Shrinking the strike zone - accuracy drill / game

[halskinner]

Try this little game I would play with my students.

Find an adjustable batting tee. Raise it to the point the softball sitting on top is at the exact center of the strike zone for the height of that pitcher. Put har at full distance and have her aime for the softball, the softball being the only thing that counts as a strike.

Knock the softball off the tee, is a strike or a point. Hitting the tee below the softball and knocking it off does not count/ Give her 20 tries and see how many out of 20 she can hit the softball.

Please explain to her THIS IS NOT AN EASY THING TO DO. Each 'strike' is a big achieevement and should be rewarded with something (bribery is good!)

If they have a pitching screen at their home, they will pracrtice quite a long time trying to hit that little strike zone. When they get back with the instructor, pretend there is a softball in his / her glove and hit it. If you are catching, you can take a bright yellow sock and runit between the ring and liddle ginger of your glove and double knot it on the back side of the glove. That yellow strip showing to the pitcher is the 'Strike zone"

Dont let the softball touch the palm of the hand, always keep it on the fingertips, keep at least a credit card this gap between the softball and the palm. Fingertip control and accuracy.

Every few sessions, I would go up against the students and see how many we each scored. Some times I got beat and if you think THAT didnt get them laughing and smiling!

Any way we had fun sand they would even do this at team practices with all the pitchers taking part.

Have fun with it, it really works.

 

[starsnuffer]

Great idea Hal, so long as you're making sure they're not breaking down and trying to "aim".

I do a similar game with my TB team pitchers. Instead of putting a softball on the T straight away though, I start with a larger ball for the first round (I use a medicine ball because there is one present), and each pitcher gets 2-3 pitches. They get a point for each hit. The next round the ball is a volleyball on the T, same thing happens, then the third round is a softball, and the fourth a baseball. Kid who wins with the most points at the end gets a prize. (I use a pillow case filled with dollar store stuff for various games the team does as part of drills). If there is a tie, I have them do the same progression with a change-up. At higher levels I guess you could do it with all of the pitches.

Again though, my only gripe with it is that I see a lot of funny mechanics happen when they try to aim, and it's always a struggle to get them to "trust" their mechanics as being responsible for their accuracy. My TB pitchers are not (as a rule) kids I have taught pitching too (and I no longer teach pitching anyway, don't have the time!). I think a PC would have much better results, due to being able to stress mechanics.

-W

 

[CoachFP]

Hal, you say it really works. What does it do for them?

 

[halskinner]

Hal, you say it really works. What does it do for them?

Alot of people will think it makes them 'aim' the ball. I disagree. I know there is a point where a pitcher will hit what they look at and that is called 'FOCUS'.

Instead of focusing on that big strike zone and hoping the pitch goes somewhere in there, the strike zone gets shrunk to a small size.

Give them a smaller target, even one smaller than the catchers glove, and their 'Focus' must be greater.

Before too long their catcher can move that target anywhere and the improved focus will deliver the ball to where they look.

I do not agree that mechanics alone will deliver a perfectly placed strike. The fingertips, the thumb, index and middle finger, are the steering wheel in pitching.

 

[2bucketdad]

I made a frame out of sprinkler tubing similar to the frame of the pitching nets, and when my DD's were 9 and 7 we hung a regular 15" car tire from it and they pitched through it, they are 16 and 14 now and it has a 10" bicycle tire hanging from it...it can be moved easily around the strike zone...watching them pitch through it seeing who can get the most in the hole out of however many they choose with whatever pitch they choose is priceless, I wish they both had as much determination in a game!

 

[Jojo]

I do this drill EVERY week with my students, I use it as a focus drill.
The students that I have had for a couple of years can hit the ball off the T within 1-2 pitches. The advanced students move onto their other pitches. Every time they hit the ball with a particular pitch I lower the chances they get to hit the ball. For example 10 tries each pitch(drop goes into bucket)--Once they have hit them all in 10 pitches or less, the next time they just get 9. I have one student on 5 right now.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

We do something similar. We pitch next to an old Oak tree. I hang a string with a nickel at the end. DD has not only got to hit that nickel , she has to hit it while it's swinging.

 

[Axe]

I do Hal's drill with my DD frequently, because its fun.

 

[quincy]

Alot of people will think it makes them 'aim' the ball.

I have been thinking about this drill after you mentioned it and the variations other people have posted, also had a couple conversations about it. I am leaning towards if they just “aim” to knock a stupid ball of a tee what are they going to do when they have a 3-2 count on a batter. Just aim the ball to I would guess.

Plan to try this drill, it sound great. Always a good thing but it sounds like it is easy to make fun and competitive at the same time.

Thanks

 

[halskinner]

This discussion is being brought up again so I am resurrecting this thread