Soft Toss from Behind

Anytime you put a bat in your hand, and there is a ball, you're working on hand-eye coordination. In this baseball instructional video, Bill Ripken shares a simple yet effective hitting drill straight from The Ripken Way library.

How good is your hand-eye coordination? What if the pitch was coming from behind you? Move the soft tosser behind your hitters to enforce quick hands and improve hand-eye coordination.

Variations: 

Hitting 101 with the GREAT Tony Gwynn

Oregon State University Baseball Program T Drills

Oregon State University Baseball Program T Drills

1. Long T (hitting in space so that you can see what the ball does)
• Outside: back spin oppo gap
• Middle: back spin up the middle
• Inside: back spin pull side gap Purpose: When hitting off of T’s on the field or inside, you want to hit baseballs if possible. You need at least 20 yards inside hitting into a drop net. If you are hitting outside, the infield is a great area to set up this drill. Hitting in space allows you to watch what the ball is doing (top spin, side spin, or back spin). What the ball does off of a bat will tell hitters what is going on with their swing path. This is as great way to evaluate and teach proper swing mechanics.

2. Walk up T Drill Purpose: This drill focuses on teaching the hitter that the swing begins with the lower half (ballistic lower half). Posture must be maintained. Set up in a hitting stance approximately six feet back behind the T. Begin by stepping with stride foot, back foot back steps and crosses behind front foot, stride into firm front side and swing.

3. Hop onto back leg – stride – hit. Purpose: You want your weight to stay between your feet when you hit. The key: head over belly button between balls of feet. Keep your butt between your knees and your knees between your feet. When you load, you want weight to shift into the inside of your back leg. Feel the weight on the inside thigh (this will keep you athletic). Hopping onto your back leg with weight staying inside the thigh emphasizes the weight staying stacked inside your feet.

4. High Inside T Purpose: The high inside T forces the hitter to maintain posture from set up to finish. This drill is especially good for hitters who dive into the plate and collapse the back side.

5. Low Outside T Purpose: For most players, this is the hardest ball for them to hit. From a tracking viewpoint, it is furthest away from the eyes. You must maintain posture (you will hook the ball if you lose posture). The ball should be hit with back span into the opposite field gap.

6. Anti bat wrap (bat waggle vertical back and forth v. flat) Purpose: Learning to load with your hands and not your wrists. Also, loading vertically creates a short route to contact with your hands.

7. Inside – Outside – When striding, call outside or inside – hit the location called Purpose: Teaches hitters to take the same stride towards the pitcher. Hips will open in relation to the location of the pitch. The hands take the same route to the ball. 8. Energy to target – ballistic back side (put an object directly behind back foot Example: (helmet) – cannot hit the helmet) Purpose: Back foot should end up with shoe laces pointing towards the ground. You get good backside thrust towards the pitcher v. squishing the bug.

9. Double T – hit two balls off of tee (works on staying on plane and extension through the contact zone) Purpose: Short to the contact point and see how long you can stay in the area of contact with your swing plane.

10.Towel Drill T – Place rolled up towel under front arm pit. (towel must be thrown toward pitcher when hitting – keeps you short to the contact zone) Purpose: You want to keep your front side on line as long as is possible and be short to the contact zone. Towel will come out and should go towards the pitcher if a hitter has ballistic movement towards the pitcher.

11.Hit off a downhill slope – takes energy through the baseball. Keeps front side online. Purpose: The hitter will feel energy going into the baseball. It forces hitters to stay on line and not break down on the back side. You can use a portable mound or get on a mound for this drill.

12. Hit off an uphill slope – stay tall on the backside; hit into a firm front side. Purpose: A hitter who has a hard time staying between his feet and his front side comes off the baseball quick: this will force the hitter to stay between his feet and keep his front side on-line.

Source: http://jugssports.com/Coaches_Corner/various_pdf_files/Drills/T_Drills-OSU.pdf