If you want to improve your baseball batting skills, there are a number of different drills that you can engage in. Whether you want to improve your own baseball skills, or you are coaching a team, there are a variety of drills for hitting a baseball that can greatly improve your hitting skills. Let’s take a look at the best drills for hitting a baseball that you should know all about.
Best Drills for Hitting a Baseball
Let’s take a closer look at some of the best drills for hitting a baseball that everybody should learn.
1. The Power Hand Drill
One of the best drills for developing power is called the power hand drill. Most of the power a batter uses comes from the pull hand, also known as the bottom hand. If this drill is being performed using a hitting machine or pitching machine, the machine should be set at a very high rate.
Here, the hitter is only going to use their bottom hand in the regular position that it usually sits at, near the bottom of the bat. The ball must also be above the waist of the batter.
Here, the aim is for the batter to really step into the ball and then hit it with that one bottom hand. It is suggested that this power hand drill be performed at least three times a week, with 25 swings per session.
2. The Top Hand Drill
When you grip a baseball bat, the top hand is the one that guides the bat to the ball. It is therefore very important that this hand be strong and has a lot of skill. To develop skill in the top hand, a one-handed isolation drill such as this top hand drill is called for.
Here, the batter will just use their top hand, and then grip the bat at the top of the grip, where they would usually hold it. Here, the bat is being held like a tomahawk or an axe.
The aim of this particular drill is for the batter to hit the ball on top of it, and hit it right into the ground. Here, it is recommended that this drill be performed with a coach or a player that tosses the ball softly above the waist of the batter. This drill is best performed three times a week, with 25 hits per session.
3. The Two Ball Soft Toss
Another big skill that batters need to learn is focus and concentration. The aim of this particular drill, the two ball soft toss, is to increase concentration and fast reaction time. Of course, reaction time is essential when hitting a baseball.
Here, the coach is going to throw two separate balls very lightly in an arcing motion. The coach will then call top or bottom once the balls are in the air.
The aim here is for the bachelor to only hit the ball that the coach indicates. Here, the coach should also change the point of release for the balls as well as perform some fake tosses. The speed of the pitches should also be slightly varied from one session to the next.
4. The Bunt Pepper
Bunting is another essential skill that needs to be learned in baseball. This is a great bunting exercise to do with a team of at least five players. Here, the players will use both the square around or pivot bunting technique.
Here, the aim is for the batter to bunt the ball to each of the outfielders in the field. The point here is to get one ball to each of those outfielders, and then take the place of the left fielder. Then, the right fielder will come to bat and repeat this process. This will be repeated for each of the five players.
The aim here is also for the bat to be held at a 45 degree angle and for the batter to change their height by bending their knees. This is also a good drill for catching a ball, because the outfielders have to catch balls and throw them appropriately.
5. The Bring By Drill
The aim of this particular batting frill is to increase back speed. Here, a soft toss pitching machine is the best way to go. The point here is for the batter to hit the ball as it is coming from their back and going towards the pitcher. It’s all about the hitter seeing the ball and catching up with the ball before it gets past him. The more the speed of the ball is increased, the more of a challenge this batting drill will be.
Conclusion
Of course, there are several other batting drills that baseball players may use to increase their skills. That said, the ones we have discussed above are by far the most important ones.
Thanks for stopping by ~Jeremy
