Hitting Drills: High Speed, Close Pitch Drill

Focus To gain repetitions swinging at high-speed fastballs.

Setup A coach works with individual players. Set up home plate at one end of the cage. Set up a pitching screen about 25 feet in front of the hitter. A coach will then be in a position to throw consistent strikes into the hitting area. Throwing from this position permits more accurate pitches.

Procedure The hitter sets himself in the batter’s box in normal position. The coach, from his sitting position, throws balls with good velocity into different part of the strike zone. The hitter focuses on hitting hard line drives to all parts of the cage. As the hitter gets more advanced, add velocity to the pitch to further challenge him.

Coaching Points The only way to consistently catch up to and square good fastballs is with a quick, short stroke. This drill teaches hitters to swing hard, yet under control. Trying to lengthen the swing makes it impossible for the hitter to catch up.

All good hitters can hit the fastball. We want to develop hitters who can catch up to any fastball regardless of the speed. Giving the hitter a short amount of reaction time is essential to the drill. This speeds up the hitter’s reflexes and forces short, compact strokes. The coach throwing pitches should be sure to use a long arm stroke to allow hitters time to load up and take a normal stride. Only the swing should be quick.

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