We’ve rounded up 25 fantastic baseball drills to spark your children’s enthusiasm for the sport while also enhancing their abilities. Each drill is tailored to improve various skills which include batting, pitching, fielding, and baserunning. The below exercises offer an ideal blend of education and entertainment- transforming practice sessions into all-around engaging and positive experiences. To hit a home run during your teaching sessions, try a few of our favorite baseball drills!
1. Tee Ball Drill
Roll out the red carpet for the Tee Ball Drill! Place the ball on the tee, and have each student take a swing. The idea is to have them cleanly strike the ball; focusing on form rather than power. Cue the applause for great swings and be sure to offer real-time adjustments for those still learning.
Learn More: Baseball Room
2. Ground Ball Drill
Ready, set, action! For this cinematic drill, line your students up in the infield and hit ground balls toward them at varying speeds. The mission? To have them collect and throw the ball to first base as swiftly as possible.
Learn More: Mojo Sports
3. Fly Ball Drill
This drill focuses on teaching your kids to keep their eyes fixed on the sky! Toss or hit fly balls toward outfielders. They’ll need to either run or step back to catch the ball at its highest point. The goal is to ultimately have them not miss a catch.
Learn More: Baseball Tutorials
4. Soft Toss Drill
Invite a player to softly toss the ball from the side, and have the batter try to hit it into the field. Prompt them to keep the tempo slow at first and then gradually increase the speed.
Learn More: Little League Baseball
5. Running the Bases Drill
Mark starting and stopping points at each base. Then, blow a whistle to signal the start, and watch as your athletes sprint around the bases. Keep your stopwatch handy as this is a race against time.
Learn More: Team Snap
6. Relay Throw Drill
Speed and precision are of the essence in this relay throw drill that imitates actual game conditions. Split your students into teams and position them at varying distances. The first player must throw the ball to the next, who then throws it further down the line. Encourage your players to catch, throw, and repeat as fast as they can!
Learn More: Youth1
7. Wall Ball Drill
In the mood for a one-player drill? This is it! Have each student throw a ball against a wall and catch it on the rebound. Make things a bit more complex by getting them to add spin or throw at an angle.
Learn More: Baseball Tutorials
8. Batting Practice Drill
Mastery through repetition is crucial when it comes to the formality of batting practice. Simply have your players kit themselves out with a bat, helmet, and ball, and head to the nets to get their eyes in!
Learn More: Mojo Sports
9. Baserunning Awareness Drill
This drill focuses on teaching your kids to keep their eyes wide and their ears alert. Simply position a student at each base. As you hit or toss the ball into the outfield, shout out commands like “Run”, “Stay”, or “Return”. Then, as they engage, they’ll learn to keep an eye on the ball when running bases and listening out for coaching advice.
Learn More: Honest Baseball
10. Pickle Drill
Find that your runners often get stuck between bases. This drill is great for teaching them to chase and tag any stranded runners. Designate two bases for the drill and assign two taggers and one runner who must try to evade the taggers while moving between the bases.
Learn More: YouTube
11. Bucket Toss Drill
This drill provides a fun-filled test of accuracy and throwing prowess! Set up several buckets at distances ranging from 10 to 30 feet. Then, have your students line up and take turns trying to toss baseballs into them. Celebrate successful tosses and offer constructive criticism for improvement. Switch it up by moving the buckets around to keep the challenge fresh.
Learn More: YouTube
12. Bunting Drill
Not all hits need to be home runs! Bunting is certainly an art and this drill provides a canvas for getting your kiddos to practice those soft, strategic hits. Simply prompt your players to allow the bat to soften in their hands and have the ball gently bounce off.
Learn More: Baseball Tutorials
13. Home Run Derby
This home run exercise focuses on power-hitting; giving your players a taste of what it takes to score home runs. Designate a section of the outfield as the ‘home run zone’ and let your students take turns as batters; aiming to launch as many balls into this zone as possible. Offer three swings per turn and keep a tally of how many home runs each student achieves.
Learn More: MLB
14. Sliding Drill
Get ready for some action-packed drama with a cool sliding drill! Place a slip-and-slide or padded mat parallel to a base. Once you’re all set up, teach your players the proper sliding technique; including details that teach them how to angle their legs and when to start the slide.
Learn More: YouTube
15. Short Hop Drill
Have your infielders stand ready with gloves in hand. Then, use a fungo bat to hit ground balls that take a small hop just before reaching them. As you hit, instruct your students to get low and focus on fielding the ball right after the hop.
Learn More: YouTube
16. Double Play Drill
Timing, speed, and precision are the triple threats you’re aiming to develop here. Set players at shortstop and second base. Then, hit a ground ball to the shortstop, who must throw it to the second baseman, who’ll fire it to first base.
Learn More: YouTube
17. Outfield Communication Drill
The loudest, clearest communicator is the hero in this drill. Once your players have positioned themselves in the outfield, hit or throw fly balls between them. Teach them to call out “I got it!” or “Mine!” to avoid collisions and make successful catches while working as a team.
Learn More: YouTube
18. Tagging Up Drill
To facilitate a tag-up drill, have a student stand at second and third base. Hit a fly ball to the outfield and instruct your players to tag up, watch the outfielder catch the ball, and then sprint to the next base as quickly as possible.
Learn More: Baseball Boom
19. Toss and Catch Drill
Here’s the perfect exercise to take your kiddos back to the basics! Pair students up and give them a baseball. One student must throw a ground ball, and the other must field it. After ten successful catches, they can switch roles. As they engage, get them to focus on using both hands to field the ball securely.
Learn More: Human Kinetics
20. Obstacle Course Drill
Design an obstacle course that includes running bases, catching fly balls, and throwing to targets. Next, invite your kiddos to give it their best shot! Be sure to time each of them and encourage them to beat their best times while maintaining skill execution.
Learn More: Dugout Captain
21. Glove Flip Drill
The glove flip drill is all about precise timing! Position your players near second base and slowly roll a ball toward them. The goal is for one of them to use their glove to flip the ball to another player standing on second base.
Learn More: YouTube
22. Hit the Target Drill
Aim, fire, and repeat with a target-driven drill! Set up targets, such as hula hoops or cardboard cutouts, at various distances. Provide points for each target and have your players throw at them. At the of each round, add up the scores to see who obtained the highest!
Learn More: Phoenix Bats
23. Pitching into a Net Drill
Precision is king when it comes to this exercise! Place a net with a hole cut out at strike zone height. Then, invite your pitchers to aim to throw through the hole. Start from a short distance and gradually move them back to increase difficulty.
Learn More: Baseball Express
24. Hula Hoop Throw Drill
Suspend hula hoops at different heights and distances. Have your kiddos take turns trying to throw baseballs through the hoops; making it competitive by scoring each successful throw.
Learn More: Coaches Insider
25. Bat Grip Check Drill
This drill is about reminding your batters of the fundamentals behind the perfect grip! Place tape on bats where your players’ hands should be positioned for an ideal grip. Next, have them practice swings while keeping their hands perfectly positioned. Pause periodically to check if their grip has shifted and then correct as needed.
Learn More: YouTube
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