Daily Hitting Exercises

[coach D'E]

I’m looking for opinions here. My question is: Are there any drills or exercises that a girl could do
daily and independently that would promote better swing mechanics. For example, back when I played music, I had practice to various scales and other fingering task that made my playing better. If we treat learning how to hit, like learning a musical instrument, the only way to get better is daily practice without an instructor. Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

 

[red raiders]

another drill

I bought a chuck it dog toy at a local pet store and you can use it like a bat and get the chuck it to whip like a bat and get instant feed back by where the tennis ball hits the fence.total cost:$8

 

[softballphreak]

Get a one-pound bag of pinto beans and do self-toss in the back yard. Use either a regular bat or a swift stick bat.

 

[obbay]

Drills or exercises a girl can do on her own....I think the important part is that it is something she WILL do on her own.

When DD broke her elbow in the middle of the winter season, she couldn't do anything, so I set her up on a routine of practicing one-arm swings. She did this regularly (almost daily) and when she came back to play in the spring her swing and hitting were very strong. Steve E. advocates the one arm swings with the bottom (front) hand only, but I think it's good to do both. some kids need work on their top (back) hand.

One thing about the bottom hand swings is that it's difficult to hit with any conviction unless you get your body into it, so it forces the batter to incorporate all the appropriate muscle groups.

Something that was a great idea that DD has never done on her own- I bought an 8'x8' (maybe 9'x9') net and rigged it up to hang in the garage doorway. That way in bad weather you can hit from the garage out or in nice weather hit into the garage. Great for Tee work. grab a bucket of balls and just hit them into the net. you need to supervise from time to time to keep her on track, lest she develop any bad habits.
This is where I got mine
Buy Custom Netting for Batting Cages, Indoor Sports Facilities and more - OnDeckSports.com

 

[PAcoach]

I love T-work. My daughter hits 2-3 times a week (depending on her advanced academic homework) off a T in our garage. I bought one of those big blue tarps. 16 x 12 i think. I hung it off hooks from the ceiling. After speaking with Howard, i painted Two horizontal lines of 51 and 39 inches as measured from the floor up and then a vertical line in the middle and place the tee 4.5 feet from the tarp. the top line represents 26 degrees or if hit well it could go 325 feet. The bottom line is 10 degrees which puts it about 8 feet high at 86 feet or second base.
My daughter can go in the garage after school on her own and hit off the T. She will have instant feedback because of the lines. She will alternate from swinging swift stik and her bat. depending on her time she will hit 100-200 12" wiffle balls a session. We also do a drill where i put 2 12" wiffles on top of one another. prior to swing i will tell her witch ball to hit, top or bottom. If swing is correct, if she hits bottom ball, the top ball drops right back on the T. I even do this drill with a 12" wiffle ball and a golf ball size wiffle on top. She will hit the golf ball off and the 12" will not move. If she hits the 12" or bottom ball, the golf ball falls right in the T. This is something she can do on her own, or with her mothers help putting the balls on the T, or she waits for her Poppi to come home and we crank up the tunes and train..

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I also love Total Control Sports balls. They are the weighted ones and they just die, when hit. You need an area about 15-20 foot square. You can tell how well you hit, by how well the ball flies.

 

[PAcoach]

I also love Total Control Sports balls. They are the weighted ones and they just die, when hit. You need an area about 15-20 foot square. You can tell how well you hit, by how well the ball flies.

Our team got those last spring, love em!

 

[starsnuffer]

Get a one-pound bag of pinto beans and do self-toss in the back yard. Use either a regular bat or a swift stick bat.

Egad!

Don't use pinto beans. Those things come back like rocket propelled marbles. Use lima beans.

Be warned, do NOT do this in your own backyard. You WILL have bean sprouts everywhere.

It IS a GREAT drill though.

-W

 

[SBFAMILY]

Do not use the bean drills, Unless the person tossing is wearing safety goggles. A young lady suffered an eye injury doing this drill. For that reason we no longer suggest it. We have a T area set up were I give lessons in my basement. The dd hits the total control balls , when she doesn't hit in the cage after school.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I have extra TCB balls, if anyone in Tucson wants to buy some.