if you swing at the plate like you do in the fence drill, is it possible to hit (well) pitches in the black? I never understood it and it seems to me like it encourages hitting pitches within a very limited area.
here is a clip I found on you tube. It encourages to hit out in front and the bat should stay on plane with the ball longer. The tee... the outside of the plate setup should be a little behind the stride foot and as the pitch comes closer inside place the tee a little farther out front. The inside pitch should be out front on the upward plane of the swing. "history is made on the inside half of the plate" -Ted Williams.
Photo 19 of 31, Analysis
Red- thanks for posting. Not to overanalyze, but in the clip you posted the kid's swing improved but I think it is a long way from the pro they compare him to on the other side of the split screen. To me, (this is just my opinion) the kid doesn't direct full energy to the bat until after contact. I think it has to do with the front elbow disconnection mentioned on the caption in the clip I've attached. Also, looking at the instructor swinging on the left side of the clip (attached), it doesn't look like he's in a good position to cover the inside half of the plate unless he's going foul (again, it's my untrained observation). It also looks like this drill could encourage bat drag rather than fix it. It would definitely fix casting, but bat drag, I don't know.
Bare with me, I am sitting at my desk trying to picture this in my mind.
I don't think you could stand close to a fence, swing and get your back elbow ahead of your hands (bat drag) and not drill the fence. The end of the bat would have to be pointing to the ground behind you.