How to Add Some Pep to Your Next Practice

One of the biggest struggles coaches of young baseball players have is teaching their players about situational hitting. Little players often just want to hit the ball and then run. They don’t really understand that there are different kinds of hits and different times to use each kind. Fortunately, there’s a fun way to teach players about situational hitting…and it involves pepper!

Don’t worry. Not that kind of pepper. This is a tried and true drill known as “pepper.” To play pepper, you simply have one player hit grounders and line drives to the rest of his teammates, who

act as fielders. The fielders should stand in a line, about thirty feet away from the pitcher, taking turns. Their job is to throw the ball to the batter, who will then quickly hit it back, on the ground, to the fielders. Their job is then to field the ground balls and keep throwing the ball back. Anyone who messes up can be “out” or will have to go to the back of the line.

This drill is a lot of fun and can really reinforce the importance of making decisions about how to hit based on various factors involved during play.

Related articles

• Russell Wilson expected at Rangers spring training again this year (profootballtalk.nbcsports.com)