25 Drills to Develop Your Hitters' Balance, Timing & Vision

with Josh Bloomer,
Arizona State Hitting Coach and Recruiting Coordinator;
Arizona Hitting Coach from 2023 to 2024;
South Carolina Hitting Coach from 2022 to 2023;
Duke University Assistant Coach from 2019 to 2022;
2022 NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year;
2021 ACC Tournament Champions;
2021 NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year;
Louisville Male High School (KY) Head Coach from 2012 to 2019;
2019 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Champions (undefeated, 39-0);
2019 Kentucky State champions;
6x Regional Champions;
2019 USA Today National High School Coach of the Year finalist;
Mercy Academy Head Coach from 2005-12;
2012 Kentucky State champions;
5x Regional Champions

Balance, timing, and vision are so important to good hitting, yet many coaches often don't know how to teach hitters to improve in these critical areas. Josh Bloomer shares the daily hitting drills he uses with his team that contributed to the terrific success enjoyed by the Blue Devils in the 2021 season.

Coach Bloomer provides extensive commentary on each drill, including what each drill addresses, how to perform the drill correctly and things a hitter might do incorrectly when performing the drill, allowing you a complete understanding how to provide on-the-spot feedback for improvement. Multiple camera angles are used so you can see the hitter's movements from different angles and also see the results of the swings.

Key Drills and Techniques

Using a combination of familiar drills with new twists and several new and innovative drills, you will see what good balance looks like, how to maintain balance throughout the swing, and how to practice timing and vision.

In many of the drills, Bloomer creatively uses a variety of equipment to help simulate a specific feeling or a desired outcome. In the Pitch Recognition Drill, for example, hitters swing at a ball set on one of two tees, depending on which tee the tosser is throwing to from the other side of a screen separating the tosser and hitter. This is an excellent drill for vision, timing, and decision-making under duress. In the One Bat, One Swing Drill, hitters use a different bat for each swing and are forced to account for the varying length, weight, and barrel size of the bat from one swing to the next. These drills are not only useful and challenging, but the creativity and randomness add an element of fun.

In other drills, Coach Bloomer incorporates techniques such as having a tosser use a double toss or having hitters use verbal cues or start with their eyes closed, which help them slow down in the stride phase, time their load and stride better, and make quick decisions. In the Call Ball Drill, hitters call "ball" when the ball leaves the tosser's hand to help the hitters time the beginning of their forward movement with the release of the pitch. Hitters experience having to wait longer and move slower, which in turn, helps them realize that they have more time than they think they have. Bloomer offers two variations of this drill for more advanced hitters.

Coaching Tips

Throughout the video, Coach Bloomer also shares other nuggets of wisdom, such as suggesting that coaches ask hitters "How did that feel?" in an effort to get hitters to take that first step toward ownership of their swing. He also reminds coaches to give their hitters the chance to work through the drills, rather than expect perfection from the first rep.

This is a great collection of drills that fills in a gap left by other hitting videos, which tend to focus on the mechanics of the swing. Learning the importance of moving slowly forward, with good balance, good vision and good timing, is what will help coaches of all levels take their hitters to the next level.

63 minutes. 2021.