with Dr. Dirk Baker,
Worcester State University Head Coach;
Most Wins in WSU History (500+ wins);
2017 MASCAC Tournament Champions (4x regular season Champions/Co-Champions + 4x Conference Champions);
6x NCAA Tournament Qualifier
Coaches face many challenges early in the season while preparing their hitters for game time and live pitching. In the early part of the spring, weather is often not ideal for baseball, forcing coaches to get their hitters ready inside in batting cages. In this video, you'll learn the philosophies and drills that Dr. Dirk Baker has used to help Worcester State prepare hitters in the batting cages leading up to the beginning of the season.
Variety of Indoor Drills
Coach Baker breaks the swing down into nine manageable drill parts to simplify the complicated mechanics of hitting. Shape the swing to be fundamentally sound in your cage work to help your hitters keep it simple during the game.
Soft toss drills give the hitter a chance to break the swing down, as well as practice hitting different types of pitches in different locations. Whether isolating the movement of each arm, or taking the legs out of the swing by focusing on the top half, Baker's soft toss drills will help build the swing for success on game day. Additionally, soft toss drills give hitters a chance to simulate high and low pitches, as well as change-ups and off-speed pitches.
Next, Coach Baker shows how you can use front toss drills to practice different types of bunts and hitting for game situations. When the game is on the line and a squeeze bunt is called for, your hitters will be thankful for plenty of prior practice in the batting cage.
Baker's cage drills will get your hitters competing against each other to prepare them to thrive under pressure. In one particular cage drill, Switch Hitting, you will learn how to get your switch hitters tons of reps from both sides of the plate. The batter stands in the middle of the cage, with pitchers on both sides. The batter faces one pitcher, then simply flips directions to the next pitcher to get a rep hitting from the opposite side. This creative drill allows the hitter to switch back and forth between hitting lefty and righty without having to move to the other side of the batter's box.
Shell Live Drills, Vision & Timing, and Practice/Team Philosophy
Prepare your hitters for live pitching by gradually easing them in against a live pitcher in the batting cage. Both the pitcher and the batter benefit, as each can get in work to prepare for the season. Coach Baker also provides unique tracking exercises that will prepare your batters' eyes to hit. These drills help the hitter focus and concentrate, as well as prepare the eyes for game speed.
Although mechanics are a large part of hitting, Coach Baker opens the door to other aspects that contribute to successful hitting, including having an approach and routine. You will learn his keys to hitting, which are the intangible qualities that make a great hitter. Baker also adds several important nuggets about how to keep players motivated and make sure everyone stays safe and organized in the batting cages.
This video is packed with information and over 30 drills to prepare your hitters for live action. Learn the drills that have helped Dr. Baker lead Worcester State to unprecedented success!
146 minutes. 2020.