Hitting with power is one of the goals of any young baseball player. The ability to hit the ball in the outfield gaps or over the fence comes from hand-eye coordination, timing, weight shift, strength and quick hands. There are a variety of drills and exercises hitters can do to improve their power.
Soft Toss
The soft-toss drill will help a hitter hone his batting stroke. The more consistent the batting stroke, the better the chance the hitter will drive the ball for power. In the soft toss, the coach stands about 5 feet to the side of the hitter and tosses the ball into the hitting zone. The batter must drive his hands through the hitting zone and the bat must follow. This promotes solid contact, which leads to consistent power.
Power Bat
Hitting for power is a function of driving the bat through the hitting zone and following through fully. Hitters can improve their ability to do this with a batting tee, a bathroom plunger and a basketball. Stick the plunger's handle in the batting tee so the rubber end is pointing up. Place the basketball on the plunger. Take your normal stance and swing through the ball. Do this 10 times to develop the strength and explosiveness to become a consistent power hitter.
Hit to All Fields
The best power hitters know that they don't have to pull every pitch to get power results. They learn to hit the outside pitch to the opposite field, the pitch over the middle to center field and pull the inside pitch. In batting practice, you must go with the pitch to hone your stroke and develop power to all fields. To build this skill, go into the batter's box during practice and try to hit 10 balls to right field, 10 balls to center field and 10 balls to left. This will help you learn the mechanics of driving the ball to all fields with power.
Patience at the Plate
Effective power hitters develop patience at the plate. According to Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, one of the keys to consistent power is swinging at the right pitches. Most hitters know this before stepping into the batter's box, but it is still difficult to wait patiently when standing in the batter's box. Dawson says power hitters accomplish their goals by being selective and coming to the plate with an approach for hitting. Go into the batting cage and only swing at pitches you can drive to the outfield. Give yourself one point for every ball that makes it to the outfield and subtract a point for every pitch you pop up or ground out. Let as many pitches go by as you need to and don't swing at pitches you can't drive for power.
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