Opinions on Back Toss

[SnocatzDad]

I've encountered this with one hitting coach and a former college player that were big believers in this drill, I'm not sold

Pitcher is behind batter throws toss to batter, batter hits ball while ball is in forward progress. IMU this is to improve quickness and timing.

I understand the need to mix it up once in a while, but this drill seems to be essentially fluff not substance. Does anyone's experience show this drill to have real redeeming value??

 

[Mark H]

I'd listen to arguments but I agree with you. I don't like it.

 

[calgofo]

Same here.

 

[FastpitchFan]

It's been around a long time. Yes, from what I've seen and heard, mostly a quickness and timing drill.

I've used it a couple of times over the years.

We don't see it use that much in either baseball or softball. I think it is the kind of drill that you toss into the mix to add variety, different stimulus, new challenge to the players.

Getting out of your comfort zone and being challenged is the nature of learning and getting better.

Personally, I would not consider it as a foundation building drill (something you do on a regular basis) but as a nice add-on drill to do once in a while to add variety and challenge or to specifically work on timing and quickness.

Coach Marc

 

[MVLA Softball]

I'm not going to present the argument that the drill is good in a team practice.
But I have witnessed an experienced coach use it very effectively with a particular player. The coach could not convince the player that she she had the same Point of Contact (POC) on the inside and outside pitches. He wanted her to get the bat head out further on the inside pitches, but she contended that she was, so they were getting nowhere.
In the next practice, it started again, so the coach explained that if he pitched from behind her, she would get instant feedback as to the POC. Any pitches that were hit early would go to the opposite field, almost certainly foul. To hit the ball to center, she needed to move the POC to "well in front of her belly button".

Quietest drill I've seen. He said nothing, just pitched from behnd her. She said nothing, just stayed focussed on showing that she could hit the ball to center. She made the neccessary corrections and it carried over when he had someone else pitch from the normal direction.
I was impressed. Still smile when I think about his approach.

 

[Strikker]

I have and do use this drill although not as a foundation or as a quickness drill. I have had very good success using this drill to work on outside pitch location. The ability to toss the ball in the direction and trajectory that I would like to see the ball hit to allows the student to get a good visual and physical feel for an outside pitch. I use this drill as part of a sequence of drills when working location and maybe for 15 to 20 swings. I have not found this drill to be very effective on the inside location.

 

[FastpitchFan]

@strikker - It makes sense for outside. Your eyes will pick up the ball faster as the ball is further away from the body. I can see this being helpful for outside.

@MVLA - Sometimes, the best messages are non-verbal I like coaches who can make a point that way!

 

[SnocatzDad]

My issue is that sometimes I think clinicians come up with gimmick drills because if they don't have something you've never thought of, then what are you paying them for. Sounds like there is some agreement that this should not be a core base drill (which is what both people I saw were doing) They were young instructors and again I think they latched onto a drill that they saw as defining them as an instructor rather than a drill that they fully understood the purpose and specific application of.

 

[lhowser]

My issue is that sometimes I think clinicians come up with gimmick drills because if they don't have something you've never thought of, then what are you paying them for.

Now you have forced me to pull out one of my favorite training videos I've stumbled across on the web. Not sure of the benefit of this drill at about the 1:40 mark but it would allow you to play two games at once!

 

[obbay]

Thank you, I was hoping someone would post that video!
Developing the backhand swing is soooo critical.


A pet peeve of mine is when I see a batter swing and miss and whip the bat back faster than they swung it forward. Nothing really wrong with it it just irks the hell out of me.