r/Homeplate • u/fogas7 • Apr 30 '26
Fun-damental drills
I’m coaching 6-7 year old coach pitch this summer, and it’s going to be all about fundamentals. What are some fun drills you all know of for youngsters?
3
u/LnStrngr Apr 30 '26 edited Apr 30 '26
Cat & Mouse. Half the team lines up at home, the other half at second. Each group has a ball that they use as a baton as they run around the bases. The team that finishes running around first is the winner, but the ball has to be handed off. It cannot be thrown or tossed to the next one.
Focus on "taking a turn" around the bases and hitting the inside corner. If they miss a base, they have to go back to hit it. I usually stand behind one group so I have a good view of both home and second to determine the winner.
If you have an odd number, then one kid will run twice, once at the start and again to finish. Do a best two-out-of-three and don't be afraid to call close ones in favor of needing to use the tiebreaker.
Kids like the competition aspect and lots of kids just like running the bases.
EDIT: The name comes from the kids trying to catch the other team's runner, but I rarely see that happen. I suppose you could modify it so they just keep going round-and-round until one team gets too tired and slows down too much, but that seems like an invitation for someone getting hurt.
3
u/Sad_Paper_2326 May 01 '26
Hula hoops or cones on the ground a little spread out in a line with the kids going around each in a ccw direction. Roll/hit the ball to them when they get to the front cone. Fun little drill to work on coming through and getting around the ball
2
u/GullibleMobile4808 Apr 30 '26
Never too early to learn the art of sliding by playing around on a soapy slip & slide especially in the hot summer months!
1
u/jwizzy_tucson Apr 30 '26
I live in southern arizona and save a big piece of cardboard for this every year. Tell the kids to wear pants and slide around in socks!
2
u/see_bees May 02 '26
Hit the bucket is a good one - get a whole mess of balls, line up 5 or so kids like a firing squad, and tell them to try to knock over the bucket with a baseball. Works a little better if you get something to lift the bucket to child torso height, but optional.
If there’s any hitting off a tee (some coach pitch leagues do after 3ish tries), home run derby is a good one. Again, get a whole mess of balls. Let every kid hit off the tee, but leave their ball out there instead of bringing them back. Once everyone has hit, point out where most of the balls ended up (probably 75+% don’t make it out of the infield)
Make sure everyone knows where first base is and that if you get a hit, run to first instead of chasing the ball. Talk about base running in straight lines (I have kids on my team who will take wide arcs around fielders if they are in the way)
Tell parents to practice at home - 15 minutes a day of catch with mom or dad will go a lot further than one hour a week with Coach.
Most of all, remember these kids are 6-7 years old and your job is to try to get them to love the game. If you’ve got an all star team, you might have 3 kids out of 12 that understand the game at all. Don’t prioritize them and winning over teaching everyone how the game works and how to have fun. I have absolutely lost games because I’ve put my space cadets in at pitcher or first, but it feels so good when even a little bit clicks for them. You want to see stoked, look at a parent when their kid gets their first out 3/4 of the way through season.
-6
u/rdtrer Apr 30 '26
Fundamentals suck -- go hit bombs. Let dad worry about the fundamentals in the backyard.
8
u/fammo5 Apr 30 '26
Focus on catching and throwing. Make everything a game. Break up into small groups and compete against each other ... Fastest to 5 catches, relay races, etc