Hitting Drills

http://youtu.be/VC25-MnXrig

Last month I went over "the Basics of Hitting". This month I thought I would give you some examples to IMPROVE your hitting. If you practice these drills consistently, you will start to improve a little more with each practice. It is also important to VISUALIZE yourself improving. Think about your form, visualize the perfect swing, have a positive attitude about IMPROVING and being successful at hitting.

Next month, I will be talking about each fielding position and what that position is responsible for. Join me by clicking the “Join this Site” button in the upper right corner of my blog.

Enjoy!

Fence Drill

The Fence Drill is a drill that effectively makes the player keep his hands inside when he swings.

• Line up your bat's length away from the fence, wall, or whatever you are using.

• Don't let your bat hit the fence.

• Explode when you swing.

http://youtu.be/bkdMvgRDD10

1-2-3-4 Drill

The 1-2-3-4 Drill is a drill that improves your player's timing and balance.

• To make this drill effective, you will have to rock forward, back, forward.  When you rock back for the second time, load and swing.

• Someone will be tossing you soft or hard balls from behind some kind of net.

http://youtu.be/lxSsLD8t980

Inside-Outside Drill

The Inside-Outside Drill is meant to help the players hand (bat) eye contact.

• A coach will be tossing soft/hard balls to you from behind a net.

• Inside- Hit the ball out in front.
• Outside- Wait on the ball and explode.

http://youtu.be/bnfSYfSRD5k

Bunting Tips

These Bunting Tips are the three main ways to bunt successfully. Most players just try to tap the ball into play. Most of the time, they miss. With these three techniques, you will succeed more than not.

• There are three different techniques to use when you bunt.
• Normal Bunt- Swivel your feet around to face toward the pitcher's mound.
• Parallel Bunt- Make your feet parallel to the pitcher. This is a sacrifice bunt.
• Off-set Bunt- With your back foot, take a step forward towards the pitcher. This is a good running position to get on base, so show your bunt later.

http://youtu.be/a5EHrdJzpWo

The Hit 'N Run

The Hit 'N Run is a great play for getting the runner a few extra bases, but it takes maximum participation from all players.

• Hitter
• The hitter MUST swing at the next pitch, NO MATTER WHAT! 
• The batter will wait until the pitcher is just releasing the ball to steal. 
• In case the player can't make contact, you might still have time to get back to the base (if done correctly).

http://youtu.be/mzILd68A9yQ

All newsletter archives are located at http://JakePlaysBaseball.blogspot.com/

Baker, Dusty, Jeff Mercer, and Marvin L. Bittinger. You Can Teach Hitting. Carmel, Ind.: Bittinger Books ;, 1993. Print.

Special thanks to Dusty Baker for writing a great reference book on Hitting.