The 10 Best Hitting Drills for 10-Year-Olds (Coach-Credited)
The best hitting drills for 10 year olds are simple, visual, and built around one flaw at a time. We pulled ten of them from real hitting coaches in our index, each one credited and linked so you can watch it and run it at your next practice.
What makes a good hitting drill for 10 year olds?
At this age, less is more. A 10-year-old learns fastest when a drill gives an obvious signal: the ball drops, the barrel misses, the feet slip. That instant feedback beats a paragraph of instruction they will not remember by the next pitch. The ten drills below lean on tees, light balls, PVC pipes, and front toss, and every one credits the coach who teaches it. Follow them.
The 10 best hitting drills for 10 year olds
PVC-pipe sequence drill, by @icoachbaseball
Swap the bat for a PVC pipe on the tee and teach the order of operations: stride first, then rotate. It gets the hips leading and the lower half separating from the upper half, while the eyes stay down on the ball. Great for kids who swing all upper body.
Watch @icoachbaseball's drill →Back-leg power drill, by @hittingwithbert
For the player whose swing is all arms and no legs, this one wakes up the back leg and lower half so the hands actually speed up. Power at 10 comes from the ground, not from swinging harder with the arms.
Watch @hittingwithbert's drill →Shoulder-ball quick-path drill, by @d.r.hitting
A light ball held at the shoulder teaches the hitter to take a tight, direct path to the ball instead of casting and getting long. If the swing gets loopy, the ball drops. Ideal for the kid who wraps the barrel around the ball.
Watch @d.r.hitting's drill →Hip-drive tee drill, by @hittingwithbert
A tee-based drill that trains the hips to drive the swing and create explosive rotation. It targets the young hitter who makes weak contact because the arms are doing all the work and the hips are along for the ride.
Watch @hittingwithbert's drill →Back-foot-on-a-ball balance drill, by @icoachbaseball
Set the back foot on a small stability ball and hit off the tee. The ball forces balance and a controlled weight shift, which fixes the hitter who leaks power by falling off during the swing. Start slow and let them find the balance point.
Watch @icoachbaseball's drill →Beach-ball connection drill, by @ianjenkins_hitting
Hold a beach ball against the body through the swing to teach connection and create space between the hands and torso as the body turns. It cleans up arm bar, casting, and pulling off early without a single verbal cue.
Watch @ianjenkins_hitting's drill →Front-shoulder resistance drill, by @ianjenkins_hitting
Using a padded post, the hitter keeps the front shoulder in against rotation, with a cue to keep the chin on the front shoulder so it does not lift or tilt. This is the fix for the player who flies open and loses direction in the swing.
Watch @ianjenkins_hitting's drill →Planted-feet oppo drill, by @d.r.hitting
The hitter keeps both feet planted and drives the ball to the opposite field, which stops spinning out and teaches them to use the ground. It is a clean fix for rolling over and pulling off the ball, two of the most common 10U problems.
Watch @d.r.hitting's drill →Pump-fake load check, by @d.r.hitting
During front toss, the coach throws in pump fakes to check whether the hitter is loaded and ready at release. It exposes the kid who loads too late and loses power by trying to see the ball and load at the same time. Add this once the swing shape is solid.
Watch @d.r.hitting's drill →Eyes-on-contact focus drill, by @d.r.hitting
Using a visual focus point, the hitter learns to keep the head and eyes on the ball through contact. It fixes the very common habit of pulling the head off the ball and losing sight of the swing right when it matters most.
Watch @d.r.hitting's drill →How should a 10 year old practice these drills?
One drill per practice, ten focused reps at a time, and stick with it for two to three weeks. Kids this age improve through repetition with clear feedback, not through a new drill every day. Fix the biggest flaw first, usually an arms-only swing or pulling off the ball, then move on once it holds up in games.
These are teaching tools, not a substitute for hands-on instruction. If a swing change is not sticking, or your player has any pain or discomfort, work with a qualified in-person hitting coach and check with a physician before pushing through anything that hurts.
Get the 3 best drills for your 10 year old.
These ten are a sample of a much deeper index. Tell us your player's age, level, and what you actually see at the tee or in games, whether that's spinning out, weak contact, or getting jammed, and we'll email the 3 best drills for that exact swing, within minutes.
Find your drills → Coaching a team, or want a full weekly plan for your player? See Fungo plans.