Games for Batting Cages

Work on the fundamentals of hitting by stepping into a batting cage before stepping out onto the baseball field. Use a ball machine and live pitching to perform assorted batting cage games and drills with players that improve eye-hand coordination, swinging ability and timing.

Short Throw Drill

Position yourself about 15 feet away from your player behind an L-screen. Throw the ball using an underhand motion into the player's strike zone area. Use this drill to allow the player more swings in a practice and to work on correct swinging form. Work with this drill to reduce how much the player over-strides as well. Instead, help your player work on making her swing more compact. Ensure her elbows are relaxed and face downward somewhat, and that her arm extends upon contact with the ball.

Target Game

Instruct players to hang targets in the batting cage in places they believe are the best spots to put a ball during a live game. Give each player 10 swing opportunities, and the player that hits the most targets wins. You can also opt to change the position of the various targets and how many swings a player gets per round. This drill helps players aim and time their swings so they put the ball in play where desired, as when a player chooses to swing at the ball will affect where it goes on the field. For example, if you are left-handed, an early swing will put a ball in play over right field while a late swing can put a ball in play over in left field. The opposite is true for right-handed batters.

Line Drive Contest

Perform this drill behind an L-screen rather than using a ball machine. Stand behind the screen and pitch balls to a player, though the player should lay off any balls thrown that are not good pitches. See how many line drives players can hit in a row; the more line drives they hit, the more chances they get. Line drives are those that hit the back or side walls. Any balls that hit the top of the cage in front of the L-screen do not count. This drill helps players learn how to bat under pressure.

"Good Eye" Drill

Stand behind an L-screen for this drill. Mark several baseballs or softballs with different-colored stickers, such as red, yellow and blue. Pitch a ball from behind the L-screen, though keep the ball hidden until you pitch it to prevent the player from seeing the stickers before release. Call out a sticker color as you pitch the ball. It is the player's job to see the ball and swing if the color matches what you called out. If the stickers on the ball do not match the color you called out, the player should not swing at the pitch. This drill helps players watch the ball right up until they swing.