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When my son was in kindergarten, the municipal baseball league we had signed him up for said that they needed a coach for the team. Not thinking about practice planning or how I would wrangle 14 Kindergarten boys for an hour practice each week, I threw my name in the hat to be the head coach. I quickly learned that without a sound youth baseball practice plan each week my energy to teach them baseball was instead spent on trying to heard cats (Kindergarten Boys).
Youth Baseball Practice Plan
This youth baseball practice plan is appropriate for kids 10 and under that are learning baseball. If you team has graduated beyond the basics, there are more technical videos and teachings that would be best suited to fine tune their skills. If they are a new team or are still learning, this baseball practice plan will be a good fit.
Baseball Practice Equipment
Here are the items you will need to run a successful practice. Some of these items may be given to you by your league. Check with your league commissioner prior to making the investment on your own.
Aluminum Bats – Check size charts to determine the right weight and length for the age of the kids you are coaching. Often the team will provide a few bats and some kids may have some of their own. Having a variety of weights and lengths is helpful to size kids as they develop.
Baseballs – I get baseballs from a used sporting goods store each season. I make sure to have 24 baseballs as you will lose (and potentially gain) some as the season goes on. You will need a minimum of 1 per player. The more you have, the easier it will be to conduct practice.
Bases – Some leagues will supply bases. If not, cheap second-hand bases or simple rubber bases will suffice for younger kids.
Batting Helmets – You league should supply these for safety purposes, but if not, you will need to get 5-6 helmets. Make sure to get a few sizes to accommodate noggins of all sizes.
Batting Tee – A tee is useful for hitting practice. Some leagues provide this at the practice facility so check with your commissioner prior to making the purchase. A batting tee will be one of the heavier items you have to lug around, so if it can be left at the facility, it will save your shoulders some work.
Catchers Gear – The need for youth catching gear will depend on the league rules. Some pitching machine leagues do not allow for a youth catcher. If you are playing with a catcher, you will need shin guards, a chest protector and catcher’s mask/helmet. Your league may provide this so check with your commissioner.
Bucket – A large paint bucket that you can get from amazon or a hardware store. This is good for storing the baseballs and also useful for throwing drills.
Equipment Bag – Long bag needed to carry all of this equipment to and from games and practices. This should be an item that lasts through the years and having a comfortable strap to carry this is needed, as this can get rather heavy with all the equipment.
Pitching Machine – As the kids grow, I have found a pitching machine to be very helpful verse live pitching to kids. You have limited practice times, so it is helpful when you know each pitch will be a strike using a machine verse coach pitch. Obviously, this comes at a cost, so weigh your options. You will also need a power source to make this useful and potentially a series of extension cords to stretch to your power source.
Tennis balls – You will need a 5-10 as practice balls throughout the season. These can be used as kids learn how to throw and catch. They are also useful in teaching kids to get in front of ground balls and fielding pop flies.
Other Baseball Practice Essentials
Assistant Coaches – You will need assistant coaches at practice and at games (at least 2). Try to find reliable help from the parents of your players. If you do not get a few of the parents, look to the players older siblings or possibly older kids in your community who may be willing to help. Having reliable assistant coaches is one of the most important things to find harmony in a season of youth baseball.
Baseball Hats – Getting team hats or encouraging kids bring a hat can be helpful as the sun can cause havoc on fly balls or just when playing catch.
Water or a Water Source – Have your kids bring water if there is none available on the premises. Baseball is a summer sport, so staying hydrated is important.
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Youth Baseball Practice Plan Week 1
The below activities encompass 1 hour of practice items, but leave time for introductions and water breaks if you only have an hour at the field.
Play Catch (10 Mins)
Start with the kids playing catch with a partner. If the kids are new to baseball or scared of the ball, use the tennis balls to lessen the bruises. Line the kids up about 8-10 feet apart (to begin) and make sure there is enough distance between them to ensure they are not dodging the ball from the group next to them.
Start with a tutorial on how to throw the ball. Show stepping toward your target as you release.
Demonstrate how to catch the ball with the webbing of the glove. You can work on bringing the second hand in to secure the ball as well, but ensure they do not get the second hand in too early.
Snake Baserunning Game (15 Mins)
Have the kids line up behind home plate. Have a coach or experienced player show how to run the bases by starting at home and run all the bases as if you hit a homerun. Make angled turns to show how you can maximize energy and take the most efficient path around the bases.
Draw a line in the dirt about 1/3 of the way to first base. Explain to the kids that they are going to run in single file, but cannot go until the person in front of them crosses this line. You cannot pass the person in front of you.
The first person is the head of the snake. They start and all the kids follow. If the head of the snake makes it to home plate prior to the last person starting, the snake bites itself and they have to do it again.
Run this drill several times with different kids being the head of the snake. This will get the kids used to running the bases and also get some energy out prior to breaking into groups.
Skills Rotation (30 Mins)
Break the Kids into 3 Groups and Rotate them between the following stations. This plan assumes you have 3 coaches. If you only have 2 coaches, pick 2 of the stations.
Fly Balls / Ground Balls Station
Have a coach hitting (or throwing) fly balls and ground balls to the kids as they make a semi-circle. Have one of the players stand by the coach and the others should throw the ball into that kid after they field it. Show the kids the proper fielding position and work on them getting in front of the ball. Upon fielding the ball, emphasize an accurate throw into the player assisting the coach. Rotate this position as time allows.
Hitting Practice Station
Have one player practice hitting from the coach pitching or pitching machine. Have another with a helmet on in preparation to hit, to keep the line moving quickly. The other kids should be playing the infield shagging balls. Rotate the kids in to hit, to ensure everybody gets a turn.
Soft Toss / Tee Practice Station
Find a fence that the kids can hit into. Have a coach do soft toss to a single batter. Soft toss will entail the coach standing across the plate from the hitter out of range to where the hitter can swing the bat. The coach softly tosses a ball in the air over the plate and the batter hits it into the fence. This step is repeated to get the hitter used to swinging to make contact with the ball.
The other kids in this group can practice hitting from a tee into the fence. If you have a big group, have the kids not hitting play catch or keep them at the Hitting Practice Station where they can shag balls until you are ready to rotate them into the Soft Toss / Tee Practice Station.
Run through First Base – Bull Fighting Game (10 Mins)
Have a coach stand at first base like he is a matador holding an imaginary towel. Ask the kids if they have ever seen a bullfight. If they have seen the movie Ferdinand then you can reference this. Like a bull fight, the goal of this drill is to get them to run through first base. So many kids will want to stop right at the base, slowing down and risking an out.
Have a player run through the base, and the coach at first can act like the matador to give the drill a little flare. Have all the kids then line up and one-by-one practice running through first base. Encourage them to run hard all the way past the matador.
By doing this at the end of practice, it gives the kids another energy draining activity, while also leaving them with an activity that will stick in their memory come game time.
Clean Up – Find the Baseballs (5 Mins)
As a final activity ask the kids to help cleanup by searching all the stations for the baseballs and returning them to the baseball bucket. Assign kids to pickup the bases, bats and other items that need to be put away until next time.
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Youth Baseball Practice Plan Week 2 (and forward)
Mix in the Practice 1 Activities, but begin to practice the fundamentals of the game in the 2nd practice and moving forward. At young ages, a team that can field will normally perform very well. Coaches often over emphasize hitting, while nobody knows what to do after the ball is hit. If you can get your team fielding, it will make the game much easier.
Situational Fielding (15-30 Mins)
Have players stationed at all the infield positions. Have other players get helmets on and put them on bases as runners and have one be the hitter (do not give them a bat). The coach will hit/throw the ball as if they are the batter. Prior to doing so, talk to the kids about what they will do when they field the ball.
Make sure you also teach the kids running the bases about holding near the base on a popup with less than 2 outs. Simulate all possible scenarios. Consider force plays verse non force outs along with ground balls and fly balls. After each scenario, talk to the kids about what they did right or wrong. If you have enough room, break the group in 2 and run this drill at two infield spots, so that all the kids are engaged. Idle time is your enemy with young kids at practice!
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Conclusion
Baseball is about repetition at this age. The more the kids can experience, the better they will be equipped come game day. As the kids get older, consider batting cage time as well. Cages will get the kids more hitting work then they will get at practice. Also, encourage the kids to practice at home with their parents and friends. Practice times are so limited at young ages, so making it an at home activity will be beneficial to their development. Going to games or watching MLB at home can also be a great way for the kids to learn the game and also fun for Dad! Good luck!
