Develop stimulating indoor practices

Indoor practices, usually held in a school gym, are common during the preseason, especially in cold-weather areas. These practices should be just as stimulating and educational as outdoor practices. You may have to include a few more warm-up drills; however, a well-planned indoor practice can be very effective, especially if you use numerous stations simultaneously. For example, some players can hit a rag ball against the wall in one station as other players work off of the batting tee in another station. The coach, as well as the league, must verify with school districts that indoor practices are allowed and what types of drills are prohibited. Many schools frown on the use of hardballs on a gym floor.

Some communities have batting-cage facilities, which are excellent for indoor practices. However, because many families might not be able to afford the fees, coaches and leagues should develop policies regarding the monetary cost. If you decide to use a batting cage, you are better off renting two cages for a half hour than one cage for an hour. Players get restless waiting for their turn, and two cages cuts the wait time in half. Some hitting facilities also have gyms, which allows players to work on other drills in the gym while they wait for their turn in the batting cage.

Indoor Practice 1

1. Circle drill (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (#17)
2. Toss and tee-ball drills (three or four stations using a wall), 12 to 16 minutes (#36, #37)
3. One-knee drill (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (#50)
4. Running bases (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (chapter 5)
5. Goalie drill (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (#10)
6. Read the sign (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (#55)
7. One-pitch boom bat (or Wiffle-ball game), 8 to 12 minutes (#77)

Indoor Practice 2

1. Line throw (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes
2. Toss and tee-ball drills (three or four stations using a wall or fence), 12 to 16 minutes (#36, #37)
3. Run at base runner, 6 to 8 minutes (#23)
4. Read the sign (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (chapter 5)
5. Running bases (with tennis or soft-covered ball), 6 to 8 minutes (chapter 5)
6. One-pitch boom bat (or Wiffle-ball game), 8 to 12 minutes (#77)

This is an excerpt from Youth Baseball Drills.