The best hitting drills to do at home are simple tee and soft-toss drills that build contact point, balance, bat path and timing. All you need is a tee, a net, some balls and a little space. Short, focused sessions a few times a week beat one long session of mindless swings.
Home practice is where the work from baseball hitting lessons becomes habit. Here are eight drills Coach Cinz uses, in a progression from basic to game-like.
What you need
- A batting tee
- A hitting net or a safe wall to hit into
- Baseballs or softballs, plus some wiffle, foam or tennis balls for indoor work
- A phone to record swings
Always check the space first. Keep siblings and pets well away from the swing, and make sure nothing breakable is behind the net.
Tee drills
1. Contact point tee
Set the tee just in front of the front hip for a middle pitch. Take easy swings and aim for line drives into the middle of the net. The goal is square contact, not power. Move the tee forward for inside pitches and back a little for outside pitches.
2. High tee, low tee
Raise the tee to the top of the zone, then lower it to the bottom. Hitters learn to adjust their body angle instead of dropping the hands or chopping down at the ball.
3. Two-tee path drill
Place a second tee (or a cone) a little behind and in line with the first, with no ball on it. Hit the ball off the front tee without touching the back one. This teaches a short, direct path and helps fix a long, loopy swing.
4. Pause at the load
Load, hold for a count, then swing. This exposes hitters who have no real load or who rush from the start. It also helps with sequencing: the back hip starts first and the hands follow.
Soft-toss and timing drills
5. Side soft toss
A parent kneels to the side at a safe angle, behind a screen if possible, and tosses underhand into the hitting zone. Now the hitter must react to a moving ball. Keep the tosses consistent at first.
6. Rhythm toss
The tosser shows the ball, lifts it, then tosses. The hitter matches the rhythm: load as the ball goes up, get the foot down as it comes forward. This is a simple way to practice timing, which Coach Cinz treats as the most important part of hitting.
7. Colored or numbered balls
Mark a few balls with colors or numbers. The hitter calls out the mark before swinging. It keeps the eyes on the ball and is a great drill for hitters who flinch. Read more in how to stop being afraid of the ball at the plate.
8. Change-up toss
Mix a normal toss with a slightly slower one, without warning. The hitter stays back and adjusts instead of lunging. This builds the patience hitters need against off-speed pitches.
How to practice baseball hitting?
- Warm up: light movement and a few dry swings.
- Tee work: drills 1 to 4, a small set of each.
- Soft toss: drills 5 to 8.
- Finish: a few full-effort swings, then stop while the swing still looks good.
Keep sessions short and stop when the hitter gets tired or sloppy. Tired reps build bad habits.
Want more power from these drills?
Once contact is consistent, add intent. Our guide on how to increase exit velocity explains how bat speed and contact work together. If the swing keeps looping or arriving late, see how to fix a long swing and timing problems.
Record swings and get feedback
Film a few swings from the side and from the front. It is hard to feel a swing flaw, but easy to see one on video. Coach Cinz offers Video Analysis: submit a clip and get drills back. Zoom lessons are also available for one-on-one coaching from home.
Build a plan around the right drills
Drills work best when they target the right problem. The free Benchmark Process measures where the swing stands today and builds a plan around the athlete’s goals. Start your Benchmark, or see how our hitting lessons with Coach Cinz turn home practice into game results.
