Batter’s Focus: Two Baseballs Toss

Batters can get bogged down into self-made grooves, and while they may possess the prettiest swing in the world, they don't make contact, or barely touch the ball. Use this drill to improve timing and to force the player to properly track the baseball.

What you'll need: a coach, a batter, and (recommended) a pitcher's screen.

Set your coach up at typical soft toss distance, usually about halfway between home plate and the pitcher's mound. Have the coach hold two baseballs, and toss them both at the same time. Call out "high" or "low," and have the batter hit that particular baseball, ignoring the second one altogether.

Mix up your calls to keep the player actively looking. Make it into a game - keep track of points, and recognize the player with the most points at the end of the drill.

You can vary this by instead calling "inside" or "outside," to help the hitter do a better job of covering all of the plate.

This drill is most effective when adding it as an occasional exercise into your regular practice routine.