Free Play

• For the last 10 minutes of practice, allow players to do drills and activities they would like to do in a non-structured environment
• Players can separate into groups or partners, or use this time to work by themselves
• Players can use any equipment, including plastic bats and balls if available
• If players are having difficulty deciding what to do during free play, suggest the follow activities: Stickball: Played with a rubber ball, a narrow bat resembling the handle of a broom and without gloves, Stickball is a great way to improve hand-eye coordination. Wiffle Ball: Played with plastic bats and balls, many wiffle balls have small holes so that the ball dances and darts on its way to the plate. Vitilla: A derivative of baseball often played in Latin American countries by using a bottle cap and stick. Vitilla is great for teaching hand-eye coordination and for playing in small spaces where a ball cannot be used. Kickball: A great game for kids of all ages. The pitcher begins play by rolling a large rubber ball towards home plate where the batter kicks the ball into the field. Outs are recorded when a fielder catches a kicked ball in the air or throws the ball and hits a runner between bases. Flip: Stand in a circle, a few feet apart. Players volley or 'flip' the ball to one another using their glove, or some versions of the game allow players to flip the ball with other parts of their body. A player who lets the ball hit the ground without successfully flipping the ball to the next player gets a 'strike.' Three strikes and you're out -- last player standing wins. Off-the-Wall: Typically played on a blacktop or driveway, players field a tennis ball thrown off a wall. If a player doesn't field the ball cleanly off the wall, he or she must touch the wall before one of the other players is able to field the ball and throw it to the wall. A player incurs a strike if they are unable to make it to the wall before the ball. Three strikes and a player is out -- last p...