Here are two [tag]softball hitting drills[/tag] I use frequently and the improvements are immediate. I drill my players on how picking the ball up early is the difference in a good hitter and a great hitter.
So many young hitters who are seeing live pitching for the first time don’t understand the concept up seeing the [tag]softball[/tag]. They initially think the you “pick the ball up” after it’s released from the pitcher’s hand. Obviously if the pitcher is showing you the ball way back behind her ear that’s when you want to focus on seeing the ball.
I get on the mound and walk through where my hitters need to be focusing on picking the ball up. I use terms like “see the ball early”, “read the writing on the ball”, “focus on the ball” and it helps remind them of the instruction I’ve given them concerning seeing the softball as early as the pitcher will show it.
We noticed our kids have great eye-hand coordination. We think it is contributed to having our players bat the opposite way for a session of [tag]softball practice[/tag]. This makes the player really see the ball because its not a natural swing. This should be done with slow pitching at first gradually increasing speed. This also helps with softball players who have a tendency to step out with their front foot.