Below are individual baseball activities

Bean Bag or Frisbee Toss

Purpose: This drill is to improve a player’s glove hand skills and help them get better at catching a baseball.

Set up: You will need to have bean bags or small frisbees for this drill. If you don’t have any at home, click on the pictures below to pick them up. These are both soft, but durable products that are perfect for kids. Both tools force players to pinch their fingers and thumbs together like they will be doing with a baseball glove.

Drill can be done with player and coach or as a partner drill between to players. Players will stand about 15 feet apart, facing each other. They will not have their baseball gloves. Each pair of players will have one bean bag or frisbee.

How it works: The goal of this drill is to train the glove hand and arm to work correctly. The players should not move their feet to get the bag or frisbee, they will only be reaching with their arm and hand. Players will be tossing the bean bags underhand or flipping the frisbee softly, with the goal of giving their partner a toss that is catchable. The receiving player will be in a ready stance with their glove hand (non-dominant hand) up and ready to receive. When the bag or frisbee is tossed, the receiver must only use his glove hand to catch it. They are not allowed to use two hands or their throwing hand (dominant hand).

Progression tip: Once players get good at this drill, make it more difficult. You can make it a competition to see which group can get the most catches in a row. Another competition idea would be to set a time, and see which group can get the highest number of clean catches in the set amount of time.

Target Throwing

Purpose: This drill is designed to help players develop command and control when throwing and/or pitching.

Set up: Have fun with your targets. You can create your own targets with a point system, or simply put a baseball on a tee. Use your best judgment on distance. Set the kids up far enough away that it is a challenge, but close enough that they will be able to hit the targets frequently.

How it works: Simply put, the players will be throwing the ball and trying to hit whatever target you put up. This is a simple drill and concept that can be used often during your practices. Kids love having a target to throw at and it will help them focus on what they are doing. You can make it a competition within the team.

Bonus Fun: Create a relay race. For example, set up 4 tees with plenty of room and set baseballs on them. Break up your team into 4 smaller “teams.” Make sure each team is starting the same distance from the tee. When you say to begin, the first player in each group will throw 3 baseballs at their tee. After they throw they must go get their 3 baseballs and bring them to the next player in line to throw. If they knock the ball off on the first or second throw, they can immediately go get the baseballs, set one back on the tee, and bring the others back to the next player. The team that finishes first wins.