Here’s a great baseball hitting drill you can use with all ages and ability levels. It’s called the “Identification Drill” – and the goal is to help your hitters identify the spin and trajectory of the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, then use that information to make better decisions at the plate.

I love this hitting drill because it prepares your kids for REAL game situations.

Here’s a suggested progression for the drill:

  1. Demonstrate in slow motion the release points and grips they will be looking for – fastball, curveball, and changeup, and how they differ from one another
  2. From around 30 feet away, throw several fastballs, then several changeups, then several curveballs in a row (use tennis balls or   softee balls)
  3. Begin to vary your pitches. Fastball, curveball, fastball. Or fastball, changeup, fastball and so on.
  4. Once your players begin to understand how to identify the different pitches, have them call out the pitch as it leaves the pitchers hand.
  5. To increase the difficulty, you can move in closer, and also vary the location of the pitch. Inside, outside, high, and low.

If you like this drill and think it would work well for your team, then you should definitely check out “Dynamic Hitting Drills.”

Inside, you’ll learn 23 simple, fun, and wickedly effective batting practice activities specifically designed to teach your players the CORRECT mechanics of hitting, then transfer those skills into real, live in-game competition.

baseball hitting drill videoThe secret is combining the proper TECHNICAL skills (like coordination, rhythm, power, and bat speed), with TACTICAL skills (like identifying pitches, and knowing how to adjust your swing to different pitch types and locations). Some of the drills included:

  • IMO-123 Drill: Establishes the best possible contact point for the 9 key hitting zones”¦ so your kids learn to recognize the pitch, then quickly adjust their swing path to the ball.   (Less than 5% of players and coaches really understand how powerful this concept is!)
  • Talking BP Drill: Trains your hitters to read and react to different types of pitches in a real game situation”¦ from the “up and in fastball””¦ to the “low and away changeup””¦ to the “curveball in the dirt””¦ and everything in between. Gives your kids unshakable confidence to perform in even the most pressure-packed situation.
  • Opposite Field Drill: A fun short toss drill that trains your hitters to sit back on an outside pitch, close the lead shoulder, keep the bat head up, then drive the ball to the opposite field.

Click here to learn more about “Dynamic Hitting Drills.”

One last thing – let me know what you think! Would you use this drill with your team? Why or why not? Got a better hitting drill you want to share with our coaching community? Post it below – I’d love to see it!