Light Toss

'Toss' léger

Black Cap – Hitting

 

With a coach standing in front of the player at 8 feet and throwing underhand from his knees (toss), simply ask the player to hit the ball.  The ball must be hit in fair territory, rolling or in the air. This must be done 3 times out of 5 attempts. Below is a drill that can be used to prepare players for this task:

 

Light toss

 

Goal:                  Gives players an opportunity to work on specific areas of their swing

 

Description:     Players can do this in pairs or in groups of three (each group needs 6-10 baseballs). With a partner or a coach located at 45 degrees beside the batter, simply ask the player to hit the ball tossed underhand. Get one player to kneel in front and to the side of the hitter and toss a ball with little or no arc in front of them. After the hitter has had 10-15 quality swings, get the players to switch. The pitcher should keep the delivery consistent so that hitters can find their timing.

 

Variations and Progressions:

A.          Regular toss at 45 degrees

B.           Regular toss at 45 degrees with colored balls

C.           Regular toss without moving feet (no step)

D.          Regular with 1 knee down

E.           Regular toss with bottom hand only (use light bat)

F.           Regular toss using 2 balls

 

Key points:

                             Feet wider than shoulders

                             Hands high and back

                             Hands together on the bat