Equipment Needed
- Soft training balls
- Bat
- Screen or net (optional)
Pair this with a batting tee
Alternating soft toss with a batting tee gives hitters two angles of swing work in the same station.
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- Tosser kneels safely to the side and slightly in front of the hitter, behind a screen if available.
- Hitter sets up in their normal batting stance.
Instructions
- Tosser flips a soft, underhand toss into the hitting zone at a consistent spot.
- Hitter takes a small stride, times the toss, and swings level through the ball.
- Continue for 8–10 swings, keeping the toss location consistent for early reps.
- Switch roles or rotate to the next hitter.
Coaching Points
- Keep tosses at the same spot and speed at first so the hitter can focus purely on timing.
- The stride should be small and quiet — a big stride throws off balance and timing both.
- Reinforce watching the ball out of the tosser's hand, the same habit that carries over to watching a pitcher's release.
- Safety first: the tosser must stay low and protected, ideally behind a screen.
Variation
Vary the toss location (inside, outside, high, low) once timing is consistent, or move to a front toss from a coach for a more game-realistic look.