Hitting Off of Tee in a Long Cage

[softballphreak]

HS team, hitting too many high fly balls. Started using a tee drill where they have to hit 10 off of a tee to the back of a 50'-55' batting cage, not allowed to hit top, sides or bottom of cage. Working middle tee, low tee.

Thoughts? Pros? Cons? Suggestions? Would hitting on the field off of a tee be better?

 

[Chris O'Leary]

HS team, hitting too many high fly balls. Started using a tee drill where they have to hit 10 off of a tee to the back of a 50'-55' batting cage, not allowed to hit top, sides or bottom of cage. Working middle tee, low tee.

Thoughts? Pros? Cons? Suggestions? Would hitting on the field off of a tee be better?

My concern with those balls is that they are line drives that can easily be caught. A line drive at eye height is really one of the easiest ones to make a play on.

I like line drives that get over the heads of the IFers and into the gaps.

I'm not sure the diagnosis is correct. It sounds like the diagnosis of the problem is too much uppercutting (and dropping the back shoulder) which in my experience is rarely the case.

Are they hitting the high fly balls just on certain pitches, like riseballs?

 

[softballphreak]

My concern with those balls is that they are line drives that can easily be caught. A line drive at eye height is really one of the easiest ones to make a play on.

I like line drives that get over the heads of the IFers and into the gaps.

I'm not sure the diagnosis is correct. It sounds like the diagnosis of the problem is too much uppercutting (and dropping the back shoulder) which in my experience is rarely the case.

Are they hitting the high fly balls just on certain pitches, like riseballs?

They do have a tendency to swing at the "rise" balls and I'm sure that's part of the problem but those hits tend to be more pop ups.

I do have a batter returning tomorrow from DL who does have a serious upper cut problem. Bad thing is ever so often she hits one over and then it's back to the drawing board.

What I have noticed is more line drive hits but not as many in the gaps as I'd like. We seem to be chopping too many back at the pitcher also. I'm wondering if hitting off the tee from home plate would be better.

 

[Hitter]

My concern with those balls is that they are line drives that can easily be caught. A line drive at eye height is really one of the easiest ones to make a play on.

I like line drives that get over the heads of the IFers and into the gaps.

I'm not sure the diagnosis is correct. It sounds like the diagnosis of the problem is too much uppercutting (and dropping the back shoulder) which in my experience is rarely the case.

Are they hitting the high fly balls just on certain pitches, like riseballs?

This exactly why I have target areas on my nets of 51 inches high and 39 inches high horizontally with a vertical line in the middle.

I want the hitter to know where every ball they hit is potentially going and what they did to make that happen.

This is probably what the coach is trying to get them to do is demonstrate bat control, as the tee is set up to hit up the middle. Now what are they doing in their swing that prevents that from happening now that he knows they can or can not do it?

I feel any one can pull the ball as a rule however up the middle and then opposite field is how we teach it.

If I remember correctly 26 degree mean angle of ball off the bat is the minimum angle to hit a ball out of an MLB park with a 325 foot line.

The 39 inch line represents 10 degrees and at 86 feet softball second base, would put the ball at about 8 to 10 feet high.

Unless your infielders are as tall as Shaq they should be shots.

I would want them to hit the back of the cage at the top however as most cages are 10 to 12 feet in height. Do the math, if yo are at 50 feet in the cage give or take 5 feet and the ball is climbing and you have another 36 feet to go it should not be an eye level shot in my opinion.

Thanks Howard

 

[RichK]

Seems the length of cage (55 feet) is both a problem and opportunity. If you can, set up two tee stations hitting into opposite ends. Line drive at 20 feet is just as good in terms of feedback, maybe better. And you get twice as many swings in one cage. Always good to use one cage for multiple stations, cages are usually either scarce or expensive : >

Good luck.

 

[mrslug01]

This exactly why I have target areas on my nets of 51 inches high and 39 inches high horizontally with a vertical line in the middle.

I want the hitter to know where every ball they hit is potentially going and what they did to make that happen.

This is probably what the coach is trying to get them to do is demonstrate bat control, as the tee is set up to hit up the middle. Now what are they doing in their swing that prevents that from happening now that he knows they can or can not do it?

I feel any one can pull the ball as a rule however up the middle and then opposite field is how we teach it.

If I remember correctly 26 degree mean angle of ball off the bat is the minimum angle to hit a ball out of an MLB park with a 325 foot line.

The 39 inch line represents 10 degrees and at 86 feet softball second base, would put the ball at about 8 to 10 feet high.

Unless your infielders are as tall as Shaq they should be shots.

I would want them to hit the back of the cage at the top however as most cages are 10 to 12 feet in height. Do the math, if yo are at 50 feet in the cage give or take 5 feet and the ball is climbing and you have another 36 feet to go it should not be an eye level shot in my opinion.

Thanks Howard

My daughter hits off a light flight machine at times in the basement of the house. We use the baseball size balls. I have one light bulb behind me about 40 feet from where she hits. It's an 8 foot ceiling. She's put the ball through it twice this year. Those are the two I knew she got perfectly.

 

[Hitter]

Mark the net as it is cheaper and safer! LOL!

Thanks Howard

 

[Ken Krause]

Seems the length of cage (55 feet) is both a problem and opportunity. If you can, set up two tee stations hitting into opposite ends. Line drive at 20 feet is just as good in terms of feedback, maybe better. And you get twice as many swings in one cage. Always good to use one cage for multiple stations, cages are usually either scarce or expensive : >

Good luck.

Just remember to have them hit toward the side they're closest to, not down the cage at each other!

 

[Wellphyt]

HS team, hitting too many high fly balls. Started using a tee drill where they have to hit 10 off of a tee to the back of a 50'-55' batting cage, not allowed to hit top, sides or bottom of cage. Working middle tee, low tee.

Thoughts? Pros? Cons? Suggestions? Would hitting on the field off of a tee be better?

I know this is sacrilege, but I believe that the tee is overused. I prefer dry swings, wiffle balls and front toss from behind a screen. Here is a quote from Dr. Mike Marshall;

“I recommend that batting coaches only use tees for the initial phase of the youngsters learning how to properly use their rear and front arms. After that, I prefer that they only hit balls thrown from the direction of the pitching rubber and thrown on straight lines to the appropriate locations. . . Batters must respond in practice to the same stimuli that they see in competition.”

I would first diagnose the reason why there are too many fly balls. I would then demonstrate to the girls what they are doing incorrectly. I would them demonstrate what they need to do to fix it. Then I would have them take dry swings incorporating the changes. First in slow-mo then full speed swings. Then I would put them in a cage and throw front toss at a reduced speed until I felt they were comfortable with the changes. I would gradually move the pitching distance back and increase the speed.