I spent the last post telling you the importance of the tee, this post is about how to effectively use the tee.

First thing first, when you are using the tee always stare out at the pitcher.  I know he is not actually there but this will allow you to keep a set up that is consistent.  So set up, look at the pitcher, and then start your swing.  If you set up by looking at the ball your head will be in a different position than it normally is and that goes against being consistent right down to the smallest details.  Also, looking at the pitcher will give you the same tracking approach as you will use in the game.

Setting up: I like to use a regular plate as well as the tee, this allows the hitter to take their normal stance in comparison to the plate.  Once you set up, put the tee right down the middle to start and slightly out in front of the plate.  One problem I always see when I work with hitters is they set the tee up down the middle then take their stance and the tee splits their body.  Problems associated with this are, front shoulder pulls out, spinning on your back foot occurs, and the swing becomes all upper body and chances are you are hitting one hoppers into the side of the cage or you are sitting back so much you are hitting pop up into the top of the cage.  The correct positioning of the tee is out in front of the plate and if you are working down the middle your front foot after you load and stride should be slightly behind the ball.  This will allow you to get your front foot down and drive your back hip into the ball and make contact out in front, which is the swing and point of contact we are looking for.  You should also not put the tee too far out in front because this will cause you to jump at the ball getting your chest way over your front foot and cause a whole new set of issues.  When you decide to work on the outside and inside pitch you must move the tee, but do not move your body in relation to the plate.  This set up you are using as far as your body position compared to the plate should be the same you use in a game.

Outside pitch: Move the tee to the outside corner of the plate and actually on top of the plate.  When you load and stride the ball should be even with your front foot.  It is key that you do not reach for the ball by casting (sending your hands away from your body) your hands.  You are going to take the exact same swing, get your front foot down and drive your back hip into the front side, the only thing that changes is the depth of the ball in comparison to your front foot, i.e. point of contact.

Inside Pitch: Move the tee to inside corner and out in front of the plate a little more than the middle pitch, so when your foot comes down the ball is a little further out in front of your front foot.  The placement of the tee is key because you do not want to tie yourself up (jam yourself) by putting the tee too close to you.  You want to allow your back hip room to move forward and drive into your front foot.  This will allow you to create maximum bat speed and make contact in the most powerful position.

send me questions, comments, or emails to samflamont@tumblr.com.  I will get back to each of you in a timely fashion.  Tell me what you think of my ideas or philosophy or share yours.  I love good baseball conversation.