Components of Batting Practice
With pitchers throwing harder than ever and developing wipeout off-speed pitches with pitch design, it is vital that hitting coaches do their best to prepare hitters for what they are going to see in games. In this post I will discuss a few components of batting practice that I feel are necessary for creating an environment conducive to offensive success.
Feel, Movement Prep, and Tee Work
A great place to start with a modern, optimized batting practice would be with feel and movement prep work. Ideally, these are to be individualized for each player based on a weakness they may have, whether that be sequencing, mobility, or a number of other issues that a hitter may experience. PVC pipes are a great tool to be utilized in this portion of practice, as there are a ton of drills that can be implemented with them to develop feel of certain movements. Boxing bag work can also be used here to help hitters become more aware of their barrel location around the time of contact. This could also be a good time for medicine ball throws, if they are not already implemented as part of the team’s weight lifting program.
I included tee work in this portion of practice because it has no timing component and therefore does not completely transfer to a game environment. That does not mean that it is useless, though, as it is a great tool for warm up activities and feel drills. The tee is a great way to learn new drills and movements before progressing to balls in flight. If a tee is the only option, such as when hitting alone, it is best to include movements or constraints that make it more challenging. For example, the Happy Gilmore/walkthrough drill is a great way to add a timing and rhythm component to tee work.
Front Toss / Drill Work
The next progression that can be used to optimize BP would include drills performed off of front toss. There are really an endless amount of possibilities for this, so I will include some of the staples in our program. I prefer doing some of these drills with seated overhand toss, as it simulates a more realistic ball flight, but underhand flips from straight on work as well.
Angled toss: put the screen at an angle so that the flipped ball comes out of the hand from a position nearly behind the hitter and ends up on the outer half of the plate. This drill exaggerates the flight of a pitched ball in a way that forces the hitter to let it get a bit deeper and drive it to the middle/backside part of the field. Using hitting plyos/weighted balls adds an extra challenge of getting on plane to this drill.
Angled toss (pull version): this is the mirror opposite of the previous drill. With this version, the tosser is on the opposite side of the hitter, flipping balls towards the hitter’s front hip or belly button area. The hitter should drive these pitches to the pull side with proper flight (not hooked).
Weighted/varied implements: these are a huge part of our program. We try to do some type of work with an overloaded and underloaded bat every day. Not only do these implements build bat speed, but they also help hitters develop barrel control, which will ultimately lead to hitting the ball hard more consistently. We also have a short bat and long bat (fungo) for these types of drills. An example of a drill that we do with the over and underload bats would be fastballs in with the end-loaded bat in combination with changeups away with the underload bat. To be successful at this drill, you have to have a solid, balanced foundation and a strong awareness of the barrel. When it comes to varied implements, the possibilities are endless.
Coach-Thrown Batting Practice
Traditional batting practice, which typically involves a coach throwing easy fastballs from 40 or so feet, is a tradition that is about as deep-seated into baseball as it gets. While it still has its place in the game, there are other options that have more bang for your hitter-development buck.
Random BP: in this drill, the coach will throw any pitch — fastballs, curveballs, changeups, whatever his arm can handle — at any time. This drill challenges the hitter’s decision-making skills and gets him off of autopilot. Instead of taking mindless swings at meaty fastballs, he is forced to recognize pitches and make a real-time decision of whether or not to swing. A 1994 study in Perceptual and Motor Skills tested groups of hitters on their ability to make solid contact with fastballs, curveballs, and changeups in batting practice. One group was trained in a blocked manner, with the hitter aware of what pitch was coming, while the other trained in a random style, unaware of the sequence. By the end of the study, the group that trained randomly made solid contact more consistently than the blocked group in a randomized BP test. While not groundbreaking, the study clearly shows the value of including random batting practice in the process of developing adjustable hitters.
Velo BP: this version of batting practice is simple — the coach will throw as hard as he can (accurately) to simulate velocity off of a live arm. To make it easier on the arm, it can be better to move a bit closer for this drill. This is ideal for preparing hitters for game-like velocity if you do not have access to a pitching machine. One way to calculate perceived velocity (via Driveline) is (55 feet/[your distance]) x (your velocity). Or, you can consult the following chart:
Situational BP: this variety of traditional batting practice places more emphasis on bat control and getting comfortable executing a plan with runners on base. While not something we do every day, it is good for the hitters to gain some awareness of the barrel and have an idea of what they should be doing with, say, runners at first and third and one out, for example. Situational BP can be performed more traditionally, or with randomized pitches or a pitching machine.
Feel-good BP: as mentioned before, there is a time and place for traditional batting practice, and one of those times can be on-field pre-game BP. I also believe it is a good method for training a hitter’s intent. Our philosophy involves hitting the baseball hard and far, and traditional BP is a good way for hitters to experience what it feels like to do that consistently. It can help them understand how their body is moving and sequencing, and for some, help them realize that an intent to crush the ball and do damage is a good thing.
Side note: I highly recommend Driveline’s recovery protocol to any coach who throws BP regularly.
Machine Batting Practice
Using a machine in batting practice is a critical component in the preparation of hitters for what they will see in games. The first thing we do when we begin to hit off the machine is communicate to our hitters about why we use it and what to expect. We explain to them how it transfers to hitting in-game velocity, and that failures are expected. It is the embracing of and learning from these failures that makes hitters better. We remind them not to get upset or bitter about their failures, but instead search for ways to improve. The pitching machine is a great way to include high-growth / low performance training into daily hitting practice.
Besides the obvious benefits of being able to create game-like velocity and breaking balls, the machine can also be used to simulate exactly what hitters will see when they face a future pitcher (if the information is available). A pitcher’s release point, pitch shape, speed, and location can all be replicated by a machine, which helps hitters by exposing them to what they will see beforehand.
One other way to incorporate the pitching machine in a more advanced way (if you have access to more than one) is to use two of them side-by-side. With this method, you can alternate or even mix pitch sequences in a more game-like manner. This is just another way to create a game-like environment that challenges and develops hitters.
I will add that we also use a smaller pitching machine that shoots foam balls to help feel getting on plane with breaking pitches. The foam balls distort and won’t go very far if you do not square them up, so it provides instant feedback on how well you hit each pitch. This machine is valuable in that it helps hitters learn how to attack breaking pitches of various shapes.
Competitions
One way to ensure that your hitters are locked in is to create a competitive environment. Ultimately, you want a team full of players who embrace competing/winning as well as developing, and competitions in batting practice can help make this happen. Here are a few games that we play from time to time:
EV Leaderboard Game: typically played off the pitching machine with Rapsodo set up, we will set out a dry-erase board with five slots on it. Whenever someone hits a ball hard, they write their name and the EV on the board. Once the five slots fill up, you must beat someone else’s score in order to erase their name and put yours. The five names left on the board at the end of BP are the winners. This game keeps guys focused on the goal of hitting the ball hard.
Elimination Game: this game helps develop intent to hit the ball hard and far. We will bring in all hitters around the BP cage and give them three swings to hit a ball that hits the warning track. If they don’t get a ball to the track, they are eliminated. For the next round, they must hit the warning track in the air — if not, they are eliminated. Then we will do a round where they must hit the fence in the air, followed by hit it over the fence. The last hitter standing wins and gets to hit whatever balls are left in the bucket.
Team Exit Velo Competition: this is a game that we will typically play when we are confined to the cages. We will have the guys split up into two teams, and each hitter will be matched with an opponent on the other team. Using the radar gun or Rapsodo as the judge, each guy will get three swings to hit the ball as hard as possible. The hitter who scores the highest EV in his round earns a point for his team. We will typically set it up in a five or seven-game series format with each guy matching up against a different opponent each round. For this game, trash talking is encouraged to help create a fun yet high-pressure environment. One way to add variance to this (and get some really high exit velocities) is to use foam balls and a fungo.
There are tons of different games that can be used to bring some competitiveness into batting practice, and each can be modified by changing some component of it, such as using a weighted bat, plyo balls, or strobe specs. The opportunities are endless — all it takes is a little creativity.
When organizing batting practice, it is important to create environments that are conducive to developing competitiveness and a desire to improve and grow. All of the components discussed in this post can easily be tweaked or adjusted to provide variety in your program. If you have other ideas for batting practice or a favorite drill, please share, as I am always looking for more ways to improve what we do.
