1. How to Organize a Youth Baseball Practice
Pete Moore
Head Baseball Coach
Hatboro-Horsham High School

2. Coaching Youth Baseball Players1
Why do you coach? 2
Are you guarding a cement slab? 3
What does a successful practice look like? 4
How do you structure a practice? 5
What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?

3. Why do you coach?

4. Why do you coach?
A passion for the game of baseball

5. Why do you coach? A passion for the game of baseball
A desire to give back to your community

6. Why do you coach? A passion for the game of baseball
A desire to give back to your community
A need for volunteers in your organization

7. Why do you coach? A passion for the game of baseball
A desire to give back to your community
A need for volunteers in your organization
A chance to do something with your son

8. Why do you coach?
No matter what your reason is for coaching – we all have a responsibility to keep it fun while teaching the players the fundamentals of the game.
Keeping it fun is the best way to get kids to come back and play in the future.

9. Are you guarding a cement slab?

10. Are you guarding a cement slab?
Why do you do what you do at practice?

11. What does a successful practice look like?

12. What does a successful practice look like?

13. What does a successful practice look like?VS

14. What does a successful practice look like?
Keep the kids as active as possible and create as many challenges as possible
We lose kids to other sports for two main reasons:
Less down time in other sports
Less failure in other sports

15. What does a successful practice look like?
The more coaches you have that can help facilitate stations, the better off you’ll be.
Keep the stations brief so that you can keep their attention.
Move groups to different areas for the different stations.
Get kids comfortable being uncomfortable.

16. How do you structure a practice?
Stretching
Throwing
Team Defense
Individual Defense
Batting Stations
Base Running
***Impromptu Team Challenges***

17. How do you structure a practice?
Stretching
It helps develop a routine and is habit forming
Dynamic Stretching
Explain the practice plan (hang a copy up)

18. How do you structure a practice?
Throwing
Straight back and forth catch?
Kai Correa’s Throwing Program Philosophy

19. How do you structure a practice?
Team Defense
Infield/Outfield (it’s a routine for us)
21 Outs (use the player’s age as your goal for outs)
Pop Up Priorities
Bunt Defense
1st & 3rd Defense
Cut Offs

20. How do you structure a practice?
Individual Defense – A Skill A Day

21. How do you structure a practice?
Individual Defense – A Skill A Day
Pitchers
PFPs, Pick-offs, Bullpens, Flat Ground

22. How do you structure a practice?
Individual Defense – A Skill A Day
Pitchers
PFPs, Pick-offs, Bullpens, Flat Ground
Catchers
Receiving, Blocking, Bunts, Throwing to Bases

23. How do you structure a practice?
Individual Defense – A Skill A Day
Pitchers
PFPs, Pick-offs, Bullpens, Flat Ground
Catchers
Receiving, Blocking, Bunts, Throwing to Bases
Infielders
Perfects, Ground balls, Short Hops, Back Hands, DPs

24. How do you structure a practice?
Individual Defense – A Skill A Day
Pitchers
PFPs, Pick-offs, Bullpens, Flat Ground
Catchers
Receiving, Blocking, Bunts, Throwing to Bases
Infielders
Perfects, Ground balls, Short Hops, Back Hands, DPs
Outfielders
No Glove, Fly Balls, Ground Balls, Do or Die, Line Drives, Sliding Catches, Head Flips

25. How do you structure a practice?
Batting Stations
Break up into groups so that there is less down time
Hit on Field
Tee work or soft toss (TCB Balls are great for this)
Base Running group
Shag Group

26. How do you structure a practice?
Base Running
We like to feel like we outwork everyone in practice and running the bases hard is a part of this.
We set a goal to beat out 80% or more of all bobbled groundballs in the infield.

27. How do you structure a practice?
Base Running Drill
Set up with a runner on each base and two at home plate
Man on 1B goes first to third
Man on 2B scores from second
Man on 3B tags up and scores simulating a sac fly
Left hand batters box runs out an infield single
Right hand batters box hits a double

28. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control

29. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches

30. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches
You can’t coach every kid the same

31. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches
You can’t coach every kid the same
Don’t forget that this game is tough!

32. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches
You can’t coach every kid the same
Don’t forget that this game is tough!
Change what the kids think success means (QABs)

33. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches
You can’t coach every kid the same
Don’t forget that this game is tough!
Change what the kids think success means (QABs)
Coaching your kid is hard on your kid

34. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches
You can’t coach every kid the same
Don’t forget that this game is tough!
Change what the kids think success means (QABs)
Coaching your kid is hard on your kid
Gatorade of the Day motivates kids

35. What have I learned in my 17 years as a head coach?
Importance of focusing on what you can control
Players act like their coaches
You can’t coach every kid the same
Don’t forget that this game is tough!
Change what the kids think success means (QABs)
Coaching your kid is hard on your kid
Gatorade of the Day motivates kids
Dressing as a team promotes togetherness

36. What does being a successful coach mean?

37. What does being a successful coach mean?
Will we win another championship?

38. What does being a successful coach mean?
Will we win another championship?
I also feel successful when our players are making a positive impact on our community off of the field.

39. What does being a successful coach mean?
Will we win another championship?
I also feel successful when our players are making a positive impact on our community off of the field.
I want my players to grow to be good fathers and respectful of other people in their communities.

40. What does being a successful coach mean?
If we can use baseball as a means to teach our players to be disciplined, responsible, and respectful (teammates, opponents, coaches, umpires, fans, etc), then we are helping to instill values that they’ll carry with them throughout their lives.

41. EBFBL Youth Baseball Coaching Clinic
Pete Moore
How to Organize a Youth Practice
Mike Dertouzos
Coaching Catchers
Bob McCreary
Coaching Pitchers
Tim Johnson
Everything Defense
Lee Saverio
Coaching Hitting