3 Drills That Make Batting Cage Work More Productive

3 Drills That Make Batting Cage Work More Productive
By guest author: Nick Dixon

Batting cage batting practice is a great way to improve batting skill, bat speed and batter confidence. This article discusses three Hitting Drills That Make Batting Cage Work More Productive. The three drills are the MOVE UP, COUNT ADJUSTMENT and LINE DRIVE CONTEST. These drills are great ways to get maximum benefits from your batting cage workouts. The three drills are:

Move Up Batting Drill

Purpose: Used to improve bat speed, visual concentration, and batter confidence.

Description: The MOVE-UP hitting drill: The batter learns to see and hit the ball quicker out of the machine or batters hand. Before the drill begins, 4 spots are marked on the floor, in measured distances of 40, 35, 30, and 25 feet. The machine or pitcher should maintain a safe medium speed velocity during this drill. The accuracy of your pitching machine must be checked and rechecked during the drill for safety purposes. The spots are the locations at which the batter will take a certain number of swings. The batter hits 4 balls at each spot and then move closer to the machine or pitcher at the next spot.

Procedure: The batter hits 4 to 6 balls at each spot, then moves to the next spot closer to the machine or pitcher. The machine or pitcher should not deliver the next pitcher until the batter assumes a proper stance, triggers or loads to the proper launch position, and has visual focus on the pitcher or machine. The batter starts the drill at 40 feet and hits at all spots until he has hit 4 to 6 balls at each spot, ending with ball hit at the closest spot to the pitcher, 25 feet. Distances can be shortened or made longer to meet the needs of your players.

Coaching Points: Sometimes you may have the player hit two balls at each spots moving toward the machine and then hit two balls at each spot moving away from the machine, until two balls are hit at each location or distance. This process makes the batter adjust to varying changes in pitch speed. This drill is great for teaching batters to stay-back and let the ball in.

Count Adjustment Drill

Purpose: The drill is great for teaching young hitters to make adjustments in their approach at the plate based on the current count. Batters learn to be properly aggressive for the following counts or situations 0-0, 2-0, 0-2, 3-1, runner at 3rd with 1 or less outs, and hit-in-run.

Procedure: In a normal cage hitting, the players would be hitting every pitch in the correct and proper direction based on the pitch location. To change the approach, a coach calls a count such as 2-0. For the next two pitches, the batter will be properly aggressive as he would with that count in a game. Of course in this situation, the batter is looking for a pitch in that perfect spot. If the ball is at that anticipated location, the batter attacks, the ball. If the ball is not in that spot the batter will hold off the pitch and adjust to the new count of 2-1 or 3-0. If the coach calls, Runner at 3rd, the batter is looking for a pitch up to drive deep enough for a score or tag and score. The batter will try to lift the ball and drive a deep fly ball to the outfield. If the coach calls for a Hit-and-Run swing, the batter will execute a hit-and-run approach at the plate and hit the ball in a direction that would be behind the runner.

Line Drive Contest Drill

After a session of batting cage workouts, it is good to end the day with a competitive and fun line-drive hitting contest. An assistant coach will do the pitching. The coach is protected by a L-screen. The player should only swing at great pitches. The contest is to see which player hits the most line-drives in a row. A line-drive is a ball that hits the side walls, back wall, or pitchers L-Screen hard and directly off the batters bat. The hit ball can not touch the top of the cage in front of the pitching protective L-Screen. As long as the batter hits line-drives with each swing, the batter adds one to his score for each line-drive hit. This drill is a good method of teaching batters to perform and hit under pressure.

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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Dixon coaches at Boaz High in Boaz Alabama. Dixon is a member of the American Baseball Coahes Association and Alabama Baseball Coaches Association.

Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is considered an expert in baseball training and skills development. Dixon also serves as an active consultant to baseball equipment companies and other sports product inventors.

Dixon is also a contributing writer for the Baseball Coaching Digest, the baseball Coaching Digest Blog, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Youth Baseball Digest Blog, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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The Value of Owning Your Own Batting Cage

The Value of Owning Your Own Batting Cage
By guest author: John Peter Pero

I absolutely believe that the #1 backyard training aid that any player could ever hope to have is a batting cage and a pitching machine...even if the pitching machine needs to be budgeted at a later date.

The reason this is so important has to do with how ballplayers are built, how they improve fastest, and where their enjoyment of the game is derived.

If You Can Hit.They Will Find a Place to Play You!

Most players say that hitting is the most fun part of the game.

As coaches, we know that hitting the ball hard and consistent are the best we can hope for from our players.

Hitting the Ball Well Happens When:

First - The player is taught proper hitting mechanics, which is always a work in progress.

Next - Players will repeat these good mechanical swings over and over and over until they become so natural.that success is merely a next step to the next level.

There is no better way for a ballplayer to achieve and repeat these good mechanics and hard swings than having the ability to walk out his own back door to take these swings.

The tremendous number of swings that it takes to commit these mechanics to good muscle memory takes days, weeks and months. Approaching perfection takes much longer. Without this effort, even natural athletes are not nearly as likely to succeed. Every year we see these natural athletes leave the game prematurely!

Space and Money... Money and Space...

The reality is that many families find themselves short of one or both of those items.

That's where we at BaseballTips.com can hopefully help you!

So why don't more players have this invaluable backyard tool?

Until only a few years ago, batting cages were only available as Pro-type cages; the ones you see at High Schools, and league fields. But as the game has grown in popularity and travel ball becomes bigger, some very creative inventors have filled in the gaps.

For those families with limited backyard space and budget please take a look at some of these creative and more inexpensive options that we are now able to offer.

The Portable Batting Cage Kit with L Screen

This cage allows for tremendous flexibility in that it can be purchased in 50, 60 or 70 foot lengths with three choices of net strength that will fit any budget or age player.

Even the shipping charge is reduced due to your needing to purchase the cage legs at a local Home Depot, Lowe's or similar. It is absolutely a simple project, with no cutting or special tools required. Total installation time is 1+ hour right out of the box!

New for 2008

Our Backyard Batting Cage. This creative concept is delivered to you in one box containing a 24 foot section fully complete and ready to go.

The cage sits above the ground, except for a kind of "foot" that is pounded into the ground. a few inches below the dirt level.

Installation is less than 45 minutes the first time you set it up and quicker after that!

The hitter stands inside one end of the cage while the pitching machine is set up outside of the cage at the other end. A small, pre-cut hole allows the pitch to enter the cage while protecting the pitching machine and the coach or practice partner.

Want a 48 or 72 Foot Cage Now or Later?

Two or three of these 24 foot cages can be installed end to end to make a 48 foot or even a 72 foot long cage.

Note:

There is some cutting and fastening together of each section, though the directions are quite clear and the project itself is really not complicated. I do recommend this project be tackled by two people, not one.

And yes, you can purchase additional sections at a later date or as your players grow.

http://www.baseballtips.com/

Baseball tips & youth baseball equipment, training aids & instruction! It's all here for baseball coaching of pitchers & hitters, little league to high school

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Peter_Pero

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The Categories they have are: BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!