Baseball Hitting Instructional Videos - Hit To Middle Drill

Hitting Advice:

Exercise tie-in: Back Exercises

Benefit: Strengthens your "core" and also the muscles throughout your back, which are vital components to a baseball swing and all athletic movements in general

Drill: You are viewing a basic tee drill from a rear angle perspective. The main objective of all hitting drills is to develop consistent mechanical hitting fundamentals. Doing these drills properly on a daily basis gets your body and mind into a state known as "muscle memory." Since successfully hitting a baseball is such a repetitive technique, it is imperative to execute these drills consistently and properly. In this particular clip, the objective is to hit a line drive to centerfield. When hitting the ball to the centerfield, you want to be sure that you have the ball placed on the tee down the middle of the plate and slightly out in front of your front foot. You want to be sure that your feet are at least shoulder width apart. As you get into your stance you want to keep your hands back as well as your weight shifted slightly to your backside. Mentally, visualize hitting a line drive to centerfield and/or back at the pitcher. As you begin to address the ball, your objective is to slightly shift your weight back toward your backside (this is known as a "take-away"). Once your weight is back, you will next make a small stride with your front foot (no stride is ok as well) toward the ball while your hands simultaneously load to the hitting position (this is known as "stride separation"). Finally, let your hands throw the bat head to the ball while keeping your swing path through the hitting zone, naturally pivoting on your back foot. As you follow through with your swing, you can either hold on with two hands or release your top hand, whichever feels most comfortable (this is known as the "finish").You will be able to tell if you took a proper swing path during this drill if you are able to hit a line drive into centerfield and/or to the back net of the batting cage. Repeat this drill for about 25 swings or until you feel that you have established a nice, consistent rhythm. Remember: your objective is to get yourself into a nice rhythm and mindset prior to your actual game.

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