Tee work

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Apr 20, 2018
4,581
113
SoCal
This is not going to stop me from using a tee but I might add some head/eyes movement into tee work. I think this falls into "I know the pros all do it but they are all wrong" category.
 

LEsoftballdad

DFP Vendor
Jun 29, 2021
2,838
113
NY
Tee work is just one tool in building a swing. It needs to be used in conjunction with front toss and live hitting. My daughters both use the tee when they're alone. Are they supposed to stop using and not doing anything? I'm sorry, but I disagree with his take.
 
Apr 2, 2015
1,198
113
Woodstock, man
The problem is not the tee itself, or in using the tee.

The problem is not knowing what to do when you use a tee, or soft toss, or in the cage.

Most people, even pros, don't stride or coil properly when using a tee. Pros don't understand how they stride or coil in games. They made it to the pros by having a game swing that works, and not letting bad cues and destructive drills change their game swing.

Everyone should be practicing what they should do in a game swing. But they dont.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
All his reasons for why using a tee is stupid on that first page are actually the reasons why you often should do tee work, especially when working on something new.

I imagine this guy thinks you should teach someone to swim by taking them on a boat 50 miles out into the ocean and then throwing them overboard.
 
Jan 6, 2009
6,591
113
Chehalis, Wa
He is just trying to drum up business.

The tee isn’t the problem. You have to create the correct feel off the tee and then try to recreate the feel off live. If you never felt it, then yes he is just throwing you over board.

I do think you need the correct tee. I use the Tanner tee and Utee.

In fact just the opposite happens. You work on forgetting on trying to hit the ball. Don’t worry about the ball. Don’t be a end gainer, instead focus on the means where by.
 
Jan 28, 2017
1,662
83
Really good coach in our area evaluates the hitters swing and suggest to either use it or not based on the individual swing. He tells my son that he shouldn’t use one and my daughter to use one. Simple- DD swing is really good off the tee. My sons isn’t as good but a better hitter than my DD normally
 
Nov 20, 2020
995
93
SW Missouri
In terms of practice....without direction and purpose, the tee is almost worthless. And can create bad habits. With proper education and purpose, the tee is an important tool. But that goes for just about any "tool" athletes may use to practice with.
 
Jun 8, 2016
16,118
113
I have mixed feelings. My kid has never been able to transfer what she does on the tee to her game swing. That could be due to incompetency of the instructor, I don't know. At this point we do try to work on things off the tee but in reality it is probably more of a warmup than anything else.
 
Jul 14, 2018
982
93
Interesting thread on the heels of the other one about pitching machines. Last winter, our 16U team did one practice a week over the winter where they just hit. Traditional stuff: tee drills and front toss.

As a team, they were mostly late on pitches as first-year 16s. The GameChanger spray charts bear it out — lots of oppo hits, lots of pop ups to 2B.

This year, I convinced the HC to do a day of practice at the cages over the winter. I figure at this age, there’s not much we can do to change a swing (I wouldn’t even try, but some coaches think they have a blueprint for swing success). We’ll see how it goes.

Incidentally, DD’s best hitting season was in the summer of 2020. Because Covid delayed everything, she basically spent 2 months hitting off a machine at her friend’s house before she played in a game. She was locked in that summer.


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