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At-home baseball drills for 11 to 13 year olds: pitcher

This is a free sample week of at-home baseball training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a pitcher: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of baseball for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Balance and direction 13 minutes

  1. Balance point holds · 3 min
    Knee up, stand tall for two seconds
  2. Towel drill · 5 min
    Reach out front, finish over your front knee
  3. Easy throws to a target, 20 at most · 5 min
    Stop if anything hurts; follow your league pitch limits and rest days

Session 2

Pitcher: Pre-Throw Arm Care Routine 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Pre-Throw Arm Care Routine · 5 min
    Light band, slow and smooth. Safety: Use a light band only. This is a warm-up, not a workout.
  3. Split Squat Hold · 5 min
    Tall chest, front knee over toes. Safety: Use your body weight or a light ball only. Good form matters more than more reps.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Pitcher: Split Squat Hold 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Split Squat Hold · 5 min
    Tall chest, front knee over toes. Safety: Use your body weight or a light ball only. Good form matters more than more reps.
  3. Eyes-Closed Stand · 5 min
    Small ankle moves, still body. Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 baseball plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Balance Point Holds

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Lift your knee to the balance point and hold it, then stride and freeze, to build the steady base of your delivery.

  1. Stand side-on with your glove-side shoulder toward a wall across the room.
  2. Lift your front knee to the balance point and hold 3 seconds.
  3. Stride forward and freeze in the landing with your chest tall.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8, no ball and no throw.

Coach's cue: Tall and still at the top.

Bring: none

Safety: No ball and no throw indoors, so nothing here counts toward your Pitch Smart limits. Stop if your shoulder or elbow hurts.

Towel Drill

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Hold a small towel instead of a ball and snap it at a target to learn a long, relaxed finish.

  1. Hold a hand towel by one corner like a ball.
  2. Put a cone or chair about one big step past your stride.
  3. Go through your motion and snap the towel down onto the cone.
  4. Do 12 reps; no ball is thrown, so nothing counts toward your pitch total.

Coach's cue: Reach out front, finish low.

Bring: hand towel, cone or chair

Safety: Count every pitch. Follow Pitch Smart: stay under your daily limit (50 at ages 7-8, 75 at 9-10, 85 at 11-12, 95 at 13-16), take the rest days your count calls for, never pitch three days in a row, do not catch on days you pitch, and stop if anything hurts.

Pre-Throw Arm Care Routine

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

A short band routine before you throw to wake up the small muscles that protect your shoulder.

  1. Do 10 arm circles each way, small then big.
  2. With a light band, do 10 pull-aparts and 10 outward turns with your elbow at your side.
  3. Do 10 slow arm swings across your chest.
  4. Then start easy catch at short distance.

Coach's cue: Light band, slow and smooth.

Bring: light resistance band

Safety: Use a light band only. This is a warm-up, not a workout.

Split Squat Hold

Ages 11 and up · 8 min

Build strong legs and steady hips for your stride with a held split squat.

  1. Step one foot forward and lower your back knee toward the floor.
  2. Stop with both knees bent and your chest tall.
  3. Hold 20 seconds, then switch legs.
  4. Do 3 holds on each leg.

Coach's cue: Tall chest, front knee over toes.

Safety: Use your body weight or a light ball only. Good form matters more than more reps.

Eyes-Closed Stand

Ages 9 to 14 · 5 min

Balance on one leg with your eyes closed. Without your eyes your ankles and inner ear do more work.

  1. Stand on one leg near a wall.
  2. Find your balance, then close your eyes.
  3. Hold as long as you can, up to 30 seconds.
  4. Do 3 tries each leg and note your best.

Coach's cue: Small ankle moves, still body.

Bring: wall nearby

Safety: Practice on soft ground or near a wall with clear space around you, so a wobble is no problem.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: baseball

  • Batting helmet whenever anyone pitches or tosses to you, and on the bases.
  • Catchers: helmet with mask, throat guard, chest protector, shin guards and a cup.
  • Follow Pitch Smart pitch counts: 50 a day at 7-8, 75 at 9-10, 85 at 11-12, 95 at 13-16, with rest days after.
  • Never pitch three days in a row, and do not catch on a day you pitch.
  • No curveballs or radar guns for young arms; at least 4 months a year with no throwing.
  • Slide feet first. Head-first slides are not allowed in Little League Major and below.
  • Stop if the elbow or shoulder hurts, even if the pitch count is low.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Baseball: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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