Tee Work For Slappers Drill

By: Heather Tarr – Univ. Of Washington

Excerpt from The Softball Drill Book, Provided by Human Kinetics

Purpose
To understand proper hand path and contact points and body positioning for the slapper

Organization
You'll need a tee, balls, and either a catch net or an open area in which to hit balls.

Execution
Have the batter arrive at her crossover position of the slap (back foot crossed over the front). She should stay in that position and make sure her hands are in a proper "launch position" to throw the bat to the ball. To simulate an outside pitch, begin by working on the outside contact point (usually the easiest for the slapper to handle if she has good mechanics, and the toughest if her mechanics are poor). Make sure she goes through the proper passage to arrive at the slapping position. She'll attempt either to line drive the ball or bounce it by choosing the part of the ball she hits (top half or middle). To simulate a middle pitch, move the tee to the middle of the plate and line drive or bounce the ball to the desired spot on the field. To simulate an inside pitch, move the tee to the inside part of the plate and do the same. A slapper with good mechanics will have the toughest time taking the inside pitch up the middle or to the SS because her hands have to work inside the ball in an extreme fashion to get the angle she wants.

Variation
Change the plane of the tee as well as the contact point.

Coaching Points
The slapper remains in her slapping position through contact. Her head should remain steady, with eyes on the contact point throughout the swing. The slapper isolates her bottom half to maximize understanding and muscle memory of the hand path to the contact points (inside, middle, outside). She should reset her feet every two to three swings so that she pays attention to where she is in relation to the ball or contact point. Her body should remain stationary throughout the swing with her weight staying on the back leg through the swing.