Ten fingers
Why it works
The first ten minutes of practice are usually wasted, and they are the ten minutes when every kid is fresh and nobody is bored yet. Catching is the one thing that improves with plain volume, so this turns arrival time into the highest rep count of the session without costing a minute of the plan.
Run it
6 MINWhatever arrival takes, usually five to eight minutes. It ends when the last kid has been throwing for two minutes, not on a clock.
Say this
“Ten fingers, never two hands.”
Fingertips, not palms, on an easy ball as well as a hard one.
“Hands up before it leaves him.”
Early hands, every single rep, starting now.
“Both of you count out loud.”
Counting turns a chat into reps, and you will hear who is not throwing.
Good looks like
- Every pair is throwing inside ten seconds of arriving.
- Hands are up before the ball is released on every rep.
- You hear counting, not conversation.
- Nobody is standing in a line waiting for anything.
The mistakes
Palm catching on the warm-up throws, which is where the habit that shows up on Saturday is actually built.
Say: “Ten fingers, never two hands.”
Standing with hands by the sides because the throw is slow and friendly.
Say: “Hands up before it leaves him.”
Two kids talking with a ball on the floor between them.
Say: “Both of you count out loud.”
Three yards apart and underhand. At this age the win is a ball caught at all, so do not add distance to make it look harder.
One hand only, alternating. Or make each pair call a number and count out loud to fifty clean catches before they can stop.