Soft toss from behind the hitter - - Off-Speed Drill

The hitter stands as if to hit into a screen or backstop and the thrower is on his knees behind him. The hitter is looking down, just in front of the plate trying to spot the ball as early as possible. The thrower will soft toss a ball into the strike zone and the player is to drive it forward into the screen. The thrower can vary the speed and location of the pitch to adjust the level of difficulty.

When introducing this drill, you can begin by allowing the players to see the ball the whole time until they get the idea of the drill. This can also be used as a variation to help the players react sooner to the pitched ball by throwing it harder through the zone while they are watching it.