Hey, Coach Justin here! Hope you enjoyed today’s video. What other terrible drills are out there? Don’t forget to grab your FREE Bat Speed Boosters… I left the link in the description!
Ultimate Baseball Training Hey Coach Justin your vids have helped my youth teams a lot. I have to disagree with you here though about the rapid fire practice. It may not be effectice for form and mechanics but it has its place in other aspects of the swing. It works well with youth players (8-9yo). Many youth coaches stuggle to just get kid to swing. Many young players really want to hit and because of this they over think the mechanics. You say "you never do that in a game...so why do it in practice"? You never throw from a knee during an game either or hit from a tee. But these drills are means of isolating one aspect of the game and working on it. Rapid fire stuff does work well for several things. Getting them to swing, stop over thinking amd focusing on contact. It helps with timing. It also helps young players move their hands to the ball. I use a hit-away during practice and it works beautifully with timing and kids who struggle making contact during BP. Just my .02 Thanks again for the great vids keep em coming.
I have to say on the "swinging down to the ball" verbiage. I was taught this as a young player by two former professional ball players. One who was an MLB All Star (Matt Nokes). However, it was explained as taking my hands down onto the plain of the pitch and getting behind the ball not on top. Locating where the ball will be and getting there first. And finishing high with my hands not rolling across below my shoulder. This caused a lift in the ball. It changed my whole hitting experience. I went from line drives and ground balls to booming home runs. I coach this with my son and LL team and we consistently are the team with the best contact and ball trajectory. I agree that "getting on top of the ball" is the wrong approach. Getting behind the ball and driving through is my verbiage. Just wanted to give you a different take on the "down to the ball" approach. Great video, I agreed and appreciated everything else in the video.
I agree with everything you mentioned in this video. Too many kids/players watch TV and think they can copy a stance. It's hard to keep players on the basics to build muscle and skill before adding style. Good video and keep posting. Indonesia's only American batting cage---Amerindo Batting Cages.
I agree although I think the high back tee creates problems that are harder to fix. I have seen it used at lower levels in an attempt to correct drop shoulder tendencies. Your explanation of the bat plane vs. ball plane in this example is perfect.
I agree with all of it. I do believe I read that Pete Rose used to do that strengthening wrist "drill" a lot (1:58) so I've told my son to do that every now and then.
Great question. I talk about this throughout some of my other videos a little bit. Go watch the Robinson Cano Drill video where I talk about staying connected. I prefer using that terminology over knob to the ball
Soft toss from behind is a good way to get batters in the habbit of keeping their eye on the ball (not let the head fly toward left field for right hander). Players don't hit off a tee in a game either, but you recommend doing that, correct? Great video, but I would take issue with that one drill.
Goo video I agree with everything but what you said about soft toss from behind... this is taught by the pros on MLB network... worked for my kids as a different but affective drill... thanks for the vid
Apparently, he has a problem with any drills intended to work on hand/eye coordination that aren't 100% in-game situations. What about infield 'soft hands' drills, involving eggs or stiff *gloves*? I mean, these are terrible as well, right? How many times during a game are you going to have to field an egg? derp de derp.
Pure gold here. When training to bowhunt deer you shoot low reps w/ high concentration on each shot as only one arrow/shot is going to be used typically. Same principle here as only one swing is used to hit a homerun. Practice how you play.
IMO the 2 tee drill has its place. Although I set up the tees level or the back tee slightly higher. Any drill should have a purpose and may not be appropriate for every hitter. For example the 2 tee drill is used when a hitter is dropping back side and consistently swinging under the ball. It teaches them a better bat path. Like many drills, it can be over used. It’s important to understand that some drills are about “feel vs real”. So for many players if you tell them their bat path should be slightly upward at contact because that’s getting on plane with the ball, they are going to have a bat path with a much steeper angle than ideal. And that leads to tons of fly balls and strikeouts. So to counter that you may use language like “swing down on the ball” while in reality that’s not what you are actually trying to achieve. Again it’s “feel vs real”. JMO and what I’ve seen in young players.
Yeah I tried the soft toss from behind with my son to try and encourage watching the ball... I didn’t like it at all. I agree with your recommendation.
I hadn’t seen your video yet, just in case you were wondering why I would still do it after watching a video of yours suggesting not to do it. Love your vids btw!
what about a two tee drill with a ball on each tee, tee nearest to the batter is slightly lower and the objective is to hit the higher tee without touching the lower ball?
That would definitely be a better drill than the ones I explained in this video, however, I don't know if I'd consider that a necessary drill. I'm not really sure what it would accomplish, aside from maybe ensuring that the hitter keeps his barrel below his hands at contact instead of vice versa.
Ultimate Baseball Training Just thought it would help the player (softball fastpitch) to develop more of a level swing and keep them from dropping their back shoulder so much. What do you think?
You are sadly mistaken on the backtee drill, it is for keeping your hands and barrel inside the ball, at no point should your barrel go over the back tee, it should go inside it. It’s basically the Robinson Cano drill but with a tee instead of a wall/fence. It’s a great drill for literally anyone to do and WILL increase power
I actually really like the drill you're talking about and even recommend it in this video here: th-cam.com/video/SlCP7FCGi3s/w-d-xo.html However, the higher back tee drill demonstrated in this video is different. In my opinion the placement of the tee should NOT be straight back from the ball and higher in the back. This creates a sense of chopping down and getting on top of the ball. I'm all for drills that encourage keeping your hands and barrel inside the ball like you mentioned, but I think in this particular video the drill is done improperly. Thanks for the support!
Hey Coach, what about one knee batting drill?? My son is 6 and starting the farm league soon and was thinking of having him practice this drill but have herd a lot of good and bads about it. Does it really help and if so in which aspects?? Would love to hear your opinion and feedback, thanks!
S S I’m not the coach but from my outside perspective of this it’s a good and bad drill it’s good because it can help create power with your core but is bad because it could lead to a bad habit of not using their lower body
One knee drills are where I always start with young hitters. Isolation the upperbody allows the player to focus on loading his hands properly while also building core and forearm strength that youth players won't start with. Teaching hitting mechanics in a standing or live bp setting will be much tougher until you change their instinctive movements which most likely are wrong.
One knee drill is good as long as you lock the front leg. It helps in that the weight can’t slide forward during the swing. It restricts hip and core turn but the point of the drill is to reduce a linear move as you start the swing. So for that it’s a good drill.
I have a 6 year old who is having a hard time making contact with the ball. Stance is good and his swing is amazing but he just can not make contact with the ball. Any suggestions?!
He's probably not truly watching the ball if he's got a great swing but not making contact. I suggest throwing some smaller objects at him until he learns to hit them! Use something like air soft BBs or pinto beans! That'll help improve his hand-eye coordination.
I actually recommend the opposite of what Justin recommends (although I love his videos and advice). Go to Dollar Tree and buy about 10 oversized foam balls and inflatable balls, about the size of a softball. Pitch those to him and once he starts to hit them (and he will), his confidence will grow, and you can mix in some real balls. My son is also 6 and literally could not hit 1 out of 20 pitches a couple of months ago. I made a trip to Dollar Tree and we started hitting those. He now hits probably about 70% of the real baseballs I throw him. Not hard, violent contact by any means, but a VAST improvement over where he was. Build his confidence with the "fun balls" (that's what we call them), then move on to the real thing.
only time i ever used a "quick hands / rapid fire" drill as an instructor was with an 8-10 year old. She had a weird quirk where she would start, then stop and then start her swing again. it seemed to help break her habit cause she didn't have time you do all that weirdo stuff and make contact with anything.
If you watch 10 different Major League hitters, they'll all have 10 different stances. No hitter is the exact same in terms of how they get themselves set up and ready to hit. However, pause all of those same hitters at the point of contact and they'll look identical. So my thoughts are - it doesn't really matter how you start as long as you get into a good hitting position at the point of contact to be on time and square up the baseball. Find a stance that works and stick to it! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the comment! 👊🏼
Really enjoy your videos. I saw a drill using a vertical foam roll set up on a rod inside a cone behind the tee (in line with the player’s back foot) to help players stay inside the ball and not cast. Would you recommend this?
Do you have advice for the "loop" swing? I have a 7 year old that is doing the loop and I am trying to work with him to fix that. I heard about the two tee drill, but you just said it's no good. It would be good to get some alternative to these. But these are great things to remember.
Hamlet Caminero two tee drill but the tee in back needs to be a lower to the point where when he swings to not hit ball in back fixes the swinging up motion resulting in weak ground ball from hitting it with top spin thus hitting top ball the hit equals weak ground ball. I have had great results from it when developing a productive swing
Be careful correcting a "looping swing". The only way to be successful with a low pitch is to have a "loop". Go look at any Major League hitter who is swinging at a low pitch. Ever wonder why when watching a lefty swing sometimes people will say how nice their swing looks. Know why? Most lefties have a natural loop; that's why left handed hitters are generally very proficient at hitting the low pitch. Having a loop is the only way to go down and get on plane with a low pitch, then drive it. Think of it this way; the lower the pitch, the more pronounced the loop. The higher the pitch the less loop. My suggestion would be, if he has a large loop, regardless of pitch height (or tee height), then use a high tee drill where you set the tee up above the top of the zone (chest high) and teach him to hit line drives from there. Is your son a lefty by chance?
Actually soft toss from behind is one of the best drills you can do to help teach hitters in their early stages that they can't swing around the ball... they have to keep the hands inside the ball and throw the hands forward while keeping their weight back... and yes I was a All American Hitter & Pitcher as well...
Ripkens, Tony Gwynn and many other MLB ballers agree with you as well. I’ve coached many players and used soft toss from behind to address the casting / head pulling. I learned it from an MLB player who has a World Series ring.
So don't hit a ball from behind because that doesn't happen in a game ... how often does a ball just sit in front of them on a tee?? Or come from the side like soft toss?
You may want to go back and watch some old Eric Davis videos. Fastest hands in baseball during his day, and he could launch the ball with mostly his hand speed. I don't disagree that overall good swing mechanics are ideal, but for a young kid who hasn't mastered every aspect of his swing, hand speed can be the difference between a dribbler to 2nd base and a hard shot down the 3rd base line. Quick hands also help younger kids make contact with the ball in front of their bodies instead of back over the plate. I don't see much downside to teaching quick hands... but I totally agree that the fast sequence swings are stupid and don't replicate a real swinging motion. It teaches the kids to skip the "load" and initiate the swing from the wrong position.
I agree with everything you said but the back toss theirs a lot of other coaches who say it’s a good drill. John Madden from Yougoprobaseball had a video saying it was good. Hard to know what to believe but I definitely understand your reasoning for not doing doing it
I disagree with the rapid fire drill as long as it’s executed correctly. If you rush the batter so much so that he doesn’t get to that proper load position then yes, it’s not effective. But if you allow a full extension on the swing, and the batter pulls the bat back thru the original path, you are helping the correct feel of loading the hands into the proper launch position. Hands moving back is a key to a dynamic swing. Static hands are the problem. This drill addresses that. In your demonstration of why it’s not any good, you aren’t pulling the bat to the launch position correctly. You want the bat path back to mimic the bat path thru, just in reverse. In other words, you basically retrace the bat path. When you do it correctly, the path you take to the load position is the same as it should be on a single swing, with the element of engaging fast twitch.
No wonder I didn't go pro, lol. I did the majority of things the wrong way and made a pretty good player. Oh the "what ifs" It really is sad that so many dads out there, that have nothing but the best intentions for their teams. They love the game. Would die for their kids, never steer em wrong. Honest great guys, and they're unwittingly steering our youth right off the path of pro ball. Our flood of foreign players is a direct link to all us misinformed dads n coaches. Our hearts were right
Jeromey Cole i dont think the primary reason is youth instruction, i think the primary reason is culture, "drive" and dedication. There is a upswing of outside countries but it's still a small minority 26.5%. The primary outside countries/territories; Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Pureto Rico, Cuba. Our youth have a higher standard of living, more competition amongst each other, and more options to live well outside of baseball (poor or rich). The listed countries do not and baseball is a ticket out, starting at a young age. Adjustments can be made by educating yourself as a coach, using drills as a guideline not a policy (every "body" is different and deviations need to be allowed and tailored to). We're still producing the majority of professional players, I don't believe the down swing is solely coaching at the youth level. Does it play a part...maybe, is it a primary reason, probably not.
I played baseball for over 15 years and never once did any of these drills. As a matter of fact, I had only ever seen one, the quick toss, done by any coaches, and that was just some kid's parent. I must live in a different world. I did however do one drill that made a massive difference in hand speed and power, we would stand with our back foot against a wall, then hit soft toss pitches without hitting the wall.
I think you'd get a better response if you use less negativity. Telling your viewers what you perceive as "terrible" creates a disconnect. Especially when those viewers have used techniques you're criticizing. As a hitting coach, I suggest using things you "recommend" rather than labeling something "terrible" or "the worst". Because the fact is there is literally no possible way to test and confirm any hitting drill is going to translate to success. There are too many variables. For example, you mentioned nobody should use a "behind obstruction" drill because it "causes" a downward swing. However, if your hands start above plane in your load, there is only one direction to go: down. Now, I agree that you create only one intersect point from an extreme down swing. But you also create only one intersection point with an extreme upswing. The behind obstruction drill will provide direct feedback to a hitter who has this tendency to drop their hands too far. The kicker though is seeing at what point the hitter reaches too far down and place the behind obstruction in an area that will allow the hitter to stay on plane without dropping too far. Plus, the longer the bat stays on plane, you create a greater space for contact resulting in more than just one intersection point. There are no absolutes in hitting. And what you perceive as "terrible" may, in fact, help certain hitters with weaknesses that those drills are designed for. If you discount a drill that may help a hitter because you perceive the drill as "terrible", you're effectively removing a possible solution to a hitter who will benefit from it because you identified more with your perception than with a hitter's weakness.
You know whats sad... my high school has us doing all of these and my coaches are so dman old they will never change. They dont realize that everyone is so tired of all these dumb drills. Im a senior and i cant wait to leave.
soft toss from behind can be somewhat helpful for youth players to help them stay loaded and to not lunge toward the pitch. Also tony Gwynn had this drill in his hitting book saying it helped with off-speed pitches..
The Ripken’s also use soft toss from behind. Many MLB players use it the exercise. Although I respect this guys content, I have to strongly disagree with him on this. I’ll stick with the Ripken’s and the MLB guys..
Hey coach, your videos ROCK! You help me remember all the stuff I learned in little league and have forgotten. Also learn a bunch of new modern, forward thinking drills. Just wondering if you could put together some videos geared towards letting a Little League team watch? I think that it would really have great impact on them, coming from a young energetic guy like yourself rather than I. I am a little older and somewhat ogreish in presentation. Thanks for all that you have done and continue do for Baseball.
Thanks so much Mike! I really appreciate that. Anything in particular you'd like to see in those videos? Most of my videos are perfect for little league players. Are you looking for instructional videos or motivating the team before a game? I'd love to help out any way that I can
Ultimate Baseball Training I was just thinking of a more child facing video. Like your talking directly to them, about say staying motivated, always engaging in the game, that sort of stuff. A sort of pump em up kinda thing. Your videos really benefit these players a lot, but they are mostly coach facing. They are awesome don’t get me wrong. Just a rah rah for the kids directly. I’m positive your way better at this than I am. I love watching these kids learn and grow as players. Im just not very good at the rah rah stuff, I’m getting better but in the meantime? Lol Thanks again for all your doing.
I’m a big fan of Coach Justin and his videos but I think, here, he misunderstands the 2 tee drill. It’s not supposed to teach you to swing down on the ball, as he says. The purpose of the back tee is to get the hitter to keep his hands in. A shorter swing, in other words. It’s like the fence drill. Now, that short direct swing is out of fashion in many circles. MLB guys have longer swings than they ever have and more of an upswing than past generations. Predictably, they’re hitting more and longer home runs than ever before. But, just as predictably, they’re striking out more than ever before. Current MLB thinking is that one home run justifies 2-3 strikeouts. Lots of runners left on base.
Hey Craig! I guess my question is - why would you use a higher object in the back to keep your hands in? Why not use an object on the outer part of the plate (like the fence drill, a foam roller, or another tee)? I agree that's it's important to keep your hands tight to your body and stay connected, but I don't see how a higher object in the back would help with that. We want to get our bat on plane with the pitch early, and if we properly do this we'll actually hit that back tee. I just believe the high back tee causes much more harm than good. Thank you for the feedback and I appreciate you watching our videos!
Ultimate Baseball Training Personally I don’t use the noodle or the high tee. If I want to teach that I use the fence. But most of the guys I see doing it (Trent Mongero for one) use such a tall noodle at the back that you can’t avoid it by swinging down-you have to keep your hands in. My guess is, they use the noodle so they can do it at the plate, with the whole Field in front, to see where balls end up. I only coach young kids-14u- and from my perspective, dropping the hands to be level with the ball causes strikeouts for most of them. A few kids are good enough to do it and hit the ball hard. But those kids are also good enough to understand that with runners on and two strikes they need to bring the knob to the ball and hit a line drive. Whiffing with runners on drives me nuts.
soft toss from behind is great for tracking and finding the ball. If done correctly it should not affect your swing at all. If it was really a bad drill then why does Bill Ripken and other great professional batters of the last 30 years teach them.
Hey bro those short reps...rapid swings are for seeing and tracking the ball, You're incorrect. It is an amazing drill. 30+years coaching. Secondly if you're talking girls fastpitch. You swing upward you're going to look foolish when you miss.
Hey Rob, thanks for watching. I disagree that it's an amazing drill. I just think there are much better ways to see and track the ball. If you're trying to work on hand eye coordination, why not hit a smaller object such as a pinto bean or mini balls? I just think that rapid swing drill causes more harm than good. We never swing that many times rapidly in a real game.
Again....we realize we dont swi g that many times. Also hards swings are not as effect as fast swings. I ll take a quick bat over power in a swing. Again bro...its a trackin g drill. Sorry you disagree.
Hey Coach Justin! Thank you...and Great job informing intriguing minds. My son is 10 and has added soft toss for 4 years. These do's and dont's are awesome. Keep it up! Check out Chris Ross channel Trying to hit like Daniel Murphy. Easy!!
I think you are a little too literal when talking about hitter being told to "swing down". It's like someone saying if you want to be on the opposite plane as the ball then start your hands in front the catchers mitt. Obviously that's not what anyone is saying, but the path of your hands and the path of the bat head are not going to be the same.
back toss can be a great tool for youth players who have a tendency to lunge forward towards the pitch. It happens all the time. Backtoss helps keep their weight back but to the fact that lunging forward with a ball coming from behind makes it even harder to hit. Once again, professionals have no use for this drill but youth players might.
Video show what a hitter is doing but does not record what a hitter is thinking. And if Mike Schmit thought he was trying to stay on top of the ball, why do u think he is wrong? All good better understand that at contact we are not on top of the ball, but like a quarterback we are one step ahead of the video. We all know the barrel flattens out. So good hitter anticipate that. Also video does not record gravity. And we know scientifically going down creates speed. Video is a wonderful tool, it is a great way to see information, but what leads to success is wisdom, and that is more than what the eye can see. You have some valid ideas. However Barry Bonds worked down on the ball. U can show Barry video all day. Amd he will tell u again and again, video is LATE. Thought I’m ones first and thought dictates action.
whether you swing upward or downward there is still only one point of contact. Getting to that point on a slight downward angle minimizes lazy flyballs. At the youth level fly balls are outs and groundballs will produce a higher success rate. Obviously in the pro game that philosophy is the other way around but you arnt here trying to teach pro hitters how to hit. The downward approach produces plenty of line drives and isnt only "beating the ball into the ground". Don't believe the hype about this new school swing up bullshit. if the "old way" is good enough for the likes of tony gwynn(arguably the best hitter ever) then its good enough for anyone. Todays game is about hitting 40 home runs, striking out 200 times and batting 250. That works for grown men who can hit the 500 foot homers to compensate for 200 K's but not 13 14 or even 15 16 year olds.
If you look at angles, there's a huge difference between swinging upward or downward and your chance of success. If you swing down, there's only one point of intersection because the ball is also coming on a downward plane. However, if you swing slightly up and match the plane of the pitch, you have a much greater chance of success because your bat is on plane with the pitch for much longer. I agree Tony Gwynn was one of the greatest hitters ever, but if you watch him in slow motion he didn't actually swing down. Youth hitters have much more success if they get on plane and stay on plane for a long time. I agree that the key to success for young players is hard ground balls and line drives, but we just disagree on how to get there. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment! I appreciate the feedback
Hey, Coach Justin here! Hope you enjoyed today’s video. What other terrible drills are out there? Don’t forget to grab your FREE Bat Speed Boosters… I left the link in the description!
Ultimate Baseball Training Hey Coach Justin your vids have helped my youth teams a lot. I have to disagree with you here though about the rapid fire practice.
It may not be effectice for form and mechanics but it has its place in other aspects of the swing. It works well with youth players (8-9yo). Many youth coaches stuggle to just get kid to swing. Many young players really want to hit and because of this they over think the mechanics.
You say "you never do that in a game...so why do it in practice"? You never throw from a knee during an game either or hit from a tee. But these drills are means of isolating one aspect of the game and working on it.
Rapid fire stuff does work well for several things. Getting them to swing, stop over thinking amd focusing on contact. It helps with timing. It also helps young players move their hands to the ball.
I use a hit-away during practice and it works beautifully with timing and kids who struggle making contact during BP.
Just my .02
Thanks again for the great vids keep em coming.
colored balls foe short toss and hitting the color called out
Ultimate Baseball Training erickfdjr1973@gmail.com
Finally someone who speaks our language. Enjoyed every moment of this video.
Awesome to hear! Thanks for watching!
I have to say on the "swinging down to the ball" verbiage. I was taught this as a young player by two former professional ball players. One who was an MLB All Star (Matt Nokes). However, it was explained as taking my hands down onto the plain of the pitch and getting behind the ball not on top. Locating where the ball will be and getting there first. And finishing high with my hands not rolling across below my shoulder. This caused a lift in the ball. It changed my whole hitting experience. I went from line drives and ground balls to booming home runs. I coach this with my son and LL team and we consistently are the team with the best contact and ball trajectory. I agree that "getting on top of the ball" is the wrong approach. Getting behind the ball and driving through is my verbiage. Just wanted to give you a different take on the "down to the ball" approach. Great video, I agreed and appreciated everything else in the video.
I agree with everything you mentioned in this video. Too many kids/players watch TV and think they can copy a stance. It's hard to keep players on the basics to build muscle and skill before adding style. Good video and keep posting. Indonesia's only American batting cage---Amerindo Batting Cages.
I agree although I think the high back tee creates problems that are harder to fix. I have seen it used at lower levels in an attempt to correct drop shoulder tendencies. Your explanation of the bat plane vs. ball plane in this example is perfect.
Thanks so much for the support Doug!
Great teaching. All stuff I have been arguing against for years. Finally. Somebody else who freaking makes sense.
I agree with all of it. I do believe I read that Pete Rose used to do that strengthening wrist "drill" a lot (1:58) so I've told my son to do that every now and then.
I totally agree what do you think of a 2 tee drill where they are both even to get on plain earlier and stay through the ball?
Thanks for this vid, very helpful. Question- “knob to the ball” not really a drill bit a hands mechanic. Is it good or bad?
Great question. I talk about this throughout some of my other videos a little bit. Go watch the Robinson Cano Drill video where I talk about staying connected. I prefer using that terminology over knob to the ball
Soft toss from behind is a good way to get batters in the habbit of keeping their eye on the ball (not let the head fly toward left field for right hander). Players don't hit off a tee in a game either, but you recommend doing that, correct? Great video, but I would take issue with that one drill.
Goo video I agree with everything but what you said about soft toss from behind... this is taught by the pros on MLB network... worked for my kids as a different but affective drill... thanks for the vid
Apparently, he has a problem with any drills intended to work on hand/eye coordination that aren't 100% in-game situations. What about infield 'soft hands' drills, involving eggs or stiff *gloves*? I mean, these are terrible as well, right? How many times during a game are you going to have to field an egg? derp de derp.
Can you do a video on the batters eye and how to read pitches better.
Back toss From behind is the worst. Great video
I agree! Thanks so much
Hey, do all of your hitting drills apply to slow pitch softball? If not, do you recommend any other channels?
Pure gold here. When training to bowhunt deer you shoot low reps w/ high concentration on each shot as only one arrow/shot is going to be used typically. Same principle here as only one swing is used to hit a homerun. Practice how you play.
I LOVE that example! Absolutely spot on. Thanks for the support!
So hitting of a tee if you put it in all locations in the strike zone will it help you hit a lot of pitches in a game and not missing pitches
IMO the 2 tee drill has its place. Although I set up the tees level or the back tee slightly higher. Any drill should have a purpose and may not be appropriate for every hitter. For example the 2 tee drill is used when a hitter is dropping back side and consistently swinging under the ball. It teaches them a better bat path. Like many drills, it can be over used. It’s important to understand that some drills are about “feel vs real”. So for many players if you tell them their bat path should be slightly upward at contact because that’s getting on plane with the ball, they are going to have a bat path with a much steeper angle than ideal. And that leads to tons of fly balls and strikeouts. So to counter that you may use language like “swing down on the ball” while in reality that’s not what you are actually trying to achieve. Again it’s “feel vs real”. JMO and what I’ve seen in young players.
I stopped using a couple of these with my son, even prior to seeing this. Found other drills to eliminate bad habits. Thanks.
i 've seen you a lot of video but this is no the same its very very useful thank a lot
You're welcome!
Yeah I tried the soft toss from behind with my son to try and encourage watching the ball... I didn’t like it at all. I agree with your recommendation.
I hadn’t seen your video yet, just in case you were wondering why I would still do it after watching a video of yours suggesting not to do it. Love your vids btw!
Thanks for watching! I didn’t like it either when I was younger!
Haha I understand! I appreciate the continued support
what about a two tee drill with a ball on each tee, tee nearest to the batter is slightly lower and the objective is to hit the higher tee without touching the lower ball?
That would definitely be a better drill than the ones I explained in this video, however, I don't know if I'd consider that a necessary drill. I'm not really sure what it would accomplish, aside from maybe ensuring that the hitter keeps his barrel below his hands at contact instead of vice versa.
Ultimate Baseball Training Just thought it would help the player (softball fastpitch) to develop more of a level swing and keep them from dropping their back shoulder so much. What do you think?
I have a problem with getting good extension and hitting the ball out front any help?
Extension happens as a byproduct of doing everything else correctly before contact! I'd recommend watching my videos on the proper swing mechanics
Thanks
You are sadly mistaken on the backtee drill, it is for keeping your hands and barrel inside the ball, at no point should your barrel go over the back tee, it should go inside it.
It’s basically the Robinson Cano drill but with a tee instead of a wall/fence.
It’s a great drill for literally anyone to do and WILL increase power
I actually really like the drill you're talking about and even recommend it in this video here: th-cam.com/video/SlCP7FCGi3s/w-d-xo.html
However, the higher back tee drill demonstrated in this video is different. In my opinion the placement of the tee should NOT be straight back from the ball and higher in the back. This creates a sense of chopping down and getting on top of the ball. I'm all for drills that encourage keeping your hands and barrel inside the ball like you mentioned, but I think in this particular video the drill is done improperly. Thanks for the support!
Ricky E yeah it’s also so u don’t drop ur barrel
Hey Coach, what about one knee batting drill?? My son is 6 and starting the farm league soon and was thinking of having him practice this drill but have herd a lot of good and bads about it. Does it really help and if so in which aspects?? Would love to hear your opinion and feedback, thanks!
S S I’m not the coach but from my outside perspective of this it’s a good and bad drill it’s good because it can help create power with your core but is bad because it could lead to a bad habit of not using their lower body
One knee drills are where I always start with young hitters. Isolation the upperbody allows the player to focus on loading his hands properly while also building core and forearm strength that youth players won't start with. Teaching hitting mechanics in a standing or live bp setting will be much tougher until you change their instinctive movements which most likely are wrong.
One knee drill is good as long as you lock the front leg. It helps in that the weight can’t slide forward during the swing. It restricts hip and core turn but the point of the drill is to reduce a linear move as you start the swing. So for that it’s a good drill.
Good point
I have a 6 year old who is having a hard time making contact with the ball. Stance is good and his swing is amazing but he just can not make contact with the ball. Any suggestions?!
He's probably not truly watching the ball if he's got a great swing but not making contact. I suggest throwing some smaller objects at him until he learns to hit them! Use something like air soft BBs or pinto beans! That'll help improve his hand-eye coordination.
I actually recommend the opposite of what Justin recommends (although I love his videos and advice). Go to Dollar Tree and buy about 10 oversized foam balls and inflatable balls, about the size of a softball. Pitch those to him and once he starts to hit them (and he will), his confidence will grow, and you can mix in some real balls. My son is also 6 and literally could not hit 1 out of 20 pitches a couple of months ago. I made a trip to Dollar Tree and we started hitting those. He now hits probably about 70% of the real baseballs I throw him. Not hard, violent contact by any means, but a VAST improvement over where he was. Build his confidence with the "fun balls" (that's what we call them), then move on to the real thing.
only time i ever used a "quick hands / rapid fire" drill as an instructor was with an 8-10 year old. She had a weird quirk where she would start, then stop and then start her swing again. it seemed to help break her habit cause she didn't have time you do all that weirdo stuff and make contact with anything.
soft toss from behind is used to help you stay inside the ball. you cannot cast if the ball is coming from behind.
Thanks for the comment! I just think there's better drills to help you stay inside the ball that mimmic real game situations
Hey Coach. I was watching another video from another big training outfit. They say not to teach elbow up batting. Thoughts?
If you watch 10 different Major League hitters, they'll all have 10 different stances. No hitter is the exact same in terms of how they get themselves set up and ready to hit. However, pause all of those same hitters at the point of contact and they'll look identical. So my thoughts are - it doesn't really matter how you start as long as you get into a good hitting position at the point of contact to be on time and square up the baseball. Find a stance that works and stick to it! Thanks for watching and I appreciate the comment! 👊🏼
Really enjoy your videos. I saw a drill using a vertical foam roll set up on a rod inside a cone behind the tee (in line with the player’s back foot) to help players stay inside the ball and not cast. Would you recommend this?
Yes! I think that's a great way to stay connected
Ultimate Baseball Training Thank you!
You have really helped me in my batting mechanics. Thank you for making these great explanation videos!
That's what I like to hear Clay! You're welcome! Thanks for watching. What do you want to see next on the channel?
Do you have advice for the "loop" swing? I have a 7 year old that is doing the loop and I am trying to work with him to fix that. I heard about the two tee drill, but you just said it's no good. It would be good to get some alternative to these. But these are great things to remember.
Can you send me a video of his swing to my email? I'd have to see exactly what you mean to provide more specific feedback
Hamlet Caminero two tee drill but the tee in back needs to be a lower to the point where when he swings to not hit ball in back fixes the swinging up motion resulting in weak ground ball from hitting it with top spin thus hitting top ball the hit equals weak ground ball. I have had great results from it when developing a productive swing
Be careful correcting a "looping swing". The only way to be successful with a low pitch is to have a "loop". Go look at any Major League hitter who is swinging at a low pitch. Ever wonder why when watching a lefty swing sometimes people will say how nice their swing looks. Know why? Most lefties have a natural loop; that's why left handed hitters are generally very proficient at hitting the low pitch. Having a loop is the only way to go down and get on plane with a low pitch, then drive it. Think of it this way; the lower the pitch, the more pronounced the loop. The higher the pitch the less loop. My suggestion would be, if he has a large loop, regardless of pitch height (or tee height), then use a high tee drill where you set the tee up above the top of the zone (chest high) and teach him to hit line drives from there. Is your son a lefty by chance?
Actually soft toss from behind is one of the best drills you can do to help teach hitters in their early stages that they can't swing around the ball... they have to keep the hands inside the ball and throw the hands forward while keeping their weight back... and yes I was a All American Hitter & Pitcher as well...
Ripkens, Tony Gwynn and many other MLB ballers agree with you as well. I’ve coached many players and used soft toss from behind to address the casting / head pulling. I learned it from an MLB player who has a World Series ring.
So don't hit a ball from behind because that doesn't happen in a game ... how often does a ball just sit in front of them on a tee?? Or come from the side like soft toss?
You may want to go back and watch some old Eric Davis videos. Fastest hands in baseball during his day, and he could launch the ball with mostly his hand speed. I don't disagree that overall good swing mechanics are ideal, but for a young kid who hasn't mastered every aspect of his swing, hand speed can be the difference between a dribbler to 2nd base and a hard shot down the 3rd base line. Quick hands also help younger kids make contact with the ball in front of their bodies instead of back over the plate. I don't see much downside to teaching quick hands... but I totally agree that the fast sequence swings are stupid and don't replicate a real swinging motion. It teaches the kids to skip the "load" and initiate the swing from the wrong position.
Great information my brotha love this shit ⚾️
I agree with everything you said but the back toss theirs a lot of other coaches who say it’s a good drill. John Madden from Yougoprobaseball had a video saying it was good. Hard to know what to believe but I definitely understand your reasoning for not doing doing it
When I was playing the coach informed us this drill was to teach extension and ball tracking. I do agree it is not game simulated at all.
Can you please make a video on what to do when it’s your first year playing base ball in high school
I disagree with the rapid fire drill as long as it’s executed correctly. If you rush the batter so much so that he doesn’t get to that proper load position then yes, it’s not effective. But if you allow a full extension on the swing, and the batter pulls the bat back thru the original path, you are helping the correct feel of loading the hands into the proper launch position. Hands moving back is a key to a dynamic swing. Static hands are the problem. This drill addresses that.
In your demonstration of why it’s not any good, you aren’t pulling the bat to the launch position correctly. You want the bat path back to mimic the bat path thru, just in reverse. In other words, you basically retrace the bat path. When you do it correctly, the path you take to the load position is the same as it should be on a single swing, with the element of engaging fast twitch.
Agree on all points! I teach girls softball and try to teach all hitters that EVERYTHING starts with your feet! Great video 👍🐊
Thank you so much!
of course it does but quick hands is a key. I was 170 lbs and my quick hands made up for my swing
No wonder I didn't go pro, lol. I did the majority of things the wrong way and made a pretty good player. Oh the "what ifs" It really is sad that so many dads out there, that have nothing but the best intentions for their teams. They love the game. Would die for their kids, never steer em wrong. Honest great guys, and they're unwittingly steering our youth right off the path of pro ball. Our flood of foreign players is a direct link to all us misinformed dads n coaches. Our hearts were right
Couldn’t agree more! Yes their hearts are in the right spot, they just need to be armed with the proper information
Jeromey Cole i dont think the primary reason is youth instruction, i think the primary reason is culture, "drive" and dedication. There is a upswing of outside countries but it's still a small minority 26.5%. The primary outside countries/territories; Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Pureto Rico, Cuba.
Our youth have a higher standard of living, more competition amongst each other, and more options to live well outside of baseball (poor or rich). The listed countries do not and baseball is a ticket out, starting at a young age.
Adjustments can be made by educating yourself as a coach, using drills as a guideline not a policy (every "body" is different and deviations need to be allowed and tailored to). We're still producing the majority of professional players, I don't believe the down swing is solely coaching at the youth level. Does it play a part...maybe, is it a primary reason, probably not.
I played baseball for over 15 years and never once did any of these drills. As a matter of fact, I had only ever seen one, the quick toss, done by any coaches, and that was just some kid's parent. I must live in a different world.
I did however do one drill that made a massive difference in hand speed and power, we would stand with our back foot against a wall, then hit soft toss pitches without hitting the wall.
Could you talk about tork in one of your videos
Gavin Biernot torque???
Great stuff,,heresy to the swing down ,throw your hands at the ball guys,,watch mlb slow mo videos,,NO ONE SWINGS DOWN
Completely agree! If you swing on a downward plane, there's only one point of intersection.
I think you'd get a better response if you use less negativity. Telling your viewers what you perceive as "terrible" creates a disconnect. Especially when those viewers have used techniques you're criticizing.
As a hitting coach, I suggest using things you "recommend" rather than labeling something "terrible" or "the worst".
Because the fact is there is literally no possible way to test and confirm any hitting drill is going to translate to success. There are too many variables.
For example, you mentioned nobody should use a "behind obstruction" drill because it "causes" a downward swing. However, if your hands start above plane in your load, there is only one direction to go: down.
Now, I agree that you create only one intersect point from an extreme down swing. But you also create only one intersection point with an extreme upswing.
The behind obstruction drill will provide direct feedback to a hitter who has this tendency to drop their hands too far. The kicker though is seeing at what point the hitter reaches too far down and place the behind obstruction in an area that will allow the hitter to stay on plane without dropping too far. Plus, the longer the bat stays on plane, you create a greater space for contact resulting in more than just one intersection point.
There are no absolutes in hitting. And what you perceive as "terrible" may, in fact, help certain hitters with weaknesses that those drills are designed for. If you discount a drill that may help a hitter because you perceive the drill as "terrible", you're effectively removing a possible solution to a hitter who will benefit from it because you identified more with your perception than with a hitter's weakness.
You know whats sad... my high school has us doing all of these and my coaches are so dman old they will never change. They dont realize that everyone is so tired of all these dumb drills. Im a senior and i cant wait to leave.
It happens. You just have to "play their game" and then put in the extra work on your own time unfortunately. I've been there before too.
soft toss from behind can be somewhat helpful for youth players to help them stay loaded and to not lunge toward the pitch. Also tony Gwynn had this drill in his hitting book saying it helped with off-speed pitches..
The Ripken’s also use soft toss from behind. Many MLB players use it the exercise. Although I respect this guys content, I have to strongly disagree with him on this. I’ll stick with the Ripken’s and the MLB guys..
video on the football drill amd the rice bucket drill
You mean throwing a football and using a rice bucket to build up your forearms?
yeah I have trouble short arming and I was told to throw a football to help
+Jacob Rodriguez You should watch the recent video I did on short arming and how to fix it!
Ultimate Baseball Training okay thank you
I need that bat speed booster.
Another great video now if I could just get the kids to listen and actually hear what I'm saying
Thanks for the support, Russ!
Damn! I had the best high school coaches ever! Lol we never did a single drill from this video
Haha that's good!
so, coach made me do a high tee low tee drill cuz I was swinging up. I hit terrible and then he told me I need to practice this drill
Throw from behinds are for faster hands
Great vid
The hands do NOTHING but hold the bat. . . period!!!!
I think hitters spend WAY too much time worrying about their hands. The hands just go along for the ride.
Hey coach, your videos ROCK! You help me remember all the stuff I learned in little league and have forgotten. Also learn a bunch of new modern, forward thinking drills.
Just wondering if you could put together some videos geared towards letting a Little League team watch? I think that it would really have great impact on them, coming from a young energetic guy like yourself rather than I. I am a little older and somewhat ogreish in presentation. Thanks for all that you have done and continue do for Baseball.
Thanks so much Mike! I really appreciate that. Anything in particular you'd like to see in those videos? Most of my videos are perfect for little league players. Are you looking for instructional videos or motivating the team before a game? I'd love to help out any way that I can
Ultimate Baseball Training I was just thinking of a more child facing video. Like your talking directly to them, about say staying motivated, always engaging in the game, that sort of stuff. A sort of pump em up kinda thing. Your videos really benefit these players a lot, but they are mostly coach facing. They are awesome don’t get me wrong. Just a rah rah for the kids directly. I’m positive your way better at this than I am. I love watching these kids learn and grow as players. Im just not very good at the rah rah stuff, I’m getting better but in the meantime? Lol Thanks again for all your doing.
I’m a big fan of Coach Justin and his videos but I think, here, he misunderstands the 2 tee drill. It’s not supposed to teach you to swing down on the ball, as he says. The purpose of the back tee is to get the hitter to keep his hands in. A shorter swing, in other words. It’s like the fence drill.
Now, that short direct swing is out of fashion in many circles. MLB guys have longer swings than they ever have and more of an upswing than past generations. Predictably, they’re hitting more and longer home runs than ever before. But, just as predictably, they’re striking out more than ever before. Current MLB thinking is that one home run justifies 2-3 strikeouts. Lots of runners left on base.
Hey Craig! I guess my question is - why would you use a higher object in the back to keep your hands in? Why not use an object on the outer part of the plate (like the fence drill, a foam roller, or another tee)? I agree that's it's important to keep your hands tight to your body and stay connected, but I don't see how a higher object in the back would help with that. We want to get our bat on plane with the pitch early, and if we properly do this we'll actually hit that back tee. I just believe the high back tee causes much more harm than good. Thank you for the feedback and I appreciate you watching our videos!
Ultimate Baseball Training Personally I don’t use the noodle or the high tee. If I want to teach that I use the fence. But most of the guys I see doing it (Trent Mongero for one) use such a tall noodle at the back that you can’t avoid it by swinging down-you have to keep your hands in. My guess is, they use the noodle so they can do it at the plate, with the whole Field in front, to see where balls end up.
I only coach young kids-14u- and from my perspective, dropping the hands to be level with the ball causes strikeouts for most of them. A few kids are good enough to do it and hit the ball hard. But those kids are also good enough to understand that with runners on and two strikes they need to bring the knob to the ball and hit a line drive. Whiffing with runners on drives me nuts.
Batting cages you swing a lot ?
Bruh what bat is that it looks like it has more pop than my AP5 😂
It's from a company called Smacker!
Nothing has more pop than the AP5! :)
soft toss from behind is great for tracking and finding the ball. If done correctly it should not affect your swing at all. If it was really a bad drill then why does Bill Ripken and other great professional batters of the last 30 years teach them.
Tony Gwynn also used the drill according to his hitting book..
Times have changed thats why old fuck
Tony Gwynn = 1 of 3 to hit +380 in last 60 YEARS.. Maybe he knew what he was doing grasshopper...;)
I wouldn't consider Bill Ripken a great professional batter. .247 career average
i bet all the people that put thumbs down were coaches 😂
A hitting coach that I HAD told me to take my hands to the ball he was wrong???
Hey bro those short reps...rapid swings are for seeing and tracking the ball, You're incorrect. It is an amazing drill. 30+years coaching. Secondly if you're talking girls fastpitch. You swing upward you're going to look foolish when you miss.
Hey Rob, thanks for watching. I disagree that it's an amazing drill. I just think there are much better ways to see and track the ball. If you're trying to work on hand eye coordination, why not hit a smaller object such as a pinto bean or mini balls? I just think that rapid swing drill causes more harm than good. We never swing that many times rapidly in a real game.
Again....we realize we dont swi g that many times. Also hards swings are not as effect as fast swings. I ll take a quick bat over power in a swing. Again bro...its a trackin g drill. Sorry you disagree.
@Rob In this forum we stand up to urinate and use wooden bats. Go squat somewhere else.
Cutiepie
And I subscribed!
Hey Coach Justin! Thank you...and Great job informing intriguing minds. My son is 10 and has added soft toss for 4 years. These do's and dont's are awesome. Keep it up! Check out Chris Ross channel Trying to hit like Daniel Murphy. Easy!!
I think you are a little too literal when talking about hitter being told to "swing down". It's like someone saying if you want to be on the opposite plane as the ball then start your hands in front the catchers mitt. Obviously that's not what anyone is saying, but the path of your hands and the path of the bat head are not going to be the same.
I apologize for not proof reading but I am on a train. Thx anyway
One ☝️
Wow
Soft toss from behind?!?! Who the hell thought that would be productive? 🙄🙄🙄
I agree, but I've seen it used more and more recently!
It’s primarily been used to keep the hands inside of the ball. And not casting the hands. We have used it it has helped kids with their swing
And hand eye
Absent 510 fr
back toss can be a great tool for youth players who have a tendency to lunge forward towards the pitch. It happens all the time. Backtoss helps keep their weight back but to the fact that lunging forward with a ball coming from behind makes it even harder to hit. Once again, professionals have no use for this drill but youth players might.
Smacker bats!!
Other videos on this channel say to do these drills!?!?!?
You must be thinking of a different channel. We don’t encourage these drills!
Ultimate Baseball Training opps I was just watching a different channel and got mixed up
Love it
Video show what a hitter is doing but does not record what a hitter is thinking.
And if Mike Schmit thought he was trying to stay on top of the ball, why do u think he is wrong? All good better understand that at contact we are not on top of the ball, but like a quarterback we are one step ahead of the video. We all know the barrel flattens out. So good hitter anticipate that. Also video does not record gravity. And we know scientifically going down creates speed.
Video is a wonderful tool, it is a great way to see information, but what leads to success is wisdom, and that is more than what the eye can see. You have some valid ideas. However Barry Bonds worked down on the ball. U can show Barry video all day. Amd he will tell u again and again, video is LATE. Thought I’m ones first and thought dictates action.
Dude, you’re all over the place. Make several videos explaining ONE ☝️ THING
Thanks for the feedback!
Any drill that promotes knob to the ball is terrible !
First
Thanks for watching John! What did you think of the video?!
Ultimate Baseball Training great video and very helpful
whether you swing upward or downward there is still only one point of contact. Getting to that point on a slight downward angle minimizes lazy flyballs. At the youth level fly balls are outs and groundballs will produce a higher success rate. Obviously in the pro game that philosophy is the other way around but you arnt here trying to teach pro hitters how to hit. The downward approach produces plenty of line drives and isnt only "beating the ball into the ground". Don't believe the hype about this new school swing up bullshit. if the "old way" is good enough for the likes of tony gwynn(arguably the best hitter ever) then its good enough for anyone. Todays game is about hitting 40 home runs, striking out 200 times and batting 250. That works for grown men who can hit the 500 foot homers to compensate for 200 K's but not 13 14 or even 15 16 year olds.
If you look at angles, there's a huge difference between swinging upward or downward and your chance of success. If you swing down, there's only one point of intersection because the ball is also coming on a downward plane. However, if you swing slightly up and match the plane of the pitch, you have a much greater chance of success because your bat is on plane with the pitch for much longer. I agree Tony Gwynn was one of the greatest hitters ever, but if you watch him in slow motion he didn't actually swing down. Youth hitters have much more success if they get on plane and stay on plane for a long time. I agree that the key to success for young players is hard ground balls and line drives, but we just disagree on how to get there. Thanks for watching and thanks for the comment! I appreciate the feedback
Disagree most any youth player can field a ground ball. Most have a hard time catching one in the air. Still think the video is ok at best
I need that bat speed booster.
Grab it man! Link is in the description!