If you have ever coached a t-ball game, you know the bunching problem.
Pitch goes up. Ball gets hit. Eight kids charge the ball at the same time. Two collide. One ends up on the ground. The ball rolls into right field where nobody is standing. The crowd laughs. The 6-year-old who collided cries.
The fix is cones.
The setup
Bring five cones to every t-ball practice and game. Place one cone where each defensive position should stand. Put each cone roughly two steps in front of where you actually want the kid to play.
A simple diagram of where to put them:
Cones in rust. Position labels in italic.
The fifth cone goes at the “rover” position (between first and second base, slightly out from the basepath). Most t-ball leagues have at least one rover or short-fielder. Same idea.
How to use them in practice
Walk every kid to their cone before the play starts. “Sam, you’re on this cone. Riley, you’re on that cone. Don’t leave your cone until I clap my hands.”
When the ball is hit, only one kid is allowed to chase it. The kid whose cone is closest to where the ball goes. Everyone else stays at their cone.
This is a learnable skill. It takes most kids three or four practices to internalize.
How to use them in games
Same setup. Cones go down before the inning starts. Each kid stands behind their cone.
When a ball is hit, one kid goes for it. The others stay put.
When a coach moves a kid to a different position the next inning, move the cone with them. The cone is a permission slip. Without the cone, the kid has no idea where to stand.
Why this works
Six-year-olds don’t have spatial awareness yet. Telling a 6-year-old to “play first base” is meaningless. The cone makes the abstract concrete. The kid stands on the cone. The cone is always there.
By the second half of the season, the kids will start to find their positions without cones. By tee-ball year two, you can put the cones away. The mental map has formed.
What you need
Five sturdy cones. The 9-inch soccer training cones work. Avoid the floppy folding cones; they fall over in wind. Cost: about $15 for a 6-pack.
A clap that can be heard from second base. Develop one.
A willingness to repeat yourself constantly. The cones are a rule that needs reinforcement every inning.
— Jeff