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Situational Drills
Runner on 3B, <2 Outs Look for an elevated pitch to hit into the outfield.
Runner on 2B, Infield In Hit behind the runner. Look for an elevated pitch to hit into the outfield.
Runner on 2B, Infield Back Hit behind the runner. Try to hit a low line-drive up the middle.
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Soft Toss Audible Decisions Drills
Yes/No Drill Thrower delivers announcing, “Yes!” If it’s a strike, player swings.
Odd/Even Drill Thrower delivers announcing, “8!,” (an even number). If it’s a strike, player swings.
Math Drill Next level of Odd/Even. Thrower delivers announcing, “3+1!,” (equals four, so an even number). If it’s a strike, player swings.
JUST PLAY! Pitch 10 strikes that should be swung at (so approximately 20 pitches included non-swinging pitches). Pitcher decides if it’s a legite hit. Keep track of hits and compare against your previous day’s attempt.
Soft Toss Vision Decisions Drill
Use two balls, each a different color. Distinguish which one the player is to swing at if it’s a strike.
JUST PLAY! OPTION 1) Pitch 10 strikes that should be swung at (so approximately 20 pitches included non-swinging pitches). Pitcher decides if it’s a legite hit. Keep track of hits and compare against your previous day’s attempt. OPTION 2) Speed BP (1 minute)
Strike the Net Drill
PURPOSE: Teaching hitters how to take barrel out through a space instead of directly to a baseball. Creates feel of bat lag and extention past contact. DESCRIPTION: Set hitter at arms length away from a net with stance facing parallel to net. Goal is to take barrel and stike out through the net as long as possible. Keep barrel behind hands as long as possible and finish with barrel in the net.
Tee Work Drills
Flamingo Drill
Hand Over Hand Drill
Hockey Drill PURPOSE: Teaches hitter how to control barrel efficiently through the zone by keep barrel inside hands and work underneath hands. DESCRIPTION: Place top hand about half way up the bat and bottom hand as normal. It should feel the same as holding a hocky stick. when swinging focus is relaxing back elbow, keep barrel across shoulder for along as possible and working barrel underneath hands. Result is the arms should not cross over each other but maintain gap through out the swing.
Open Stance Drill PURPOSE: To teach player to engage glutes into swing by focusing on inside of back groin and create direction to the pitcher. DESCRIPTION: Get into normal stance. Take front leg and open up about 30 degrees. Turn hips away from pitcher to preset firing postion. Focus on driving inside of back groin or belly button directly forward while trying to maintain heels down on both feet.
Plate Drive Drill PURPOSE: Receive instant feedback of hips moving plate/object forward. DESCRIPTION: Place sandbag/medball, weight plate on inside of back foot. You want the object to be heavy enough for athlete to feel resistance but also move it if they fire hips correctly. Do your normal gather and swing but focus on keeping back heel down and driving hip forward which causes plate to move forward.
Skater Hop PURPOSE: Teaching coordination, balance, and movement when delivering the barrel to the ball. Also reinforces how lead leg works underneath belly button to create gather. DESCRIPTION: Pick up front leg off the ground and hop forward with back leg, allow back leg to swing underneath belly button then do the same movement back with opposite leg. FORWARD, BACK, FORWARD. Beginners should just work on this movement while holding bat, however don’t swing. Once they are able to repeat the movement then add swing.
Step Back Drill PURPOSE: Create natural gather and gaining ground until foot strike. DESCRIPTION: Pick up back leg and hop backwards allowing front leg to swing underneath belly botton. Then gain ground until front foot strike.
Step Backwards Drill
PURPOSE: DESCRIPTION:
Trip Drill PURPOSE: To land balanced at foot strike. Creating momentum to foot strike. DESCRIPTION: Take one step back away from tee more than normal. Set up. Put both feet together. Swing front foot so it crosses over back foot. Turn cheek towards “pitcher”. Move head forward and allow front foot to trip over your back foot causing the feeling of falling. When body lands balanced it allow for the hands and bat to work without resistance. Also reinforces that movement is part of the swing.
Top & Bottom Hand Ball Toss
Top Hand PURPOSE: Teaches hitter about top hand indepence and the feeling of throwing through the zone. Gets hands on plane with the pitch and better extension. DESCRIPTION: Put a ball in hitters top hand. Take bottom hand and interlock pointer finger of bottom hand and pinky of top hand (golf grip) to create the feeling of holding a bat. Get in stance and throw ball into net a little up hill. Focus on top hand elbow working first and finish with top hand staying to the sky after release. Thinking of skipping a rock.
Bottom Hand PURPOSE: Creates feel of lead arm working underneath chin of hitter instead of out and around. Promoting getting on plane with the pitch and creating the ferris wheel move. DESCRIPTION: Place ball in bottom hand. Face palm towards chest and throw ball into the net. Keep palm towards chest and finish with thumb facing down after release of ball. If thumb after release is sideways then hitter is flattening out bat path. Focus in palm to chest and finish with thumb down.
Two-Strike Approach Drill
RIGHT-HANDED HITTERS: Focus on taking the best fastball (belly button high, middle-middle) to 1B. Allows hitter to be on time for off-speed. LEFT-HANDED HITTERS: Focus on taking the best fastball (belly button high, middle-middle) to 3B.
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Weighted Ball Wall Toss Drill
PURPOSE: Understand the kinectic chain. Gather, hip rotation and glute fire while flat footed and then into natural swing movement. DESCRIPTION: Set up with light medball/soccer ball by a wall or net in a athletic hitting position. Work through each sequence in slow motion to feel kinectic chain. First rotate back cheek toward wall/net, then focus on belly button firing forward towards wall/net while maintaings back leg heel on the ground. Once those two movements are consistent then take medball hold with two hands and set on back hip. Swing medball/soccer ball around back hip allowing back cheek to turn towards wall/net. Repeat belly button drive and heel down. Goal is to fire this as hard as possible once understanding. Result will cause back foot to slid forward.
Wiffle Ball Bat Toss Drill
PURPOSE: Learning proper bat path by understanding that the barrel is to work underneath the hands throughout the swing (ferris wheel versus carousel). DESCRIPTION: Using Wiffle Ball bats, the goal is for us to throw bat to back of cage or on the field. We want the bat to fly forward and also spin like a Ferris wheel. If we see bat fly like a helicopter blade then the barrel is arriving flat and around the zone instead of the bat spinning like a ferris wheel and flying forward which means barrel is staying through the zone. If bat goes straight to the ground that means swing is steep and across. We should see bat rise up into the air also.
