Lesson 3: Your First Practice Plan
A plan you can print and run tonight, with any age group.
A plan you can print and run tonight, with any age group.
A complete first practice: names, rules, an athletic warm-up, a quick look at every hitter, three stations, and a game. You will finish it knowing which kids need what.
The reason
The first practice sets the tone for the season. If kids leave sweaty, smiling and having hit 60 balls, they come back. It also gives you a baseline, so in six weeks you can show every parent real progress.
Show, explain, feel, drill, test
- Show set up all stations before kids arrive. A practice that starts with 10 minutes of setting up cones has already lost them.
- Explain three rules only. Bats stay down unless you are in a swing box. Hustle between stations. Have fun and work hard.
- Feel in the warm-up, watch who moves well and who does not. Athletic kids learn swings faster; less athletic kids need more movement games.
- Drill at the tee, take a quick note on each hitter: stance, front foot down on time, solid contact (yes or not yet).
- Test in the game, see who swings hard. You can teach a kid who swings hard to hit. It is harder to teach a timid swinger to swing hard.
Say it the same way every time
- “Swing hard, under control.”Fixes: Timid, “just make contact” swings. We want athletic and aggressive from day one.
- “Bats down.”Fixes: Safety. Any bat off the ground outside the swing box stops the station.
- “Earned!”Fixes: Your team word. Use it to break huddles and celebrate effort, not just hits.
What to look for
- What wrong looks like
Trying to fix every kid at the first practice.
The fixWrite it down instead. Practice 1 is for learning names and seeing swings.
- What wrong looks like
Running out of helpers.
The fixAsk two parents before practice to run the tee and game stations. Give them the station card. Most parents are glad to help if you tell them exactly what to do.
- What wrong looks like
Ending with a long talk.
The fixFour minutes. One praise, one thing for next time, one break.
Run it tonight
10–12 players · 1 coach + 1 helper · about 60 minutes. Stations run at the same time; groups rotate on your whistle.
| 5 min | Names and rulesCircle up. Everyone says their name and favorite player. Three rules. |
| 10 min | Athletic warm-upRelay races, bear crawls, skips, throws to a partner. Watch who moves well. |
| 12 min | Station 1: Tee checkHelper runs it. You stop by and note each hitter: stance, foot down on time, contact. |
| 12 min | Station 2: Coach soft toss“Swing hard, under control.” 10 swings each. |
| 12 min | Station 3: Foam-ball gameHit to a target zone. Points for line drives. |
| 5 min | Hitter vs. the FieldQuick live game, soft balls, 2 swings each. |
| 4 min | WrapOne praise for the team. Tell parents what to work on at home: “ready like a shortstop.” |
Coaching fastpitch
For fastpitch, use the same plan with a slightly lower tee height and underhand toss. Note which hitters already track a rising ball well.
The win
You have a one-line note on every hitter and the kids are asking when the next practice is.
Take it to the field
Print this lesson and clip it to your clipboard, or keep it open on your phone at practice.
Lesson 3 done?
Mark it complete after you run it. Run any practice again whenever your team needs it.
Coach safely
Helmets for every live and toss rep. Swing boxes marked with cones, one hitter per box, everyone else behind the bucket line. Throw from behind an L-screen for front toss. Soft or foam balls for younger players and for any player working through fear of the ball. Stop for pain, dizziness, a possible head injury, or a kid who is upset and not settling.
Field sizes, bat rules and pitching rules vary by league. Follow yours.