Teaches hitters to load properly, separate their stride from their swing, and trust their eyes by tracking a small ball.
Equipment: Bucket of small wiffle balls, swiftstick
Players needed: 1
1. Have the batter pick up the swiftstick so they can take a zillion swings without wearing out.
2. Stand 5–10 feet away with the bucket of wiffle balls.
3. Throw to the batter, adjusting velocity as needed. Include some pickleballs mixed in so they are a little bigger.
4. Work on load — getting ready to hit — and on separating the stride from the swing.
5. Show the hitter how much better things go when the front foot lands.
Players sometimes start the drill by saying “I can’t hit such a little ball.” But alas they can. It only builds confidence and eye tracking.
Coaching Notes
If you have some good assistants, it’s good to set up more of these stations as it doesn’t take up much space. It’s not good, though, if you have an assistant who doesn’t really provide good feedback on the hitting mechanics. Also, players have to focus and just NOT randomly swing every time — every swing has to matter.
If your hitters’ eyes and front foot are locking in on a tiny wiffle ball, imagine what they’ll do with a real pitch — grab the free Quick Start Guide and keep building from there.
