4 Most Important hitting drills for HS players

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Jan 6, 2009
6,589
113
Chehalis, Wa
Great drill. This was a sticking point for me for a long time because I transitioned to front toss too soon. I’d be trying to get the hitter to control their weight and sequence before they were actually ready. Frustrating for both of us. What W is explaining is a step that many , including me , miss in rushing to get to a pitched ball. Going from the tee to front toss is too far a leap if your learning a different swing pattern. IMO

I’ll move the flips forward seeing how she moves. I should have cut out my ramblings on, sorry. Hit the mute button.



That’s some good stuff. Start hitting early, way before the season if your trying to make progress. No pressure. Of course we have seasons, so we don’t play year around.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Drills should only be used to teach/correct (maybe reinforce?) certain movements, so I'm not sure there's a list of 4 that work for everybody (assuming your HS players all have experience... I can come up with 4 basic drills for new hitters, but not sure that would help here. FWIW, tee work is not a drill. Front toss is not a drill.

That said, I hate side toss/flips/whatever you call them. I think they're, at best, a colossal waste of time. At worst you completely jack up a hitter's swing. It makes very little sense to have a ball coming in from the wrong direction, at weird angles, with an unusual arc, and too slow. Maybe there's some specific, limited use for them, but I've literally never once seen it actually help a hitter. For me, side toss is the equivalent of doing wrist flicks as part of a throwing warm-up.
 

radness

Possibilities & Opportunities!
Dec 13, 2019
7,270
113
Drills should only be used to teach/correct (maybe reinforce?) .

That said, I hate side toss/flips/whatever you call them. I think they're, at best, a colossal waste of time. Maybe there's some specific, limited use for them, but I've literally never once seen it actually help a hitter.
How about side toss for pitch locations and mixing it up?!

Have used side toss for decades training hitters.
Lots of uses. Not limited at all.
Excellent results.

Much prefer a moving ball to work on hitting. Tee work is redundant but no timing into a moving pitch.

Soft Toss= multi purpose training.
Can be thrown to same spot.
Which can be for a consistant swing and timing to same spot over and over.
Plus
Soft toss is good for throwing to different pitch locations and speeds.
Both High and low.
Even super high and low to work big adjustments.
Can throw a change up or fast and flat.
Can be thrown to different depths.
Out front or deep. Can work barrel threw zone out front to deep and deep to out front.
*Easy to mix pitch locations back to back.
*Easy to throw to trouble spots to work on adjustments!

Lots of reps at flying things in a resource just about anybody can do!
 
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Jan 31, 2011
453
43
Drills should only be used to teach/correct (maybe reinforce?) certain movements, so I'm not sure there's a list of 4 that work for everybody (assuming your HS players all have experience... I can come up with 4 basic drills for new hitters, but not sure that would help here. FWIW, tee work is not a drill. Front toss is not a drill.

That said, I hate side toss/flips/whatever you call them. I think they're, at best, a colossal waste of time. At worst you completely jack up a hitter's swing. It makes very little sense to have a ball coming in from the wrong direction, at weird angles, with an unusual arc, and too slow. Maybe there's some specific, limited use for them, but I've literally never once seen it actually help a hitter. For me, side toss is the equivalent of doing wrist flicks as part of a throwing warm-up.
You make interesting comments. What would you suggest for HS pre-game warmups? We do tee work, soft toss, TCB balls, front toss for bunting. My goal is to get the kids loose, but I would like to hear what you suggest. I do question the effectiveness. Many kids seem to go through the motions. The reason I ask is that once our season starts we typically play every night of the week with almost no days for practice. Incorporating effective drills into pre-game warm-ups is my goal.
 
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Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
Soft/side toss will screw up your swing. It's the devil. :)

This will create an arms only swing. You are not trying to make the swing 'quicker'. You are trying to make it faster.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
IMO, I find this to be pure gold in transferring to a pitched ball. There is often a big drop off between tee swings and a pitched ball.
My progression
1. Dry swing.
2. Tee swings.
3. Flips or angled toss.
4. simulated pitching machine
5. Front toss
6. live BP

Here is an example of the angled toss we do.

Sorry, more than 4…



when i use angle toss it’s from a front toss position but angled to the left or right of the hitter to simulate a lefty/righty pitcher. Not side flips. Personally only used side flips in a condensed area. Rather use whiffles from a front/angled position if available.

I use the tee when working on a new movement. Or just to loosen up. It lets the hitter feel the movement(s) better w/o having to time anything. But for me front toss briskly from a close proximity is the best thing for a hitter besides a live pitcher.
 
Last edited:
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
Soft/side toss will screw up your swing. It's the devil. :)

This will create an arms only swing. You are not trying to make the swing 'quicker'. You are trying to make it faster.

dont care for side toss, but you couldn’t be more wrong here. We want quick swings. Not fast. That’s long. Ask Teddy he will tell you.
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
AROD-REAL-VS-FEEL.gif

The swing on the right is the quickest. The swing on the left (like Teddy's) is the fastest - that's the one you want.

But the main reason you dont want soft/side/drop toss is that is reinforces a no stride, arms-only swing, which produces weak grounders.

Don't do any full swing drills that do not have a stride element.
 
Oct 13, 2014
5,471
113
South Cali
View attachment 23984

The swing on the right is the quickest. The swing on the left (like Teddy's) is the fastest - that's the one you want.

But the main reason you dont want soft/side/drop toss is that is reinforces a no stride, arms-only swing, which produces weak grounders.

Don't do any full swing drills that do not have a stride element.

watch the lead arm pull away from the shoulder while SIMULTANEOUSLY the bat starts to flatten.. 🤔
 

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