Improve your hitting by playing catch

I don’t care how good of an athlete you are, if you do not see the ball out of the pitcher’s hand, you are not going to be

a good hitter.  The pitch occurs in a fraction of a second and if you miss any of it, especially the beginning, you’re done.  Therefore, any drill that requires a hitter to focus on seeing the ball out of the thrower’s hand has value.  Unfortunately, most hitters only practice hitting when they have a bat in their hand.  Therefore, they miss some other great opportunities to improve this essential skill.  One such opportunity is the simple game of catch.

Every time a game of catch is played whether it occurs before practice in order to warm up or just in the backyard with mom or dad is an opportunity to improve your ability to pick up the ball out of the thrower’s hand.  Even though the thrower in a game of catch typically won’t be throwing curves, sliders, and change-ups, they are still releasing the ball at arm angles you will see by pitchers during games.

From here on out, make sure your simple games of catch involve some hitting skills as well.

Next post:  The wipe off sign