Hitting

Motivation

Hitting is complex with many schools of thought. As kids grow, I think it is imperative that we continue to re-evaluate which school of thought we teach kids that will in the long term benefit.

My recent searches for hitting drills led me to a video that discusses two different hitting approaches. After watching this video, I became convinced that there was a better way to teach kids how to properly hit.

turn vs push

Primer

Homework: 10 minutes

primer

Concepts:

  • Style/stance doesn't matter as long as you can get in position for a good swing
  • Start from the ground to use energy to hit with
  • Need to coil your hips to load your back leg
  • Goes over first PVC recoil drill and concepts

Drills

Here are the best drills I could find that help explain the “turning the bat” school of thought.

PVC Recoil

Duration: 20 minutes PVC recoil

Objectives:

  • Match the plane of the pitch
  • Getting behind the ball
  • Learn how to coil around your back leg
  • Try to get the knob to work up as we launch
  • Get into palm up position

Setup:

  • Hold PVC pipe in the middle about a foot from the bottom.
  • Point your feet towards the pitcher, coil over your back leg, and get up on your outside toe
  • As the player starts the launch their body back, the PVC pipe will go back, getting the knob of the pipe working up
  • The player will hit the bag and checkpoint their final position … checking that the knob is up, palms up and down, player is behind the pipe, and pipe matched the plane

Callouts:

  • Created to give the player a feel of coiling and launching
  • Tell the player to fall back

Tee Recoil

Objectives:

  • Focused on upper body coiling, bat pathing, and behind the ball

Setup:

  • Put your toes towards the pitcher
  • Lift up your outside foot (going light) … All the weight is on your back leg
  • Player coils behind their back leg
  • Take your back pocket and turn towards 3rd base (for right)
  • Pull back with your upper body … your elbow behind your hands
  • Get good posture (butt out, chest over)
  • Hit off of tee

Crate Recoil

Duration: 10 minutes Crate Recoil

Objectives:

  • Micro repetitions of barrel turn in normal stance
  • Focused on upper body coiling, bat pathing, and behind the ball
  • Drive the ball back up the middle

Setup:

  • Set up the tee in normal position
  • Line up with normal setup perpendicular to the pitcher
  • Set up the crate to the end of crate is a little in front of your normal front foot position
  • Put your front foot lightly on the end of the crate
  • Coil over your back leg, good posture (butt out, chest over your back leg, arms back)
  • Step off the crate and hit the ball of the tee

Callouts:

  • Don't pick up your foot and uncoil
  • Move out slow, in control with your foot hovering

Front Toss Recoil

Duration: 10 minutes Front Toss

Objectives:

  • Micro repetitions of barrel turn at quarter turn
  • Focused on upper body coiling, bat pathing, and behind the ball
  • Drive the ball back up the middle

Setup:

  • Point your feet towards first base, coil over your back leg, and get up on your outside toe
  • Have good posture … Butt out, chest over your back leg, and arms back
  • Coach will soft toss ball and player will hit with turning motion