Drill:
Plate Discipline Batting Practice

Purpose:
To help players develop plate discipline and execute a strategy when going up to bat. This is a good drill to use after they have completed the Plate Discipline Tee Drill.

Equipment:
Bat, Batting Helmet, Baseballs or Whiffle balls.

Setup:
This can be run as a station during batting practice using whiffle balls or as your main batting station. The player must understand his approach and hitting zones prior to using this drill. See hitting approach instruction for more information.

Execution:
It's not so much a drill as a different type of batting practice that emphasizes having an approach when at the plate. Here's how I run the batting practice. I will not discuss the other stations, just the hitter I'm pitching to.

• I pitch with a screen that I position close enough that I can have excellent control.
• Each player will get up to 10 pitches.
• Tell each hitter how many strikes they have before stepping up to the plate. The hitter will then adjust their approach to the strike count.
• With 0 strikes:
  • have the player stick out the bat over the plate showing you their favorite pitch. This will give you an idea of the general zone that they like the ball in.
  • If the player swings at a pitch in his 'hitting zone', decrease his cuts by 1.
  • If the player swings at a pitch that is outside his 'hitting zone', he loses that pitch plus an additional penalty pitch.
  • If he takes a pitch outside his 'hitting zone', keep the same number of swings left in his turn prior to the pitch.
  • If he swings at a pitch outside the strike zone, he loses half of his remaining swings as a penalty.
• With strike 1:
  • If the player swings at a strike, decrease his cuts by 1.
  • If the player swings at a pitch outside the strike zone, he loses that pitch plus an additional penalty pitch.
• With strike 2:
  • I emphasize 2 strike hitting and being a tough out. If he swings and misses that’s okay unless the pitch is way out of the strike zone. If that's the case there is an additional pitch penalty.
  • If he lets a borderline pitch go by there is an additional penalty pitch.
  • If he lets an obvious strike go by, his batting practice turn is over.

The goal is to always have the hitter get all his cuts. If they master the drill with 10 pitches, move up to 15.

Explain to your players that your call on a pitch is a judgment call, just like it is when an umpire makes a call, so they are not to argue the call.

Not only will this drill help your players with an approach at the plate based on count, it will also help them be more aware of the strike zone.