Using the Practice Planner

The Practice Planner helps you build structured, effective practices that maximize player development and keep kids engaged. You walk through a simple multi-step flow, then export a polished PDF you can bring to the field.

Overview

The Practice Planner uses a three-step workflow:

Practice Details: Set your sport, age group, duration, focus areas, and roster
Edit Practice (Build): Build your practice timeline with blocks, drills, and stations
Export: Download a PDF or print your finished plan

If you are using the public (free) version, a fourth step lets you save your roster for future use before signing up.

Step 1: Practice Details

Sport and Age Group

Start by selecting your sport and age group:

Sport: Baseball or Softball
Age Group: Choose from 8 options ranging from T-Ball through Adult

The age group you select determines which drills are shown in the library and helps tailor the experience to your team.

Date, Time, and Duration

Set when practice happens and how long it runs:

Date and Time: When is practice scheduled?
Duration: Set anywhere from 30 minutes to 240 minutes using the duration selector

Focus Areas

Choose from 12 focus area categories to guide your practice plan. These help filter relevant drills and templates. Select one or several to match what your team needs to work on.

Coaching and Field Setup

Number of Coaches: How many coaches or helpers will be available?
Field Constraints: Select what you have access to from 5 options: Full Field, Batting Cage, Bullpen, Infield Only, or Misc

These settings help you plan realistically for the space and staff available.

Roster

You have two ways to get your player list into the planner:

Manual Entry: Type in player names one by one
Load from Saved Team (premium): Pull your saved roster directly into the planner

Free vs. Premium

Free Version:

Build complete practice plans
Browse the drill library
View practice timeline
Export to PDF
Save your roster for future use (prompted before signup)

Premium Version:

Everything in free, plus:
Save unlimited practice plans to your account
Load saved team rosters
Use 25+ pre-built templates
Assign players to stations with tracking
Create and save custom drills

Step 2: Edit Practice (Build)

The Build step is a WYSIWYG timeline editor where you assemble your practice visually.

Three Ways to Add Blocks

Template-Based: Browse and load from pre-built practice templates that match your sport, age group, and focus areas.

Category-Based Quick-Create: Select a drill category and the planner creates a block with relevant drills pre-loaded.

Manual: Add an empty block and fill it with drills from the library yourself.

Block Types

Standard Blocks: A single activity or set of drills for the whole team.

Rotational Blocks: Multiple stations within the same block where players rotate through all stations. Example: A "Hitting Stations" block containing Tee Work, Live BP, and Situational Hitting.

Concurrent Blocks: Separate, independent blocks that run at the same time. Players go to one block only. Example: Infield Work, Outfield Work, and Pitching Work happening simultaneously, displayed side-by-side in the timeline.

Learn more about rotational and concurrent blocks

Adding Drills

Access the drill library (240+ drills) filtered by sport, age group, and category. Click a drill to add it to a block or station. Adjust duration by dragging the edge of a drill in the timeline. Drag drills between stations to rearrange.

Learn more about adding drills

Field Locations

Assign one of 13 field locations to each station so coaches and players know exactly where to go.

Coach Notes

Add notes to any station with coaching reminders, teaching cues, or setup instructions.

Equipment Tracking

The planner automatically tracks equipment needed based on the drills you add. The full equipment list appears on your exported PDF.

Time Management

The planner shows total time used vs. available time and warns if you are over or under your target duration. Adjust drill durations or add/remove blocks to stay on track.

Step 3: Export

When your plan is ready, export it for the field.

PDF Export

Download a professional PDF that includes:

Practice title and date
Complete timeline with all blocks and drills
Equipment checklist aggregated from all drills
Optional: Drill instructions with QR codes linking to detailed drill info

Print

Use the browser print dialog for a quick physical copy.

Step 4: Save Team (Public Only)

If you built a roster in the free version, the planner prompts you to save it for future use. This encourages creating an account so you do not have to re-enter players next time.

Tips for Effective Practices

Keep Kids Moving

Avoid long lines and waiting
Use stations to maximize activity time
Plan for small groups whenever possible

Progression Within Practice

Start easy, build intensity:

Begin with simple, confidence-building drills
Progress to more challenging skills
End with team-focused, game-like activities

Age-Appropriate Planning

T-Ball and 8U (Coach Pitch):

Short attention spans: change activities every 8-10 minutes
Focus on fun and fundamentals
Avoid complex explanations
High repetition of basic skills

10U-12U (Kid Pitch):

Can focus for 15-20 minutes per drill
Introduce strategy and situational play
Competitive drills are appropriate
Start developing positional skills

14U and Up (Advanced):

Longer drill blocks (20+ minutes)
Advanced mechanics and strategy
Position-specific specialization
Game-situation emphasis

Equipment Planning

The planner shows equipment needed for each drill and aggregates it into a checklist:

Review the equipment list before practice
Ensure you have enough for all stations
Plan alternatives if equipment is limited

Common Practice Structures

60-Minute Practice (Typical Weeknight)

0:00-0:10 Warm-up and throwing
0:10-0:40 Station work (3 stations, 10 min each)
0:40-0:55 Team defense or scrimmage
0:55-1:00 Cool-down and recap

90-Minute Practice (Weekend)

0:00-0:10 Warm-up and throwing
0:10-0:55 Station work (3 stations, 15 min each)
0:55-1:20 Team defense or live batting practice
1:20-1:30 Cool-down and recap

Learn the philosophy before using the tool:

Complete Guide to Running Youth Baseball Practice - Practice planning fundamentals