Getting in your batting licks at Tennessee.

Hitting for the circuit in Knoxville with small baseballs, short bats, and special hitting cage.

Thanks to the many training devices available to baseball coaches, we are able to keep our hitters usefully and interestingly engaged at our batting stations.

Properly employed over a period of time, our gadgetry does a great job of developing our hitters' strength, quickness, timing, and basic skills.

We put in a lot of time at our stations before sending them out to live BP. In our article in the October issue, we focused specifically on our Power Swing Trainer. We'd now like to present the other hitting devices in our development program.

BABY BASEBALL: One of the hardest things to do in coaching hitters is to get them to focus on the baseball for two to three seconds. We attempt to do this at our flip stations, using a Baby Baseball.

Much smaller than the regular baseball, the Baby Baseball forces the hitter to concentrate harder on the baseball in order to see the seams or the dot on the slider.

As shown in Photo 1, we will place a feeder just off the hitter's front hip. As the feeder drops his hands, the hitter will take his stride, time the feeder's flip, and drive the baseball into the net.

(Note: The hitter is shown using an Easton 34-inch by 29-oz. "hit stick" to enhance hand-eye coordination.)

We will also use the Baby Baseball in our Short Toss drill, as shown in Photo 2. A thrower is set up 15 to 20 feet behind an L-shaped screen, and delivers the pitch to the hitter, who drives it back up the middle or to either side of the field, according to where the ball is pitched.

Note: Judging by the hitter's feet and arm carriage, he is going to drive the ball to the opposite field.

The Baby Baseball is a great tool with which to teach the hitter to narrow his focus. After this kind of concentrated focus, the hitter will usually be able to hit the regular baseball with greater accuracy than ever before.

LAD BAT: This short bat, developed by Doug Henley at Hit-Rite, trains the hitter to isolate the lead arm - a critical factor in developing a consistent swing. (See Photo 3.) Many hitters have a tendency to let the front elbow fly - letting it come up while dropping the head of the bat, creating the long, slow swing.

It is imperative to keep the lead elbow (and knob of the bat) pointed down in driving the hands through the hitting zone - ensuring a shorter, quicker swing. We work on this at both our flip and tee stations.

We also use the Baby Baseball and Lad Bat in working on the short, quick grooved swing at our next station - hitting to the opposite field. We use the same set-up as in the Short Toss Drill shown in Photo 2, except with the batter using the short bat and the pitcher throwing the smaller baseball.

We want the hitter to develop a quick short swing that will keep the head of the bat on the plane of the ball - applying our "three baseball" concept (as explained in my previous article).

If the hitter meets the ball correctly, he will line it into the net. If he gets under the ball, he will pop it up. If he gets on top of the ball, he will hit it into the ground.

The advantages are obvious. The drill will help the hitter develop the correct swing mechanics and see the result immediately - whether or not he has driven the bat correctly through the hitting zone.

It is psychologically essential for the hitter to feel what he is doing right or wrong. A drill such as this will allow him to feel his top hand driving through the ball and being the dominant force on an outside pitch. This can make the difference between hitting a line drive to the opposite field or merely hitting a flare or pop-up or a weak ground ball.

The top hand must play a major role in driving the bat head through the plane of the ball and hitting a line drive.

HIT-RITE MACHINE: The Hit-Rite enhances hand-eye coordination and quickness with a series of drills that enable the athlete to get as many as 150 swings in a 15-minute practice session.

Photo 4: The feeder sets up opposite and slightly back of the hitter to avoid being hit by the baseball after contact.

To simulate a normal fast ball, he will hold the cable assembly above his chin and simply release it in the direction of the hitter. The hitter waits until he hears the feeder call "Now!" He'll then check the feeder (through peripheral vision) and then turn back to pick up the pitch and drive the ball into the net.

This drill can be used to simulate fast-balls and change-ups or just taking a little something off the fast ball.

Photo 5: We also use an inside-out drill to develop the quick hands needed against any kind of pitch. As shown in Photo 5, the feeder now moves inside the frame directly opposite the hitter to deliver the ball.

Note: We constantly warn the hitter not to commit his hands on his stride into hitting position.

Once the feeder gets the hang of these drills, he can simulate the three basic pitches from just below the chest position: a normal fast ball, an above-average fast ball, and a breaking pitch. Since the three pitches are delivered from one set position, the hitter will have no way of anticipating any of them.

The hands should remain inside the baseball and work out creating a short, quick swing.

The hitter must make full contact just as he would in live BP. The cable unit is consistently inconsistent in that one pitch may be inside and the next one outside, but the drill is as close to live BP as you can get.

The hitter is instructed to stride upon spotting any movement by the feeder, but to keep his hands back. The feeder simply moves the position from chin high to head high (for the breaking ball) and releases the baseball toward the netting.

The use of the Lad Bat helps teach the hitter how to use his hands, stay on balance, and keep his weight back in striding forward.

In this wonderful world of video tapes and high-tech gadgetry, baseball coaches should avail themselves of the superlative wares with which to teach hitting, pitching, baserunning, and just about everything else.

Rod Delmonico Head Coach, U. of Tennessee