In this article, I show you 9 hitting drills to stay connected with balance and rhythm. Learn to gain control and improve your softball or baseball swing mechanics.
Often times, hitters lose control of their swing by swinging too hard or over-swinging resulting in many common hitting problems.
Furthermore, players focus on fixing the bad swing mechanics caused by not staying connected rather than the root cause.
My 9 hitting drills prevent incorrect movements and force players to have balance, rhythm, and timing.
Table of Contents
Baseball Training Equipment Used
I listed the gear I used in these hitting drills below.
Hemo’s Recommended Training & Gear
Players, coaches, and parents ask for my advice regarding softball and baseball equipment.
As a result, I compiled a list of the baseball, softball, and coach’s equipment I recommend below.
- Hitting Courses
- Bats
- Baseball
- Softball
- Glove
- Catching Gear
- Baseball
- Softball
- Accessories
- Training Gear & Coach’s Gear
- Books
Video Tutorial
There are many hitting drills and swing mechanics which are difficult to explain with words and images.
So, checkout the video tutorial below.
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Introduction
Over-swinging, or swinging too hard, causes hitters to not stay connected.
When I begin to work with new hitters, the first obstacle to overcome is to get their swing under control.
Slow It Down & Gain Control
Think about a hitter swinging so fast, everything breaks down and they skip parts of the swing.
Over-swinging is an unstable foundation and needs to be fixed before anything else.
Swinging too hard is number 1 on my list of the 10 most common hitting mistakes.
Ultimately, I help players slow it down to speed it up to gain control and stay connected.
More specifically, I use 9 hitting drills which force players to stay connected and under control.
If not, they won’t be able to complete the drill.
Swing on Platform Hitting Drill
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
- Aerobic Platform
- Wood Bat or Metal Bat
- Training Tee (Optional)
The exercise/aerobic platform serves as a great training aid to help hitters stay connected and under control.
When hitters swing while standing on a raised platform, it forces them to stay balanced.
Consequently, they temper their swing to remain on the platform.
In my experience, this simple hitting drill to stay connected and under control helps young hitters the most.
Spot Across the Way Hitting Drill
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
- Wood Bat or Metal Bat
- Baseball/Softball Training Tee (Optional)
My golden rule for hitters of all ages is Keep Your Head Down.
Sammy Sosa would say regarding his swing, “As hard as I can go without my head breaking down.”
At the end of the day, hitters give themselves a chance to be successful if their head is in good position.
If a hitter’s head is out of position, they should just go sit back in the dugout – cancel Christmas.
The ‘spot across the way’ hitting drill helps hitters keep their head in the correct position by visualizing a mark.
Essentially, the mark sits at 45 degrees between the opposite batters box and the pitcher.
Stop at Contact
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
- Wood Bat or Metal Bat
- Training Tee (Optional)
Next on the list of hitting drills to stay connected is the stop at contact hitting drill.
I require my hitters to stop their swing as soon as they contact the ball.
Obviously, they must stay under control in order to stop their swing with their arms bent.
Furthermore, this hitting drill prevents spinning-out and straightening of the arms.
Remember, arms extend after contact.
One Hand to Pitcher
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
The one hand to pitcher hitting drill forces players to keep their front shoulder in and not fly open.
Also, this hitting drill helps players feel extension after contact and staying linear.
If the hitters swings too hard or doesn’t stay in control, they won’t be able to stop swinging.
Leg Swings
First, this drill requires no training gear or aids outside of the hitter’s focus.
Leg swings are a vital part of my hitting foundational program.
They teach hitters load, line, and rhythm.
Additionally, it helps hitters keep their head in good position.
If a player over-swings or goes too hard during leg swings, they will quickly break rhythm.
Most importantly, leg swings can be incorporated into nearly all of my hitting drills to reinforce the importance of balance, rhythm, and staying connected.
Palm Up Palm Down Drill
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
The palm up, palm down hitting drill works best with a light bat off a tee, soft toss, or front toss hitting drills.
I review many of these drills in my advanced hitting drills article, so be sure to check that out.
Palm up, palm down prevents players from rolling over as it allows shoulders to get through the ball.
For a RHH (Right Handed Hitter), the left hand is palm down while the right hand is palm up.
Quick Tip: hitters should focus on getting their bottom elbow to the opposite infielder.
In other words, the right elbow should go towards the short-stop and the left elbow should go towards the second baseman.
Shoulder to Shoulder Hitting Drill
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
- Baseball/Softball Tee
- Wood or Metal Bat
The shoulder to shoulder hitting drill helps head position and posture.
More importantly, this prevents early hips.
When hitters perform this drill, the back shoulder knocks the front shoulder off.
Hand Toss
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
- Practice Baseballs
- Training Partner
The hand toss hitting drill allows hitters to get repetitions and practice at home or before the game.
Essentially, this drill is an extension of the shoulder to shoulder hitting drill but without a bat.
All the hitter needs is a partner to toss them the ball, similar to soft toss, and they toss the ball with 2 hands.
Heavy Bat Hitting Drills
Training gear I recommend for this hitting drill:
Last on the list of hitting drills to stay connected is sort of a drill, but more of a tip.
Hitters should use a heavy bat while performing drills as it will quickly expose early hips.
Conversely, a light bat exposes when hitters roll over.
Final Thoughts
In summary, over-swinging is the hardest thing for me to deal with as a hitting instructor.
Why is the hardest thing to fix? Because the hitter won’t progress or get better until they gain control and stay connected.
As players get older, pitching gets better and hitters get stronger.
So, hitters swing harder and batting averages drop as a result.
My hitting foundational course gives hitters of all ages the drills they need in order to slow it down to speed it up. They slow it down, get it together, and then speed it up!
I hope these 9 hitting drills to stay connected help improve your balance, rhythm, and timing while preventing incorrect movements.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best way to keep your head down while hitting is the ‘Spot Across the Way’ hitting drill.
Hitting slumps can be mental or the result of an incorrect swing mechanics. The best way to get your child out of a hitting slump is to focus on the fundamentals and help them gain confidence.
The best way to stop casting hands during a baseball or softball swing is to create lag. This allows the hands to get through the strike zone before the barrel.
All hitting drills are designed to improve swing mechanics. The best hitting drills are those which can be repeated many times to program muscle memory.
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