I’m coaching my sons Little League team. We consist of 5 and 6 year olds. It is a coach pitch division. 7 of my 8 players played 1 season of t-ball and the other player has never played before.
For our first few games I was giving the players 6-7 swings and then putting it on a tee if they didn’t put the ball in play.
Last night I was directed that our league wants 5-6 pitches and if they don’t put the ball in play then they just walk back to the dugout because they are out.
I feel strongly that the ball needs to be put in play as often as possible. Not just for the batters sake but for the 5 year olds in the field that have no attention span.
Little Leagues across the country have seen enrollment drop substantially in the last few decades. Baseball is terribly boring at this young age compared to other sports. “Striking a kid out” at this age seems counter productive and totally unnecessary.
What are you doing in your coach pitch leagues?