Looking for some fun conditioning drills to play with your team? Last Man Standing is a way to help players be competitive individually while still playing as a team. This is how the mock is run:

Have your players remove their gloves. Using only your hands makes the game less aggressive. Divide players into groups of 3 or 4. Each player throws 5 ground balls to the person to their right. The fielder becomes the roller as the players move down the line, with the first fielder running to the end to become the last fielder.

Where does the competition come in? Make it a relay race! Teams rush to finish first, because they get the “security”. Everyone else has to sprint while the winners watch. Play this multiple times to get your players heart rate up.

Once the kids seem ready to go (and a little tired), switch them to a knockout drill. Have your pitcher throw softballs to players, who don’t already have gloves on. If they can’t field the ball with their hands, they’re out. The last man standing, again, stays out of the sprint. Players are much more competitive when they know they can avoid sprints, and it’s a real reward for those who win.

These drills can be run at the beginning or end of practice as a fun way to help players prepare for quick runs from standing positions, a key on-field skill that surely can’t hurt a player struggling to get there, either. First.