Indoor Baseball Drills

It is not always possible for players to practice baseball outdoors. One can therefore, try to make good use of makeshift arenas or small spaces for baseball drills. The regular drills that are conducted outdoors take up very little space for practice sessions. Drills can therefore, be conducted indoors for maintaining the continuity of baseball training sessions.

Throwing DrillsAiming at the SquaresFor this drill, one has to first draw two squares on the wall. The first square should have the dimensions 20 x 20 inches and the second should be 4 x 4 inches in size, made inside the first one. For performing this drill, players need to be divided in two teams. Throwing the ball within boundaries of these squares is the objective in this game. Points awarded for hitting the smaller, central square (4 x 4 inches) should be greater than those awarded for the bigger one.Knocking the BallIn these baseball drill, emphasis is laid on increasing the accuracy of throws. A baseball tee and two balls are the only items needed for this drill. Objective of this game is to hit the ball that is placed on the tee. The game can be made interesting by making one of the players hit the ball with a bat towards the thrower. The thrower should first catch the ball and then direct it towards the tee.Fielding DrillsReflex DrillsIn order to perform the reflex drills there needs to be a single batsman and variable number of fielders. The batsman has to hit the ball and the fielder should then quickly move towards the ball, scoop it up and throw it towards the base. Standing in between two (one at the left and other at right) bases gives the fielder an option to throw the ball in either direction. This drill is known to sharpen the reflexes because players get very little time to move sideways.Outfield Toss 'n' GoThe toss 'n' go exercise is a great way to sharpen reflexes and also to get some catching practice. In this drill, the first thing that a player must do is toss the ball towards the feeder. Immediately after tossing the ball, the player runs along a line for an over-the-shoulder catch. You should also practice running and catching in the opposite direction. It helps improve the catching skills both, from the throwing-side and glove-side.Stab DrillsIn this indoor baseball drill, players are paired and positioned 10-15 feet away from each other. The players have to shoot grounders at each other. Initially, the grounders must be directed straight to the partner. After working on this drill for a while, the grounders should be sent one foot away i.e. sideways to the partners. The sideways distance can be increased to a length of a long stride. This exercise helps improve the fielding skills of players.Indoor drills are generally conducted in medium-sized halls. A community hall is one such place where you could think of organizing the practice sessions. Due permission should be obtained in advance for such sessions. An indoor cage proves to be of great help in carrying out the hitting drills. However, one disadvantage of practicing indoors is that the area is smaller. Also one cannot hit the ball hard due to limitation of space. Pitching is done underhand for these sessions.The game of baseball provides an opportunity for players to develop many of their inherent skills. Therefore, in any case the practice sessions shouldn't be discontinued. Indoor baseball drills mentioned in the article above should help in practicing without having to take any breaks.