Overcoming the Four Challenges of Indoor Baseball Practices Because of Weather

• By Grant Young

Any baseball coach who lives somewhere that isn’t sunny and 76 degrees nearly every day knows that having a baseball practice plan while being indoors before a baseball season due to inclement weather can be a massive challenge. 

One of the primary challenges of indoor practice is the limited space. Indoor facilities often constrain the drills that can be performed, particularly for activities like batting and fielding. For instance, players may only have access to batting cages where they can hit off a tee or face a pitching machine, failing to simulate the real-time response required during a live game. 

Not to mention that the absence of outdoor elements such as wind, sun, or varying field surfaces can create an unrealistic training environment. Players may not learn how to manage factors like the flight of the ball in the wind or how to handle tricky bounces on grass or dirt. 

Practicing indoors can also affect team chemistry and communication. Much of a baseball team’s cohesion builds through shared experiences on the field. Outdoor practices foster teamwork through situational drills and live scrimmages, allowing players to develop trust and understanding with one another. 

The mental aspect of the game is also at play. Players, particularly younger ones, may begin to feel frustrated with their progress when relegated to indoor practices. This frustration can lead to a lack of motivation and enthusiasm, creating a hesitant mindset just as the season begins. 

While obviously none of this is ideal, the unavoidable reality is that countless baseball teams across the country must adapt to practicing indoors during the winter months and still find ways to improve, especially leading up to a new season. 

Each team is going to present unique challenges in conquering this. But the wisdom and insights of James Mulcahy could be crucial for you in figuring out how to address this potential hurdle to your team’s baseball season.

Mulcahy is the current Head Baseball Coach at Perham High School. Over his time there, has built a reputation for excellence, consistently leading the Yellowjackets to top rankings in Minnesota, including appearances in three state tournaments. 

His expertise in adapting to indoor practices, especially when weather conditions make outdoor training impossible, has been a key component of his success. And in his ‘Indoor Practice For When the Weather Does Not Cooperate with James Mulcahy’ clinic, he relays multiple tips for getting the most out of your team’s practices when you’re forced indoors. We’ve pulled a few of these tips and included them for you below. 

Weather Won

Before diving into how to overcome the biggest challenges of preparing for a baseball season indoors, Coach Mulcahy gets clear on what the four biggest challenges are of living somewhere that requires indoor baseball practices in the offseason so that coaches can create a game plan to overcome them. 

1. Limited Fall Ball or No Winter Ball

This is obviously a massive challenge because of how it limits repetitions and experience that players could be getting before the season. However, if there’s any solace to be found in this, it’s that all the other teams in a region are dealing with the same thing.

2. Lack of School Space or Large Training Facilities

Another challenge a coach might have to deal with is the lack of facilities that are available to a team in the fall or winter, especially because baseball isn’t in season and therefore won’t have priority. 

Since indoor sports like basketball and volleyball will be taking place at this time, the baseball team will often become the odd team out at this time.

3. Weather 

This one is self-explanatory, as the weather is the reason why practices are headed indoors in the first place. 

4. Three-Sport Athletes

Another potential obstacle to practicing at this time of the year is that some of your players might be busy with other sports that are in season. While this is good for developing them as athletes, it isn’t ideal for getting them ready for a baseball season.

How to Train When Facilities Are Tight

One tip that Coach Mulcahy has when forced into tight training facilities is to get great at the things that you’re able to get great at, given your location.

For him, he believes the two biggest things with this is arm care and conditioning. Since both of these things can be done just as well (if not better) than when outside, he suggests dedicating a lot of time (especially in the early going) to work on your team’s arm care (specifically pitchers) and their conditioning, which will be beneficial once you’re able to go outside. 

Group Rotation

Another vital aspect of training indoors in bad weather is dividing teams into smaller groups, which Coach Mulcahy believes has many benefits.

One of them is that dividing into smaller groups and those groups practicing at separate times, gives each group more space to work with while also allowing coaches to give more specific, individualized instruction. What makes the most sense is to divide players by position (pitchers and catchers, infielders, and outfielders). 

In addition, finding ways to make drills competitive by keeping score is a great way to enhance and sustain focus and interest while practicing indoors, which can be a common pitfall for players. Having competitions within drills (with the loser facing consequences like more conditioning) is a great way to make the most out of indoors practices.