Real pitching isn’t throwing strikes for fun. It’s throwing strikes when the count matters. This drill puts the pitcher in fake at-bats with real ball and strike calls. The goal is to get to 3 outs before walking 2 batters.
What you need: 30 baseballs, a strike zone target, a parent or coach acting as the umpire calling balls and strikes, a fence behind the target.
Setup: Pitcher on the mound. Coach behind the target with a clipboard.
How to run it:
- Cue: Set, Lift, Stride, Throw.
- Each “at-bat” is up to 6 pitches. Coach calls ball or strike. Three strikes is an out. Four balls is a walk.
- Pitcher tries to get 3 outs before allowing 2 walks.
- Track the result: 3 outs is a clean inning, 2 walks is a bad inning.
- Reset. Pitch a second inning.
What to watch: Behavior after a ball. Some kids fall apart after one ball. Two balls and they’re wild. Mental toughness is the goal: throw the next pitch without thinking about the last.
If they’re struggling: Drop the walk count. Just have them try to throw 3 strikeouts in a row.
If they’ve got it: Add a real batter who takes pitches but does not swing. Now the pitcher has to pitch to a hitter’s eye, which moves and reacts.