Here are five popular hitting drills that require no more than a bat and a tee and can improve any hitter’s technique at the plate:

Stride Drill
This drill requires a tee and will help a hitter work on striking balls in all locations of the plate

First set up the ball in the middle of the plate, thigh high. Take a few swings. Move the ball to the outside of the plate. Repeat. Then do the same with tee and ball moved the inside of the plate. The key is that the hitter always stays in exactly the same part of the batter’s box. He should also be visualizing a pitcher and his wind up and watching an imaginary bar through the air before swinging. The exercise should be repeated with with balls placed at different heights. This drill allows a hitter to hone his stride while working on hit pitches in all locations.

The “Shine a Light” Drill
This is easy drill that will help a player develop a short stride.

Youth players in particular tend to over swing. Joe Brockhoff, a the former head coach at Tulane University, has developed a simple, word-association technique to fix that. When players practice their swing, he encourage them to “shine a light” toward the pitch, with the “light” emulating from the knob of their bat.

By positioning their bat that way it is almost impossible to have a looping or sweeping swing. If a hitter gets comfortable swinging with his “light” trained on the pitch he will always have a short and compact swing.

Coil Drill
This drill requires a bat and help a hitter develop a consistent routine for getting into the batter’s box, setting his stance, and coiling his bat.

The execution of this drill is simple enough. The hitter gets into the batter’s box (real or imaginary) goes into his regular stand. The coach will throw him an imaginary ball and the player will coil in preparation, freezing at the apex of his coil. This will give the coach the chance to analyze the coil technique.

Things the coach should be looking for is a proper grip, a correct weight shift, eyes on the ball, and hands up, not dropped. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, the hitter should just look comfortable and ready to strike.

Hip Rotation Drill
This drill requires a bat and will help a hitter work on his proper hip rotation.

To start the drill the player puts the bat behind his back and then balances it between his biceps and forearms with the barrel of the bat pointing wear the catcher would be. The coach will throw the batter imaginary pitchers, yelling inside or outside when he does. The player while then respond to the pitch like he would if it was really coming, taking his normal stride coil and hip rotation.

Because of the way the bat is positioned against the body, this will give the coach a good look at the players hip rotation and he can determine whether the players hip rotation is on point. Things for a coach to look for is more hip rotation on inside pitches, a strong back foot pivot, a stiff front leg, the front shoulder opening first and a head that remains steady through the swing.

Sacrifice Form Drill
This drill will help hitters develop a good form for bunting. It is best performed in a group.

In the drill players with a bat in hand line up facing a coach, who is standing about 20 feet away from them. The coach will through an imaginary pitcher and the players will go into the bunting position. Since there is a natural freeze point to the pose the coach can then observe each player’s technique and offer criticisms and recommendations. Among the things the coach should be checking for is if the player looks balanced, if they have stepped too close to the plate in their setup and if the bat is at the proper angle and the top of the strike zone.

Baseball is simple game. Pitch the ball. Hit the ball. Catch the ball. Throw the ball. But mastering baseball is not as simple as it seems. It is a competitive sport and everybody is trying to be the best so they can make their high school team, then snag a college scholarship and finally live the dream of being a millionaire pro athlete with their face on a baseball card.

Which means the aspiring ball player needs to get any edge he can. Baseball training aids can improve a player’s chance at greatness by honing their skills. Here is a list of baseball training aids that have proven to be beneficial in player development. Some you will recognize and others you may be learning about for the first time. They should all be available for purchase either online or at your local sporting goods store. (Make sure to comparison shop for price before you buy.)

Baseball nets
Baseball netting — netting inside a solid frame — is used for various practice purposes. Batters can hit balls into them, either from soft toss or from a tee. Pitchers can pitch into them to hone their technique and location. Fielders can use “return” netting to practice their fielding. They can also be used as portable backstops during live pitching practice. While some baseball nets serve all of these purposes, others are more specialized.

Baseball Tee
No tees aren’t just for tee-ball. The are also an important baseball training aid. By having older hitters use a tee coaches can work on their swing in a controlled environment.

Pitching machines
These automated ball throwing devices allow players to train without a coach or pitching. The more advanced ones can also throw the type of pitches a player might face in games but are difficult to produce on demand in practice. Pitching machines can be quite expensive although you can find more rudimentary models for less than 100 bucks.

Fielding machines
Cousin to pitching machines. (In fact most pitching machines can be used as fielding machines.) They fire off grounders, line drives and pop ups for players to practice their fielding.

Fungo Bats
A fungo bat is a specially designed bat for a coach to use as he self hits balls to fielders during defensive drills and warm ups. Because it’s lightweight the fungo bat has excellent control. Nobody really knows why it has such a ridiculous name.

Reaction ball
A reaction ball is a six sided rubber ball that bounces unpredictably when thrown against the ground. This helps baseball players with their defensive reactions and develops hand-to-eye coordination.

Batting trainer
A batting trainer is a tee-like base with an arm coming off of it. A baseball ix connected at the end of the arm. With the baseball hanging over the plate the batter swings at it with his bat. Batting trainers can be adjusted to different resistance levels and some can simulate pitches. They are mainly used to work on bat speed.

Radar guns
Used to record pitching speeds. There are also baseball with built in radar records but they tend not to be as accurate.

Bungee based hitting tools.
This is a ball with straps through the middle that is propelled toward the batter while the strap is both anchored to the ground and being held by the coach. Since the ball remains attached it it stays close after the batter strikes it. It can also be easily manipulated to “throw” pitches like curveballs.

Arm resistance trainer
A baseball attached to a bungee with a hooking device on the other end. Used to develop wrist, rotator cuff, shoulder and forearm strength in pitchers.

One handed training bat
At about two-thirds the length and weight of a full-sized bat, this training aid can be used to work exclusively on either your top or bottom hand during soft toss drills.

Agility ladders/trainers
Not baseball exclusive, but a useful hardball training aid.

Pitch counter
Device used to count pitches. Usually comes with more than one counter to track multiple pitchers (or home and away) at once.

Kids love playing baseball. But they aren’t always so hot on learning its fundamentals. However the right kind of youth baseball drills can teach kids the ABC’s of the game in a way that doesn’t turn them off to the sport.

Here are four simple drills that will get youngsters playing baseball “the right way.”

* Back foot drill to prevent a youth player from stepping out of the hitting zone.
There is something about beginning youth baseball players which causes them to step away from the a pitched baseball and out of the hitting zone when they swing. Some of is obviously fear: they don’t want to get hit by a flying object.

But even when they clearly stop being afraid of the ball many youth players continue to this out of habit. A very simple drill to keep a youngster in the hitting zone is to have the player practice swinging with his back foot raised and only his toes touching the ground. If you hold that position it is almost impossible to jerk your front foot away from the ball without losing balance. Not only does this drill keep the batter in the hitting zone, but it also shortens the stride and requires the batter to focus on pivot and rotating and not lunging at the ball.

*Tee 1-2-3 drill
This easy drill only requires a bat, a ball and a tee. The player sets up next to the tee with his bat in hands like he is facing a live pitcher. The coach will then yell out one, two or three. If he yells one the player will coil and hold. Two, and the player will go into his stride and pause after he moves his bat back. If the coach yells three the player will complete his swing.

What this drill allows the coach to do is break down different aspects of the players swing. Since the player doesn’t know what number the coach is going to call out his effort will be from long term muscle memory — which is what needs to be fixed to improve during games — rather than just short term rote mastery that may not transfer beyond the drill.

* Follow the ball all position training drill
While eventually baseball players become first baseman, shortstops, catchers, etc, during youth baseball participants should get as much exposure to every position is possible. This not only helps them learn all aspects of the game but it reveals each players’ fielding talents. (Or lack there of.) The follow-the-ball drill is a great way to get young players experience all around the infield.

The drill starts with a player at every infield position but pitcher and the rest of players lined up behind the shortstop. The coach or parent hits a ball toward the shortstop who throws it to first. The first baseman then throws the ball to the second baseman, who throws it to the third baseman who throws it to the catcher. Then each player rotates to the base he just threw to, the next player in line assumes the shortstop position and the drill repeats.

* Base running situations drill
To set up this drill two lines of players form at home plate with one slightly ahead of the other. When the coach bangs his bats together the first players in both lines run toward first base, with the player in the closer line running through it like on an infield single and the other player rounding first and heading for second. Next time the coach cracks his bat the player on second scores and the player on first goes to third, allowing the next two players in the front of the lines to repeat what the first two players did.

With the bases now loaded two players will score every time the coach cracks his bat and one will go to third. This will open first and second up for two new runners. When a player does score he should get in the opposite home plate line as he was before.

Typically, batting drills take place in either batting practice or batting stations. This is a time honored way of doing things and it has clearly yielded some pretty good results. But that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t try to look outside the box a little bit and try some new types of batting drills

The problem with these old fashion rote drills is that while they may help a player with his mechanics and lead to technical mastery they don’t necessarily transfer into game skills. Often a player can tear the cover off the ball in the cage or is a terror with with tee, but looks weak and feeble when he faces game pitching. This is because the player hasn’t learned how to transfer the skills he has seemingly conquered with traditional batting drills into the tactical situations he will face during game time.

So why not take a game approach to batting drills, meaning try to make the drills as much like a game as possible. Now this doesn’t mean you have to drill with nine fielders, a hitter, and somebody in the on deck circle. By changing the number of players, the scoring system, the size of the field or even the equipment used you can create a competitive baseball environment that hones skills just like you do in the rote drills we are trying to get away from.

The key is that during these “game” drills the coach always has the choice of stopping the play and teaching. Let’s say during a drill about advancing the runner from second to third on a ground ball a player hits the ball to the left side of the infield, which is a no-no in that scenario. The coach can then stop the drill and explain where the player erred. Did he swing at the wrong kind of pitch? Did he get the bat head too far behind his hands?

Then when the player is in a game situation in which he needs to move a runner over to third the drills and the instruction will suddenly come to life so much more than if he had merely been practicing the old fashion rote way, which would probably be hitting the ball the other way off of a tee.

But beyond giving players the tools to deal with real-time baseball scenarios, a game approach to drills is just fun. In short, a game approach to batting drills will help a player with mechanics and coordination and raise his baseball IQ while also being really good time. Sounds like a winner.

The key to pitching is having a strong arm. By building arm strength not only can you add miles per hour to your fastball but you will have the stamina to pitch deeper into games and be less likely to suffer an injury while on the mound. Here are four exercises that should help any pitcher develop good arm strength.

45 Degree Raises
You use a four pound dumbbell for this exercise. With the dumbbell in your pitching hand stand with your hands to your sides and your thumbs out. While keeping your elbow straight raise your arm to shoulder height — which makes a 45 degree angle. Then with the elbow still straight slowly lower the arm back to your said on a three second count. This deceleration on the way down mimics the deceleration that takes place when you throw a baseball and strengthens the rotator cuff for this motion. Do three sets of ten with three second pauses between each. Do not do more than one session during a 24 hour period.

Resistance band work
This exercise is simple enough. Buy a resistance band, which is just a giant rubber band. The D2 flexion is a resistance band that works well for pitching arm strength drills. Now stand up with one side of the resistance band in your hand and the other attached the floor a few feet in front of you. The key is to position the band in a way that it provides resistance. Raise your hand to your side repeatedly, strengthening all the muscles that are used when you throw a baseball.

Long Toss
Long Toss is an oldy but a goodie. Just about every Major League pitcher long tosses, and some will do it up to 300 feet. Now  Little League or High School pitcher doesn’t have to throw that far to benefit from long tossing. To get the most out of long toss program you should start by doing a light catch. Then throw at 60 feet for four minutes. Up that to 90 feet for three minutes. Next 120 feet for 2 minutes and after that see if you can get up to 180 for a couple minutes. Finally cool down at 45 foot for a minute. During the long toss, try to throw with as little arc as possible. If you have to bounce it at first that’s OK, but don’t move in. The youth pitcher should try to long toss about 175 days a year to maintain arm strength.

Weighted balls
Weighted balls is another classic way to increase arm strength. While a regular baseball weighs 5.25 ounces weighted balls come between 7 and 12 ounces. 7 ounces should be used for Little Leaguers, 12 ounces for college players and those in between for the ages in between. A typical weighted ball drill would be to throw 15 pitches with a weighted ball from about 50 feet with your back leg back, every other throw as hard as you can. Then ten pitches with regular ball from that distance and with your back leg back, again alternating between a hard regular thow. Next ten more with the weighted ball using the same technique and finally ten pitches with a regular ball but this time with your back leg in a more regular position.

Advantages of Buying A Pitching Machine
The key to good hitting is repetition. Major Leaguers practice their swing over and over again, training their muscles to be able to repeat themselves in perfect form.

But while Major Leaguers are supported by a full-time coaching staff during the season and have access to all sorts of training facilities and personnel in the off-season, the amateur or youth baseball player has no such resources. Yes, they can get some swings in at baseball practice but the amount of repetition needed to ensure optimal performance is probably out of reach unless they have a very patient rubber armed parent or friend who is willing to pitch to them constantly.

Now there are other ways besides get in your swings without live pitching. A tee, for one. But while this can help you with your mechanics and muscle memory it doesn’t really mimic all the skills required to hit a ball out of a pitcher’s hand. That’s where a pitching machine comes in.

You’re probably thinking “Wait, I’m not a millionaire with a monocle and top hat. So I can’t afford a fancy ba-dancy pitching machine.”

Well, first of all, you’d look ridiculous playing baseball in a monocle and top hat. And, second, while it’s true some pitching machines run thousands of dollars there are plenty much cheaper model than that. And considering how many hours of use you could get out a pitching machine that runs a few hundred dollars it’s actually quite a value.

The benefits of a hitting machine are manyfold. It means you can keep a uniform practice schedule set to your own terms. It will improve your concentration and posture at the plate. And it will sharpen your head and eye coordination as well as the essential ability to see the ball to the bat.

There are all different types of pitching machines. Some are completely portable, some are battery powered, and there are even some that rely on springs and don’t require a power source which helps in backyards without power sources. Some of the machines you can get for a few hundred dollars should be able to throw between 60 and 70 MPH and feature fastballs at adjustable heights.

When you start to get into the $1000 and over range you have machines with the ability to hit 100 MPH and fire off just about any pitch the human arm can produce — including knuckleballs. (However practicing too much against a knuckleball is a bad idea.) Then if you are really looking to spend some cash there are some hitting machines out there that have 100 plus ball capacities and all sorts of analytical software to help with your hitting, but they are going to run over $5000. Here are a few well-rated pitching machines at various price points. They should be available online or at your local sporting goods store.

Louisville Slugger UPM45 Original Ultimate Pitching Machine $200
Not only is this machine fully portable, it doesn’t even require a power source! Instead the Louisville Slugger UPM45 Original Ultimate pitching machine is driven by a spring loaded power system that last up to 20,000 pitches. It’s easily adjustable for pitch location and speed and will hurl a baseball up to 45 MPH. Switch to more lightweight soft-type balls and this machine will have them whizzing 60 MPH. The number one youth league pitching machine in America will also work for with softballs. Those who have bought the product laud its ability to pitch accurately over and over again and its easy in setting up. And since it only weighs 20 pounds it won’t take much to move from the baseball diamond to the backyard.

Trend Sports Slider & Power Alley System – Lite-Ball Pitching Machine & Home Batting Cage Combination $360
Perfect for home use, the Trend Sports Slider & Power Alley System uses special Slider lite balls which are ⅔ the weight of a regular baseball for backyard safety. The machine has an automatic 12 ball feeder and can pitch fastballs, curves and sliders at adjustable speeds of up to 60 MPH. It comes with a 22 foot long, ten foot high and 12 foott wide net that will turn any backyard into a proper batting cage without the risk of broken windows and neighbor lawsuits. According to Trend Sports it only takes 30 minutes to set up both the machine and the net.

First Pitch Original Baseball Softball Pitching Machine w/ 24″ & 32″ Legs 220V $875
With a five year warrenty for residential use, the First Pitch Original Pitching machine can easily get your son or daughter through high school ball. That’s right, son or daughter because one of the features of the machine is it works for both baseballs and softball and toggling between the two is simple as snapping on a different loading tube. For baseball, it can throw between 20 and 80 MPH and comes with both a set of 24 inch and 32 inch legs. With its strong motor and quality materials this machine will have plenty of resale value for when that young slugger of yours graduates to the real world.

Jugs Curveball Pitching Machine $2500
Featuring a patented “gooseneck” design, the Jugs Curveball Pitching Machine can not only throw fastballs, curves and sliders, but it can toss either right or left handed. The machine will work with just about any type of baseball or softball shaped ball and can pitch from 20 MPH to an Aldonis Chapman like 104 MPH. Although heavy (150 pounds) the product will fit into the trunk of most cars, so it can be moved without a great deal of difficulty. Thanks to its 360 degree swivel design it is also perfect for practicing fly balls, ground balls, pop ups and line drives. The Jugs Curveball Pitching Machine comes with a 5-year warranty and is recommended for ages 12 and up. It may not be cheap, but this is the kind equipment the pros use.