Coaching middle school baseball can be challenging, because you'll likely have a mix of players with different ability levels.Some players might be just beginning, while others might have been playing for years.You'll also encounter physical differences among players who have not yet started puberty, and those who have already developed physically.Keep these factors in mind, and conduct practice drills appropriate for players of all experience and maturity levels.
Long Toss Drill
The long toss drill builds your players' arm strength.Pair each player with another of similar ability.Have one group of partners start on the outfield foul line, about five yards apart, and the other group in the outfield, about 30 yards off the foul line.After lining them up, have your players play catch.Have the group in the outfield back up five yards after every set of 10 throws.Make sure they throw the ball on a line, not in long, rainbow-type arcs.
Partner Ground Ball Drill
The partner ground-ball drill teaches players how to field grounders properly.After the long toss drill, have the players in the outfield move within about 5 yards of their partners.Tell all your players to a*sume an appropriate ground-ball fielding position, and have them roll the ball back and forth.Emphasize that they should field the ball in front of their body with both hands.You can also have your players practice fielding grounders with their backhand and forehand.
Fly Ball Communication Drill
This drill teaches your players how to catch fly balls and communicate with their teammates during a game situation.Position two cones about 20 yards apart in the outfield.Divide your players into two groups, and have one group form a line behind each cone.Stand about 30 yards in front of the players, and repeatedly throw balls high in the air between the cones.For each throw, the players at the front of each line should move to catch the ball.They must communicate with each other to avoid a collision; once one player calls the ball by yelling "I've got it," the other should yell "take it" and move out of the way.
Rapid Front Toss Drill
The rapid front-toss drill gives your players a lot of swings with the bat in a short time, and helps improve their bat speed.Position a screen 15 to 30 feet in front of home plate.Have one player bat at a time, and the others scatter across the outfield.Stand behind the screen with a bucket of balls.When the batter is ready, toss a ball underhanded into the strike zone.The batter should try to hit a hard line drive.After he swings, tell him to reset as quickly as possible, then immediately toss another ball.Continue for 10 to 20 swings.
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