Baseball practice is a time to work on skill development and refinement. Since its birth in the 19th century, the game has seen plenty of development, and many changes. However, many of baseball's oldest drills are still among the best in helping players develop their skills.
Return to the Fielder Drill
In this drill, the coach stands at home plate and hits ground balls to the infielders. He starts off by hitting a ground ball to the third baseman, who fires it to first. The first baseman throws it to the catcher, who rolls a slow grounder to the third baseman. The third baseman picks it up on the run and throws it back to the catcher. He then runs to the bench. Every fielder --- including the outfielders --- follows in the same manner.
9-Point Drill
In this drill, the batter must concentrate on hitting the ball to all fields. The batter will face nine pitches. He must hit three to left field, three to center field, and three to right field; he does not have to do it in any order. For each pitch he hits to the correct field, he gets one point. Thus, if he manages to hit three to each field, he gets nine points. For a swing and a miss, or a hit to the wrong field, he loses a point. This emphasizes consistency and bat control.
Fence Drill
This is one of the best drills for batters who are struggling or in a slump. When you build a swing, you want to keep your front elbow fairly tight to your body. This will allow you to turn with your hips as you swing, and get maximum power --- generating bat-head speed as you make contact the ball. To do this, stand with your bat less than one length from a fence. Swing the bat but do not hit the fence with it. If you hit the fence, it means you are getting too long with your swing. If you can swing and just graze the fence, or end up an inch or two short of it, it means you are developing a short, compact swing, which is optimum for developing power. Swing the bat 15 times, take a 30-second break, and repeat the set.
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