Benefit: Strengthens hands and forearms
which are vital components to a baseball swing
Drill:
You are viewing a basic tee drill. 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. When hitting the ball to center
field, you want to be sure that you have the ball placed on the tee 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 the middle of the field 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 if you are able to hit a line drive back up the middle of
the field/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.