These drills are great for helping a softball hitter create a balanced, powerful swing. One key aspect of hitting is keeping your weight back and staying patient through the pitch. Weight transfer & the ‘Float', and; Weight transfer & the ‘Free-Fall'… The Shoulder Load & “Back Eye” Test. If a mirror is available, use it to check your technique. These drills will help your form, coordination, strength, and bat speed so that you can put those good habits to use later on! All explained with step by step instructions, illustrations, diagrams, and coaching tips. This video explains the proper stance in the batter's box, bat position, and how to shift your weight to load up on the back foot before swinging. As you connect with the ball, your back knee should be touching the medicine ball, and your front leg should be straight, like a pole vault planted into the ground infront of you. Farmington (MN) HS head softball coach Heather Ballstadt demonstrates a weight shift drill for hitting in this sports how to video. Remember: when hitting the ball, keep your head between your feet always. Today's drill overviews how to properly transfer your weight to increase contact with the ball while hitting. Quick Hands Drill. Hitting and Proper Weight Transfer Drill Todd Whitting, Head Baseball Coach at the University of Houston runs through a variety of drills to perfect every aspect of your game. The Colored Ball Drill. The knee to ball drill is designed to teach players how to keep their back leg low so this upwards corkscrew motion doesn’t happen. Prepare your stance as if you were in a game waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball, but make sure that your back foot is behind the line, and your front foot is in front of it. The objective is to hit the ball while maintaining that perfect vertical line from the dirt, to your back knee, to your head. Everything is easy to learn and simple to teach. March 8, 2020 ... 760-634-9734 Toll Free: 877-456-1219 softball@theartofcoaching.com 322 … You don’t want flex in your front knee at the point of contact, otherwise you will lose a lot of your power. The goal of this drill … Start by drawing a horizontal line in the dirt using your toe. Instead of a full swing, the hitter is supposed to hit the ball with the butt or end cap of the bat. Some movements we can do too much. Keep your weight back…make a soft stride and then transfer your weight through the ball for maximum power and impact. 2.) The speed of the shift or transfer would relate to the speed of the acceleration of the lever. The stride should be a soft step or touch…because the weight hasn’t transfered yet. Lunging can be identified by too much bending in the front knee, especially if your knee moves over your toes, rather than locking it up straight as your energy transfers forward. Hitter's use different kinds of Floats: High, Medium, and Low Leg Kicks & Toe Taps. Weight transfer & the ‘Float', and; Weight transfer & the ‘Free-Fall'… The Shoulder Load & “Back Eye” Test. Some players load their energy by shifting their weight back without lifting their front foot, while others bring their front heels off the ground, or even bring their whole front leg off the ground (similar to a pitcher preparing to throw … While the weight is on the front the hands should come together and the pitcher must pause to comply with the pitchingrules. An important part of softball is being able to keep your weight on the back part of the foot. Proper Stance and Weight Shift Successful softball hitting requires holding the bat at an optimal angle and shifting body weight properly. Hailey Decker Follow. The key to a good swing is following a proper swing sequence. This drill will give you immediate feedback for incorrect or correct weight transfer. ... Softball message board with discussions on softball hitting, softball pitching, coaching youth softball and where you can get softball drills and softball tips. “I liked that all four of them were so different. Apr 18, 2020 - Explore Kristy Robinson's board "softball drills" on Pinterest. Use the following two simple drills to learn how to stop lunging, and keep your weight back. I make no distinction between transfer or shift as to the weight change. We want to practice softball batting drills for power, such as loading the torso, “just right”. That’s why it’s so important to learn how to keep your weight back while hitting the ball! No matter how you load your body, make sure you’re moving backwards before moving forwards. ... Two hitting drills for balanced weight transfer. To practice the hitting rhythm and the trigger and the learn to hit the ball at the top … We want to practice softball batting drills for power, such as loading the torso, “just right”. Amber Freeman shows two hitting drills that work on weight transfer. Shift your weight back to load your energy, then, as you connect with the ball, transfer your weight back onto your front foot and follow through while making sure your head stays overtop of the line in the dirt and never past it. Some not at all. Get two weeks of Premium content with no commitment. The purpose is to work on the transfer of weight from the back leg. Some movements we can do too much. It is this stage of your baseball swing that allows for last-second, mid-swing adjustments to tricky pitches. If you are looking for a new bat with some power or a great discount bat to practice these drills with check out our guides on the best fastpitch bats and best slowpitch bats here on Bases Loaded Softball! This means hitting the ball with a front leg that is completely straightened out and locked at the point of contact. Weight Transfer & The ‘Float' The “Float”, or as some call it a “negative move”, is a movement back towards the catcher before shifting the hitter's body weight forward during the stride. When we say hitting for power we don’t necessarily mean hitting the softball 350 feet, or hitting for the home run cycle like Arkansas’ Danielle Gibson. In addition to partner toss drills, athletes can also work independently with a … It's a timing mechanism. Once the ball is on the tee and the hitter's feet are in the proper batting stance, a coach or teammate places the bucket of balls behind the back foot of the hitter. If you look down after hitting the ball and your head is over the line, you know you just leaned too far forward. Flamingo hitting drill for good weight shift. When you follow through, look down to see where your head is in relation to the line. More on baseball swing fundamentals and tips for hitting: Decide and … Some players load their energy by shifting their weight back without lifting their front foot, while others bring their front heels off the ground, or even bring their whole front leg off the ground (similar to a pitcher preparing to throw the ball). I often relate the Goldilocks Golden Rule with my hitters. Another way to tell if you’re using improper form is if your head ends up in front, or behind, of one of your feet after you follow through. When we talk about “keeping your weight back” in softball, what we really mean is hitting the ball with your weight centered and your head between where your feet are planted. Now, have somebody pitch the ball to you or hit it out of a tee. Your head should always stay completely centred, so that if you drew a vertical line downwards from your head it would connect perfectly with the line in the dirt. March 8, 2020. PRODUCTS: https://www.gocudit.com/drill-productsTHE SCIENCE OF THE SWING ALWAYS UPDATES! Lock your bat and stride forward, keeping your weight back and striding with your front foot. I often relate the Goldilocks Golden Rule with my hitters. Another transfer, Samaria Diaz (New Mexico State) shined in the circle for the Ducks, going 8-0 with 1.00 ERA, 53 strikeouts in 42 innings. The Softball Hitting Skills and Drills eBook is packed with 28 innovative hitting drills that show you exactly how to develop a picture-perfect swing. A bad tendency however is to shift the weight to the front food while hitting the ball. It's a … Hitting a softball with power comes from the bottom up. The pitcher tosses a softball toward the hitter. Get our best videos sent to your inbox every Tuesday and Friday, Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | © Copyright2021The Art of Coaching, LLC. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Toss drills help to teach the player timing and rhythm of swinging at the pitch, while mechanics drills help teach hip rotation as well as proper weight shift and weight transfer. Bounce in Front. Another way to tell if you’re using improper form is if your head ends up in front, or behind, of one of your feet after you follow through. Once you’ve loaded your energy backwards and prepare to move your energy forwards to hit the ball, remember to keep your front side firm. Remember: when hitting the ball, keep your head between your feet, Softball Hitting Drills to Keep Front Shoulder In, Softball Catching Drills to Improve Quickness. The weight shift heading into rotation will allow your bat to be in the zone longer than just rotating. See more ideas about softball, softball drills, softball coach. Motivating your bottom 33% using the “sandwich” approach, Jan 20: Critical conversations about diversity and inclusion, 1st or 3rd: Simplify defensive decisions by focusing on one play. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Join the discussion - Leave a comment below, Lunging can be identified by too much bending in the front knee, especially if your knee moves over your toes, rather than locking it up straight as your energy transfers forward. This is a bad habit that will hinder your ability to hit hard and remain controlled. Lunging like this will knock you off balance, and reduce the power of your swing. Purpose: To develop proper stride technique for softball hitting while maintaining correct weight shift. Simply place a fairly large medicine ball between your back leg and front leg, so that as you move your body to hit the ball, your back knee drives downwards into the medicine ball, rather than extending upwards over it. Drill #6: A "Walk Through" drill that trains hitters to transfer their weight to the front side - for a smoother, more powerful swing and more "pop" off the bat Drill #8: An "Audible Soft Toss" drill that dramatically improves your vision, timing, and focus at the plate. See more ideas about softball, softball drills, softball coach. Engaging the backside during the swing. A lot of players will spin their back leg forward and upwards, extending it straight so that their hips and body make an upwards corkscrew motion. When working on any softball hitting drills for youth players, it is critical to have a good mix of drills to develop strong habits and the foundations of an elite swing. Weight transfer & the ‘Float', and; Weight transfer & the ‘Free-Fall'… The Shoulder Load & “Back Eye” Test. Food while hitting power comes from the bottom up back part of softball is able! You exactly how to keep your head between your feet ALWAYS more ideas about softball softball. 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