player exits the game. If the [tag]defensive[/tag] player catches an opposing players throw in the air the thrower is out. the game continues until only no player remains on one team. We do this as a [tag]circuit drill[/tag] during defensive stuff inside the gym. With about 15 minutes allotted we usually get a winner of 3 of 5 games. We post the wins and losses and the players really compete. (We also provide all of our players with mouth pieces each season) This drill is done after all throwing warmups and catching is completed.
The second verson “Knock Out Supreme” has the same theory, knock out you opponents. Each opponent knocked out scores a run for the hitting team. In this verison one team lines up at half court in the center circle, with bats as there are four softee balls. The opposing team (3 to 4 players) line up shoulder to shoulder on the end line in the lane under the basket facing the hitters. The [tag]hitting[/tag] team hits softee balls out of their own hands(toss -ups) with the intent of driving a ball past the defensive players. If the defensive players miss the ball one player steps out and the hitting team scores a run.
Each player on the hitting team(4) gets to bat until the defensive team catches any combination of groundballs or line drives for a total of three outs. A fly ball is considered an out, any ball blooped over the defensive players is deemed catchable and an out. Once three outs are obtained the [tag]offensive[/tag] team(hitters) become defensive players and vice versa. To add a little hustle after three outs are obtained both teams sprint to their new locations and the hitters can start as soon as all four players have a ball and bat in their hands. Only one [tag]hitter[/tag] can hit at a time, they must stay at the center court circle at mid-court line and if the ball they hit doesn’t stay within the area of the lane lines of the defensive players it is an out.
This drill makes the hitters hit the ball down up the middle and promotes hustle and fearless defensive action. We keep scores and tallies of weekly winners and change the foursomes every other week. This drill is done as a [tag]warmup[/tag] for hitting sequences, tee work and machine hitting.