In today’s blog post, I am going to share 3 bat speed drills that are great for training the intermediate player.
Rapid Fire Soft Toss
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Setup: Here you need a partner, five baseballs, and a bat.
Execution: This is a lot like a 5 ball soft toss drill, except that instead of isolating the hands, you should use your whole body in every swing. Have your partner toss you the five balls in succession as fast as you can while staying under control.
Coaching Tips: For this drill, you can do whatever it is you need to do to get back to your starting position as fast as possible whether that’s helicoptering or something else that you feel more comfortable with. Just remember to keep your balance and stay in control.
Drop Ball Drill
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Setup: For this drill you’ll need a partner, a couple baseballs, and a bat.
Execution: Have your partner stand on the opposite side of the plate of you, holding a baseball directly above the strike zone. Now your partner will drop the ball, and your job is to react and swing as fast as possible to get your bat on it. Go through five reps to complete a set.
Coaching Tips: To adjust the difficulty of this drill, have your partner hold the ball higher to make it easier, or lower to make it tougher.
Variations: One variation, called the extreme ball drill, involves the same basic idea of the drop ball drill, but using a smaller ball and/or a bat with a much smaller diameter.
Reaction Soft Toss Drill
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Setup: For this drill you’ll need a partner, a couple baseballs, and a bat.
Execution: Get into your batting stance, but then extend your hands forward, so that they are roughly over your front foot, with the bat held straight up, perpendicular to the ground. Now with your partner in position for a soft toss, keep your eyes on his hands. As soon as the ball leaves his hands, bring the bat back to the beginning of your swing and explode back forward, through the ball. After five reps, switch back to a regular batting stance for five more reps, focusing on transferring over the same principles from the drill.
Coaching Tips: If you’re having trouble reacting in time, ask your partner throw the tosses with a little bit more loft on them to make the drill easier.
For more great bat speed drills, be sure to check out “Hitting Drills and Mechanics for Youth Baseball“. And don’t forget to Become a Fan on Facebook, where I will share more great bat speed drills