Baseball Drills For 4 Year Olds

At 4 years old, many children might have started developing a big interest in baseball and will begin to want to get their hands on a baseball bat to hit the ball. It is the age when kids who want to play baseball should learn the basics of how to field, throw, and hit in baseball. Introducing kids to the game through fun and repetitive drills is key in honing their baseball skills and making them decent players. So, how can you set up baseball drills for 4 year olds? Let us know “Baseball Drills For 4 Year Olds”

When setting up baseball drills for kids, you must approach it in the right way. The most important thing to focus on when setting up drills for 4 year old kids is developing their fundamentals, and you also have to set up the drills so that they can enjoy playing the game.

It is important to understand that kids at 4 years old are complete novices and don’t know much about playing baseball. So, the drills you are setting up for them should not be too challenging and should focus on teaching them the fundamentals. With repetition, they will improve continuously and use what they have learned in drills when they play competitive games.

Here are some drills you can set up for 4 year olds:

Batting Stance And Swing Drill

The batting stance and swing drill is a crucial drill you should implement when teaching new players. It is a drill that teaches kids the correct batting stance in baseball. This drill is important because it helps them polish their posture for their batting stance and the proper way to swing their bodies when they want to hit the ball. The advantage of learning this early is it will become second nature to them as they grow older and start to play in matches.

When starting, the children should not use bats when doing this drill. As a coach, you should teach them the elements of a proper stance and swing. Have them simulate swinging the bat, then make corrections and adjustments to their stance and swinging technique.

Alligator Fielding Drill

This drill will help teach the children how to do a two-hand catch. To execute the drill, take the following steps:

• Ask the players to line up.
• Have the player in front of the line come forward and take up a fielding position.
• Roll the ball toward the player, making them catch the ball in their glove, then use their other hand to trap the ball.
• Repeat with the other players, then restart the cycle two or three more times.

Simple Tee Batting Drill

This drill helps the kids practice hitting the ball. It is a basic drill that is especially effective in executing their batting stance and swing with a bat and a ball.

• Set up a batting tee in front of a wall or fence.
• Ask the children to queue behind the batting tee.
• Place a ball on the tee.
• Have the children take turns hitting the ball to try and hit the fence.
• You can give each player some tries before moving to the next player.

Catching Fly Balls

Another important part of learning to play baseball for kids is overcoming the fear of getting hurt by a fly ball. So, you can help them overcome this fear by setting up this drill to get them accustomed to dealing with fly balls. Ask the children to form a line, then throw the ball to each player to attempt a catch with their glove.

For this drill, you can start by having them catch softer balls that won’t hurt them (a tennis ball or a puffy ball for example). As they progress and get used to handling softer balls, you can try using real baseballs for this drill.

The Bucket Throw Drill

Throwing accuracy is an important skill for fielding in baseball. The bucket throw drill is fun for kids, and the drill is designed to help kids improve the accuracy of their throws. To set up and execute this drill,

• Place a bucket on the ground.
• Have the children form a line about 10 feet away from the bucket.
• Have them attempt to throw the ball accurately into the bucket.

Increase the distance between the players and the bucket as they get better to keep it challenging. However, remember that you should not make the drill too difficult for the children to do.

The Short Hop Catching Drill

This drill is a fielding drill that helps the players get accustomed to dealing with balls off the short hop in real game situations. To execute this drill, throw the ball in succession and have the players take turns catching a ball off a short hop. Do this repeatedly, and also have the players catch the ball both with and without their gloves so that they get used to catching those balls.

Another way to execute this drill is by pairing the kids up and having them toss the ball to each other to attempt catching the ball off a short hop. This drill will help them learn to field the ball cleanly all the time.

Banana Drill

This drill is a basic drill for teaching kids how to make J turns to round the first base after hitting the ball. So, each player takes turns simulating swinging their bats to hit the ball, then they run towards the first base, step on the base and make a turn towards the second base.

The Wrist Throw Drill

As we said, the fundamental skills and correct technique are most important for the development of baseball skills at this stage. One crucial skill for kids to learn is how to toss the ball to another player with their wrist.

This drill is done by pairing up the players and getting them to face each other standing about eight feet apart. On one knee, with the elbow of the throwing arm on the other knee raised at a 90-degree angle, the players are to continuously toss the ball between each other for some minutes.

Conclusion

Now we have learnt “Baseball Drills For 4 Year Olds”, You can mix it up and add your own spin to the drills to make it even more fun for the kids. Remember to make each drill as simple as possible to make it easy for the children to understand. Teaching kids the basics of baseball early is key in helping them create a solid foundation and build muscle memory. As they grow older, what they have learned at 4 years old will stay with them and they can only get better going forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can you teach 4-year-olds how to play baseball?

Yes, children can start learning the basics of playing baseball as young as four years old. As long as they think it is fun and have an interest in the game, you can teach them how to play.

What are the most important things to consider when setting up baseball drills for 4-year-old kids?

When setting up baseball drills for 4 year olds, you should focus mainly on teaching them the fundamentals. Focus your drills on developing their posture and technique for the basics such as batting, catching, and throwing the ball. Also, some drills can be to help them understand some terms and rules. Make the drills fun and challenging enough to improve their skills.