Gamifying Practice
This is how youth baseball should be coached: everything is a game, with a name, a rule, and a way to win.
At CageList we believe in gamifying everything. Every game we run comes with the skills it works, the objective of the drill, and full rules and implementation instructions, and every game has progressions relative to the age group and skill level of the player.
01
We believe in gamifying everything
While the general expectation is at least 1–2 seasons of baseball experience, we aim to stay inclusive of any player who has a desire to learn the game and be coached.
Our goal isn't to create travel ball teams. It's to be an alternative to travel ball, for players who love the game and feel like little league might be a bit of a waste of their time, but who don't want to go all-in on a travel organization either.
02
What it takes to run games like this
Nothing exotic. This short list covers almost every survivor-style game in the curriculum.
- A bucket of baseballs
- Tennis balls and small wiffle balls for softer contact work
- A tee
- A speed ladder
- Cones
- Throw-down bases
- A couple of pancake gloves
The full breakdown of what's worth carrying (and what to add later) is in the coach's toolkit.
03The rule
A drill with a name and a rule is something a kid asks to run again.
Related reading
See the survivor-format drills this philosophy actually produces.
