Youth Baseball Batting Drills

Hitting a baseball is extremely difficult. Even the best hitters make outs more often than they get on base. For example, in 2009, Albert Pujols, one of Major League Baseball’s best hitters, reached base safely only 44% of the time, according to MLB.com. A youth baseball coach should explain this to his players so they don’t become discouraged when they fail to get on base. A coach should also conduct batting drills during practices that teach his players the necessary skills to get on base as often as possible.

Batting Tee Target Drill

The batting tee target drill teaches batters how to hit balls in different parts of the strike zone. They can focus exclusively on their swing mechanics, because the ball is stationary during this drill. Position a batting tee at home plate, a cone between first base and second base, a second cone on top of second base, and a third cone between second base and third base. Have one player bat at a time, and the other players scatter across the outfield to retrieve balls. Stand near home plate to position the tee in a different part of the strike zone after each swing. The batter should try to hit the ball off the tee toward one of the cones, depending on where the tee is located. For outside pitches, he should try to hit the ball toward the cone between first and second base; for pitches in the middle of the strike zone, he should hit the ball toward the cone on top of second; and for inside pitches, he should hit the ball toward the cone between second and third base.

Front Toss Target Drill

The front toss target drill is similar to the batting tee target drill, but is more game-like, because the ball is moving into the strike zone from the direction of the pitcher’s mound. Place cones in the same locations as with the batting tee target drill. Position a screen 15 to 25 feet in front of home plate. With the rest of the players in the outfield, toss 10 to 20 balls underhanded from behind the screen to one batter at a time. Randomly toss the balls in different parts of the strike zone. The batter should attempt to hit hard line drives at one of the cones, depending on the location of the pitch. Give each batter feedback about his swing.

Spin-No Spin Drill

The spin-no spin drill teaches batters to focus on the ball, coaches Rick Jones and Mark Kingston, note in their contribution to “The Baseball Drill Book.” Kneel near a bucket of balls about five feet to the side of a batter, facing his chest. Place a net in front of the batter to stop the balls after he hits them. Repeatedly toss balls into the strike zone, some with and some without spin. Tell the batter to swing at the balls with spin, and not to swing at the balls without spin; in baseball terms, not swinging at a pitch is called "taking." Switch batters after 10 to 20 swings.