Fielding is mostly side-to-side movement. This drill warms the legs up by making the kids shuffle in different directions on a signal. Bonus: it’s a game, so they pay attention.
What you need: Open space. No equipment.
Setup: Kids in a line facing the coach, 15 feet away.
How to run it:
- Kids start in athletic stance: feet apart, knees soft, hands ready.
- Coach points right: kids shuffle 3 steps right.
- Coach points left: kids shuffle 3 steps left.
- Coach points down: kids drop to fielding position.
- Coach points up: kids jump up. Mix it up. Random pattern. Make it a game.
What to watch: Are their feet shuffling or crossing? Shuffle means feet stay apart and move sideways. Cross-stepping is what we don’t want.
If they’re struggling: Slower pattern. Bigger gestures so they can read the signal.
If they’ve got it: Faster pattern. Or add a verbal command at the same time as a fake gesture so they have to listen too.