If you are looking for a simple hitting drill for your youth baseball players to use at practice and at home, the fence drill is one of your drills. When done correctly, the fence drill develops a compact swing, bat speed and also teaches the hitter to attack the inside part of the baseball.

Attacking the inside part of the baseball is a very important skill to teach your players. By hitting the inside part of the ball, the player will be able to hit the ball to all fields. If the hitter keeps his hands inside the baseball, the hitter has an advantage over the pitcher because he has the ability to hit the ball to all fields hard.

On the flip side, if your player doesn’t attack the inside part of the baseball, he becomes a dead-pull hitter. The pitcher has a huge advantage if the batter is a pull hitter because anything on the outside part of the plate becomes very difficult for the batter to hit hard.

Equipment Needed For the Fence Drill:

  • Wall, net or fence
  • Baseball Bat

Fence Drill Instructions:

  • Assume correct batting stance while facing a fence
  • Hitter should be a bat distance away from the fence
  • Take a normal stride straight at the imaginary pitcher
  • Swing the bat while visualizing attacking the inside part of the ball
  • Freeze the finish with his head directly over his belly button (shows balance and control)

If the ballplayer does this drill correctly, he will take his normal stride followed by his normal swing and his bat will not hit the fence. If the bat hits the fence, he did not attack the inside part of the baseball and his swing is too long. Encourage him to use a more compact swing and tell him to visualize hitting the inside part of the ball. All hitters should be able to consistently swing the bat during the fence drill without hitting the fence.

NOTE: As with most baseball drills, it is important to begin with qualified coaches/parents watching and giving feedback to the youth player. As time goes on and the player gets better with the fence drill, he will be able to do this drill on his own and get immediate feedback.