Skill Set: Hitting

Difficulty Level: Medium

Number of Athletes and Coaches: 1-2 athletes and 1 coach, or 2 athletes as partners

Average Time to Complete: 5 minutes

Equipment Required: Tee, baseballs, net or screen to hit into

Goal: Land the strike foot on the 3 count and be on time to the ball

Description of the Drill:

• Tee set up slightly in front of the middle of the plate
• Hitter sets up two steps back from the plate (toward the catcher position)
• Hitter crosses their back foot in front of their front foot, staying square to the plate
• Hitter then steps with the front foot into the normal area of their batting stance
• As the front foot moves forward towards the pitcher, the weight should be shifted onto the back foot as the load, and the front foot should stride into the normal stride position
• Hitter then tries to hit the ball back up the middle, using the momentum from the steps, hitting the ball on a 3 count (counting starts with the first step)
• Objective is for the hitter to land the strike foot on the 3 count as they count off as they walk
• Ideal drill for working on coordinating the body and being able to consistently be in position to hit with timing
• Partners switch after 5 swings

Add Difficulty:

• To add a degree of difficulty, the hitter can hit on a 4 count. In this variation, the hitter has to sink in (like hitting a change-up) on a 4 or 5 count.