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Hitting Drill: Soft Toss (Baseball & Softball)

Fundamental hitting drill for all ages to work on swing mechanics. Coach or player tosses ball up to player in the strike zone from just a few feet away. Good warm up for older players that is a little more advanced than hitting off a tee.

How to Run This Drill

  1. Teammates can toss to one another, or a coach can toss to a player.
  2. Tosser kneels across from the hitter, slightly in front of home plate in foul territory - not directly across.
  3. Toss the ball underhand so the batter can hit it out in front of the plate.
  4. Focus on a loose grip with the door-knocking knuckles lined up - this unlocks the wrists for quicker bat speed.
  5. Verbal cue: "Loose hands, quick bat."
  6. Works best into a screen with a target. Never hit baseballs into a fence.

Coaching Points

  • Verbal cue: Loose hands, quick bat
  • Tosser should be slightly in front of home plate, not directly across
  • If getting jammed, check toss position - ball should be hit in front of plate
  • Door-knocking knuckles lined up unlocks the wrists
  • Can use tennis or plastic balls into a fence

At a Glance

Categories
Hitting
Focus Areas
Soft TossGripBat Speed
Age Groups
4-67-89-1011-1213-1415-1617-1818+
Players
2-6 players
Difficulty
beginner
Equipment Needed
  • bucket of balls
  • net or screen or fence
  • coach or partner to toss

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