Pitching Machine Speeds and Distance

SBFAMILY said:

Good post Peppers . I watched this last night. Arm circle but then they struggle putting the ball in the shute. " A good arm circle with the right hand holding a ball and the left hand hold the ball to the hopper and release when the arm reaches the ball in the left hand"

I have watched many use pitching machines and not follow this simple step!

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PEPPERS said:

Safety first always the person feeding the machine stands behind a good net. The machine has to be feed correctly for timing for the hitter. A good arm circle with the right hand holding a ball and the left hand hold the ball to the hopper and release when the arm reaches the ball in the left hand. It has to be timed right to simulate real timing from a pitcher.

If a kid has problems timing the ball, I have them work on bunts and this usually helps the kids get a sense of timing. I start out slow and gradually increase the speed, once everyone is hitting the ball well I increase the speed.

I learned this thanks to Hitter who used to post here; we do what he called the Bonds Drill, named after Berry Bonds. I have the hitter hit 10 balls from the plate to warm up, then the hitter takes up position as far back in the cage or batter’s box as possible, then a successful hit and the hitter takes a step closer to the machine until they get about 15 feet, no farther due to safety, then the hitter starts back until they get to where they started. You can make a game out of it giving points for each step.

This drill can really separate the kids with good mechanics and good crisp swings; the distance simulates different pitching speeds. We also do in and out at the plate, working on hitting outside and inside pitches by stepping closer to the plate and farther away every pitch to work on different pitch locations.

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