Tip #1 – Practice Running
When you practice hitting, practice GETTING OUT OF BOX ON EVERY SINGLE SWING. Especially at the younger age level, often times in practice, we just have them stay in the box and swing at a set number of pitches. Maybe we have them run on the last hit. Then in the game we wonder why they “forget” to run after they hit the ball. It’s probably because in 80%-90% of the swings they take in the box during practice we don’t have them run. So they practice not running after they hit a ball more than they practice running after making contact with the ball. Which do you think will be their “habit” come game time?
Tip #2 – Take Enough Swings
How many swings do your batters get in practice? Consider the fact that pitchers pitch 100 or more pitches per day for practice. Hitters should take at least as many swings preferably off a tee if not against live pitching. But maybe your team doesn’t have the capability to have each player take that many cuts off a tee or live pitching during practice. Some teams only have one tee, do not have the luxury of a batting cage, and have only 1 or 2 players/coaches that are capable of pitching live to players. Here are some suggestions of different ways you can have players get all those cuts in.
Visualization Have players get into their stance with the bat and visualize a pitcher pitching to them. They should go through their routine of starting outside the batters box then stepping in and getting ready for the pitch. Have them “see” the ball being pitched to different spots (inside high, inside low, outside high, outside low, etc) and take cuts at the different pitches they are “seeing.” They should visualize solid contact with each pitch and use the proper swing to hit the ball coming in the different locations. If they do 5 pitches at each location list above, they will get in 20 swings with this one drill.
Soft Toss
Whether you have a net or you have to soft toss into the field, this is another way players can get some swings. If you do have to soft toss into the field because you do not have a net, set up two stations to run at once. Just be sure that the tossers do not toss the ball at the same time. This gets more swings in a shorter period of time compared to live pitching because batters should be able to hit every tossed ball whereas in live pitching, they may not be swinging if the pitch is not good.
Wiffle Balls
Have a couple of stations where the players hit wiffle balls. You can soft toss these if you want, but it’s probably better to pitch them to the batters. Distance between the pitcher and the batter should be close (10-15 ft). This is a little quicker than hitting live with regular balls because you can set up 2-3 stations vs. having just one player hit live at the plate with real balls. Plus wiffles don’t go as far so it’s easier and faster to shag all the balls.
Soft/Sponge/Nerf Balls
Use these types of balls for live hitting. Some are the same color and size as regular balls, but they don’t go as far so it’s easier and quicker to shag than live balls. Plus if you’re having a coach pitch to the players, the coach can stand closer using these soft balls and probably get more accuracy leading to less “wasted” pitches where the batters don’t swing because the pitch isn’t good.
Hit Live in the Cage
If you do have the luxury of a batting cage, do your live hitting in the cage. That way, you don’t have to have the whole team shagging while just a few get to go through hitting stations. More players can be getting some of their 100 swings in instead of standing on the field waiting for balls to maybe come to them.
Those are just a few ideas to get you started. If you do have the capability it’s always great to allow your pitchers to pitch to your hitters. It helps make the pitchers stronger so long as you’re not telling them to “just let the batters hit.” And it makes the batters stronger, again, that’s only if you’re having your pitchers throw their best stuff. If you do have a machine and a cage, that’s a great way to get a number of cuts in within a shorter time frame. Even if you don’t have a cage, using a machine can cut down on time because players should be able to swing at just about every pitch. However, it’s no substitute for live hitting so don’t just rely on the machine. Live hitting is an important part of hitting practice. After all, it’s the type situation you expect your players to perform in during the game. It’s only fair that you put them in a similar situation in practice.
One last thing, don’t rush your hitters through their 100+ swings. Why? Because that’s not game-like. In a game, they see a pitch, have about a 10 second break, then see another pitch, then have a break, and so on. They aren’t going to be taking 5 swings in the span of 10 or 20 seconds. In at least some of your hitting drills, allow your hitters to take a good swing, get out of their stance, reset, get ready again, then take another swing. Even if they have 30 seconds between each swing, 100 swings will take less than an hour. So don’t rush. Let them have quality swings with breaks in between, just like game time.
Article by Stacie Mahoe
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