Have you ever been through so many baseball drills you don't know which ones actually help you? It seems like every time you turn around someone has a new device or a new drill that is the real way of getting things done. Well the truth of the matter is, there is a lot of unnecessary drills out their that really don't help anyone. In fact, I believe you can use the same 10 to 20 drills exclusively for a players entire career. I have about 10 mechanic building drills, and right around 10 visual and mental training drills. As players progress, they unlock different drills until they have the full arsenal at their disposal. I not opposed to learning new things, but I am opposed to learning new things that don't work. So today I want to give you five drills that will not only work, but they will continue working for the rest of your players career.
First off, let me explain why these drills are head and heels above all the other ones that are on the market. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the drills themselves. Players are naturally "stubborn" when it comes to making changes to their swing. Often times you will hear, "It feels uncomfortable" or "This throws me off" for which my response is "Good!" People are a afraid of change because it means a different result that they have never experienced before. With that mind, if a player has never felt uncomfortable in his batting training, all he has bee doing is excising by swinging a bat.
That sort of reaction isn't anything you should take personally because players hate change. It's nothing unique to players, people hate change too because it forces them outside of their comfort zone to experience something different. Usually players are emotional that they aren't doing well and it is a loosing battle all the way around. Therefore, instead of trying to change players, I like to challenge players with drills, so they have to change. At heart, everyone loves a challenge and will do their best to complete the challenge if put in front of them. Therefore, why not design drills that challenge players to make their swing better. The top 5 drills do exactly that! I use a batting training technique I call "Swing over train" or "swing exaggeration". It involves step specific drills that leave players no option but to adjust their swing to perform the drill.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number One: The Samurai Drill. When I first got back into coaching, I began noticing a trend in most young players. They are what I characterize as "weight loaders". "Weight loaders" are typically stiff by nature and carry a lot of tension in their body that results in difficulty separating the hands and front leg during the load portion of the swing. As a result, I designed this drill to break that tension barrier. Have you player place his feet all the way together, and his have hands extended out straight towards the pitcher. Yes, it should be on the other side of his body. This is our starting position. From there we break the swing down into load and swing. On the load, the player draws his hands across his body to comfortable hitting position, and extends his front leg out towards the pitcher. For this drill only, I want the player to keep 90% of his weight on the backside of his body. This is done to over train the disconnect of his hands and feet. From there, the player takes his swing freely. Goal: Become comfortable with our hands and front leg loading away from our body.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number Two: The Oar Drill. This drill is for all ages. Yes, even you confident college player. I have seen countless kids of all ages simply not understand how to use their hips. When this happens, we replace the bat with a boat oar that is about three to five feet in length. Have you player place the oar behind his back with the open face of the oar just off the back hip as a hitting surface. Then, soft toss tennis balls to your player. Players are left with no option, but to turn his backside to hit the ball. Goal: Understand what full rotation of the hips feels like.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number Three: Top Hand Drill. Out of all the drills I put my players through, this is the drill they struggle with the most. This is partly because using the hands is the most highly misunderstood step of the swing, but because players simply do not understand what it means to drive their hands to the inside part of the baseball. For this drill, have your player grip the bat with both hands. Then, have him open his top hand so just his palm is touching the bat. After that, he should place the back of his top hand on the other side of the handle. Finally, flip the hand over so the palm of his hand is on the opposite side of the handle and his thumb is pointing down. Note: Never grip the bat with your top hand. The goal is to push the handle of the bat through the zone with your top hand as you swing. For those of you out there who think you will not be able to generate any power, I have seen my players hit doubles off the wall in batting practice to all fields. The key is to extend your top hand to the field of play you want to hit the baseball. Goal: Understand what it feels like to drive your hands hard to the baseball.
Unorthodox baseball batting drill number 4, the Carrier Drill. Making up for timing mistakes is one of, if not the most important aspect of hitting a baseball. Saying that, it is very rarely practiced. This drill involves two tees placed in a line. The tees should be at the same height and anywhere from a foot to two feet apart. Next, place a baseball on each tee. The goal is to have the player hit both baseballs with one swing. In order for a player to do this effectively, the bat must be kept level through the hitting zone. This is why I use the idea of landing the bat on an aircraft carrier, because they are long and flat.
Unorthodox baseball batting drill number 5, the Reverse Bucket Drill. Too many players in today's game do not know how to finish through the zone and remain balanced. To prove it, I use this drill to show my players how unstable they really are. Take a bucket, and have your player place his back foot on it. From there have him load and then swing. His backside will naturally rotate to the ball, although he will not be able to drive his hips and he will have to finish balance to forward. If he doesn't he the bucked will tip over to the side and he will become unbalance. This drill helps players understand the importance of being distinct and efficient through the zone.
If you take these batting drills into your next batting training session you will be amazed at the adjustments you player will make in just a few short rounds. These drills challenge players to become better and force them away from their old tired swing. As you break their comfort barrier, they become more open and receptive to your feedback and you are able to gain real, sustainable progress, that will help them have success on the diamond for years to come!
First off, let me explain why these drills are head and heels above all the other ones that are on the market. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the drills themselves. Players are naturally "stubborn" when it comes to making changes to their swing. Often times you will hear, "It feels uncomfortable" or "This throws me off" for which my response is "Good!" People are a afraid of change because it means a different result that they have never experienced before. With that mind, if a player has never felt uncomfortable in his batting training, all he has bee doing is excising by swinging a bat.
That sort of reaction isn't anything you should take personally because players hate change. It's nothing unique to players, people hate change too because it forces them outside of their comfort zone to experience something different. Usually players are emotional that they aren't doing well and it is a loosing battle all the way around. Therefore, instead of trying to change players, I like to challenge players with drills, so they have to change. At heart, everyone loves a challenge and will do their best to complete the challenge if put in front of them. Therefore, why not design drills that challenge players to make their swing better. The top 5 drills do exactly that! I use a batting training technique I call "Swing over train" or "swing exaggeration". It involves step specific drills that leave players no option but to adjust their swing to perform the drill.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number One: The Samurai Drill. When I first got back into coaching, I began noticing a trend in most young players. They are what I characterize as "weight loaders". "Weight loaders" are typically stiff by nature and carry a lot of tension in their body that results in difficulty separating the hands and front leg during the load portion of the swing. As a result, I designed this drill to break that tension barrier. Have you player place his feet all the way together, and his have hands extended out straight towards the pitcher. Yes, it should be on the other side of his body. This is our starting position. From there we break the swing down into load and swing. On the load, the player draws his hands across his body to comfortable hitting position, and extends his front leg out towards the pitcher. For this drill only, I want the player to keep 90% of his weight on the backside of his body. This is done to over train the disconnect of his hands and feet. From there, the player takes his swing freely. Goal: Become comfortable with our hands and front leg loading away from our body.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number Two: The Oar Drill. This drill is for all ages. Yes, even you confident college player. I have seen countless kids of all ages simply not understand how to use their hips. When this happens, we replace the bat with a boat oar that is about three to five feet in length. Have you player place the oar behind his back with the open face of the oar just off the back hip as a hitting surface. Then, soft toss tennis balls to your player. Players are left with no option, but to turn his backside to hit the ball. Goal: Understand what full rotation of the hips feels like.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number Three: Top Hand Drill. Out of all the drills I put my players through, this is the drill they struggle with the most. This is partly because using the hands is the most highly misunderstood step of the swing, but because players simply do not understand what it means to drive their hands to the inside part of the baseball. For this drill, have your player grip the bat with both hands. Then, have him open his top hand so just his palm is touching the bat. After that, he should place the back of his top hand on the other side of the handle. Finally, flip the hand over so the palm of his hand is on the opposite side of the handle and his thumb is pointing down. Note: Never grip the bat with your top hand. The goal is to push the handle of the bat through the zone with your top hand as you swing. For those of you out there who think you will not be able to generate any power, I have seen my players hit doubles off the wall in batting practice to all fields. The key is to extend your top hand to the field of play you want to hit the baseball. Goal: Understand what it feels like to drive your hands hard to the baseball.
Unorthodox baseball batting drill number 4, the Carrier Drill. Making up for timing mistakes is one of, if not the most important aspect of hitting a baseball. Saying that, it is very rarely practiced. This drill involves two tees placed in a line. The tees should be at the same height and anywhere from a foot to two feet apart. Next, place a baseball on each tee. The goal is to have the player hit both baseballs with one swing. In order for a player to do this effectively, the bat must be kept level through the hitting zone. This is why I use the idea of landing the bat on an aircraft carrier, because they are long and flat.
Unorthodox baseball batting drill number 5, the Reverse Bucket Drill. Too many players in today's game do not know how to finish through the zone and remain balanced. To prove it, I use this drill to show my players how unstable they really are. Take a bucket, and have your player place his back foot on it. From there have him load and then swing. His backside will naturally rotate to the ball, although he will not be able to drive his hips and he will have to finish balance to forward. If he doesn't he the bucked will tip over to the side and he will become unbalance. This drill helps players understand the importance of being distinct and efficient through the zone.
If you take these batting drills into your next batting training session you will be amazed at the adjustments you player will make in just a few short rounds. These drills challenge players to become better and force them away from their old tired swing. As you break their comfort barrier, they become more open and receptive to your feedback and you are able to gain real, sustainable progress, that will help them have success on the diamond for years to come!
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