Hitting Games 

• Bunting Knockout 

• Bunting Knockout starts with 6-8 kids at home plate. 

• 1 at a time they attempt to get a bunt down. Round 1 they get two pitches and have to get one down to survive. Round 2 we limit them to one pitch each (pitches will be underhand tosses for the young guys and overhand flips to the older guys). 

• As the numbers dwindle, you can tell them to bunt down a line, or inside a cone.  

• Once you are out you head into the field, where you are allowed to field behind the pitcher. 

• If a bunt is popped up and caught, that player is back in the game. 

• NOTE: This game works better with younger kids if you split them into two teams at the start, say Red vs. Blue (4 on 4). That way if a kid gets out in the first round he can still win the game if his teammate is left standing. 

• Moneyball

• This game is done in groups of 3-4, with 3 teams total. 

• One team hits, while the rest of the players line up in the infield. 

• Each hitter will get 5 swings off the tee, or from a coach depending on the age/skill. 

• For every “hard hit” the batter receives 1 point. For every ball that goes over everyone’s head the batter receives 2 points. For every catch in the field, that player's team receives 1 point. 

• On the 5th swing all point values are doubled. 

• The team with the most points after all the teams hit are declared the winners. 

• Zombies vs. Survivors

• This is a game played with 12 kids

• The game starts with all 12 kids lined up behind the plate.

• 1 kid starts hitting, 1 kid is ready on deck, and the other 10 are well off to the side and out of the way. 

• A coach will throw each hitter 2 whiffle balls or tennis balls.

• If the hitter manages to hit one of the two balls for a solid line drive or “hit”, they are safe and head to the back of the line. If they swing and miss, or hit a weak grounder they are out and become a zombie. 

• A zombie grabs his glove and heads into the field, behind the pitcher. It is best to set up cones in a line that the zombies can’t cross, for safety. 

• A zombie can return to the hitting line only by catching a ball off the bat. 

• The game ends with one man left standing. The Lone Survivor…

• For more details, follow David Klein on Twitter, he is an excellent teacher with tons of resources for youth coaches. https://twitter.com/CoachDavidKlein/status/1523132883728142337?s=20&t=_0X6cpZ3xHtaCamCm2w25w

Throwing Games

• Catch Knockout

• Have the kids pair off with a partner. 

• Put out cones 10 feet apart, from 10 feet to 100 feet.  

• The goal of the game is to successfully complete a throw back-and-forth without dropping the ball. 

• One group throws at a time, so it is best if you split large groups in half to manage time. 

• Once the group has completed both throws back and forth they move back to the next cone. 

• The team that gets to the last cone (cone 10 or cone 5 depending on age/time) are the winners and move on to face the winners of the other game. 

• Note: If a team gets out you can tell them to pick a remaining team to cheer for, that way even if they are out they can still win by picking the right group to support. 

• Tee Game Relay

• This game is done in groups of 3-4, or an even number of kids per tee. (Minimum of 4 teams). 

• We start by putting a ball on a tee 20-30 feet away from the teams (again, distance depends on age/skill of the group). 

• The goal of the game is simple, to knock a ball off a tee 5 times, before the other team does so. 

• On the count of 3, one player from each team throws his ball at the tee, if they miss they must run, retrieve the ball, and underhand flip it back to the next guy in line. If they hit the tee, everyone on the team yells the number of hits, and the guy who hit it must replace the ball on the tee before the next guy can throw. 

• Best 2 out of 3 determines the winning teams that advance to the finals.

• Note: Set up the tees in front of a fence or wall to limit the time it takes to retrieve the ball. Also spread out, this can get hectic. Make sure the kids know that if they are not the thrower or the guy “on deck” that they are to stand off to the side to not risk getting hit by the throw back. 

Infielding Games

• GB Knockout

• This is a fan favorite. Start by splitting into 2-4 groups of equal numbers. Give each group a team name (Blue vs. Red, or let them pick a name). 

• Now combine the groups into one line or 12 and hit them GBs. 

• The first time through is just a warm up round, but the second time through is knockout. 

• If they make an error they are out, but again they can still root for their team to win. 

• The 2 winning teams can square off in a final, or you can play a series of games between the 2 teams.  

• Keep the games short and make the GBs progressively harder as the game goes on. 

• Run Down Game

• This is a 6 v 6 or 4 v 4 game that starts with two lines at a base (1st and 2nd, Home and 3rd, for example) One team is playing defense the other is running. 

• The runner starts right in the middle of the base path. When you say go, the group playing defense has to execute a run down and get the runner out. 

• The running team gets a point for every base they reach safety to without being tagged out. 

• The defensive team must record 6 out before the two teams switch. 

• NOTE: Make sure the runner is wearing a helmet. 

• Time Trials 

• Break into 4 even groups and have each group go and stand on a base. 

• The guys on 1B will compete on the same team with the guys on 2B and the guys at home plate with the guys at 3B. 

• Have a coach take out his phone or watch and time how fast that each team can throw the ball from 1st to 2nd and back, so that everyone in the group throws and receives the ball once (or twice with a smaller group).

• Once a time is recorded the second team tries and the team with the best time wins. 

• Around the Horn 

• In groups of 4-6 have the players line up at the normal infield positions. 

• The other team is on offense, with 1 guy standing at the plate with a helmet on. 

• The coach then hits a GB to either the SS or the 2nd Baseman.

• The runner takes off and attempts to run around the bases as fast as they can before the defensive team can tag each base, in no particular order. 

• For every base the runner can get to before all bases are touched by the defense, they get a point, so a homerun is 4 points. 

• If the runner gets to home before the ball has touched every base, they can keep running and score more points. 

• With a group of 6 you can get creative and say the pitcher’s mound is another base. Just make sure everyone touches the ball at least once. 

• After all the runners have gone, tally up the points and switch sides. 

• NOTE: You could in theory play this game with more kids and just set up extra bases, like one in center field, get creative and make sure that this is a group defensive effort. 

Outfielding Games

• Catch Relay Race

• Split the group into 2-4 equal teams. 

• Have the teams line up about 30-40 feet from a coach. 

• On the count of 3, throw the first guy in line a pop up with a baseball. 

• If they catch the ball, everyone in line has to yell out the number of catches that is for the group. 

• Once the ball is returned to the coach the next kid steps up and repeats the process. 

• The goal of the game is to catch 20-25 baseballs before the other team they are competing against does. 

• The two winning teams then play each other in a final game.

• Cut Off Relay Race

• In 2-4 groups of equal numbers, have the players line up in a straight line with about 30-40 feet between them, depending on age and skill. 

• With a baseball at the front of the line, the goal is to throw the ball to each guy in line all the way to the end, and back before the team next to you does. 

• This game emphasizes the need to make accurate throws to the cut off man, as well as taking care of the baseball.

• Cone Zags

• Set up 4 cones in a backwards diagonal zig zag pattern.

• Each should be about 15 feet apart

• With 3 tennis balls, have the players (without gloves) line up. 

• Have them turn and run to the first cone. 

• As they are running, flip a ball into the air so that as they reach the cone the ball will meet them there. 

• When they catch the ball, have them drop the ball, drop-step inside and run to the next cone, receiving a ball in the same way as before. 

• At the final cone give them a big lofted pop up that forces them to run and make a nice catch.