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How to help kids learn and have fun
with baseball's "pepper drill"
In my youth it was a joy to play the
game called, "pepper." How often do
you see little league players take a
called strike smack-down the middle
of the plate? There is a reason for
this and it's usually because most
little leaguers never swing too
early and too many of them swing
late. This is the reason there are
so many strikeouts in little league
games.
Timing of the swing is the secret.
If the batter is going to hit the
ball in front of the plate, he or
she must be able to start the swing
soon enough so that the bat reaches
its maximum speed and power as the
ball reaches the appropriate point
in front of the plate. The only
thing that will do this is practice
and more practice. The old game of
"pepper" conditions the perfect
timing. It is the best drill I have
ever seen that teaches "how to hit
the ball out in front."
The game usually involved three or
four infielders and a batter. The
game is only limited by the number
of kids available. The game goes
like this:
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The fielders throw the ball back
to the batter overhand and at
half speed.
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The batter hits the ball back
with a half bunting type stroke.
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Both fielders and batter attempt
to keep play going for as long
as possible without a miss of
either parties.
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Have them count the number of
balls hit before a string is
broken.
This drill is good for the batter as
it develops good eye-hand
coordination and practice in
quick-response fielding all in one
drill. You can have four games of
pepper going on at the same time.
One group could be stationed at home
plate, the second at first base, the
third at second base, and the final
group at third base.
When performing the drill in this
group formation, have the batter and
a catcher with their backs to the
pitcher's mound. This way, a manager
can safely position himself at the
pitcher's mound and observe each
group.
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