Edwin Thompson's Hitting Drills 2-Pack

with Edwin Thompson,
Eastern Kentucky University Head Coach

Coach Thompson's 2017 Eastern Kentucky Colonel's offense ranked among the top 50 in the nation in home runs per game, home runs, slugging percentage, scoring, batting average, doubles per game, runs, and hits.

Repetitions are key to developing good hitters, but getting hitters to do those reps will often create a robotic or mechanical swing. Coach Edwin Thompson takes you inside an EKU hitting practice and shows you how he helps players 'put purpose behind every swing.'

Thompson shares a large number of individual hitting drills that will improve your ability to hit for average and power. He incorporates a progression of tee work, front flips, batting practice and pitching machine work to help players transition from the "Zoo to Jungle." With more than two dozen drills, this video offers something for all areas of player development related to individual offense:Drills that address critical components of the stance, stride and swing will improve mechanics that allow for a quick reacting, explosive swing. Game-like drills for pitch recognition and reaction coupled with situational hitting are also shared to further prepare you for success on game day.

Over 25 Progressive Drills to Dominate the Plate

Having a progression of drills allows your hitters to work on perfecting their swing based on their individual needs. Thompson starts with all of the tee work that a player needs to improve their swing and continues through a natural progression of incorporating front flip work, a fun twist on traditional batting practice, and some dynamic pitching machine work.

The Colonel Drill is a fun drill that can be done in the cage or on the field during live batting practice. It is designed to help the player make split-second, game-like decisions. It can be controlled in such a way that you increase or decrease the "pressure" applied to the hitter.

The Combination Tee Drill utilizes two tees and coach commands to work on quick reactions, changes in timing with fastball and off-speed pitches, striding under control, and keeping the head down and shoulder in until committing to an inside or outside pitch call. This type of game-like drill will improve motor memory and chances for success on game day.

Other drills include:

• Underload/Overload hitting to develop consistency and hitting bat speed.
• Elephant Trunk Drill to develop rhythm in young hitters.
Wall Drill to develop a compact swing.
• Cardinal Drill to enhance pitch recognition, combining tee and flip drills into one effective drill.
• Machine drills to develop tracking and bat speed.
• Over-speed drills to adjust to varying speeds in hitting.
• Zone hitting batting practice to help hitters look for their pitch and adjust accurately to varying planes of pitches.
• And more!

Coach Thompson does a fantastic job of incorporating drill work that enhances athleticism and improves hitting mechanics without players becoming mechanical. This is a great resource for any coach wanting a comprehensive tool for teaching hitters to become great.

51 minutes. 2018.

with Edwin Thompson,
Eastern Kentucky University Head Coach

Coach Thompson's 2017 Eastern Kentucky Colonel's offense ranked among the top 50 in the nation in home runs per game, home runs, slugging percentage, scoring, batting average, doubles per game, runs, and hits.

Everyone has seen and maybe even been part of a traditional batting practice that's boring, mindless, and only mildly effective. Well, there's no more need to follow that model in your practices! Coach Edwin Thompson demonstrates 10 team drills that you'll be able to use to develop a juggernaut offense.

Learn how Thompson changes the approach rapidly to keep players focused on new goals with almost every swing. Make practices more competitive by challenging your hitters to pass a hitting exam. Then, get the whole team involved with competitive bunt and flip scrimmages, as well as different versions of batting practice.

Coach Thompson employs a unique approach to baseball: evaluate your players' strengths to adjust your offense to those strengths. Through a series of stations, players perform all possible in-game situations they can face in a real game.

Hitting Exam

Hitters need to be prepared for situations where the game is on the line and they have to get the bunt down, or when they must get a 2-out hit with runners on base. Help simulate that game-like pressure in practice by having your hitters complete a hitting exam. Thompson uses this as a benchmark for players and it helps him understand how to develop a player development plan that's specific to their skills.

In four rounds of batting practice, the hitter will be given various tasks for each swing, and will have to be successful a certain number of times to pass the test. Knowing what type of hitters you have allows you to structure practices for each hitter to capitalize on their strengths.

Bunt and Flip Scrimmage

Get the whole team involved with either bunt or flip scrimmages, where you can work simultaneously on offense and defense.

• Bunt scrimmage - A fun approach to encourage your hitters to make reads and develop their sacrifice, drag, and push bunt skills.
• Flip scrimmage - A live and fast-paced approach to helping base runners and hitters improve their offensive mindset and ability to execute in different situations.

Batting Practice

Coach Thompson offers seven different versions of batting practice to challenge hitters with varying goals, purposes, and intensities. In one particular pressure batting practice drill, a hitter has to learn to deal with distractions, including hecklers. The coach will have teammates stand around the cage, yelling and trying to distract the hitter, forcing them to focus if they want to be successful.

Every baseball team wants to gain effectiveness and efficiency in their batting practice. This video gives you the blueprint to do just that! Coach Thompson shows you how to help your players prepare to compete and execute under pressure.

71 minutes. 2018.