How To Get Kids Hitting Consistently Off A Pitching Machine.
Whether you’re a coach having to throw batting practice to an entire team several times a week or a parent in the back yard trying to get in some extra reps. Throwing batting practice can be tiring and difficult to get in good quality reps.
Fortunately pitching machines can subsidize some of this work. Pitching machines can be a great asset to a team, but what if you have some players struggling to adapt to this method.
Teaching a kid to hit off the pitching machine comes down to your set-up, coach consistency feeding the machine, hitters vision and timing.
In this article I would like to share some tips on getting those struggling players hitting off the machine and back to consistently driving the ball to all parts of the field.
How To Setup The Pitching Machine.
The first point on the check list is your set-up. Make sure that you have the machine set for the correct distance and speed. If your machine is to close or to far from the hitter this can mess up their rhythm.
You should be placing the machine the same distance at which they see pitches coming from a pitcher during a live game. Now obviously as players get older they will see faster pitching and when throwing batting practice manually you probably will be throwing from around 45 feet.
For this you will have to place the machine in front of the pitching mound and adjust the speed. The speed should be set to the “relative speed” and not the “actual speed”. Relative speed is the speed adjusted for the reaction time.
Lets say normally your players are hitting pitchers from 50 feet away bout you only have a 30 foot cage to work with. You can calculate this by taking the ((Usual pitching distance / new pitching distance) x speed of machine).
For example, if your players are used to seeing 60 miles per hour from 50 feet and now they are at 30 feet, you should use ((50 ft / 30ft) x 60mph)= 100mph “relative speed”. In order to achieve the same reaction time you will need to reduce the speed to 36 mph.
Having the relative speed set to the equivalent to which your players will see during the game will best prep them for the next game. If you are unable to tell how fast your machine is throwing, you should invest in a radar device. A pocket radar should suffice.
Feeding The Pitching Machine.
How you are feeding the machine can be very crucial. Hitting is like a dance and hitters won’t be able to get into any kind of rhythm if you are always changing how you feed the baseballs into the machine.
You should always start with the baseball in your hand and raise it into the air above your shoulder. Allow players to do their pre-pitch routine if needed before they are ready. Wait to allow the hitters eyes to lock onto the ball, then allow your arm to lower smoothly, dropping the ball into the machine.
Try to consistently keep your feed the same every pitch. Always start with the same hand and the same speed when feeding the ball. If your going too fast one time, you’ll catch the hitter to early and they will consistently be late with their swings. Even worse the hitter will try to rush their load, trying to be to quicker to the ball.
On the other hand, if sometimes your to slow the player will end up getting into their swing to early. And now players are hitting off their front foot and not allowing the ball to get into the hitting zone.
Players Vision
Players vision is very important in their attempt to hit the ball. We have all heard a million times a coach tell a hitter that he “pulled his head down third baseline and that he will never hit the ball unless he keeps his eyes on it.”
We touched on vision a little bit in regards to feeding the ball into the machine but this refers to two other aspects. One being the machine and the player being the other.
Lets first talk about the machine. Not all pitching machines are created equally. Some pitching machines allow the hitter to follow the ball all the way from the coaches hand, through machine and to their bat. While other machines have a funnel type feed that has the baseball disappear for just a moment and then the ball reappears out of the machine.
Now obviously it may be to late if you have already purchased the machine but, if you haven’t this should definetly be one of the deciding factors as to which machine to purchase.
Ok, second lets talk about players vision. Lets say your consistent in your feed of the ball into the machine and the hitter is still struggling to find the ball with the bat. It may be that the player just isn’t seeing the ball all the way to the plate.
Try having the player watch the first few pitches or laying down a couple bunts. Having the hitter watch the ball all they way form the machine, through the strike zone and to the backstop will train their eyes on the ball. Bunting the first few balls will accomplish the same thing.
Developing The Hitters Timing.
Alright, so we touched on how the coach should feed the ball into the machine and also how the player should follow the first few all the way. Now lets talk about how you can help the hitter find their rhythm.
Tell the hitter that when you are placing the ball into the machine they should be getting into their load. Explain to them this is like the pitcher getting his leg up and about to deliver home.
This will put the hitter into a good position to make a good approach to the ball. They may be slightly early or late but, after a few tries they should start to catch on. Encourage the hitter every time they starts to find the correct timing.
Final thoughts.
Pitching machines should never replace throwing to your hitters completely, but employing a machine into your coaching arsenal can really help them develop. Once players begin hitting the ball much better, stress to them the importance of quality swings rather than quantity.
So grab a pocket radar and adjust your setup and start hitting. With these tips you will be able to have all of your players hitting the ball with authority in no time and save your arms for when you really need them.
