opposite field

[t3rchrds]

Does any one know of some good drills that will get me hitting the outside pitch to right field?

[Nater44]

Yep, been passing this drill out quite a bit lately in fact. The most common reason why you are having difficulty going to right field is because your front hip is not staying closed off as long as it should. Try this drill.

Front Side Hitting Drill

[TG Coach]

Does any one know of some good drills that will get me hitting the outside pitch to right field?

What is your objective? Is it hitting the ball to rightfield or going the other way with the outside pitch? If you're using proper swing mechanics and keeping your swing parallel to your shoulders, the location of the pitch shouldn't matter. You'll be swinging through the pitch and hitting it hard somewhere regardless of location. You don't necessarily have to go the other way with the outside pitch. If you're quick enough you can go up the middle with it. What you don't want to do is take a long, sweeping swing around the outside pitch in an attempt to pull it (unless you have Sheffield like bat speed).

[Ursa Major]

It depends on the hitter, but the most effective drill I use is to set a tee so that it's about two inches outside and even right with the front of the plate. Put a ball on the tee and tell the hitter to hit to right field. Repeat over and over. Good hitters will start to naturally adjust to avoid the two biggest problems with hitting those pitches: lunging and trying to hit the ball in front of the plate. (Kids are often afraid to let the ball get so deep on outside pitches, stemming back to their early days when almost all kids had pitches blown by them.)

[StraightGrain11]

One thing I've done, and it seems to work, is to start front-tossing from the direction you want to hit (if you're a RH hitter, the tosser should be positioned in-line with the right-center gap (or father over) - batter maintains his normal position with respect to the plate). After a couple of buckets, the tosser starts working his way towards the "middle" (being in-line with the mound), all the while the hitter is continuing to hit the ball in the same direction. The tosser should stop at about 4-5 locations (each for atleast full bucket or more) as he works his way over.
Basically, you start by hitting the ball "back where it came from" and end up hitting the ball "where you want to" (opposite field).

Quick note: If you do this, make sure the tosser maintains the toss so the ball is "deep" in the hitting zone when tossing from the "side". As he moves he should continue to keep this in mind, as well as focus on keeping the ball middle-away (outer half).

[Jake Patterson]

One thing I've done, and it seems to work, is to start front-tossing from the direction you want to hit (if you're a RH hitter, the tosser should be positioned in-line with the right-center gap (or father over) - batter maintains his normal position with respect to the plate). After a couple of buckets, the tosser starts working his way towards the "middle" (being in-line with the mound), all the while the hitter is continuing to hit the ball in the same direction. The tosser should stop at about 4-5 locations (each for atleast full bucket or more) as he works his way over.
Basically, you start by hitting the ball "back where it came from" and end up hitting the ball "where you want to" (opposite field).

Quick note: If you do this, make sure the tosser maintains the toss so the ball is "deep" in the hitting zone when tossing from the "side". As he moves he should continue to keep this in mind, as well as focus on keeping the ball middle-away (outer half).

Here's an old (very old) drill. Take some old bats - clear the field, duggout, parking lot, foul territory - well you get the point - have the players swing from the plate releasing the bat so it is thrown to the opposite field. Not something I use, but I have seen it work as a drill. This developes a "feel" for the swing.