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⚾ Baseball and T-ball · ages 8–9

Baseball and T-ball practice plan for 8 and 9 year olds (45 minutes)

Checked · v0.1.0

The whole practice: Warm-up 7 · three drills 24 · water 2 · game 8 · cool-down 4 minutes, for 11 players and 6 balls. Every player is moving in every block, the game comes last, and nobody is ever out.

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This practice

⚾ Baseball and T-ball · ages 8–9 · 45 minutes · 11 players · 6 balls

  1. 0:007 min

    Warm-up Warm-up

    Jog on the spot, Arm circles, Skipping. About a minute each, easy first, then a little bigger.

  2. 0:078 min

    Drill Side soft toss

    X playerO partner or defender— run- - pass∿ dribble

    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.

    1. The tosser lobs the ball gently into the hitter's hitting zone.
    2. The hitter swings into the net: ten tosses.
    3. Rotate every ten.
    4. 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.

  3. 0:158 min

    Drill Relay throw line

    Set up. Groups of three in a straight line, eight steps apart, every group side by side. Gear: a ball a group, gloves. With your players that is 4 groups of about 3.

    1. The end player throws to the middle.
    2. The middle player turns to the glove side and throws on to the far end.
    3. Then back the other way.
    4. Swap the middle player each minute.

    Say: “Turn glove side” · “Hands up for it” · “Throw to the chest”

    Easier: Closer, and roll the ball between the players. Harder: Count how many times the ball goes end to end in a minute, and beat the group's own number.

  4. 0:232 min

    Water Water break

    Everybody drinks, in the shade if there is some.

  5. 0:258 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.

    1. Toss the ball underhand, high, so your partner has to look up.
    2. The catcher calls 'mine', moves under it and catches with two hands above the eyes.
    3. 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.

  6. 0:338 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.

    1. Five pitches each; on the fifth, hit off the tee if you have not yet put it in play.
    2. Bat through the whole order every inning, so nobody sits out.
    3. Fielders move to the next position every inning (the lineup maker can rotate them).
    4. 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.

  7. 0:414 min

    Cool-down Cool-down

    Reach for your toes, Butterfly. 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

peabody.kids/sports/plan/baseball/8-9v0.1.0 · Checked 31 October 2026

Why this practice looks like this

At eight and nine the ball comes faster, so this plan catches high tosses calling 'mine', hits soft toss into a net, and plays a coach-pitch game where the whole order bats every inning and fielders move positions, so nobody spends the game in right field.

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 8–9

  • Little League sets how many pitches a child may throw in a day at each age, and the rest days after. Check its rules before any pitching practice; Peabody's plans have none. Source: Little League: Regular Season Pitching Rules.

More practices

Baseball and T-ball at other ages:

Ages 8–9 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.