The Value of Hitting Drills – How to Play Baseball
Firing the lead arm drill
It is very common for hitters to just grab a bat and begin hitting at the beginning of the season or before a game. Hitting a pitched ball will help hitters to develop their timing, which of course is important. However, it is unlikely that those hitters will be able to change their hitting fundmentals with this practice. It usually takes performing some good hitting drills a number of times in order to develop better hitting mechanics. Hitters should, as often as possible, begin the season and practices by performing hitting drills to reinforce good hitting fundamentals or perform drills which best address their hitting needs.
There are hundreds of baseball hitting drills. The best drills change or reinforce muscle memory for the best, where the hitter will begin to incorporate the drills intent into their swing fundamentals.
Muscle memory takes a long time to develop or to change, but with good drills the hitter’s habits will begin to change over time. It is best to have the hitter take about 10 repetitions of the drill and then try their regular swing and see if they can incorporate the drills mechanics into their swing. But as mentioned it will take many more than the 10 reps to change the hitters mechanics over the long haul. Once a coach finds a drill that fits the hitters’ need, they should stay with it for a long period. Most hitters have natural tendencies that they will always revert back to, so it is important that the hitter remembers the drills that most help them to overcome their natural negative tendencies.
Sometimes, it is necessary to use an alternate device to help hitters to get the idea of a hitting fundamental. Such is the case with the above pictured drill. Using a towel will help hitters to get the understanding of how to attack the ball with their lead arm and front side. This is especially helpful for young hitters who may not have the strength to fire the lead arm with their own bat yet.
