Back when I was a kid, baseball practice was boring (for the most part). Two hours of waiting for a turn to do something. We'd start by warming up our arms, but that was pretty much it. Then we'd take positions assigned by the coach, and he'd hit balls to us so we could practice simulated situations... runners at first and third, etc... After 45 minutes to an hour of this, we'd start some kind of batting practice, one or two players would come in off the field and one would hit while the other waited to hit. After several pitches/hits the batter would "run on the last hit", then rotate into the outfield and someone would rotate in to the dugout...I can still, three decades later, remember waiting all practice just for the opportunity to hit. But the rest of practice, well, it was just waiting around - punctuated by an opportunity, here or there, to field and throw the ball. Even when I was older and played catcher (and was able to touch the ball many more times) it was still a rather boring exercise, and not just for me. Even in the best-case scenario you have 8 or so kids sitting around doing almost nothing for the majority of the two-hour practice. Which is more than just frustrating for the kids, it is a wasted opportunity, one where the kids should be working on their skills and improving.
So, when I coach, I always try to use a more methodical approach, including different stations for the players to rotate through. However, stations require supervision, and not just from a safety perspective, but also from an instruction perspective. The surest way for a player to get better is to repeat the same drill over a series of practices. But repetition will only make a player better if they are repeating the drill properly (or, at least, receive instruction to correct the repetitions of the drill). But for many coaches, they just don’t have enough qualified help to make stations practical for youth a baseball team (and I have certainly been in that situation). So even the coach who has a great practice plan (and I highly encourage all coaches, at all levels, to write down their practice plan beforehand) can find him/herself at the mercy of a lack of supervision.
For those coaches who are harried, trying to fit a practice in between work, feeding the family, etc…, I’d like to offer a few suggestions. Most youth baseball teams, in my experience, have an average of 12 players. This means you can typically break down the team into three “squads” of 4 players each. Then try to get three parents to supervise (for safety's sake) each a drill -- assuming you don't have coaches to help.
These small squads, coupled with some assistance, provide a number of unique advantages. First, by breaking the team down into more manageable groups, you can have each group focus on one skill/drill at a time. Also, by keeping the number of players even (in each group) you can usually give some instruction to the small group, showing them how to do the drill properly, and then have them work with each other (or a parent volunteer) to execute the drill (allowing you to observe, or move to another group and provide additional instruction). If a group has an uneven number of players, it isn’t the end of the world, but it usually means one player will be sitting around do nothing – always try to minimize kid's doing nothing.
I also think that breaking the team down into squads can be used to foster a spirit of competition between the players on your team. Competitions allow players to try to reach a standard as well as set records (and try to beat those records). Most players want to compete, so this makes the practice more fun for them and it allows me to quickly assess players progress (and areas that need more work).
To finish up practice on a fun, competitive, note I like to run a game we call “hustle ball”. As can be gleaned from its name, the key here is hustle (not necessarily speed). Once the players learn the game, and play it a few times, we can usually complete a full six-inning game in 30 minutes (or less).
Equipment
4x Ball Buckets
1x L-Screen
1x Stopwatch
2x Coaches
Setup is pretty easy, empty 3 ball buckets into one, then place an empty ball bucket in foul territory behind first base; another behind second base; and one next to the catcher.
Place the full bucket of baseballs behind the L-Screen for a coach to throw. One coach will be the pitcher for both teams and one will keep time on the stopwatch.
Rules
All baseball rules apply for Hustle Ball, with the following adjustments:
Predetermine time between pitches and between innings. Generally, start off easy, and as the players get used to the game and try to work down to where you are giving 10 seconds after a hit or out for the next pitch and 30 seconds between innings.
All hitters step into the batter's box with a 2-1 count.
Any ball or strike received by the catcher is placed in the bucket beside him--not thrown back to the pitcher.
When a hit or an out is recorded, the defense has 10 seconds to get the ball in to a bucket, and the offense has 10 seconds to get the next hitter into the batter's box. The coach with the stopwatch will let everyone know the time left by counting down when 5 seconds are left (5,4,3,2,1... then a pitch is thrown).
When the first baseman records an out, he places the ball in the bucket beside him. Outs or base hits to the outfield are returned to the relay man, then to second base where the ball is placed in the bucket and the 10-second count down begins.
After recording the third out, the 2B or SS is responsible for bringing in their bucket and putting the balls in the coach's bucket behind the L-Screen. The 1B and C are responsible for bringing their buckets to the mound as well.
The team entering the field works in reverse in that their 2B/SS must retrieve the now empty bucket from the pitcher's mound and take it back to behind second base.
The new 1B is responsible for his bucket and the catcher's bucket is thrown back to home plate. Failure to do any of this constitutes an automatic out.
Teams have 30 seconds between innings to get ready. If the first batter of the new inning is not in the batter's box, helmet on, ready to hit, when the time is up, a pitch is thrown and is always a strike. If the defense is not ready and in position at the end of 30 seconds, a pitch is thrown and the defense must deal with the batted ball despite being out of position.In order to encourage hustle, also call outs whenever bats or helmets are left near the playing field (my kids just keep their helmets on when they are playing the field) or if you catch a member of a team not sprinting on or off the field.
Try it out, after doing 60-90 minutes of drills, your players will enjoy the chance to "play" the game (and look forward to the next practice).
