Baseball Bat Speed Drills

Incorporate speed drills to improve power hitting.boy catching baseball image by pixelcarpenter from Fotolia.com

Bat speed does not guarantee a player becomes a great hitter. However, it is impossible to become a great hitter without it. The best players produce more bat speed and power than other hitters. Practicing baseball bat speed drills allows players to hit expert pitches and have higher batting average.

Lightning Swing

The lightning swing drill has players use a 10 to 15 percent lighter bat than normal so they can learn how it feels to swing fast. Maintaining a proper batting stance, swing the bat five times in a row. Take time between swings and concentrate on swinging fast, not hard. Do three to five sets with five reps each. Then swing five times in a row with the regular weight bat. Repeat the drill three times a week.

This drill teaches players to swing with a quick, short stroke. Swinging hard and under control is the only way to catch up with a fastball. Set home plate at one end of the batting cage with a pitching screen 25 feet away. The coach can throw from this position to throw more accurate strikes to the player. The coach can throw balls with good velocity for the batter to hit. The hitter should concentrate on hard line drives to different parts of the cage. This exercise will speed up the players' reflex time so they can hit any fastball.

The best way to improve strength and quickness is to practice swinging everyday. Decide how many swings to do everyday. Professionals may do up to a hundred. Chose an amount feasible when making a schedule. Use proper technique. Gripping the bat too tightly slows down the speed. Also, swing quick to the ball, swinging downward and level out as you make contact with the ball.