Pride of Morgan Hill

                                                         
                                              How to Hit Off A Tee

Common Myth: Tee's are for babies.......why don't you say that to a Major League Player?

The tee is often referred to as a hitter’s best friend. If you would observe hitters on higher levels of play (college and pro ball) in practice, working off a tee each day is a daily drill. As a young player working off a tee should be the basic hitting drill. Former Yankee great Don Mattingly for example, would often hit off a tee for two hours per day. Seattle Mariner slugger, Edgar Martinez, utilizes tee work as well as the majority of professional hitters.

Hitting off a tee is still one of the best ways to work on and develop the proper swing. Even the pro’s continue to hit off a tee to work on their swing. Since there is no pitcher and the ball is stationary, the swing itself gets the full attention. You can practice using both hands in the swing or using only the top or bottom hands only. Also you can vary the tee location to coincide with outside pitches (1), pitches down the middle (2) and inside pitches (3).

When working off the hitting tee, be sure that the tee is placed in the proper position to hit. Make certain that your players understand what they are working on and how depending on the pitch location, where they must make contact to hit the baseball properly. Failure to do so will develop an incorrect swing path. Look for backspin on balls hit, as well as hard line drives and ground balls. Generally, you will wish to start with working on pitches down the middle.

In order to use the batting tee correctly, a player or coach must know the proper mechanics. Two key steps to focus on.

Tee Mechanics:
Step 1
Have you ever heard the phrase, "Keep your eye or head on the ball?" Well it's a true statement, but do coaches really instruct or just say it? During practice have the young player swing off the tee. The batter will swing and after contact the player's head should be resting near the back shoulder starring down at the tee he just struck the ball. This will teach a player what is referred to in professional baseball as Head Discipline, or “keeping the head down”.


                       Bunting Fundamentals

The higher you move up in softball, the more bunting you see. That is because softball is even more of a "small ball" sport than its big brother, baseball. Many high level games end up being 1 - 0 after lots of extra innings. The deciding play is often a well-placed bunt moving a runner to second or third. It behooves a player to learn how to bunt well. I have seen a few different techniques for bunting but seldom do I see it taught the same way it is taught in baseball. I think the baseball technique is the best for control so that is the one I'm going to write about here. Also, drag bunting, bunting for a hit and slap hitting are subjects a little too advanced for this session. This session is limited to sacrifice bunting in order to move the runner over to the next base.

Hands And Feet
Basically the batter stands as she would to hit. As the pitcher begins her wind up, the batter takes her top hand and making a "thumbs up" movement, she slides the hand up to around the sweet spot of the bat as she turns to face the pitcher. To mimic the thumbs up movement, make a fist and lift the thumb straight up as if you are giving someone the "thumbs up." The part of the batter's fist above the index finger is where the bat will rest. The thumb acts as a shock absorber as the bat will kick back against it when the ball is struck. The lower hand maintains its place on the bat and the cock of the arm stays the same as she steps and turns her body so as to be square with the pitcher. Both the hips and shoulders must be square to the pitcher at this point. Her feet should now both be pointing at the pitcher with the back foot slightly behind the front, knees bent, similar to the position one would take fielding a groundball. Now the lower hand comes up and extends a bit so the bat is held exactly level just below the eyes and in front of the hitter. Both arms are slightly cocked to also cushion and control the impact of the ball. The arm attached to the lower hand has the elbow extended towards the dugout while that attached to the upper hand has the elbow extended downwards towards homeplate. Many bunters make the mistake of not keeping the bat level because they have observed other players, particularly drag bunters, doing this. But not having a level bat, squared with the pitcher results in foul balls and the bunter's worst nightmare, pop-ups. Keeping the bat level just below the eyes makes it easier to make good, even contact with the ball and causes
the bunt to be fair more often than not.

"Catching" the Ball
When the body is square and the bat is level, the batter has a much better view of the pitched ball and can adjust more easily. The batter should adjust to the pitch, to the greatest extent possible, by bending her knees to squat or stand straight up depending on where the pitch is. There is no reason to lunge at the ball or bend over to make contact. The head remains still. The arms keep their semi-flexed position once achieved. Once the batter is ready to strike the ball, the technique is really more like catching the ball with the bat than it is striking it. She catches the ball with the bat by adjusting her position exclusively with the knees. The bat never moves until it is struck and then only a little. It may feel a little awkward at first but this is the best technique to teach as it results in the greatest likelihood of making contact while having the greatest amount of control.

                     Strength and Conditioning

A majority of pitching injuries are a product of fatigue, lack of strength/conditioning, and bad technique. Anyone of these three variables greatly increases the chance of injury. We commonly think that the underhand motion-- even under the ideal conditions of an un-fatigued state as well as pinpoint mechanics-- will never result in injuries. But that is where we as coaches need to be careful in our thought process.

Just remember that both male and female athletes are composed of muscle, tendon, ligaments, cartilage and bones. Both genders will "break down" if chronic abuse is present for too many games in one day, too many pitches in one game (which is an arguable factor), as well as continuous use throughout a calendar year. So with this understanding here are some key strength and conditioning tips that will prolong the life of a pitchers career.

1. Flexibility- Rotator cuff and core/midsection movements should be performed at least 3-4 days per week. A google search will get you all the exercises you need.
2. Weight or Body Weight Exercises- No need to train like a football player, you need to train like a "Softball" player. We lift for two reasons:
   1. Injury Prevention"- Your ability to sustain contact injuries (collisions) as well as non-contact injuries (slips or poor mechanical occurrences).
   2. "Strength/Power/Stability Increases"- Just remember that good balance will aid in potential power in movements. Weight-lifting can provide improved strength and better balance, which will ultimately lead to better acceleration (power) and deceleration (stability and integrity of the body).
3. Tracking pitches- Monitor your athletes usage. Know when enough is enough in regards to pitches thrown in a day, a week and the entire year. Don't become the major factor in an injury so track the athletes usage.
4. ICE- It's important to get at least 10-15 minutes of ice on key areas once the competition/practice day is over. Injury prone areas are the back, elbow and shoulder.
5. Nutrition- Eat healthy foods and drink fluids that will keep hydration. See a sports nutritionist.
6. Agility and Quickness- Cones configurations, mini hurdles and 5-15 yard sprints for fielding plays/back-ups.