Open stance, closed stance, leg kick, heel lift, rhythm, hand height, and personal feel can be individual. I am not trying to strip away what makes a hitter feel like herself.
Fall Hitting Progression
Built Within The Team Structure. Led Through Our Hitting Language.
Daily movement prep stays consistent. We build from tee work, to front toss, to overhand and field reps, then into machine work. Competition Wednesdays give the week a purpose, and Friday gives hitters feel-good regular bat swings.
14Weeks
3Daily Prep Pieces
24Drill Tools
1Weekly Competition
What Stays True
- Movement matters before the swing.
- Style stays with the player.
- Non-negotiables show up.
- Competition Wednesdays match the phase.
- Every hitter leaves with ownership.
The Message
This fall is about building hitters who know what they are doing and why they are doing it.
We are not just taking swings. We are preparing the body, teaching the barrel, training the eyes, competing with purpose, and helping each athlete understand what makes her powerful.
Style can stay. The non-negotiables have to show up. When a player leaves the cage, she should know her cue, her focal point, her reset drill, and what she is working to own.
Philosophy
Style Can Stay. The Non-Negotiables Have To Show Up.
There is a difference between the art of hitting and the science of hitting. Style is the art. It is how a hitter feels powerful, confident, and like herself in the box. The non-negotiables are the science. Those are the pieces we are going to train, teach, and hold each other accountable to.
Working behind, getting in the backside, controlling out movement, using field visuals, recognizing pitch shape, competing, and knowing how to adjust.
The drills are not here to make everyone look the same. They are here to help each hitter connect her style to the non-negotiables so her swing has direction, power, and ownership.
Fall Progression
We Earn The Next Layer
The fall comes in phases. We are not jumping ahead just to get to the fun stuff. The daily prep stays consistent, and each hitting layer builds only after the previous layer has a purpose.
Daily Foundation + 3T Middle
PVC, med ball, band out movement, back knee work when needed, and 3T down the middle with the flat bat. This is where hitters learn the body and the barrel language.
3T Locations
We keep the same foundation, then move 3T to different heights and sides of the plate. The goal is to keep direction when the location changes.
Tee Drill Add-Ons
SOSA, Flamingo, Triangle Drill, L Drill, and Teacher all start off the tee first. Hitters learn which drill helps their body understand backside and out movement.
Front Toss Progression
The same ideas now move into front toss: 3T with flat bat or Teacher, regular front toss, SOSA, Flamingo, Triangle Drill, and L Drill. The ball moves, but the language stays the same.
Overhand, Strength, And Field Work
Cross Overhand, sand balls, hockey heavy ball, Bryce Harper Stepback, and field reps all build intent without losing direction. Straight-on wood bat overhand with softballs or baseballs has already been showing up at the end of groups since Week 2 so hitters are building power throughout, not only late in the fall.
Machine And Vision Work
Rise/drop machines, cross machines, tennis ball bounce, and tanning blackout glasses come later. Machines are not the starting point. They test what the hitters already understand.
Language Bank
The Words We Are Going To Use Every Day
This is the shared language. If we are going to use these words in the cage, the athletes should know what they mean, what they should feel, and why we keep coming back to them.
Style is the hitter's art. The swing still has non-negotiables. We can honor how a hitter feels confident while still training the pieces that create power, direction, and adjustability.
The pieces that have to show up no matter what style a hitter has: working behind, getting in the backside, controlling out movement, using the field, and learning how to adjust.
Getting into the lower half so the hitter has something strong to move from. This should not feel forced or huge. The body will stop the athlete where it needs to stop.
The ground-connected part of the swing. We want hitters to feel strong, athletic, and loaded without squatting, swaying, or forcing a fake position.
The controlled move forward while staying connected to the backside. We want athletes to move out with control instead of rushing, drifting, or losing the lower half.
The barrel works behind the ball and stays through the zone. This is where the swoosh visual matters: work behind, stay through, have direction.
Knob down toward the catcher's glove helps the barrel work behind instead of pushing forward too soon. Knob direction affects barrel path.
The upper half is loaded and connected instead of pushing the hands forward too soon. It helps the hitter feel the barrel working behind her.
The back knee should help hold power and direction. If it collapses too early, the hitter can lose the ground, lose adjustability, and lose damage.
Three tee spots: front, middle, and back hip. The goal is to hit each ball with direction and feel the barrel stay in the zone as long as possible.
A miss that tells us the hitter is closer to the right intent. We are not chasing perfect. We are learning what the result is telling us.
Drop ball: see it around the belt. Rise ball: see it around the knees to mid-thigh. The window helps the hitter decide what she can attack.
Using the scoreboard, flag, foul pole, or another focal point to adjust timing and direction without making everything mechanical.
Heavy bats show up consistently because they build strength and expose movement flaws. From the second week until machine work starts, groups should finish with straight-on wood bat overhand reps using softballs or baseballs so power is being built throughout the fall.
A team hitting philosophy. Use the hot bat, pass it through the lineup, and create a shared advantage instead of every hitter being isolated with her own bat feel.
A set day to compete the weekly focus. The goal changes with the phase, but the purpose stays the same: complete the task, feel pressure, and learn how to adjust.
Identity work matters here too. Hitters are more than softball players, and part of ownership is knowing who they are outside the game.
Regular bat swings that help hitters leave the week connected to confidence, rhythm, and what feels most like them.
What Hitters Should Feel
The Outcome Of Each Phase
This is the simple checkpoint. If the players know what they should be feeling by the end of each phase, the fall has direction without feeling rushed.
Know The Body
Hitters should understand daily movement prep, backside, out movement, working behind, and 3T direction before we ask them to do more.
Make It Show Up
The same feels now have to show up off front toss, overhand, field reps, heavy bats, and different drill setups without losing direction.
Know The Plan
Hitters should know their cue, focal point, reset drill, and what helps them adjust when the ball, speed, or pressure changes.
Visual Examples
What The Body Should Feel Like
These examples help explain the difference between getting in the backside and lower half versus swinging from a loose, disconnected place. The goal is not to make everybody look the same. The goal is for each hitter to understand the feel.
0:58-1:43
The Towel Example
When we get in our backside and lower half, we are loading the body so it can unravel with intent. It should feel like the body is gathering first, then releasing. We are not forcing a huge move; we are getting into a strong lower-half position and letting the body stop us where it needs to stop us.
Work behind
Stay through
Long through the zone
Upper Half
Working Behind The Ball
The barrel should work behind the ball and stay in the zone as long as possible. This is the Nike Swoosh idea: not chopping straight down, not pushing straight forward, but creating a path that lets the hitter work behind, stay through, and have direction.
8:00-9:15
Working Around The Femur
This is the visual for getting into the backside without forcing a huge move. The athlete should feel the belly button work toward the back hip, almost like she is moving around the femur. That lower-half position gives her something strong to move from before the out movement and before the swing shows up.
Back Knee + Scap
Lower Half And Scap Engagement Together
This clip helps show how the back knee and upper half work together. The back knee is not collapsing early. It is staying strong and working in a direction that lets the body hold power. At the same time, the scap is engaged, which helps the athlete feel the upper half working behind instead of pushing the hands forward too soon.
9:28-9:35 + 11:07-11:16
Why We Do Not Want A Pendulum Swing
If the body works like a pendulum, the hitter can lose the lower half, lose adjustability, and lose the ability to create power from the ground. Getting in the backside gives the hitter something strong to move from. That is why our movement prep matters before we ever care about the result of the swing.
Weekly Work
What We Are Doing And Why
Each week has a focus. The daily work should make that focus show up through movement prep, feel work, barrel direction, Competition Wednesday, and what each hitter needs to own.
We are not trying to jump ahead. We teach the feel first, then add speed, pressure, and decision-making.
Prep the body, feel the move, make the barrel show it, compete it, and know what you are taking with you.
Every drill needs a reason. The athletes should know what they are doing, why it matters, and what it should feel like.
Hitting Groups Monday-Friday
Inside Each Week
The progression is week-to-week, not day-to-day. Each week has one main layer that we live in for the whole week. We keep what has already been taught, add the next piece, and give hitters enough time to actually feel it before we move on.
We add on, we do not skip ahead.
If the week is 3T middle, we live in 3T middle. If the next week adds tee locations, we keep the foundation and add the location layer. If the next week adds tee drills, we keep the previous work and add the new drills. The daily structure supports the weekly layer instead of changing the topic every day.
Movement Prep Stays
Every group starts by getting the body ready: PVC, med ball, band out movement, and back knee work when needed. This is the language before the swing.
One Main Emphasis
The week has one main layer. We repeat it, feel it, fail at it, adjust it, and keep building it before the next layer gets added.
Competition Wednesday
The competition matches the weekly layer. Early on, that could be who can go the slowest with out movement and the best body position. Later, it can become direction, field reps, situational hitting, or machine decisions.
Field Visuals + Next Play
Using the field can happen inside any phase because it helps hitters adjust without getting overly mechanical. Next Play can be sprinkled in as a station or reflection piece.
Wood Bat Overhand + Feel-Good Reps
After the first week, groups finish with straight-on wood bat overhand reps with softballs or baseballs until machine work starts. Near the end of the week, hitters can also get regular bat swings so they leave connected to confidence, rhythm, and what felt right.
Fall Map
Clear Themes From Fall Start To Thanksgiving
The dates follow the yearly structure. The hitting work follows our teaching order: movement prep first, tee before front toss, front toss before overhand and field work, and machines after the hitters understand what they are trying to feel and see.
Drill Library
Every Drill Has A Job
Coach View shows the full purpose, setup, and where each drill fits in the fall plan.
Player View keeps each drill simple: what it teaches, what to feel, and how to know if it is working.
When the demo videos are ready, each drill card can hold your setup clip, what it should look like, and the common misses to avoid.
Coach Drill Coverage
All 24 drill tools have a home. Daily prep stays daily. Tee work comes before front toss, overhand comes before machines, and Cross Overhand comes before Cross Machines.
Player Profile
My Hitting Home Base
Your access code opens your own profile. This is where your drill bank, resources, cues, reflections, and weekly check-ins live.
Profile Access
No player profile is open.
Player Profile Locked
Favorites: 0
Resources: 0
Assigned: 0
Submissions: 0
Open a profile to see saved drills and resources.
Resources
Hitters, Clips, And Things To Study
This is where players can save hitters, videos, visuals, and reminders that connect to what they are working on. Staff can also add resources, assign them to players, and leave a note for what to watch or feel.
Staff Resource Library
Add And Assign A Resource
Add a hitter, video, clip, article, or note. Assign it to one player or the whole group, then it will show up in that player profile.
Open the coach dashboard first, then assign resources from here.
Player Ownership
Every Hitter Leaves With A Plan
Open a player profile first, then submit what you are learning. This lets the coaching staff see what is clicking, what is confusing, and what each hitter needs.
My Cue
The one phrase that helps me get back to who I am in the box.
My Focal Point
The field visual that helps my timing and direction.
My Reset Drill
The drill that helps me feel right again when I am off.
What Clicked
What made sense this week?
Still Confusing
What do you need more clarity on?
What I Need
What do you need from the staff this week?
Reflection
Next Play Partners belongs here too. Hitting groups can include identity work so players learn about themselves and each other.
Coach Dashboard
Player Feedback And Drill Favorites
Use coach code COACH-01 in this prototype. Coach Banks, Coach Clark, Coach Ellie, and Coach AJ can all use this view to see what players are saving, submitting, and asking for.
Dashboard locked.
Enter the coach code to view player submissions.