8U Baseball Practice Drills: Simple, Effective Drills for Young Teams
Christian Daly
Coaching an 8U baseball team? This guide features the top drills, tips, and sample practice plans for building solid fundamentals while keeping young players engaged. Whether you’re prepping for your first game or trying to improve teamwork, these drills are made for youth coaches who want structure and results.
What Makes a Great 8U Baseball Practice?
At the 8U level, kids are entering real game play - often with scorekeeping, positions, and actual game rules in place. Drills should reflect this progression. While keeping fun at the center, practices need to include basic strategy, game flow, and skill combinations (like fielding and throwing in sequence).
Essential 8U practice elements:
- Team communication and situational awareness
- Game-like repetition (field, throw, run)
- Improving reaction time and glove skills
- Swing fundamentals and timing
- Reinforcing base running rules (tags, force outs, etc.)
Great 8U practices mix short drills with competitive games to lock in learning.
Top 6 8U Baseball Drills for Team Practices
Here are some of the most useful drills for this age group, especially in a team environment:
- Cutoff Relay Drill - Teaches players how to field, throw, and hit a cutoff man - great for outfield coordination.
- Ground Ball Triangle - Players rotate through positions (1B, SS, 2B) and learn footwork and throwing routes.
- Hustle Tee Work - Focused tee hitting drill with emphasis on quick setup, load, and swing.
- Live 3-Base Game - Small-sided scrimmage with three bases to stimulate game pressure in a short format.
- Around the Horn Challenge - Throwing drill that builds speed, accuracy, and communication.
- Relay Race Base Running - Add energy and teach direction, tags, and turns in a competitive way.
These drills build core skills and team chemistry, which is crucial at the 8U stage.
8U Baseball Practice Plan Template (60 Minutes)
Here’s a repeatable practice format ideal for 8U rec and competitive teams:
- 0-10 min: Dynamic warm up + catch & throw progression
- 10-25 min: Ground Ball Triangle + Cutoff Relay Drill
- 25-35 min: Tee or live batting stations (Hustle Tee)
- 35-45 min: Live 3-Base Game or situational scrimmage
- 45-55 min: Base running challenge or Around the Horn
- 55-60 min: Team huddle, highlights, and feedback
Rotate stations every practice to keep players alert and challenged.
How Veo Enhances 8U Baseball Development
Veo Cam 3 gives youth coaches a smart, hands-free tool to record every drill and scrimmage - without needing a volunteer cameraman.
Benefits of Veo for 8U teams:
- Film games or practices for team review and teaching
- Identify consistent throwing or glove issues through playback
- Share key moments with families, sponsors, or league organizers
- Build highlight reels for tournaments, end-of-season awards, or just for fun
Even at the 8U level, video builds confidence - players love seeing themselves play.
Coaching Advice for 8U Baseball Teams
8U players want to feel like a real team - but they still need clear guidance, short explanations, and lots of movement.
Here are tips to keep practice productive:
- Use stations or groups of 4-5 to reduce waiting
- Give clear objectives before each drill (“Let’s work on hitting the cutoff!”)
- Celebrate effort and teamwork just as much as outcomes
- Make room for creativity - let players lead warm-ups or name drills
- Use Veo clips to show what ‘good’ looks like after practice
The goal isn’t just better baseball - it’s creating better teammates who love showing up.
