Softball Drills & Coaching Tips for Kindergarten

Introducing sports to small children is a great way to promote team spirit and active living. Softball is a good game for kindergarten-aged kids to pick up because it is simple to learn and gives each child a chance to contribute to the outcome of the game. Coaching such a young age group effectively requires patience and well thought out game plans.

  1. Patience is Key

    • As with any activity involving groups of young children, patience is critical. Some kids might not want to be there, while others might be more content chewing on their baseball gloves or playing in the dirt on the field. Encourage the kids to take part in the game by highlighting how much fun it will be. Seek out those kids who are excited about the prospect of playing softball, and enlist them to convince the others to participate. Once everyone is on board, be sure to keep the children as focused as possible. Be firm but encouraging.

    Make it Enjoyable

    • To make children excited about softball, coaches need to keep it fun for them. One way to do this is by allowing each child to take a turn at bat before any other drills begin. Because most children prefer hitting to fielding, giving each kid three, four or even five swings off the tee at the start of the session will increase the chances of engaging the team's interest for the remainder of the practice. For even more entertainment value, the group could hold a hitting contest where prizes are awarded to the winners of the farthest hit, the best pop-up and other solid hitting achievements.

    Develop Effective Drills

    • Coming up with drills aimed at improving children's skill level can be a challenge when dealing with so many different skill sets and attention spans. Having the kids pair up and play catch is a good place to start, since it encourages throwing a straight ball to another player. Eventually, the children could take turns rolling the ball to one another to practice fielding grounders. Another throwing drill involves placing objects on construction cones and having the children throw balls in an attempt to hit the object. Participants could begin close to the cones and then move gradually farther away until they reach a distance that is challenging but comfortable. The practice could end with players returning to the tee for a few more swings, providing an enjoyable way to end the session.