Baseball Hitting Drills 1

Home
Pitching Machines
Batting Cage / Netting
Polyballs
Personal Pitcher
Sandlot Slugger
Heater Lite Machines
Practice Bats
Batting Practice Specials

Polyball Resources

Baseball Hitting Drills

traing effectively for baseball using the wiffle ball

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

part 1

Not all hitting drills are useful. Some drills, when I examine them I have to think to myself "what does that have to do with hitting?" I am not big on hitting drills that do not replicate real game hitting. I do not understand why someone hits a ball that is thrown from behind them rather than from the front.

The Fence Drill

This drill requires the hitter to face a fence and move up so close that the hitter cannot "swing" the bat without pulling the hands forward with the bat barrel dragging behind. After the hands have cleared to the front of the body, the barrel comes around and the swing is completed.

My observations:

The fence drill teaches an "inside out" swing. The down side of this type of swing is that it encourages an arm swing of the bat. This drill teaches the linear method of hitting in which the hands are moving in a straight (hence the term "linear") line toward the pitcher This is what Ted Williams referred to as a "push" swing. The linear hitting method in it's extreme form is a "slap" hitting to the opposite field type of hitting method. The fear of the proponents of linear hitting is a "looping" swing, so they teach hitting the inside part of the baseball and pushing the hands forward toward the pitcher initiates the swing. Some do combine elements of hip and torso rotation with the linear elements of pushing the hands forward and inside out swinging.

As a rule, this drill is of limited value in my opinion. This type of hitting (linear / inside out) does not produce hitters who can drive the ball. I really am a proponent of rotational hitting which is the hitting method used by most good hitters. I think the best hand path is that of a circular arc in conjunction with a rotating torso - not independantly pushed in a linear line toward the pitcher. Rotational hitting if done right does not produce a looping swing. See The Final Arc for further information on rotational hitting.

There is a time and a place where the inside out swing (which the fence drill teaches) is OK. I don't mind a hitter who has two strikes to "concede the long ball" ** to the pitcher and revert to "that push swing" and hit to the opposite field, which may allow him to get a longer look at the ball to identify the pitch - important when the hitter is using a "reactive hitting approach" with two strikes. But it should not be the hitter's primary approach to hittting.

** quotes attributed to Ted Williams

The Good

Let me just say right now the best "hitting drill" you can do is to replicate real game hitting including reaction times and pitches by hitting batting practice with the mini size polyball and with a small diameter practice bat. With that said you can practice "Anticipatory Hitting" and "Reactive Hitting" within the confines of mini polyball batting practice. You can practice Simulated At Bats. You can do tee work and soft toss with the mini polyball and the small diameter practice bat.

Polyball Batting Practice

The most practical way to improve your hitting skill. Serious batting practice - at home. (indoors or outdoors.) Fast balls, curve balls and sliders. Don't waste another coin at a commercial batting cage. Great for all ages and skill levels.

"If you are not doing Polyball Batting Practice -You are probably not taking enough batting practice"

Terms of Use

Our "terms of use" governs your use of our website; by using our website, you accept this disclaimer in full. If you disagree with any part of our "terms of use", do not use our website.Click here to read our terms of use