2-1 Count or 2-2 Count Scrimmage

To increase the pace of a scrimmage and teach the players to be more aggressive at the plate in hitting, accelerate the pitch count to either 2-1 or 2-2.  Divide the team into two teams.  Every batter starts with either 2 balls and 1 strike or 2 balls and 2 strikes.

Coach's Point:

Because of the advanced count, pitchers must be aggressively throwing strikes and hitters are compelled to swing the bat.  Quick pace to this drill.  Hitters get more at bats and pitchers face more hitters.

Hitting Drill: One-Handed Hack

The hands work as one unit in hitting with two hands.  But when you break down each hand, they each have a specific purpose.  This drill will allow hitters to learn the role of each hand and how it contributes to a fundamentally sound swing.

Set up the hitter for soft tosses against a fence or in the batting cage.  Lightly toss the ball in front of the hitter.  The hitter takes his stance and positions himself to hit balls directly into the fence or net.  The hitter chokes up on the bat and uses his top hand only.  After a series of balls, switch to the other hand.

Coach's Point:

Learning the individual roles of the top and bottom hands allows hitters to feel what each should contribute.  To hit the ball successfully, the hands must fire the barrel of the bat directly to the ball.

Pepper Drill

The Pepper Game for fielding is my favorite and most memorable childhood activity.  This is a great drill to build hand-eye coordination, quick reaction and to teach older players the value of knocking the ball down at all costs.

Have one or two groups set up with 5 or 7 players in a line facing the coach. Gloves on and players are spread out about 10 to 15 feet apart. One player should be snagging balls for the coach.

The coach will be about 15 feet away from the player and will begin by hit grounders and line drives to the players. He or she does this in random order – the players do not know where the ball is going to be hit. They need to react quickly and then throw the ball to the coach. The coach will hit the ball as quickly as he can to the different players. Players are given pushups for missing balls or making errant throws.  At the end, the players must complete their pushups.  Substitute the coach with players.  Teach players to choke up on the bat when swinging.

Coach's Point:

The focus should be on: reading, reacting, and making a good throw to person collecting balls for the coach. The players must also communicate with one another so there is no problem with collisions on the field. This happens in baseball and can be eliminated if players talk to each other while on the field.

From a hittin gperspective, this drill allows the batter to work on control, bat speed and making consistent contact.

Baseball Hitting and Physics

The best players make it look easy, but hitting a baseball is one of the hardest feats in modern sports. Learn more about the physics of baseball in this video.  Good thing I have a Ph.D. in Physics!  This helps explain my successes on the field.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/baseball-player-physics.htm