Hitting & Bunting Drills
Hitting from a Tee
Benefits - The Hitting from a Tee drill can be used to develop and reinforce the hitting fundamentals. This drill emphasizes that the player must keep her eye on the ball through impact, rotate her hips to make contact in front of the plate, and swing with a level or slightly descending swing path.
Directions - The player should take her proper stance at the tee as if positioning herself to hit a pitched ball. The tee should be positioned even with the front foot. With a normal stance and stride, the player should make a quick, compact swing resulting in powerful line drives or ground balls straight in front of her. If the player is pulling the ball, she is not rotating her hips and positioning herself to make contact in front of the plate.
Fence Swing
Benefits - The Fence Swing drill can be used to develop and reinforce the fundamentals for a compact, fast, and powerful swing. This drill emphasizes the player must rotate her hips ahead of her hands and pull the knob of the bat through the hitting zone before extending the arms in front of home plate.
Directions - The player should stand facing a fence gauging the proper distance by placing the knob of the bat against her belly button and the end of the bat against the fence. With a normal stance and stride, and without moving back from the fence, the player should take her normal swing. Hitting the fence with the bat means player is extending her arms too soon and/or failing to rotate her hips.
Tee Swing
Benefits - The Tee Swing drill can be used to develop and reinforce the fundamentals for a compact, fast, and powerful swing. This drill emphasizes the player must rotate her hips ahead of her hands and pull the knob of the bat through the hitting zone before extending the arms in front of home plate.
Directions - Have the player kneel on the left knee next to a batting tee. The player should place the knob of the bat against her belly button and the end of the bat against the tee. This should position the player the correct distance from the tee. Once positioned, the player should execute the hip turn and swing without the barrel of the bat hitting the tee.
Rear Fence Swing
Benefits - The Rear Fence Swing drill can be used to discover if the player is dropping her hands or extending her arms too soon at the start of the swing.
Directions - Position the player with a fence directly behind her (where the catcher would be). The player should position her back foot next to the fence. The player should take her normal swing. If the bat hits the fence, the player is dropping her hands or extending her arms too soon. Use the fence drill in the batting cage or during soft toss to get instant feedback on whether a player is dropping her hands.
One Hand Swing
Benefits - This drill emphasizes the player must pull the knob of the bat through the hitting zone before extending her arms in front of home plate.
Directions - The player should kneel on the left knee parallel to a tee. The player should take 25 swings with the forehand and 25 swings with the backhand. The player should focus on keeping the hands in and drawing a line across her chest as her hands take the bat to the ball.
Hip Rotation
Benefits - The Hip Rotation drill teaches the proper hip rotation and explosive turn.
Directions - Place a ball on the tee at hip height. The player should take a normal batting stance but should place the bat behind her hips with her arms holding it in place. The player should pivot and knock the ball off the tee with the bat.
Hit with the Knob
Benefits - The Hit with the Knob drill emphasizes proper hand movement and a short compact swing.
Directions - Place a ball on a tee. The player should set up with the proper stance and hand position. The player should move the knob of the bat to the ball on the tee, hit the ball with the knob, and then follow through with the swing.
Double Tee
Benefits - The Double Tee drill helps develop a swing path that has a slight downward slope.
Directions - Set one tee in front of the plate and set the other behind the plate and two inches higher. The player should take proper stance, except farther back from the plate than normal in order to hit the ball in front of the plate. Place ball on front tee. The player should hit the ball without disturbing the back tee.
Inside-Outside Tee
Benefits - The Inside-Outside Tee drill helps the player understand where the proper contact point is for inside and outside pitches.
Directions - The player should set up in normal stance in front of two tees or a double tee. Place one ball on inside corner in front of plate and another ball on the outside edge and midway back of the plate. Instruct the player to hit one ball or the other without changing her hitting position.
Basketball Cone
Benefits - The Basketball Cone drill helps the player power through the contact point of the swing.
Directions - Place a deflated basketball or soccer ball on a highway or construction cone. The player should set up as in any tee drill. The player should take a normal swing and follow through using a regular sized bat and wearing a helmet.
One Hand Toss
Benefits - The One Hand Toss drill forces the player to keep her hands in and to execute a proper swing.
Directions - Right handed players should hold the bat in the left hand in the ready position. The player should toss a ball up and out in front with the right hand. The player should swing the bat in a straight line across the chest and drive the ball. Left handed players should reverse.
Soft Toss
Benefits - The Soft Toss drill allows the player to practice hitting fundamentals enabling the coach to help fine tune the swing.
Directions - The coach should take a position in front and to the side of the player. The coach should toss a ball out in front of the player, using little arc. The coach should make sure the player striding and pivoting. The player should be rotating her hips with an explosion to the ball. Her shoulders should be unlocking. Her elbows and wrists should be in sequence and she should be throwing her hands straight to the ball. The player should watch the ball to the bat and should follow through after contact.
High-Low Soft Toss
Benefits - The High-Low Soft Toss drill forces the player to wait until the last second to start the swing and helps develop a quick swing
Directions - The coach and player should set up in the same manner as soft toss. The coach should throw two balls into hitting zone and should call out which one to hit -- either "high" or "low."
Drop Toss
Benefits - The Drop Toss drill forces the player to take her hands straight to the ball.
Directions - The player should set up in the same manner as soft toss. The coach should stand on a bucket and should drop the ball into the hitting zone. The player should not move prior to the release of the ball. The coach should vary releases to keep hitter from cheating. In a variation of this drill, the player can setup on one knee and the coach can drop the balls into the hitting zone from a standing position.
Toss from Behind
Benefits - The Toss from Behind drill forces the player to wait until the last second to start the swing, reinforcing the quick, compact swing.
Directions - The player sets up normally for soft toss. The coach tosses the ball to the player from behind. The player must wait for the ball to enter the hitting zone and drive it in the same direction it is traveling.
Tracking
Benefits - The Tracking drill helps the player follow the ball all the way to the bat ensuring more consistent contact.
Directions - The coach should write numbers on old softballs or tennis balls. Each ball should get a different number. The number should be painted on opposite sides of the ball. Use numbers 0-9 for this drill. A coach should pitch the balls to the player as normal. The player must call out the number as the ball passes the plate.
Bunting
Benefits - The Bunting drill helps the player develop skills needed to improve her bunting effectiveness.
Directions - The players should get into groups of three or four. One player should pitch, one should hit, and two should play the field. The players should be 15-20 feet from the hitter. The hitter should practice sacrifice, drag, slap, and push bunts.