Always have a plan! We suggest creating a bank of three different practices - A, B & C - that you can go to and rotate throughout the season.
A: 3 stations - Whatever drills you choose, but keep the kids in groups of 3-4 and rotate every 20 minutes.
- Ideally this would have 1 station dedicated to hitting, 1 dedicated to groundballs, and 1 dedicated to flyballs.
B: Three-team/Speedball - the single best way to simulate game scenarios and keep the kids moving.
- Split into 3 teams one team in the OF, one team in the IF, one team hitting.
- Rotate every 8 minutes.
- Clear the bases after 3 outs.
- Runs score at 3B
- Kids must play a different position every inning
C: Whole team - Use your imagination, but cover topics like cut-offs, bunting, bunt defense, signs and baserunning. Stuff you can only cover with the whole team there.
And always PLAY LOTS OF CATCH! Seriously, structure it however you'd like - long, regular, relay, around-the-horn, but don't be afraid to spend 30+ minutes playing catch.
*Pro-tip: Have coaches and volunteers grab a couple extra balls and stand behind the line of kids with no fence behind them. Overthrow? Toss them a replacement. Less time chasing = more time throwing.
*No matter how you choose to practice, make it a priority to keep the kids moving! Nothing is more boring than 11 kids standing around watching just one take swings.