Pitching is throwing strikes. A pitcher who can’t throw strikes can’t pitch. This drill puts a target on a fence at strike zone height and asks the kid to hit it. Track and tell. The score is the motivator.
What you need: 15 baseballs, a fence or net, masking tape or paint to mark a strike zone, a pitching mound or flat marker.
Setup: Mark a strike zone on a fence: 18 inches wide, 24 inches tall, bottom edge at knee height for a typical batter. Pitcher 46 feet away.
How to run it:
- Cue: Set, Lift, Stride, Throw.
- Pitcher throws 10 pitches at the target. Count strikes.
- After 10, tell them the count. Goal: 6 of 10.
- Take a 1-minute break. Throw 10 more.
- Last round: aim for specific corners (top-left, bottom-right). Now placement matters, not just hitting the zone.
What to watch: Are they slowing down to hit the target? Some kids ease up to throw strikes. Strikes need to be at full speed. Slow strikes are still slow.
If they’re struggling: Make the target bigger. Move the mound closer.
If they’ve got it: Shrink the target to 12 inches by 18 inches. Or call balls and strikes umpire-style and see how many strike-outs they can throw.