Soft toss from the side gives the batter 50 swings in 10 minutes. The ball comes from a different angle than a real pitch, which is fine for this drill because the goal is reps, not realism. This is volume training for the swing.
What you need: 20 baseballs, a bat, a protective screen, a fence or net for the hit balls.
Setup: Coach kneels behind the screen at a 45-degree angle to the batter, about 6 feet to the side and 3 feet in front. Bucket of balls.
How to run it:
- Cue: Set, Load, Step, Swing.
- Toss the ball gently across the strike zone at belt height. The ball should land in front of the front hip.
- Batter swings.
- Toss the next ball within 3 seconds of the last swing. High tempo.
- Do 20 swings, take a 1-minute break, do 20 more.
What to watch: Swing pattern after rep 15. When kids get tired, they drop their elbow and pop the ball up. If you see two pop-ups in a row, stop the round and rest.
If they’re struggling: Slow the tempo. One toss every 5 seconds. Or move further from the batter so the ball arrives slower.
If they’ve got it: Add target zones (over the outfielder’s head, between two cones). They have to hit the target.