Purpose

The stride box helps player keep foot closed and maintain a firm front side

Set Up

Make a stride box by nailing together two 2×4’s (each roughly 12″ long) into an L-shape. Place the stride box beside a tee. The batter gets into his stance with the stride foot inside the box.

Execution

  1. There are three progressions to this drill. First, the player stands with his foot in the stride box, his back knee and hip are turned and the bat barrel is down in the lag position. He continues the swing and makes contact
  2. In the second progression, he goes into regular batting stance with his stride foot already in the stride box so he just turns and hits.
  3. In the third progression, he gets into regular stance and strides forward into the stride box and then swings and hits the ball.
  4. Do 10 swings in each progression.

Coaching Tips

  • Player’s swing should be on the same plane as the ball
  • During the swing, the player’s front heel should be down before his back heel comes up