Ted Williams' #1 Secret - Drill to Improve your Batting Average

Article Contents

Want to improve your batting average? You're not alone.

Remember when everyone used to say a baseball player should "chop down" on the baseball?

That became "common knowledge" because it was how many of the best baseball players described how it felt when they were hitting well. Then, high-quality, slow-motion video came into the picture.

That's when we all began to realize that what you FEEL, isn't always what is actually happening.

What's actually happening is this:

A swing that's on plane with the trajectory of the baseball has the best odds of making contact (aka, better BATTING AVERAGE) because you no longer have to be quite so perfect with your timing.

It also has better odds of making SQUARE contact (powerful, long-ball, hard hits).

Ted Williams, a baseball legend, said that a good baseball swing is slightly uphill to get solid ball contact. And he was right because the pitch is coming slightly downhill and we want the swing path on the same line.

That's what we're working on in today's hitting drill.

What is this drill to improve your batting average?

This is a batting drill that will help your players get their bat on the swing plane with the pitch. During baseball practice, focus on this to improve your batting average and have better quality contact more often.

The secret of Ted Williams (the Boston Red Sox great) is his ability to hit a baseball hard. It is no coincidence that he also had the longest hitting streak in Major League Baseball history. If you want to improve your swing and become a power hitter, spend your time learning to hit home runs instead of singles. Using the Ted Williams batting drill will dramatically improve your average. The key is learning how to get on plane and stay on plane for a long period of time.

Why is this hitting drill important?

Have you noticed that professional athletes tend to score more runs than the rest of us? Of course, as you might imagine, it doesn’t take long to notice the difference between an average hitter versus a superstar. While the average hitter may get on base once or twice a game, the superstar hits for a higher average and hits for more power. A higher batting average means more runs scored, and that equals more wins. Hitters in baseball who keep the baseball bat on the plane with the baseball longer will improve both batting average and the quality of their hits.

Step-by-Step Instructions

A Quick Note: For the purposes of these hitting drill instructions, we will be focusing on right handed batters, but if you're a lefty, simply use the opposite position than the one mentioned.

Step one

Ted williams drill to improve your batting average

Start with your body in a regular stance.

Step Two

Hold the bat with your back hand. Place your front hand on your chest to keep it from swinging.

Step Three

Start with the knob to the catcher and then swing through on plane. Hits should be slightly to the opposite field.

Step Four

This last part is very important. Do not let your shoulders fly open. Fight to keep your body as closed as possible.

Note - While this is an amazing drill for developing a good bat path, I do have a word of warning. If you find you aren't strong enough to do this drill with proper form, then you should either choke up, use a lighter bat, or don't do it at all.

Today's Equipment:

Tanner Heavy batting tee - Extremely durable weighted batting tee with a reinforced stem and unique ability to stay stable on home plate or any uneven surface. A favorite of pros (and instructors of kids who miss a lot).

Baseball Hitting Drills for a Batting Tee - Written by a former Major Leaguer, this book has more in-depth info about THIS drill (detailed checkpoints, common mistakes to avoid, etc), plus 19 more of the best drills for a batting tee. And it also includes video for each drill.

Baseballs by the dozen - One dozen cork-center, dual rubber protected, 20% wool, premium leather baseballs. I hope you enjoy this batting tee drill.

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For more hitting drills like this to improve your batting average, please subscribe to the Tanner Tees YouTube channel or we can email them to you directly. Click here to get a jump start with 5 free hitting instruction videos from former MN Twin Doug Bernier