Movements include: Catch & Throw Left – Simple catch play. Compete for # of clean throws in a row or in a certain amount of time. Catch & Throw Right – Involve the reverse pivot footwork to turn the “wrong way” and deliver the throw. Ground Balls – Field, separate, shuffle… then roll a ground ball to the next cone. Underhand Flip / Left – Stiff wrist, leave it high, toss a knuckleball. Underhand Flip / Right – Crossover with left foot to begin. Reverse Pivot / Right – Start from fielding triangle position. Backhand Flip – Throw the ‘C’, thumb under baseball. GB / Flip / GB / Flip – Left vs Across – Mix up the drill and create more realistic reps. Mix it up

Group – Start the drill by having each group member take their hitting stance at a cone. Place six cones in a semi-circle, with ample room for each to practice their swing. Stand in front of the group and explain the way the drill will be conducted… and then get into instruction (see below). Next, move inside the cage or over to the catch net for individual swings. Individual / Broken Swings – Each athlete rotates through the ‘live’ hitting area individually for 5-8 swings. Initially, athletes are to execute proper fundamentals using freezes and holds to see / feel / experience the correct technique. Adjust number of swings depending on the size of the group. If needbe, assign live, on-deck, and ‘in-the= Individual / Live Swings – Continuing to rotate through individually, athletes are to apply instruction to live swings. EXECUTION / INSTRUCTION – HTC Hitting #1 utilizes broken movements early. This means, freezing after taking a stride/load (position #1 in DC’s hitting system). The focus of this drill is getting to a strong and athletic stride position. Coach Malec consistently refers to this as an athletic base and uses the analogy of stretching a rubber band. Start – Begin individual swings with the athlete’s feet close together. The ‘narrow feet’ feeling is distinctly different than what the athlete feels after the stride. Step / Stride – Stride and load out to an athletic base. This is the “rubber band feeling,” which is be more heavily emphasized in Part #2 and #3 Push Test – Use the push test to check for stability. Athlete should be strong at this ‘loaded’ position. Swing & Finish – Once the athlete has passed a stability test, instruct the athlete to swing aggressively and hold the finish.

There are three main execution variables: Format – Drill can be run in a cage, bullpen, open grass area… virtually anywhere. Location – Soft Toss allows for ball to be thrown inside, outside, up or down. Material – Straight forward, freezes (take arm back and fake a toss), change-up toss (higher ball flight, unexpected to the batter) DC KEYS Instruction – Soft toss is appropriate for all hitters. On-deck batter can stride & load in rhythm with coach’s toss. Coaching Opportunity for Success – Don’t need to be hitting coach to keep athletes busy and get swings! Move quickly, involve a couple different rounds of exeuction. Broken Movements – Take the hand back, wait for a stride and load, then continue with toss for athlete swing. Later, when going full speed, mix in a fake toss and freeze! See if the athlete stays “loaded” or lunges forward with the hands and body.