Softball Batting Drills

By Marc Dagenais

Ask any softball coach, and they'll tell you that softball pitching and hitting are the two most important areas of the game. Without one or the other, the chances of winning a game get very slim. So it's a very good idea that you take the time to practice hitting more than any other part of the sport, besides pitching if that's your role on the team. Here are some very good softball hitting drills that you can use to practice softball hitting:

Drill 1 - Back Knee Down

Purpose: To develop upper-body strength and quickness. The drill helps the player stop lunging by eliminating lower-body movement. The drill can reduce upper cutting. It emphasizes keeping the barrel above the hands and using correct timing.

Procedure: Use a low T for this drill. The hitter kneels on a towel with the back knee at a 90-degree angle, keeping the shoulders on a level plane. The drill can also be done off a soft toss. The player sees the bat hit the ball.

Drill 2 - Hitting Fungoes

Purpose: To develop proper hand action, weight shift, downward swing, and follow-through.

Procedure: Players who are waiting on deck hit fungoes to the fielders on their side of the infield. Include up to four hitters in each of the three hitting stations. Hitters rotate to the back of the line of another hitting station after taking a certain number of swings. After a complete rotation of the hitters through all three hitting stations, one line can rotate to the infield spots and the infielders can come in to bat. Concentrate on hitting the top half of the baseball with a short, downward swing.

Drill 3 - Draw a Line

Purpose: To practice moving the hands to the ball and to develop speed and a strong lead arm.

Procedure: The batter assumes her stance without a bat and with her lead hand in its normal position with the thumb up. The hitter draws a line across her chest and then extends to the ball.

Drill 4 - Snap Backs

Purpose: To develop quick hands, a small stride, and forearm and wrist strength.

Procedure: The partner stands six feet from the batter and tosses balls in rapid succession to the contact point of the strike zone. The hitter is standing up and drives one ball after another into a net by taking her swing and snapping the bat back to the starting position in preparation for the next toss.

Drill 5 - Quick Hands

Purpose: To develop quick hands, the backswing, and a compact swing.

Procedure: The tosser stands in front of the batter and behind a screen about 15 feet in front of the hitter. The batter starts with the bat pointing at the tosser and must quickly get the hands back and forward to hit the tossed ball.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html Go Sign-up Now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marc_Dagenais