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4 CORNERS
A hitting drill that our kids do is called the "4 Corners Drill",
actually for bunting.
Our players divide up into 4 groups of how ever many. They gather around
each of the bases and the plate of our diamond. A player uses the plate
or base as a home plate and stands ready to drag, squeeze, or sacrifice
bunt with another player pitching from his knee about 10 feet away.
There is also a catcher, and the other players field with bare hands.
Each player bunts the ball 5 times and then everyone rotates until all
three types of bunts are laid down correctly, making sure that
fundamentals are being done, with a coach at each station. |
BETTER VISION AT THE PLATE
Too often times young players are encouraged to close their stance at
the plate (i.e. placing their front foot closer to the plate than their
rear foot) thus limiting their vision of the ball. Usually this results
in their "pulling off" or away from the pitch when striding.
I try to encourage more kids to "open" their stance by placing their
front foot further from the plate and encouraging them to stride in
towards the ball. This allows them better vision of the pitch and an
easier feeling of getting away from the pitch inside, potentially at
them. |
CORRECTING STEP OUT
Many young players will take their front foot and step away from a pitch
as they swing, thus pulling them off the ball. A coach can lay face down
and holding the players ankles, keep his step in line with the pitch.
The player begins to adapt to the foot placement. I recommend that the
coach wear a helmet while doing this.
Once the player starts making contact with the ball, he has demonstrated
to himself that he can hit when he doesn't back away. Depending on the
age and experience of the player, this can take anywhere from 10 minutes
and up. |
HIT OR DIE!!
HIT OR DIE!!
That's what I call my latest drill to catch their interest before they
know what it's all about. Ever get tired of telling the hitter he needs
to stay back and wait in order to hit the outside pitch? When they go
the "other way" the whole swing changes, they loose their hips or twist
their torso to inside out the ball?) and watch for proper reaction.
Repeat this drill until the hitter's natural reaction is to turn away.
Good Luck!
TRY THIS: Turn the hitter sideways in the tunnel as if you were
to do flip ups into the net right in front of him. Now stand directly to
the side of him so that you are facing directly at his chest. Give him a
few soft tosses right at him and make keep his same swing. After a
couple now back off to about twenty/twenty-five feet and pitch
overhanded directly at his belt buckle. Obviously, you are not throwing
your hardest, but keep the speed up so the ball isn't arcing, a moderate
pitch. Now when he strides, he must keep his hands back or the ball hits
him. I'm not nuts guys, believe me, they hit the ball AND they stay
back.
They can now say they survived HIT OR DIE!
Remember, when a batter has a good swing, any kind of hitting drill is
good for him. Variety is the spice of life doing drills also.
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HITTING TO THE OPPOSITE FIELD
A drill that I have found very effective and easy to do is to set up for
batting practice regularly. Then have the pitcher throw the ball from a
shortened distance and from the opposite field side ( i.e. for a right
handed hitter, the pitcher throws from between the mound and 1b). This
creates the angle to make the hitter "stay behind" the ball and hit the
other way.
We tell our guys they have to get out if they hit the ball to the "pull"
side of the mound. Also, make sure the batter faces the regular mound
and does not turn towards the new mound. |
ONE HANDED BUNTING
One Handed Bunting--Players get into groups of 3 or 4 for max
bunts. The drill is to grip the bat with the top hand at the balance
point of the bat, then bunt that way. All the things you try to teach
such as grip, bat angle, 'catch the ball with the bat', etc. happen
naturally just by bunting one handed. It is a simple finishing job to
add the bottom hand to steer the ball, and leads easily into drag and
push bunts.
A few minutes of practice gives lots of skill and leaves that much more
time to HIT. |
SHORTSCREEN
We station a tosser seated behind an L-screen approximately 30 feet away
from the hitter (tosser should wear helmet and stay well behind the
screen.) The tosser can pinpoint the corners and move the ball up and
down throwing a high percentage of strikes from this distance. The
hitter is forced to react quickly.
To further the effectiveness of the drill we have the tosser shout a
count just before delivering the ball (i.e. 3-0, or 1-2, etc.). This
forces the hitter to think about the type of hitting situation that he
is confronted with before offering. For example, in a 3 ball situation
the hitter may decide to take a questionable pitch for ball 4 whereas in
a 2 strike situation they must guard the dish. Also we will vary the
situational hitting by having the tosser shout out where runners are as
well as out count. This further reinforces the concept of productive at
bats while giving a mental focus to what can otherwise become a
repetitive drill. |
SOFT TOSS DRILLS
In my lessons I use four soft toss drills to focus on some key elements
of hitting.
I usually use regular soft toss to warm the hitter up: 30 reps. First, I
rotate my hands holding two balls and toss them in an inconsistent
sporadic pattern. This develops bat speed upon eye contact. Eventually
the more experienced hitter could be tossed fakes as well. While the
tosser is spinning the ball he actually fakes twice and then releases
one. The next he just tosses. 30 reps.
The second drill is motor skills and awareness. I hold two balls in one
hand with two fingers separating the the two. I want to hold the balls
as if they were stacked upon each other. Before I toss the balls I call
out top or bottom. This forces the hitter to actually think about which
ball to hit upon a command . This will also fine tune their
concentration.30 reps.
The third is the most difficult and possibly the best. The tosser should
stand up close to the plate but just out of bat distance. The tosser
holds the ball high in the air above the front part of the plate and
drops the ball. The batter depending on his eyes to initiate the swing
has to hit the ball before the ball touches the ground. His technique is
critical in this drill. Make sure his step, hips, balance, and head are
all in correct form. 30 reps.
The last is where the tosser stands behind the hitter tossing the ball
from his knee through the hitters strike zone. The batter has to
excelerate his bat after the ball. This develops pull arm strength and
overall power.15 reps.
P.S. Fatigue develops bad habits so make sure the hitter rests twice the
amount of time spent hitting. |
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TWO-BALL SOFT TOSS COUNT DRILL
This drill is performed just like most two ball soft-toss drills. A
second person tosses two balls and calls which ball the batter should
hit. This drill is a little different variation.
The batter is tossed two balls. The batter counts 1001 & 1002 very
quickly and then hits the top ball if it has not left the strike zone.
This drill teaches young and older players to stay back, to see the ball
and trust their hand speed.
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BADMINTON
A great drill we use for hitting is to use badminton birdies. Simply
have a coach stand 10-15 feet from the batter and throw the birdies into
the strike zone. This drill enables batters to take LOTS of swings in a
relatively short period of time. It also allows the coach to place the
"pitch" exactly where he wants it, thus enabling the batter to work on
weak areas of their swing.
Another drill we use is a variation on the traditional "soft toss";
rather than baseballs, we toss mini marshmallows so the batter is forced
to fine tune his swing for the smaller target. You wouldn't believe how
big a baseball looks after this. |
BROOMSTICK
Make a couple of bats from broomsticks about 30" for little league.
Purchase practice plastic golf balls at any sporting goods store. Have
players break up into two groups of four, one player pitching, one
hitting and two others for retrieval. At first players will have
difficulty making contact but with concentration on point of contact
they will begin hitting consistently. |
FENCES
The player stands with a bat facing a fence. He should then take the bat
and put the end against the fence lightly. The end of the handle should
make slight contact with the player's mid-section. He can now take his
normal batting stance at that distance from the fence and take about ten
or fifteen swings. If the bat is making more than light contact with the
fence, the batter is not bringing his hands through first, which he
should be. To get a player to bring his hands first, have him take his
normal step as if to swing, only have him "throw" the end of the handle
of the handle towards the ball. If he continues to do this, it will
increase his bat speed and he will probably hit the ball harder. |
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YOUTH HITTING TECHNIQUE
Stepping out seems to be a major problem with young players, and it
prevents the bat from being in the hitting zone long enough to make
consistent contact or inhibits proper plate coverage. The technique that
has been successful in my teachings, is to have the young hitter raise
the back heel so only the balls of the feet and toes are in contact with
ground. It is really difficult mechanically to step out when the hitters
back foot is raised. In addition to being virtually impossible to step
out, this technique allows the you hitter to accomplish several other
necessary hitting musts:
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Makes pivoting the back foot much easier, thus
allowing the hips to explode on the ball.
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Weight transfer tends to remain in center of the
stance instead of overcompensating one way or the other.
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Shortens the stride
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The hitter focuses on pivoting and rotating on
the center of gravity axis, instead of lunging.
This has
worked for my son and several of my younger players. My son was 7 last
season, and was hitting ball in excess of 150 feet.
Another important factor in teaching the young hitter making the
transition from T-Ball to Minor league is teach that the swing begins in
the downward plane before leveling off and ending high. T-Ball creates a
swing that make young hitter begin swing in the upward plane. Kids want
to see the ball fly off the tee, so therefore, they naturally swing up
to get the desired results. Kids must be taught to start down, because
the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and most
hittable pitches are down in the zone. T-Ball leagues should buy tees
that promote the downward arc swing, for example, the Ken Griffey
batting tee.
In summary, the two major problems I have seen in young hitters is
stepping out, and swinging in the upward plane. When these problems are
rectified, the hitter has more success making contact, and thus has
better baseball experience. After all, the goals of youth leagues is for
kids to have a great experience, so they will develop a love for the
game. Excessive K's will not develop a love for the game, but will drive
the youth away.
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HULA HOOP BUNTING
In order to develop proper bunting skills, coaches should teach the
fundamentals of bat control. To begin, take three hula hoops and place
them in front of home plate in three different bunting areas (first base
line, directly in front of home plate, and third base line). Assign each
of the areas a number, and instruct the kids to aim at a respective hula
hoop while practicing their bunting (if possible, use three different
colored hoops).
Run the drill by throwing an equal number of batting practice pitches to
each bunter, with a consistent number of attempts at each hoop. For
example, you could throw each player twelve pitches, and have them bunt
four pitches at each hoop respectively. Keep track of how many bunts
actually stop in the hula hoop, and total that number for each player.
You can run a competition with the winner being the player who
successfully bunts the most pitches into the correct hula hoop. |
PITCH BEHIND
The timid batter always seems to assume that backing out or stepping out
toward third base will automatically prevent him from being hit by the
pitch. You might notice that he starts his getaway before he has any
notion of where the pitch is really headed. I have had some success
against this tendency by throwing behind the timid batter's back. After
all, he will get plenty of these pitches at the little league level, and
you don't want him backing into them, getting hurt, and becoming even
more afraid.
If the habit is deeply ingrained, you might want to start out with
tennis balls. You can also start by throwing a lot of pitches behind
him, and then gradually decrease the frequency of these pitches as he
starts to break the habit. Soon he will realize that he had better not
back up until he sees where the ball is really going. This will make him
much safer at the plate, which will appeal to the timid batter right
away. And while he's watching the ball more closely, he's going to
realize that he doesn't have to hide from the good pitches, but can stay
put and hit them instead. I have seen it work!
Another simple drill I use with these hitters is to have them stand-in
at the plate and take short practice steps in the proper direction
(toward the pitcher), over and over again. If he's very timid, tell him
to think about stepping toward the second baseman (or the shortstop, for
lefties). In his fear, he will adjust his step back to the middle, which
is where you wanted it in the first place. After 15 or 20 reps, we
resume pitching to him. Admittedly, this won't work miracles in the
worst cases, but sometimes it's enough of a push to get a player
hitting.
Another thing: Sometimes you're using a drill for a pitcher and a
catcher, and you just need a batter to stand in without swinging (maybe
you're getting a new pitcher gradually used to the idea of pitching to a
batter, or getting a new catcher used to the idea of having that bat
swinging around in his peripheral vision). At these times, choose one of
your more timid kids to stand in, and have him concentrate on watching
the pitch closely all the way. This gives him a chance to practice this
without the pressure of trying to hit the ball. |
SHORTER STROKE
At the college level, just like at the little league and above level, we
are constantly looking for ways to decrease the length of the batter's
stroke. I have found 2 ways that I feel will work to help do this with
ANY age player.
The first way is to have them "pinch" their elbows together and hit the
ball in this position. What this does is eliminate that long front or
"lead" arm before the swing. It emphasizes the hands more during the
swing which will help shorten the stroke. Try it first off of a tee or
soft toss to get the player comfortable.
Also, we have the player's hit off of a tee and place a tall cone or
short chair right behind the tee. The idea is to get something that is
about up to the hitter's waist or slightly above and make them swing
"down" to hit the ball off the tee and not swing "up" and try to "pick"
the ball off of the tee. It is really quite challenging and will be
immediately rewarding to the hitter. Also, the feedback is instant if
they do "loop" and hit the object behind the tee.
Try both of these and I think you will see benefits. |
T-DRILL
You will need to pair off your players for this drill .To set up this
drill, put the batting tee on top of home plate. Using home plate will
allow your player to get a comfortable feel for being at the plate and
not the tee. One player puts the ball on the tee the other hits it. It
is a good idea to move the tee around home plate so that your players
get used to hitting the ball from different pitches. This drill helps
develop the skill for good contact with the ball. Make sure the hitters
concentrate on contact and watch the ball as they swing. |
SEPARATION
Let's define separation to begin with. Separation is any distance of
your hands away from your body as you rest and start your swing. We want
to accomplish two things in our swing. The first is to make the distance
from the start of the swing to contact as short as possible. The second
is that we want our hands to stay inside the baseball.
I like to see my players have their hands resting somewhere right behind
the chin area. This alleviates any separation from the head with the
hands. It also allows me to see if the hands begin to cast or come away
from the head. If they do, then I know that the bat will not travel in
the quickest line to the baseball. Most kids have a tendency to separate
their hands at the start and during their swing. If the hands start from
the chin/head area and we take the knob of the bat to the ball, keeping
our hands inside the baseball, we will be successful in creating a
short, crisp swing through the zone. |
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BASEBALL SWING VS. GOLF SWING
Recently, I was asked to what degree a player's golf swing can interfere
with his baseball swing. In my opinion, there is no need to worry about
the golf swing messing up the baseball swing. In fact, the golf swing
may actually help the baseball swing, as there are many similarities
such as simply keeping your eye on the ball. The "body swing" at the
point you start to take the golf club forward is very similar to a lot
of what you do with your "body swing" in baseball. You are just doing it
to a different point.
Also, when I work with hitters that don't have a very good backside turn
or pivot on their baseball swing I will have them pick up a golf club
and swing at an imaginary golf ball. For some reason the will get a good
backside turn with this swing and they automatically figure out what
their body is supposed to do when they swing the baseball bat.
It is a very simple concept, but it works. Golf and baseball are both
great games and I recommend you continue to try and master both swings.
It will never happen, but it is sure great trying. |
BUNTING TECHNIQUE
Purpose: To improve players bunting technique.
Procedure: A protective screen is in the middle of the pitching
area. The drill has two pitchers and two catchers. Pitcher one is in
front of the protective screen and throws to home plate. Pitcher two is
behind the protective screen and throws to second base. Each pitcher has
a bucket of baseballs and each catcher has an empty bucket. The hitters
are divided into two groups, with one group at home plate and the second
group at second base.
Hitter 1 bunts a specific bunt and runs to first base, while at the same
time, hitter 2 bunts a specific bunt and runs to third base. Then the
hitters jog to the ends of the opposite lines. For time efficiency, the
balls not contacted by the hitter are placed in the catcher's ball
bucket, thereby allowing the pitcher to prepare for the next pitch. |
HANGING WIFFLE BALL
My son was 7 year old and a first year player.I hung a wiffle ball on a
string from the rafters in the basement. he practiced hitting it. The
ball moved around a lot, so it was more difficult to hit than off a tee.
His first year of coach pitch he finished the year with a .677 batting
average. I was so proud. |
HITTING IMPROVEMENT
A. SITUATIONS: Emphasize hitting fast ball.
1. COUNTS
(0-0, 1-0, 1-1): hit only fast ball you like (in your "zone")
(2-0, 3-1): zone fast ball you hit best
(2-1): most cases .... zone fast ball
HOWEVER ... take into account pitcher's ability and previous 3 pitch
selections; may have to look curve or change
(3-0): take unless in your zone (the pitch you came to the park to hit)
if swinging .... don't jump on just any pitch but rather look for a
pitch in your zone
(0-1): no change in attitude .... get a fast ball
(2 strikes): attitude changes .... always look fast ball but react to
curve and change
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!!! strike zone is widened to black of the plate THE
FURTHER AHEAD IN THE COUNT YOU GET, THE SMALLER YOUR STRIKE ZONE
BECOMES; THE FURTHER BEHIND IN THE COUNT YOU GET, THE BIGGER YOUR STRIKE
ZONE BECOMES.
B. DRILLS (do at every practice with Hitting Vest!!!)
1. Tees (100): 33 high, 34 middle, 33
low --- alternate hitting to left, center, right
2. Toss (100): alternate hitting to left, center, right
3. Backside flips (25): reverse toss drills, emphasis on waiting to hit
curve and change
4. Weak-side swings (25): hitting one-handed with non-throwing hand
5. Turns (25): bat behind back, emphasis on hitting with hips
C. GAME-DAY DRILLS (do before every game!!!)
1. Tees (50)
2. Toss (50)
3. Backside flips (15)
4. Turns (15)
5. Short toss (10-10-5): pitcher throws from 30-40 feet with tennis
balls or IncrediBalls (20 swings, 5 bunts)
D. VISION
1. Watch front shoulder of pitcher.
2. Move vision to release point just as ball is released.
3. Study pitcher to find release point.
4. Read pitcher's arm release to see where ball is going.
5. Track ball into your hitting zone.
6. Hand release shows where ball is going (high/low, in/out).
7. If at release point ball is level with hand --- fast ball.
8. If at release point ball is above hand --- curve or change. |
LOW OUTSIDE TEE
This drill will make players aware of the clubhead's position and the
importance of keeping your eyes on the ball.
Simply use a tee and a youth bat, about 28 inches long. Set the tee like
a low outside pitch and have the players hit a ball off it. This should
be done at first with large groups because everybody will get a good
laugh to see their teammates swing wildly in the air. After a while they
learn to aim the clubhead at the ball instead of merely swinging the bat
through the strike zone. |
PRO CUT
This past year I've been conducting trials using the PRO CUT. It is a
new device that weighs12 oz. and attaches to the handle of the bat and
allows the bat to be swung comfortably. With the weight on the handle,
as the swing begins to the inside and forward, the weight assists in
bringing the hands in and forward as opposed to away from the body that
weight from a donut does. The weighted handle makes the bat feel
balanced and not top heavy.
All hitting drills can be done with it on; tee work, soft toss, short
toss and all winter I used it extensively doing regular sets of dry
swings with excellent results. Its amazing but even adding 40 to 55 %
more weight to the bat, it actually facilitates the swing. A test group
in our academy over a six week period increased their bat speed from
3mph to 17 mph! Of coarse we also improved their mechanics by working
with them each week.
The Procut can also be used in the on deck circle instead of donuts. I
look forward to seeing decent swings in the on-deck circle (one of my
pet peeves) instead of donut assisted loops.
These are brand new and cannot be found in many stores outside the Chicago area. Ron Lefebvre
loves it and several universities have started using them having gotten
them at the coach's convention in
Nashville
this year. |
STAY BACK
One drill we use is with wiifle balls and badminton birdies. The main
purpose of the drill is to teach the players to "stay back" on off speed
pitches. When the whiffle ball is thrown you will get a simulated
fastball. When a birdie is thrown it starts at the same speed as the
wiffle ball, but will die down and drop. Players need to learn to wait
for the birdie to get there.
Another drill we use is set up like soft toss. The feeder bouces the
ball in front of the batter. He then says "fastball" or "curve." If he
says fastball, the batter should swing at the ball on the way up from
its bounce. If the feeder says curve, the batter must wait for the ball
to come down from its apex. |
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BAT SPEED
Put a weighted donut on your regular baseball bat and hit eight
baseballs.(overload)
Hit eight baseballs with a fungo bat.(underload)
Hit eight baseballs with your regular bat.
I conduct this drill in a soft toss situation and do 2 sets 2-3 times a
week. Over the course of 4 to 6 weeks you should see a positive increase
in bat speed. |
COLORED BALL
Paint several baseballs with different bright colors (solids, of course)
and place in a bucket behind mound. Have assistant place ball in glove
of pitching coach (ball hidden from batter). Pitcher checks color of
ball then calls out any color or the actual color of ball in glove. The
batter can only swing at the ball that matches the color the coach
called out, and if the pitch is in the hitting zone.
Variation-
Soft toss two balls at once. Just before tossing, coach tells batter
which color to hit.
If you only have white baseballs - tell batter to hit top or bottom
ball. |
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HIP TURNER
Purpose: Development of quicker hips and the relationship of hip
speed to the entire swing.
Procedure: Place a bat behind the waist, horizontal to the
ground, and use a glove as home plate. While holding the ends of the bat
in the hands, assume a normal batting stance and watch an imaginary
pitch being delivered. Execute a stride and quick turn using the bat to
help turn the hips faster. Finish in the proper contact point position.
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HITTING TO ALL FIELDS
I have found this drill will help younger players learn to hit inside
and outside pitches and learn "their pitch".
Split your team into 2 equal teams talent wise. Set a line of cones or
other suitable separators directly down center field.
Play "over the line" and alternate between left field and right field.
Have a coach pitch from the mound or regulation distance.
We will play a 4-inning game, closing the right side the first inning,
then closing the left side the next. It is imperative that your coach
that is pitching is accurate. For right-handers, when left field is
closed your pitcher must pitch to the outside so they can "go with the
pitch" and have a chance to hit to right. When right field is closed and
left is open, your pitcher must give "middle-in" pitches. We give our
hitters 3 strikes. All other "over the line rules that you deem fit
apply. Of course another benefit is defensive glove work.
This game forces your hitters to hit the outside pitch that they will
inevitably see when they are behind in the count. It also allows them to
attack "their pitch" (for most hitters, the middle in pitch) |
ROLL AWAY - FENCE
Fear of the baseball is often one of the biggest obstacles to good
hitting. It can lead to "stepping in the bucket", poor balance and
"pulling the head" (or pulling off the ball). Although it's normal to
have a healthy respect for the baseball, abnormal fear of being hit by
the ball can cripple an otherwise good hitter. Any player who has
trouble rolling away from a pitch thrown at him (i.e., turning toward
the catcher so the ball will hit him on the backside) needs to practice
this drill until it becomes natural.
Here's how it goes:
First explain the importance of rolling away from a pitched ball. Ask
the players if they would rather be hit in the face, throat, stomach,
groin or back. Most will say back, others can take a lap. Demonstrate
how to roll away, then proceed with the drill.
Find a fence or backstop the hitter can stand behind. It must be high
and wide enough so he cannot be hit with a ball thrown from the other
side. The hitter stands behind the fence with a bat. The pitcher stands
pitching distance away on the other side of the fence (the fence
separates the 2). Place a glove or portable base down (on the batter's
side) to act as home plate while making sure to leave enough room for
the batter to take a full swing. The pitcher throws to the plate and the
batter swings normally (if the pitch is a strike). Of course he won't
make contact with the ball because it will be stopped by the fence
before it reaches him. Throw a few strikes initially then randomly throw
directly at the fence in front of the hitter. Don't let up, let it fly.
Vary the location and be sure to mix it up so the hitter doesn't get
into a habit of turning away every time (make sure he continues to swing
at strikes). Throw at different parts of the body (including just behind
the head) and watch for proper reaction. Repeat this drill until the
hitter's natural reaction is to turn away. Good Luck! |
LEAD AND FOLLOW HAND SWINGS
Purpose: The lead hand swings allow a hitter to establish proper
timing and power with the lead side of the body, giving the hitter
proper contact with the ball. The follow hand swings establish the
feeling of throwing the bat at the ball.
Procedure: Hit off a tee, imaginary ball, or soft-toss. When
executing swings with the lead hand, you should concentrate on keep the
hand above the plane of the ball. If the lead hand drops under a pop
out, strike out, or fly out will usually occur. The hitter must also
turn the hips quickly for proper timing and power. The lead elbow should
not extend fully before contact with the ball, since that will promote a
slow bat due to an excess of arm arc in the swing. By concentrating on
keeping the lead hand on top of the ball and turning the hips quickly, a
hitter can establish proper timing and power with the lead side of the
body. The lead hand/follow hand action creates timing and power. Both
hands should snap straight into the ball precisely the same instant.
This will help you establish proper bat speed and control. |
TEACHING HITTERS
Station 1
1) Top hand should hold bottom thumb to simulate holding a bat. Top hand
should also hold a ball. Throw the ball into a net for all direction of
hits (pull, middle, opposite field). The throw causes arms to extend and
rolls wrist to attain a down and in or out swing.
2) The "Slap" technique involves two players. Have one player kneel in
front of batter with a hand outstretched in the strike zone. The batter
then swings at the outstretched hand and slaps it with both hands. This
keeps the front shoulder in.
3) For a player that sweeps, stick a batting glove under the front arm
pit to ensure that the swing stays closed and the batter doesn't fly
open.
Station 2 (Make sure that on these drills, the batter is in his
full stride, but weight is back)
1) Rapid Fire: Use three balls and soft toss them immediately upon
contact, one right after the other. This develops quick hands.
2) Drop ball: Have a batter and tosser stand parallel with eachother
with the left foot in line with the left foot of each. The tosser drops
the ball from eye level and from a knee. You may think that the players
may be too close to eachother, and that is a legitimate thought. If the
batter doesn't swing correctly, he will hit the tosser. A little
encouragement for the batter.
3) Fastball Drill: It is soft toss but from a distance and with more
speed. Tosser stands to the side of batter and about 10 feet away and
tosses underhand with a little bit more on the ball.
4) Back feed Extension: It is soft toss from behind the batter. Stand
about 5 feet directly behind the batter and toss ball into strike zone.
The batter can look at the tosser the first few times, but then must do
it blindly. Develops quick hands.
Station 3
1) Batter kneels and tosser throws ball to bill of cap to emphasize that
the batter chops down at the ball.
2) Batter stands and same drill as above, except tosser throws to nose
level and out in front.
3) Use two "T's." Place a ball on the front "T" about two inches lower
than back "T." Swing to hit ball on front "T." |
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