Batting practice is an essential activity for baseball players development as hitters. Whether it’s indoors in a cage or out on a baseball field, players need reps to become better hitters. Here are our tips on getting better at throwing batting practice.

Simplify

Don’t get overly complicated with your throwing motion. Keep your feet planted and shorten up your throwing motion. Throw it more like a dart than a strikeout pitch.

Pick a Spot to Aim

Aim at a spot on the backstop or back of the batting cage. If you don’t have a target you are going to be erratic with your control.

Baseball Drills For Hitting

Utilize good drills. A good drill should help a player learn a concept or ideally feel the correct way of doing a skill. Plus, variety makes practice more interesting and hopefully more fun for the players.

More Information: Essential Baseball Hitting Drills

Protect Yourself

Use an L screen. You are no good to the team after you get hit by a ball.

Give the Batter a Timing Queue

Give the hitter a queue to start their swing. I like to tap the ball on my mitt to help them get a sense for timing.

Fake a Throw

You can learn a lot about what a hitter is doing by not releasing the ball and checking if they have started their swing or set their front foot down. Most struggling hitters start too late and don’t get their foot down in time.

Start With Front Toss or Side Toss

You don’t always need to throw overhand. I think front toss is equally important to developing a hitter. I like to use a round or two of front toss before I backup and throw overhand. You can hit your spots easier and the player can build confidence in their hitting.

Use Hitting Aids For Batting Practice

With coaches that struggle throwing BP I like to give them the heavy ball station. That is also a station players can pair up and do themselves when they get older.

More Information: Our Guide to Baseball Practice Equipment

Start With Tee Work Drills

Don’t forget about tee work. Great use of hitting time in practice.

More Information: Guide to Baseball Batting Tees

Make Batting Practice a Part of a Great Practice

Batting practice is one part of a running a great practice. Splitting your players up into stations will also help BP run smoother. Why have a bunch of guys standing around when players can be getting other reps simultaneously?

More Information: Creating a Challenging Baseball Practice Plan

Ultimate Guide To Hitting

I hope these tips help. For more information on hitting, see our Ultimate Guide to Hitting.

Baseball Hitting Quiz

Do you know what it takes to be a great hitter? Take our quiz and find out.

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