Is One Leg Batting Practice the Best Hitting Drill?
By:  Tim Thoreson

Often times I think to myself, What is the best hitting drill? There are so many hitting drills that are so effective, but every time I ponder this question the One Leg Batting Practice Drill pops into my head.  I am not going to declare that One Leg Batting Practice is the best hitting drill, but it might be!
What is One Leg Batting Practice?
One leg batting practice is when the batter stands on just their front leg and takes batting practice.  They pick their back leg up and hold it in the air.  As the pitch comes in the hitter hits the ball while keeping just their front leg planted.

Why it is such an Effective Drill
When players stand on just one leg, it is impossible to lunge forward or out at the baseball without losing balance.  Hitters must allow the baseball deep into the hit zone. This drill forces players to stay back and wait for the baseball.  By learning to wait for the baseball players will be able to see the ball longer, and in addition will hit the ball harder.
This Drill also isolates the hands.  Because players are stuck on their one leg it is very difficult to utilize the lower half and all power much come from the hands aggressively getting the bat through the hit zone. 

Tips on Executing the Drill
When I am throwing batting practice to my players as they are on one leg, I focus on pitching down the middle or to the outer half.  When pitches are away the hitter will be forced to wait even longer and attempt to drive the ball hard to opposite field.  It is also somewhat difficult for hitters to hit inside pitches when executing this drill because they are very restricted when it comes to turning their hips.

After I have my players take 5-7 pitches off of one leg, I have them go normal, 2 legs.  Because I want to emphasize the drill is all about feeling the need to stay
back on the ball, I continue to work the outer half of the plate and have players attempt to hit the ball hard to opposite field off of both legs.  After doing the One Leg Drill, players will feel super powerful when they are allowed to get back down on both feet and incorporate the lower half.

There is no doubt this drill is one of my favorites, for more information on this drill visit the One Leg Batting Practice Page.  
To see more outstanding Hitting Drills please visit our Hitting Drills Page.

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Good Luck Coaches!
Tim Thoreson

Do you have a drill that you think may be the best hitting drill?  If so, please E-Mail me.  Please like and share this article on facebook, thanks.