5 Softball Hitting Drills

Drill 1: Mirror

Purpose: To develop a picture-perfect technique.

Procedure: Batter assumes batting stance in front of a mirror with or without a bat and swings, focusing on length of stride, hip rotation, and contact point.

Drill 2: Stride

Purpose: To emphasize keeping the hands back while taking a soft, short step.

Procedure: The batter assumes her normal stance and takes a low, soft stride forward, while the hands remain back.

Drill 3: Advanced T

Purpose: To learn muscle memory by performing the swing the same every time.

Procedure: The batter is in her normal position at a T. Her partner places the ball on the T. The batter hits one, then baseball her eyes and hits again.

Drill 4: Bat Paddle

Purpose: To develop hip turn and rotation.

Procedure: Tape a baseball to the barrel of the bat so that it extends beyond the barrel. The batter places the bat behind her back so that the paddle extends beyond her back hip and grips the bat with both hands. The hitter assumes her batting position and her partner stands in front of her about 10 to 12 feet away. The tosser pitches the balls underhand across the plate. The batter takes a full hip turn trying to hit the ball with the paddle.

Drill 5: Partner Fair Ball

Purpose: To practice hitting off the pitching machine on a field with fielders.

Procedure: The pitching machine is on the mound and set on the hitting speed and location for that day. All players have a partner and they take turns hitting off the machine. One hitter hits until she hits a fair ball. Then it is the partner's turn. A prescribed amount of time is allotted for each pair combination. Fielders and base runners can be used.

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

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