Developing the Four Tool Lefty Hitter

with Bob Ligouri,
Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Head Coach;Iowa Girls Coaching Association (IGCA) Hall of Fame;
7x NJCAA World Series appearances (in 8 years); over 1,000 career wins; Finished 100-10 in last two years (2018-2019) has coached 15 All-Americans;
as a High School coach (Dowling Catholic HS - Iowa) - 2x State Champions, 2x State Champion Runner-up

Left handed hitters are an asset to any softball offense. These unique batters can confuse the opposition by deploying different tools within their arsenal to disarm any defense.

In this video, the IGCA Hall of Fame head coach Bob Ligouri (DMACC) takes you through the basics of the four tools that lefty hitters can use, as well as how to develop each of them using tee, tracking, and timing drills.

Basics and Progression

Learn the steps for success and the progression needed build an effective slap. Coach Ligouri explains the mechanics a slapper must master, starting from the ground up. Next, and most importantly, he shows a progression to teach a slapper those critical fundamentals. Ligouri also explains how you can help your slappers overcome the typical fear of being hit by the ball.

Four Tools

The most effective lefties can beat a defense in multiple ways - which makes them impossible to completely defend. If the defense is playing back, your lefty will have the tools to bunt or soft slap. The defense in their face can be beat as well - just hard slap or hit away.

No matter where the defense is playing, Coach Ligouri will show you a tool that will allow lefties to beat them.

Tee, Tracking, and Timing Drills

Ligouri gives you 10 drills you can implement right away to develop players on the left side.

In the Follow The Leader drill, two slappers compete for mastery of each of the four tools. The drill works much like HORSE in basketball, where one batter calls out a skill and must execute. The next batter must execute the called-for skill or else they receive a penalty. This drill gets your slappers working together and competing at the same time!

Player and Coach Perspectives

Finally, you'll hear what the most difficult things are about slapping from a player's perspective. Understand why some of Coach Ligouri's players started slapping, and hear the advice they'd give to younger players who might be thinking about becoming slappers. Additionally, Ligouri invites one of his assistants to explain the importance of tee work, and how slappers need to become run producers.

Coach Ligouri offers sage advice and methods to develop four tool lefty batters. He explains the basics and progression to develop all four tools, and offers 10 drills to help players master the fundamentals of slapping and hitting from the left side. This video shows you how to develop four tool lefties who distort, disrupt, and exploit opposing defenses!

69 minutes. 2018.