Relay throws teach kids to position themselves in line with the throw and catch the ball at their chest. This is the foundation for all relay work in games.
Equipment needed: 12 baseballs, a bucket, open field, three bases or cones.
Setup: Three kids stand in a line 30 feet apart. The first kid is at home, the second at the halfway point between home and first (15 feet out), and the third at first base. You stand behind the first kid with the bucket.
How to run it:
- You throw the ball to the first kid (chest height).
- They catch it, reset their feet in 0.5 seconds, and throw to the second kid.
- The second kid catches, resets, and throws to the third kid at first base.
- The ball stays at first. The three kids rotate: kid 1 becomes kid 2, kid 2 becomes kid 3, kid 3 comes back to home.
- Do 12 reps (four cycles through each position).
What to look for: Catching mechanics and transition speed. The quicker they catch and reset, the quicker the relay happens. Momentum is everything.
Variation: For younger kids (8-9), do two-person relays (you throw to one, they throw to another). For older kids (10), add a base runner (imaginary or real) and have the third kid make the tag. That’s the game.