Batting Tees Aren't Just for T-ball

I'm sure every baseball or softball player out there remembers their T-Ball days.  Well it seems that smashing the ball off of a batting tee isn't just for little kids.  If you are a serious ballplayer or coach this is not news to you.  You probably never stopped using a batting tee for training.  If you don't use a tee for training you will after you read this article.

Today ball players of all ages have an enormous selection of batting tees available to them.  Of course there is still the option of the standard heavy duty rubber single post tee.  This design is inexpensive, durable and works well but we are not going to feature this model today.  I will assume you have used or at least seen a standard batting tee before.  Today we are going to look at a more exotic model that will offer more training options and convenience than the old standby.

The tee I am going to talk about is a couple of steps up from your everyday batting tee.  It is made of the same durable materials but offers more options for post placement.  The 5 Position Batting Tee has been in use for many years and it is easy to see why.  The model pictured here as purchased from www.morleyathletic.com is made of durable rubber materials with an injection molded plate and steel reinforced tubes.  The tubes adjust from 20 inches to 36 inches and the base plate even features a carry handle.  This is all great but if we don't look beyond the general description of the tee you will miss it's true features.  Five positions and two posts.

With two adjustable posts included with the tee you can now move beyond your standard drills and start practicing post drills and in and out drills.  Double tee drills will take you beyond swing speed and truly hone in your ball hitting skills.  You can be the most powerful batter in the game but unless you can make contact with the ball, well, you get the point. 

It is the job of the pitcher to try and send the ball over the plate in a manner that will make it more difficult to hit.  Most people consider speed to be the most important factor here.  While the speed of the ball is important and certainly makes the ball harder to hit the pitcher has a lot of other tricks up his sleeve. 

Placing the ball in a awkward position over the plate in combination with speed variations can keep even Babe Ruth from making contact.  Inside and outside pitches, high or low.  As a batter you need to be ready for it all.  That's where this little five position beauty can really help you excel.

By being able to consistently keep the ball at one height level or one distance from the batter you can build that all important muscle memory.  That way when your staring down the pitcher your body will have a better chance at instinctively hitting any pitch he throws at you.

That covers the use of the single post positions now lets look at an even more exciting aspect of training with a 5 position batting tee.  Two tubes.

Let's talk about Babe Ruth again.  The man had a knack for knowing where the ball was going to go.  Magic?  Not at all.  It all comes down to skill as usual.  So how do you predict where the ball will end up... by knowing how different hitting angles and positions will effect the ball.  Of course this is not a perfect science but with enough training you can become the Babe Ruth of your league.

By positioning both tubes on the tee base at different heights and in different positions in relationship to each other you can master your hitting angles and develop a compact swing.  Fence drills, post drills, in and out drills and more are possible with the 5 Position Batting Tee and don't require an additional batting tee or a real fence.

You can learn more about the different double tee drills and how you can use them by doing a quick Google search for "double tee drills".  You will find hundreds of online tutorials and even some great books available.

There are dozens of tee styles available on the market.  A few with basic layouts, a handful with complex innovative designs, many made for durability and some for convenience.  The 5 position batting tee available at www.morleyathletic.com is sure to withstand the abuse you put out while offering many training options.  You can also find many other tee designs as well as a full selection of over 8,000 products available at www.morleyathletic.com.