Front Toss Batting Practice

[Justanotherdad]

If you are throwing front toss and set up about 15 to 20 feet from the hitter behind a protective screen, which way do you prefer to front toss?

1) Standing up and sling shotting the pitch in?

2) Sitting on a bucket and under hand throwing pitches to the batter?

3) Sitting on a bucket and over hand throwing pitches to the batter?


My thoughts are:


#1 gives a more realistic release point, but for me I lack the velocity and ability to hit spots from this position. Nor can I fully windmill, so slingshot is all I can give.

#2 gives me much more control on hitting spots, but the velocity is worse and the release point is lower than #1.

#3 gives me the greatest control and highest velocity but the throwing motion itself is opposite what the girls see in a game situation.

Also, could someone get Howards opinion on this?

Thanks!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I windmill it in. But, you didn't give that option.

You are over thinking this. If #3 is what you are comfortable with, don't worry about it. You are trying to get swings in for the girls. For about 20 years, the only net that I had, would just allow me to toss overhand. No women or children ever had their softball career ruined by swinging at a ball tossed overhand.

 

[quincy]

For front toss I sit on the ground and throw the balls overhand, it is what I am most comfortable with.

Also when DD and me do front toss we use baseballs, not sure why.

 

[Justanotherdad]

Amy, thats becuase I am the worst windmiller in the world.

Quincy, why do you sit on the ground as opposed to say a bucket?

I also read somewhere (I'll see if I can find it) that it is not beneficial to use smaller balls for practice as it messes with their vision and actually makes it harder to hit a bigger ball. Have you seen any issues by using baseballs when it comes time for your daughter to hit in a game situation?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I suppose you can find studies that support about anything. I read one this week that said that sack lunches, carried to school, can form bacteria. Well, duh. (But we have done it for 100s of years.) Tossing smaller balls and teensy balls are used to improve seeing the ball, I can't imagine how that could be anything but helpful.

I use a lot of tennis balls for soft toss. They are cheap and probably aren't going to kill me, if I get hit by one.

 

[SBFAMILY]

Believe it or not we do not front toss. We have found that to work on a swing it is better to soft toss from the side or use a T. We only do the Barry Bond drill for timing. Now if they were facing live pitching I could see it, but this would hurt a kids timing, so not sure why you would ever front toss.

 

[softballphreak]

I suppose you can find studies that support about anything. I read one this week that said that sack lunches, carried to school, can form bacteria. Well, duh. (But we have done it for 100s of years.) Tossing smaller balls and teensy balls are used to improve seeing the ball, I can't imagine how that could be anything but helpful.

I use a lot of tennis balls for soft toss. They are cheap and probably aren't going to kill me, if I get hit by one.

I got hit in the eye by a tennis ball off of a RT. $7,000 CAT scan. I admit I was too close.

 

[smallball]

Amy, thats becuase I am the worst windmiller in the world.

To me, simulating game situations in practice is very important so I taught myself how to windmill. It took a bit of going out before practice and throwing buckets and buckets of balls, but it was worth it.

 

[SBFAMILY]

The above is the reason why we don't recommend the bean drill that some have posted . It is front tossing Lima beans to kids.

 

[softballphreak]

Believe it or not we do not front toss. We have found that to work on a swing it is better to soft toss from the side or use a T. We only do the Barry Bond drill for timing. Now if they were facing live pitching I could see it, but this would hurt a kids timing, so not sure why you would ever front toss.

Side toss is good for warmup. Pitches don't come in from the side, so timing can't really be done as well as front toss.

Front toss won't mess timing up. I think it helps groove the timing. Pitchers have to be timed individually, even individual pitches as far as that goes. The more front toss a batter sees the better. Whether it's baseball, softball, tennis ball, TCB ball, etc.; fast or slow.

Hitting long tee is one of the best drills you can do as far as tee work.