Baseball is one of the top sports many people watch, and backyard baseball is one game almost everyone knows. With bat-swinging and ball-throwing action, there’s no other reason to have fun and enjoy baseball. That said, there are also many ways to play baseball-like games that train your young ones with baseball-like mechanics and have a mix of fun games for variety.
In this article, we will tackle different baseball games perfect for playing in your backyard. Whether playing with your kids or bringing the neighborhood alone, these games fit well into playing backyard baseball and more!
Contents
500 (Five Hundred)
Sometimes termed as five dollars, this game can be played with variety but still borrows some major mechanics from on-league baseball. The rules are simple, one player handles the ball by batting it or kicking it out on the playing area. Others will position themselves around the field and earn money for fielding.
You can use real money, but play money works as well. And every action or catch earns a subsequent amount of cents. For example, a caught ball earns a dollar, a ball that bounces once before catching earns 50 cents, and so on—the first player who earns five dollars wins and becomes the ball handler in the next round.
Not only does this train your kid’s primary field catching, agility, and throwing skills, but it also earns them real money or incentives for a much enjoyable family moment. One day, your kid may be counting dollars after the game—a star player with high MLB betting odds.
Flies And Grounders
What was once a simple baseball drill can be made into a fun exercise and a bonding moment between siblings or friends. Flies and Grounders is a catching game involving two players tossing a ball back and forth.
You can get creative with flies and grounders. You can put a rule where catching a ball earns a point, and missing one deducts another. This allows each player to strategize by faking a throw. If the ball is deemed uncatchable, the throw restarts. Play continues until an agreed score is reached. Flies and grounders can be an excellent way to introduce baseball to your kids by focusing on their throwing and catching skills.
Crack-Up
Crack-up requires a big, round ball like a beach ball and a group of around five to ten players. One player is designated as “It” in the first round. The “It” has the ball and throws it at one of the players. Players can either catch or avoid the ball. If a player is hit, they become the new “It” and start throwing the ball to others again. The game continues as long as they have fun.
Like other games, Crack-Up can be modified to increase the fun factor. You can turn it into a point system where every hit continues a point, and the “It” has a time limit to get as many points as possible. Either way, the requirement is everyone has to take turns and have fun.
Monkey In The Middle
Depending on your neighborhood, it is also called Keep Away. This is a ballgame perfect for small groups of three players. The game works by the first two players standing in a predetermined area where they can toss and catch the ball to each other while the third player is in the middle trying to steal it mid-air. When the third player catches the ball, they trade places with whoever threw it.
There are no losers or winners in the game, so the game can go as long as possible as long as all players are having fun. Some advanced versions of the game have the middle player placed in a circle at least 10 to 15 feet in diameter, while throwers are placed just outside of the circle. Should there be a height discrepancy among the players, you can add another rule: the ball has to bounce once within the circle to keep it leveled and fair.
On The Move
Perfect on the outdoors and fast-paced teamplay based on a sprinting drill. On The Move exercises both your kid’s memory and body. For props, you need several index cards with five random numbers each from one to nine, nine cones or numbered cones, and two teams. Place the cones at an equal distance, with several feet apart.
Then have two players stand at a designated line. One is the runner, while the other one is the caller. To play the game, one player reads the first number in the index card, which the runner then sprints towards the said numbered cone then goes back. After that, the caller tells more numbers in order which leaves the runner memorizing and tagging it as fast as possible. In the event the runner makes a mistake, you can either restart the whole sequence or deduct a point to amplify the challenge.
The play continues with the runner memorizing and tagging the cones in sequence as fast as possible. For an extra challenge, make it a competition with prizes for more fun on whose team goes the fastest.
Final Thoughts
The games mentioned above have inspirations from baseball, and the skills learned and molded through such activities can be a good transition to a proper baseball play. Nevertheless, you must have fun in each game, and that’s what matters the most.
Thus prepare your props and bring out your families and friends; organize these games in your backyard for a fun family and neighborhood experience. And who knows, this could be a core memory for your kid to take an interest in actual baseball.
