Baseball Drills You Can Do in the Backyard

By 4Baseball Staff · November 5, 2026 · 10 min read

Fifteen simple drills for throwing, hitting, fielding and running that work in a small yard with cheap equipment, plus safety rules, a weekly plan and advice on adjusting for age.

You do not need a field, a team or a coach to get better at baseball. A patch of grass, a few inexpensive tools and twenty minutes a day is a better habit for a young player than one long practice a week, because the basic skills of the game come from repetition. Catching, throwing, swinging, fielding and running are all learned in small movements repeated thousands of times, and a backyard is a good place to repeat them.

This guide gives fifteen drills organized by skill, with the setup, what to do, the coaching points to watch and how to make each one harder or easier. It also covers the safety rules that matter when kids play with balls at home, a sample weekly plan, and how to adjust the work for different ages. The advice is general coaching convention, not a program from any league. For anything involving pain, workload or a specific injury, talk to a doctor or a qualified coach and follow the published guidelines of your league; Little League's site at littleleague.org is a good place to find them.

What you need

The equipment list is short, and almost all of it can be improvised. Buy only what you will use.

• Two gloves, one for the player and one for a partner, or a single glove if the player will throw against a wall.
• Soft baseballs, rubber-coated balls, tennis balls or plastic practice balls for most drills; a few real baseballs only for catch in a safe, open area.
• A batting tee and a net or a target to hit into, such as a sturdy fence with a tarp or a pop-up practice net.
• A bucket for balls, four to six cones or markers, and a piece of chalk or tape for a strike-zone target on a wall.
• A helmet for hitting and for any drill in which real balls are thrown or hit.

Safety first

Backyard baseball goes wrong in predictable ways, and almost all of them can be prevented. These rules apply to every drill below.

• Check the surroundings. Look for windows, cars, pets, younger children and neighbors before every session, and set up so that mis-hit and mis-thrown balls go somewhere harmless.
• Match the ball to the drill. Soft balls near houses, real balls only in a wide open space, and a helmet whenever a ball is being hit or thrown at a hitter.
• Warm up. Five minutes of easy movement before any throwing or swinging, described in the next section.
• Stop at pain. A sore arm, elbow or shoulder is a reason to stop and ask a doctor or coach. Do not throw through it.
• Keep throwing volume modest. Young arms need rest. Follow the pitch-count and rest guidelines of the league the player belongs to, and count backyard throwing as part of the total.
• Mind the weather. Water and shade in hot weather, and no outdoor practice during lightning.

The five-minute warm-up

A warm-up raises body temperature and loosens the joints used in throwing and swinging. A simple version takes five minutes. Walk or jog easily for a minute, then do arm circles forward and backward, leg swings front-to-back and side-to-side, a few bodyweight squats, trunk rotations with the arms held in front, and a handful of easy throws starting at short distance and working back. If the player is sore the next day from the warm-up alone, the routine is too hard. The principles of building strength safely are covered in strength, conditioning and injury prevention for young players.

Throwing and catching drills

1. The four-step catch. Two partners stand 20 to 30 feet apart. The thrower grips the ball across the seams with the first two fingers on top and the thumb underneath, steps toward the target, turns the glove-side shoulder to the target, brings the elbow to shoulder height, and follows through across the body. The catcher keeps both hands up, watches the ball into the glove, and covers it with the bare hand. Coaching points: step toward the target, not in a different direction; throw to the chest. Make it harder by moving back a few steps at a time; make it easier by using a softer ball.

2. Wall ball. Mark a square on a wall with chalk or tape, about the size of a strike zone. Stand 15 to 25 feet away and throw a tennis ball or rubber ball at the square, catch the rebound and repeat. Count how many throws in a row hit the square. Coaching points: use the same four steps as in the catch, and throw at a pace that keeps the form clean, not as hard as possible. Make it harder by shrinking the target or stepping back a few feet.

3. Quick-release catch. Partners play catch, but the catcher must move the ball from glove to throwing hand and throw within a second of the catch. The goal is a smooth transfer, which matters for infielders and catchers. Start slowly, then speed up as the ball handling gets clean.

4. Long-toss with limits. Gradually increasing the throwing distance is a common way to build arm strength, but it should be supervised and kept to a short session with plenty of rest. For young players, a coach or parent should set the distance and the number of throws, and the session should end at the first sign of fatigue.

Hitting drills

5. The tee ladder. Place a tee in front of a net. The batter takes five swings with the ball on the inside part of the plate (closer to the body), five over the middle and five on the outside part (farther away), moving the tee back or forward for each spot. Coaching points: a balanced stance with the feet about shoulder width apart, a grip with the middle knuckles of both hands roughly lined up, eyes on the ball, and a swing that finishes with the weight on the front foot. Make it harder by changing the height of the tee between swings so the batter has to adjust.

6. Soft toss. A partner kneels or sits to the side and a few feet in front of the batter and underhands a soft ball toward the hitting zone. The batter hits it into a net. This adds timing to the tee's mechanics. Safety note: the partner should sit behind a screen, not in the path of line drives.

7. Slow-motion swing. With no ball, the batter swings at about half speed in front of a mirror or a window reflection, stopping at three checkpoints: the start of the swing, contact and the finish. This isolates what the body is doing from the pressure of hitting a ball.

8. Target hitting. Place two cones about 15 feet apart in front of the net and have the hitter try to hit tee balls between them. This teaches bat control and the idea of hitting to a part of the field, and it makes a long session more fun.

Fielding drills

9. Rolling ground balls. Partners sit or stand 10 to 15 feet apart and roll the ball so it comes at the fielder's glove. The fielder gets in front of the ball with the feet apart, the glove low and open, and the hands out front. After the catch, he brings the ball to the chest, shifts his feet and throws back. Coaching points: field in front of the body and watch the ball into the glove. Make it harder by rolling it faster or to either side.

10. Short hops. Using a soft ball, a partner throws the ball at the ground a few feet in front of the fielder so that it bounces up as a short hop. The fielder learns to stay low, keep the glove down and let the ball come to him. Short hops are the hardest ground balls to field, and a soft ball lets the player practice them without fear.

11. Fly-ball drop step. The partner tosses a tennis ball over the fielder's head. The fielder takes a drop step, turning the hip and stepping back with the foot on the side the ball is going, then runs to where he thinks it will land, keeping his eyes on the ball. Coaching points: run with the arms low, and catch the ball above the eyes and in front of the face where it can be seen. Make it easier by throwing straight back first, then to either side.

12. Rebound-wall fielding. Throw a tennis ball against a wall and field the rebound. A solo player can do hundreds of repetitions in a short session, switching between ground balls and short hops. This is among the best solo drills available, and it trains reflexes as well.

Running and agility

13. First-step drill. Place two cones 10 feet apart. The player starts in an athletic stance beside one cone, drives to the other, touches it and returns. He repeats for ten seconds, rests and repeats. The goal is to push off the back foot and keep low. Running is a skill in baseball, and a quick reaction and the first two steps can matter as much as top speed.

14. Run through first base. Mark a line 60 feet from a start line and a base at the end, or use whatever distance the yard allows. The player swings, drops the bat and runs past the base without slowing, then returns. In the real game the base is 60 feet from home at Little League and farther in older leagues, so use the distance your player's league uses. Coaching points: run through the base, and look at the base, not at the ball.

15. Shuttle with a ball. Players run between two cones while carrying a ball and switch hands at each turn, which builds comfort handling the ball while moving. Keep sessions short and stop when form deteriorates.

Games that make practice fun

Not every session should be a drill. Use competition to add variety:

• Cone knockdown. Set three cones on a wall and see how many a thrower can knock over in ten throws.
• Home run derby. With a tee or soft toss and a defined line, a hit that crosses a marker counts as a home run. Use soft balls and a net.
• Statue catch. A partner calls out the type of throw: fly ball, ground ball, one-hop, and the player has to field it correctly.
• Strike-zone contest. Players throw at the wall target and keep score, alternating between right and left side of the zone to practice location.

A sample week

Short sessions beat long ones. A child who enjoys fifteen minutes and wants more is in better shape than one who is dragged through an hour. Keep a record of what works, add a challenge each week, and let the player choose some of the activities.

Adjusting for age

• Ages 5 to 7. Focus on fun and coordination. Use large soft balls and play catch from a short distance. Tee work and running games are the best use of time. Avoid anything technical.
• Ages 8 to 10. Introduce the four-step throw, the tee ladder and ground-ball basics. Add targets and light competition. Throw volume should stay small.
• Ages 11 to 14. Add soft toss, short hops and fly-ball routes, and begin to work on position-specific skills with a coach. Strength and mobility become more important, and so does rest.
• Teenagers. Combine backyard work with team practices. The recruiting steps in the college recruiting timeline begin to matter.

All of these apply to girls as well as boys; the paths through youth ball are covered in girls in baseball: paths through youth ball.

Common mistakes

• Doing too much. More repetitions are not better when form breaks down or the arm is tired.
• Skipping the warm-up. It takes five minutes and protects the arm.
• Using real baseballs where soft ones would do. Soft balls teach the same skills with less risk.
• Correcting everything. Pick one coaching point per session. A player who is told five things at once learns none.
• Forgetting the mental side. Keep sessions positive and let the player enjoy the game. Sportsmanship and the mental game in youth baseball covers how to handle mistakes and pressure.

Common questions

How much space do I need? A lane of 20 to 30 feet is enough for most of these drills. Hitting needs a net or a safe backstop.

How often should my child practice? Several short sessions a week, with rest days. Follow your league's guidance on throwing.

Can I teach pitching in the backyard? This guide does not cover it. Pitching mechanics and workload deserve a qualified coach and the pitch-count rules of the league.

What if my child does not want to practice? Use the games, let the player pick the drills and keep sessions short. A child who stays interested will practice more than one who is pushed.

Where to go next

If your player is heading toward organized baseball, read about the Little League World Series to see where the youth game can lead, and visit the youth section of the site for leagues, schedules and news. The youth and Little League topic collects further reading.