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⚾ Baseball and T-ball · ages 12–13
Baseball and T-ball practice plan for 12 and 13 year olds (60 minutes)
Checked · v0.1.0
The whole practice: Warm-up 8 · three drills 36 · water 2 · game 10 · cool-down 4 minutes, for 12 players and 6 balls. Every player is moving in every block, the game comes last, and nobody is ever out.
⚾ Baseball and T-ball · ages 12–13 · 60 minutes · 12 players · 6 balls
- 0:008 min
Warm-up Warm-up
Jog on the spot, Arm circles, Skipping, Leg swings. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.
- 0:0812 min
Drill Run through first
X playerO partner or defender— run- - pass∿ dribble
Set up. Two lanes from home toward two first bases side by side, so two run at once. Gear: two first bases (a base and a cone) side by side, a bat with no ball. With your players that is 3 groups of about 4.
- Swing at nothing, drop the bat in the box, and run.
- Run through first base, never slowing before it.
- Look over your right shoulder after the base, then walk back.
- Next pair goes as soon as the lane is clear.
Say: “Drop, don't throw” · “Run through” · “Look right”
Easier: No swing: start from a stance and run. Harder: Run through, look, and if the coach waves, turn for second.
- 0:2012 min
Drill Side soft toss
Set up. The hitter faces a net. The tosser kneels to the side, a little in front, behind a cone. One waits behind the line. Gear: a bat, a bucket of soft balls and a net or fence a group. With your players that is 4 groups of about 3.
- The tosser lobs the ball gently into the hitter's hitting zone.
- The hitter swings into the net: ten tosses.
- Rotate every ten.
- The tosser only tosses when the bat is back and still.
Say: “Load and see it” · “Short to the ball” · “Finish high”
Easier: Hit off a tee instead. Harder: The tosser calls high or low as the ball leaves the hand.
- 0:322 min
Water Water break
Everybody drinks, in the shade if there is some.
- 0:3412 min
Drill High toss catch
Set up. Partners six steps apart. Gear: a soft ball a pair, gloves. With your players that is 6 groups of about 2.
- Toss the ball underhand, high, so your partner has to look up.
- The catcher calls 'mine', moves under it and catches with two hands above the eyes.
- Ten, then swap jobs.
Say: “Call it” · “Get under” · “Two hands up”
Easier: A low toss to the chest, with a soft ball. Harder: Toss it to the side or a little behind, so the catcher turns and runs.
- 0:4610 min
Game Coach-pitch rotation game
Set up. A grown-up pitches to every batter. Fielders take positions; the batting team waits behind the fence. Gear: bats, balls, helmets, bases.
- Five pitches each; on the fifth, hit off the tee if you have not yet put it in play.
- Bat through the whole order every inning, so nobody sits out.
- Fielders move to the next position every inning (the lineup maker can rotate them).
- Score it on paper, or not at all.
Say: “Ready before the pitch” · “Know where to throw” · “Hustle on and off”
Easier: The tee from the first pitch. Harder: Three outs end the inning, but the order keeps going from where it stopped.
- 0:564 min
Cool-down Cool-down
Reach for your toes, Butterfly, Calf stretch. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.
Every plan here has a water break, two in practices over an hour (our rule). On hot days the CDC says to drink more water than usual without waiting to be thirsty, to start slowly and build up, and to practice when it is cooler. cdc.gov: Heat and Athletes. Head knocks and concussion: read CDC HEADS UP, the CDC's page for coaches and parents. cdc.gov/heads-up
Why this practice looks like this
Twelve and thirteen year olds can practice like a team: short stations, quick changes, everyone busy. This plan runs through first without slowing, works the swing in soft toss and catches high tosses calling 'mine', then plays a game where the order keeps going. No pitching drills here; Little League sets the limits.
The drills are Peabody's own, in plain words, each with a drawing, three short things to say, and an easier and a harder way so one plan fits the whole team. The warm-up and the cool-down come from the Gym, where every move has picture steps a child can follow.
What the guidelines say at 12–13
- Little League sets how many pitches a child may throw in a day at each age, and the rest days after, and no pitching on three days in a row. Peabody's plans have no pitching drills. Source: Little League: Regular Season Pitching Rules.
More practices
Baseball and T-ball at other ages:
Ages 12–13 in other sports:
Game day: make an equal-play-time lineup, or a bracket for the end-of-season tournament. All the tools are on the coaches' page.