Sunday, March 6, 2011

Baseball Drills All Youth Should Know

By Jeff Wise


For young baseball players to develop the hitting skills they need to be successful, they must practice, practice and practice some more. The best way to practice is to do some hitting drills frequently. In addition to helping with hitting, drills will help players get more comfortable with the basic fundamentals, like keeping their eyes on the ball and the proper stance in the batter's box.

There are several great drills that will work for almost any age group. One is simply hitting off of a tee. It is a basic hitting drill used by players of all ages. Along with a tee and a ball, you will need protective netting of some sort to hit the ball into.

Each time you do this drill, you should strive to hit at least 25 balls off the tee. More advanced players could make it more challenging by moving the tee around to mimic different locations of pitches. This drill will help you learn how to hit to certain parts of the field.

Known as the soft toss, this drill requires two people. A pitcher should kneel on the ground and underhand toss the ball to the hitter. This is helpful because the pitcher can toss from different locations to make the hitter adjust, wait for the ball and hit to the appropriate areas. This drill is safe as long as the pitcher wears a batting helmet. Protective netting is also recommended.

For those who remember drilling wiffle balls in the backyard as a child, the modified broomstick hitting drill will be fun. With this drill, you need a wooden broomstick that has been sawed to match the length of the bat. Taping the handle will help with grip. Then have someone pitch plastic golf balls to you while you try to hit them with the broomstick. This awesome hand-eye coordination drill will improve your hitting.

Live batting practice is a great drill to finish on. This is the best drill to prepare players for game day. At each practice, players should get at least 25 live pitches, and 50 if time allows. Hitters should try to hit the balls to different parts of the field. Also, be sure to practice bunts during each live batting practice.

For a young baseball player to improve, hitting drills like these are essential. During practice, coaches can separate players and have them rotate different drills to save time. With the help of these drills, your team will more likely be great.




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