BASEBALL - Tee Ball is Not Just for First Graders

That is absolutely true.  Using a "tee" to hit off of in practice is a great way to work on your swing.  It is also something cheep that anyone can purchase.  Once you have this tool at your disposal, you can hold a very valuable hitting practice in your own backyard or basement.  Now if you have a small backyard or are hitting in your basement, you should probably replace the real balls with plastic practice balls.  But you will still see the same benefits, no matter what ball type of ball you use.

You would be surprised how many youth league coaches think that hitting off of a tee is only for those youngsters who are just starting to play the game at ages 4 - 6.  This type of short sided thinking and misinformation is sad to witness.  The problem is that the coaches don't understand the value that can be gained by using a baseball tee.

By adjusting the location of the tee, the batter can learn how to handle a variety of different pitch locations.  The repetitive nature of being able to perfectly place the ball in the "zone" over and over again is something that is hard to replicate by any other means.  For example, if a batter is having problems hitting a pitch that is low and away, the tee can be part of the solution.  All you have to do, is lower the tee's height and place it back on the plate away from the batter.  (More on this later).

The tee is also a great tool for allowing the batter to visualize exactly where the location of each type of pitch should be when he makes contact with the ball.  It reinforces the idea of "taking what the pitcher gives you."  He can study the ball location for a moment, and think about the proper mechanics for hitting such a pitch before he actually takes his swing.  Repetitive uses of these techniques can be instrumental for developing a fundamentally sound hitter.  For instance, for an inside pitch, the batter would want to make contact just before the ball reaches the plate.  On the other hand, when he sees an outside pitch, the batter would want to wait a moment and make contact with the ball deeper and near the back of the plate.  By using a tee, the batter can see the exact same pitch location over and over, thus reinforcing the mechanics necessary to hit that type of pitch properly.


WHERE TO HIT THE BALL

Now you may be wondering what on earth is the meaning behind "taking what the pitcher gives you."  Well the basic premise behind this phrase is to just hit the ball to the part of the field that will best allow you to make solid contact with the ball.  For instance, if you are a right handed batter and the ball is thrown to the outside corner, it would be difficult to pull an outside pitch down the left field line.  Instead, the proper action would be to drive the ball into right field.  Thus if the pitch comes to the inside of the plate, it is easier to get full extension and pull the ball down the left field line rather than trying to slap it into right field.  Like wise, if the pitch is thrown down the middle of the plate, then hitting the ball back up the middle would allow for the most success for most batters.


HOW TO PRACTICE IT

Now you are probably thinking, okay this is great info and all, knowing which direction to hit the ball when a certain pitch crosses the plate, but how in the world am I supposed to do it?  To answer that question let's quickly review a few mechanics.  First, in order to get the maximum out of your swing, your arms need to be fully extended.  As a baseball player swings, at different pitches, that arm position will change slightly. 

• For a pitch down the middle, full extension of the arms, typically happens with the bat head even with the front foot.  The batter will step toward the pitcher as he starts his swing and attempt to strike the ball just as it crosses the front of the plate. 
• Now for an inside pitch, full extension of the arms, typically happens with the bat head out in front of the front foot.  The batter will slightly step out toward the shortstop as he starts his swing and attempt to strike the ball out in front of his leading foot, before the ball reaches the plate.
• Finally for a pitch that is located on the outside edge of the plate, full extension of the arms, typically happens with the bat head even with the inner part of the leading leg, to center of torso.  The batter will step toward the 2nd Baseman, as he starts his swing.  This motion gets the batters momentum moving toward the direction where he will most likely make the best contact with the ball.  Contact with the ball in this situation will happen as the ball reaches the back half of the plate.

Drill for Hitting a Pitch Down the Middle
Start of this three drill set by placing the practice tee on top of home plate.  However, do not place the tee directly in the center of the plate.  Move it slightly forward in the center portion of the plate to a place where the ball will be located at a point where it would just cross the plate.  This drill will condition players to know when to hit the ball if it is "coming down the middle" or "over the heart of the plate".  These positions are also known as the center of the plate.  If hit properly in this location, the ball should be hit up the middle somewhere between the shortstop's and second baseman's fielding position.  This drill should be performed until the batter hits at least 10 balls up the middle, before moving on to the next drill.

Drill for Hitting an Inside Pitch
The next location to set the practice tee is to the place it where the ball is located at a position about 6" off of the inside front corner of the plate.  For an inside pitch the batter needs to hit the ball before it reaches the plate.  This drill reinforces the mechanics needed for such a swing.  If a right handed batter hits this pitch location correctly, then the ball should fly through an area between the shortstop's fielding position and the left field line.  For a left handed batter the area would be between the second baseman's fielding position and the right field line.  Like the previous drill, the batter should hit at least 10 balls through the correct zone before moving on to the next drill.

Drill for Hitting an Outside Pitch
The final location in this three drill set, is to place the practice tee at a position located on the outside back corner of the plate, just inside the foul line.  This drill will teach the batter where to properly strike the ball for an outside pitch.  Since it is almost impossible to pull the ball from this position, it is a great way to teach a pull-hitter to take the ball to the opposite field.  If a right handed batter hits this pitch location correctly, then the ball should fly through an area between the second baseman's fielding position and the right field line.  If a left handed batter hits this pitch correctly, then the ball should fly through an area between the shortstop's fielding position and the left field line.  As with the other two drills, this one should be practiced until the batter has hit at least 10 balls through the correct zone.

Doing these drills during every practice should drastically help improve the batters' overall hitting ability.  If you can teach him to drive the ball to all portions of the field, and to take what the pitcher gives him, then he should start to see more quality at bats and fewer strikeouts.  In future posts we will continue to provide other batting drills as well as introducing pitching and fielding strategies as well.

So check back often!

By-the-way, if you are looking for a good quality tee, we suggest the Macgregor Batting Tee.  It is fairly sturdy and has received very good reviews.  It is one of the best tees we have found.  If it is something that interests you, then click on the blue link to find out more.

-CYU