Softball drill
Head on the net posture drill
With no bat, the hitter rests the front of the head lightly on a net or padded wall and turns through the swing. If they stand up or pull off, the head leaves the net, so they feel right away whether they kept their posture.
At a glance
- Sport
- Baseball and Softball
- Skill
- Hitting
- Ages
- 10U to High school
- Players
- 1 or more, each at their own spot on a net
- Time
- About 5 minutes
- Level
- Beginner
- Equipment
- A batting cage net or padded wall, A light medicine ball (optional, for older players)
- Indoors
- Yes
Telling a hitter to keep the head down rarely fixes anything, because the head usually comes up when the whole body stands up out of its posture. When the spine straightens and the chest pulls open, the eyes leave the ball and the barrel leaves the hitting zone with them.
This drill gives the hitter something to feel. With the head resting on a net, they have to turn around a still head to keep contact. It takes no bat and no balls, so it makes a good warm-up for a whole team along a cage net or a padded gym wall.
Setup
- Have the hitter take their hitting posture facing a cage net or padded wall: knees bent, hips back, chest tilted over the plate.
- Move them in until the front of the head or the cap brim rests lightly on the net.
- Cross the arms over the chest, hands on the shoulders.
How to run it
- With the head on the net, the hitter loads slowly into the back hip.
- They turn the hips and then the chest through a full swing motion, keeping the head in light contact with the net.
- Hold the finish for two seconds and check that the chest is still tilted over the plate.
- Do 8 to 10 slow reps, then 8 to 10 at closer to game speed.
- Progress by holding the hands together at the hip, as if holding a ball, and turning through to an extended finish with the head still on the net.
Coaching points
- The head rests on the net; it does not push into it. Light, steady contact is the goal.
- Hips back behind the heels at the start so the upper body can stay tilted while it turns.
- Turn around the spine. The head stays put while the hips and shoulders rotate under it.
- Start slow, about half speed, and speed up only when the head stays on the net every rep.
- Right after the drill, take a few tee swings and ask the hitter to keep the same feel.
Common mistakes
- Standing up during the turn, so the head comes off the net.
- Pressing the forehead hard into the net and pivoting on it instead of turning the body.
- Starting too upright, with no bend at the hips, which makes the drill pointless.
- Going straight to full speed before the slow reps are clean.
Printable drill card
Take this drill to the field: the setup, steps, coaching points and equipment on one card, with the video's address to find it again. Free, no account needed.
Print the drill cardSmaller: half page or quarter page (PDF).
By age
10U and 12U
Keep it to dry turns with arms crossed. A partner can stand behind and say "off" whenever the head leaves the net.
14U and up
Add the hands-together turn, and if you have one, a light medicine ball turned and released toward a wall while the head stays on the net.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the head on the net drill need a bat?
No. It is done with the arms crossed or the hands together, which keeps the focus on posture and the turn. Follow it with a few tee swings so the feel carries over to the bat.
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