3x Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Champions (1996, 2021, and 2022);
2x in the NCCAA National Tournament (2007 and 2022);
2021 NCAA National Tournament participant;
#1 in UNW history for all-time career wins (505), seasons coached (28), and most games coached (1034);
Nine 20 win seasons, two 30 win seasons, and has recorded nine of the top ten win/loss records in UNW history;
Has worked with the Minnesota Twins Summer Instructional Program and MYAS Instructional ClinicsCoaching players on the skill of hitting a baseball is an extremely difficult process, and yet, it is also one of the most-important skill sets that every baseball player needs to develop to be successful. In today’s game, pitchers are becoming more adept than ever at disrupting a batter’s timing through speed changes and ball movement. Therefore, it is necessary for coaches to have an effective hitting plan in place that will help hitters at all levels to master any pitcher.
In this video, Dave Hieb, goes step-by-step through a progression of dry ball, tee, soft toss, front toss and live batting practice, in an program that teaches coaches how to help their hitters to develop the swing calibration, rhythm and timing they need to hit more effectively and improve their overall skills at the plate.
Hitting Drill Progression: Dry Ball, Tee Drills, Soft Toss & Front Toss
Coach Hieb begins by teaching a series of drills that work the fundamental skill sets of any hitter, such as stance, balance, load, strike and a concept he defines as ‘gathering’ to analyze and teach swing mechanics that promote complete plate coverage. Using these drills, coaches and hitters can find and address holes in their swing.
Hieb then goes through a highly informative teaching section that highlights a series of progressive drills that promotes key hitting skills such as: contact in all 9 hitting zones, the concept of timing as a hitter, correct swing plane, bat path, and swing calibration – while stressing that the ability to cover the inside, middle and outside contact points ensures that hitters are on the path to success. Hieb also provides coaches with key advice to make sure their hitters understand their purpose for hitting during every plate appearance and possess an understanding of the purpose of each drill they work on.
Next up is a series of soft toss drills, mixed with a variety of tee drills – all designed to teach a hitter timing, tracking and swing calibration. Hieb shares a practice innovation he has developed for tossing soft toss from a standing position to promote tracking and rhythm. Focusing on the timing needs that hitters need to develop, each of the drills covered in this section promote the importance of adaptation, mental fortitude and success.
Coach Hieb then teaches a series of front-toss drills that promote plate coverage, hard contact and the keys to utilizing a successful bat path. Tracking drills such as the ‘Pointing-To-Release-Points Drill’ and ‘Pointing-To-The-Plate Drill’ force hitters to be aware of the process of hitting – and Hieb stresses the importance of a hitter’s ability to identify a variety of hitting-zone pitches and how doing so relates to success at the plate. Lastly, Coach Hieb concludes the drill section with a highly valuable mix of ‘Tee Drills’ and ‘Front-Toss Drills’ that promote how to hit off-speed pitches and teaches timing. The ‘NOW Drill’ is designed to ensure that hitters allow the ball to travel and teaches them how to use all gaps as a hitter.
SUPER Batting Practice
Coach Hieb showcases a practice segment he’s developed called ‘SUPER Batting Practice’ as a means to teach hitters to learn timing for hitting baseball’s most-effective pitches. Since pitchers learn how to use fast balls and plane appropriate off-speed pitches, the ‘SUPER Batting Practice’ segment forces hitters to compile all the hitting skills showcased in the other sections of the video and use them to hit pitches effectively – whether they are inside, middle or outside pitches. Hieb explains that he is a proponent of a ‘gap-to-gap power’ and ‘hitting for multiple bases’ style of play and how his drill series and practice segments all reinforce those goals at the plate.
To cap off the hitting lessons covered in this video, Coach Hieb provides a complete list of drills that develop all aspects of hitting and provides a framework to teach and improve a hitter’s mechanics, swing calibration, timing, rhythm, pitch recognition, pitch tracking and developing powerful contact.
With the drills shown in this video, baseball players at all levels of competition can enhance their abilities in the batter’s box. This is a must-see hitting resource for baseball coaches!
Coach Rating: 5 Out of 5 Stars.“I rate this video 5/5 stars! … Coach Hieb is just a great teacher. In many instructional videos… coaches sometimes struggle to explain HOW they teach players. But not Coach Hieb! This video is a great resource for everyone – even a parent starting off in coaching. I haven’t seen a hitting instructional video of this quality in a long time. I highly recommend this video!.”
104 minutes, 2022.