Best Free Baseball Videos - Hitting Made Simple

Hitting Made Simple Drills

Keeping things simple, when teaching players to hit a baseball, is best. This video is one step-by step method I use, and one that I find extremely productive with developing a good swing in a short amount of time, as well as giving kids a good understanding of the swing. Additionally, these drills create moving parts so hitters develop preparation and rhythm, while building a swing to hit with power. As I have said in past videos, successful hitting begins with placing the bat in the optimum hitting position by the time the stride foot lands. This position sets the knob of the bat down with the bat barrel on a line directly above the back shoulder and in line with the batter's ear. As seen here and with most t ball hitting drills, I set the t at the bottom of the strike zone, in order to get better feedback from the swing. To work on a compact swing and additional strength the tee should be set at the top of the strike zone. Of course, on all t locations, line drives with backspin are the goal.

Hitting Made Simple - Progression to the Perfect Swing

The first drill has hitters check their bat position before swinging to make sure it is absolutely correct. Until they get the correct position and are able to hit consistent line drives in this manner, they do not move to the next drill. This drill allows hitters to see the knob of the bat, the bat angle, and the inside back of the ball at the same time. Hitting line drives may be difficult at first but over time, this drill develops aggressive hands to the inside back of the ball, as well as working to extend without rolling the wrists too early. The second hitting made simple drill has hitters begin the same way but after rolling the bat back to establish the correct bat position, they flip into regular hitting position with a little hop to their back foot, before striding and swinging. This drill also helps to develop a sense of rhythm and the desired preparation of getting the weight to the backside with the bat fully loaded. The third drill has hitters, who by now should have the correct bat position, simply hop to hitting position before swinging. Once again, when hitters are unable to maintain the correct bat position with this drill, they should revert to steps one and two before advancing. Relaxing the bat on the shoulder with the knob down, as seen in these drills, force a loading of the bat, which prevents kids from becoming too static, stiff, and nervous when hitting. The final hitting made simple drill has hitters back up a few steps and walk forward with their rear foot going behind their front one as the bat is loaded, before swinging. After becoming comfortable with this walk behind, hitters should move similarly to contact with a rhythmic hop. This drill prepares the bat with rhythm, weight shift, and aggressiveness. Of course, all of these drills are suitable for soft toss, dropped balls, and straight on flips but until hitters have success on the batting t, there should be no rush to move to a moving ball. Regular batting practice is appropriate with the second and third drills to help batters work on the timing of when to prepare to swing with the rolling back of the bat and the shift of their weight to the backside. Here is a front view of the first 3 drills. Of course, the key to the successful execution of them is maintaining the correct bat position with each drill, when preparing to swing. Finally, when working on low pitches and for these drills, the tee should be set a few inches in front of the hitter