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Online now: 7 members: CHI-TOWN BALLERS, John Johnson, KentMace, Pascal, TABLE SETTER 11, rogt, timster49er; 124 anonymousDiscussion: Hitting from tee vs. hitting pitched ball
| Posted | Discussion |
| June 19, 2015 hombre Men's 60 240 posts | Hitting from tee vs. hitting pitched ball This is a question for all the batmaticians. I'm sure that someone out there has done extensive empirical analysis on this topic. The question is: with all other factors being equal, if a batter can hit a ball 300 feet from a tee, how much further could hit a pitched ball? Just wondering. |
| June 19, 2015 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | My guess from experience, 330+. This assumes you are placing the tee at the optimum(al) position. |
| June 19, 2015 ? 121 posts | Probably Not Much... The pitched ball will resist the bats forward swing momentum much more than the ball just setting on the tee. |
| June 19, 2015 Locoengineer 39 posts | I hit from a tee almost everyday. My distance is about 20-30 feet more with a pitch in my zone,remember the ball speed is appox. 25-30 mph vs 0 from the tee. |
| June 20, 2015 Fred S Men's 85 297 posts | I get about the same difference hitting with my WD vs live pitching. Even though the ball is moving a little with my WD you still don't get the bat flex you would get from live pitching I believe the bat flexes more when hitting a pitched ball than it does hitting a stationery ball. |
| June 24, 2015 Dancer 115 posts | My own experience, I actually hit farther off of a tee, but since the ball is stationary, I can snap my wrist better on it. I don't sell these things but I have been using a gadget called a Pop Toss. I practice by myself a lot and the pop toss pitches the ball to me. My batting average went sky high the last 3 weeks. Now it could be two things, either I am getting lucky or the pop toss help with my eye and hand coordination. Or I am so old and seen so many pitches that I finally figure out how to hit the ball. |
| June 24, 2015 STL0 Men's 60 230 posts | Dancer - I looked at the pop toss product on line and the description says you have to push down on a spring each time you want a pitch. Do you have to do that, then step back from the machine and take a swing, then repeat? How convenient or inconvenient is that in your opinion? If anyone else has recommendations on a product you can use to pitch to yourself, let me know what you think is best based on your experience. |
| June 24, 2015 Dancer 115 posts | STL0, yes you do have to use your bat handle to push the spring down and lay the ball on it every time and walk back to home plate. But it is about 8-10ft away from you. I don't mind because the timer is adjustable, so it you are a little slower getting to batting position, you can set the timer to handle it. The product is about 140.00 but it needs no electricity. I have seen pitching machines that can keep pitching to you that need electric that would do the job, but also there is a question of hauling the machine and these machines cost hundreds of dollars. The pop toss is maybe 3 to 4 pounds and I store it in the trunk of my car. But like I said before, I have to practice hitting by myself a lot, so it is more convenient for me to go when I want to and not depend on having people to show up. Two things about the pop toss. First, the legs will keep digging in the ground. I keep my practice balls in a 5 gallon bucket, so I used the lid of the bucket as a base for the pop toss (I set the pop toss on the lid of the bucket). Second, and this is so important. You have to take two 5 gallons buckets and place them inside each other and put in front of the pop toss, because if you hit the pop toss with a grounder, you will shatter it. The buckets in front of the pop toss will protect it and the pop toss can easily pitch over the buckets. |
| June 24, 2015 Dancer 115 posts | STLO, to answer your question, the Pop Toss is convenient for me, but other people may have a different opinion, because they have to walk back and forth so much. But if you think about it this way, most likely someone who is buying this machine is playing in softball leagues or tournaments anyways. These softball players are in better shape than most people who play no sports, so taking 5 to 6 steps forward and 5 to 6 steps back and repeating that 50 to 100 times (I hit 100 balls or more during practice), it should not be a problem. |
| June 24, 2015 Shut Up & Pitch 67 posts | Send this question to "Mythbusters". |
| June 24, 2015 DieselDan Men's 75 599 posts | Any idea how long the spring lasts and are they easy to replace? |
| June 24, 2015 STL0 Men's 60 230 posts | Dancer - Thanks for taking the time to respond and for providing that info. I appreciate it. It's helpful to understand exactly how it works. A video on the website of how it worked would be really helpful but there is not much there to evaluate it. |
| June 24, 2015 obagain Men's 50 72 posts | Too many variables to say for sure but if you had the exact same swing off both a pitched ball and a tee you would have 15-20 foot more with a pitched ball. Most average hitters get more distance off a tee because there is no timeout or adjustments to be made so they can square it up consistently. The better the hitter to more distance off a pitched ball. |
| June 25, 2015 Dancer 115 posts | STL0 try searching Pop Toss you tube. Even though some of these guys are using it wrong (one guy has it on top of a milk crate and another has it inside a bucket) it gives you a general ideal on how it works. Diesel Dan, I don't know how long the spring last because I only had mine for about 4 weeks but I believe the spring has a lifetime guarantee if you buy directly from them. Here is a secret: They have a facebook page, ask them for a discount code, they gave me 10.00 off. Obagain-yes you are correct, my problem is I don't swing the same way off of a tee as I do with a pitch ball. With the tee I can snap my wrist better and thus get more distance. If I can snap my wrist on a pitch ball as well as I can on the tee yes I would agree it would go farther. |
| June 25, 2015 STL0 Men's 60 230 posts | Here is one video I found in case anyone wants to check it out. Seems like something that would be durable. I'm guessing that the guy that has it in the bucket is just doing that so he doesn't hit it and bust it but who knows. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivbgjLHCPHA I have trouble getting people together to hit and I know if I snuck out of the house early on a weekend to go to the nearest park and hit, my wife wouldn't care as much driving 30 minutes to meet up with people and then spend 2 hours hitting. Looks like it is worth a shot. |
| June 25, 2015 OZ40 549 posts | I believe a pitched ball will travel farther than a ball hit off of a tee. Some of the farthest home runs come off of fast balls. In baseball you are transferring the energy of the pitched ball via the bat in another direction. In baseball the pitcher actually supplies some of your power thru the speed of the pitch. In softball the onus of supplying power falls a great deal more to the batter to provide it since the pitches are coming in slowly. As a result of the slow pitch there is less energy to transfer into the softball players bat. So, fastballs = more transferred power than slow pitched balls therefore a stationary ball would have no energy to transfer into a bat. If you are hitting 330 off of a tee and everything else is equal you should hit a live pitch somewhat farther. BUT! You still have to hit it correctly to do it. |
| June 27, 2015 garyheifner 649 posts | question: I have never hit of a tee. Bought one at a garage sale today for $2. Do most of you place the height at the height you look for in a game and keep it there or do you vary the height for practicing for various heights that might be a 3rd strike in a game if you don't swing at it. |
| June 28, 2015 hombre Men's 60 240 posts | My tee is home made and extends from 30" to 60" in increments of 3". I usually hit a dozen balls at each level from 3' to 4'. Then I concentrate on specific heights, depending on what I'm working on. It's my opinion that you should definitely vary the heights at which you hit. |
| June 29, 2015 Dancer 115 posts | Gary Heifner, great deal on the tee. What Homre said is correct, you want to practice at different heights. because a pitch is not always going to be perfect and sometimes you just have to defend the plate. My tee does not extend high enough, so I put it on top of a pickle bucket to get the ball to slightly below my chest area. |
| June 29, 2015 bogie Men's 65 448 posts | Gary, as you stride, your body will lower some, so the ball will end up a couple inches higher at impact than the actual tee setting...good deal on tee, btw I see older guys in the mid 70s or older often hit further off the tee, but agree that most hit further off live pitching. I think Bruce is pretty close in his analysis. |
| June 29, 2015 BudLeftField 86 posts | I've been hitting off a tee for a few years now after I saw Bogie's DVD Blasting Bombs,spraying singles. I was so impressed by the way Roger "Doc" Clay { RIP } hit off the tee that I got one the next day. The tee I use now is a Worth that extends to 60". A good deal for under $50. I think Bruce is right on the money as I hit about 30' further off live pitching. By the way Bruce, I guess it was about 3-4 years ago that I played against you in a tournament here in the villages, A friend of mine,John Davide ,played third base on your team Spicer. You guys won the final game against Rose Ent. 36-35 when Rose had the tieing run on 2nd base in the bottom of the 7th. Unfortunately, he was also the on deck batter so after an intentional walk to the batter,the game was over. I also remember that you lined a home run over the right field fence. Bogie-thanks for the great swing makeover series. Bud |
| June 29, 2015 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | i hit close to the same off a tee for distance...my prol is if i do to much tee work my timing seems to get off a little and most times i'm out front on a pitched ball,it takes 10+ pitches for bp to get back my timing...is there something that can be done with my tee work to help that....... |
| June 29, 2015 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | I think a major factor in hitting the ball farther in a game versus a tee, is the quality of the ball. An extreme example: I bat leadoff for my team. In some games, I am the FIRST to hit the game ball. It is brand new, just out of the box, nothing has softened it up. Along about the fifth inning, most game balls are noticeably softening. And in our local tournaments, if you foul the ball off with a long fly over the fence, the backup ball is the 7-inning used ball from the previous game! Most guys hitting off a tee (or batting practice for that matter) do not use balls that have no more than 50 hits on them—it's too expensive! I've hit some real socks during batting practice. Doesn't bother me much because I am just trying to get my swing right and loosen up, and I can tell from the feel whether I hit the ball well, even if it doesn't reach the deeper fielders. Come game time, especially morning games, if I hit the ball on the sweet spot I expect it to FLY. |
| June 29, 2015 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | omar all my bp/tee balls will be used and for the most part beyond doable for games.....and like you i can careless about the condition as (like you said) you can tell when you hit it good or not by the feel..... |
| June 29, 2015 StevenL.Imlay Men's 60 174 posts | Hitting off a tee is one of the best things you can do for your swing. Doesn't help your timing but does help with all the other mechanics that you need to be hitting the ball well. Mad Dog I would guess that you have some issues with hitting off your front foot even without hitting off the tee (the reason I say that is because I have to fight that myself.) Hitting off a tee actually helps me with that issue. One of the items I work hard on with hitting off the tee is really seeing the ball. Which to do that effectively you have to stay back and hit with the correct angle. Bob maybe I'm wrong as I know you hit well and with distance plus you work hard at it. Bogey works out often with the tee and he had a phenomenal Worlds tournament partially because of the tee. I use the automatic tee (Q-Tee) and love it but it is a little bulky to carry to a tournament. Bogey use a Tee that he can put in his bat bag. Bruce it doesn't matter if you hit off the tee or hit live pitching. You still hit it hard and deep!! Omar I agree most of the time I will be breaking in bats or using older bats to hit off the tee and of course old balls. SLi |
| June 29, 2015 Snot Nose Kid 67 posts | If anybody were to conduct an actual test to get an answer to this question. The human element would have to be taken out of the picture by using some sort of mechanical batter to get accurate results. |
| June 29, 2015 Dbax Men's 65 2100 posts | Why would anyone care about an answer to the original question? |
| June 30, 2015 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | thanks steve......i didn't think about my front foot...will have to check that next time i hit off my tee......you are right in the helping of my mech's...as i do move the tee up/down/side to side...and also back and forth......i do find when i hit in the school's batting tunnel i hit more line drives and less deep ones when playing afterwards......when i practice on their ball field i can get my long ball dialed in better......is a big pain to not have a bp partner tho.......where's big george(funk) when i need him....LOL... |
| June 30, 2015 Az Iz 66 posts | Dbax Hombre asked the question when he started the thread in the first place. Don't you think he/we are looking for an answer? |
| June 30, 2015 Dbax Men's 65 2100 posts | I realize it just fine. But, who cares? |
| June 30, 2015 hombre Men's 60 240 posts | Dbax, I care. I wanted to compare my differential between hitting from the tee and hitting live pitching with others who hit from the tee. The feedback tells me that I'm getting good results from the practice of hitting from the tee. And thanks for caring enough to add to the conversation with your comments. |
| June 30, 2015 cal50 Men's 50 328 posts | From the length of the thread, quite a few people seem to care. |
| June 30, 2015 Pull My Finger 81 posts | Dbax If you didn't care then why are you reading and posting on this thread? |
| June 30, 2015 Dancer 115 posts | Pull My Finger - LOL I wish I would have thought of that name, Too Funny. |
| June 30, 2015 Dbax Men's 65 2100 posts | Sorry, it's my job to point this kind of stuff out. |
| June 30, 2015 Funk 66 posts | Hey Bob... I am always ready to hit with you man... Always good to get Tee hitting tips from both Steve and Bogey. Batting practices with all 3 of you is always a great learning experience...George Robinson. |
| July 1, 2015 bogie Men's 65 448 posts | Thanks Bud...I would add that a lot of the great hitters I see really build up muscle memory and strength from tee work. Imlay has long power off the tee from all his reps on it...The only problem I see with tee work, is to make sure you use your tested game mechanics on it. I've gotten in a bad habit of sometimes experimenting with changes in technique on it..and have actually improved tee hitting performance over my game swing..but when I go to a live game..I've had that blow up in my face. Because with no timing or spacing issues on the tee, you can get away with bad mechanics that do well off the tee, but fail vs. live pitching. A hitter has to closely follow what works well vs. live. Gtee is what we use and pretty sweet. |
| July 6, 2015 4x4 Men's 65 601 posts | Sometimes you can adjust on a Tee and yank the ball a Long ways and be impressed by it.....The only problem is you can be solidifying bad habits/muscle memory that does not translate well into actual hitting/timing/technique - especially if you are searching or altering your technique using a Tee..... Don't overlook the simple thing we all used to do as kids - simply throw the ball up (like we used to do with rocks) - stride and hit it......It keeps the hand eye stride timing working together......I've watched some very good hitters do this and you can actually build a rythm easier than if you are placing the ball on the Tee yourself then going back and taking a stance and starting all over.....to me the advantages of live BP are a quick reset and repetitive swing + the changing location in your "hitting zone" which lets you know where to drive the ball by where it's located within your zone......Another advantage of live BP is if you hit with equal or better players - BP buddies they can help you build a better game/swing.......usually it's not a wholesale change but the incremental small details that build a good swing.... Tee work is a good part of the puzzle of hitting - but it cannot take the place of live BP...... I do miss hitting with all you guys in the states..... |
| July 7, 2015 d45 160 posts | Albert Pujois and Todd Helton advocate hitting off the T regularly. Pujois says he hits off the T regularly, especially to correct mechanical problems when his hitting starts to decline. |
| July 8, 2015 obagain Men's 50 72 posts | Maddog, When I hit I start by looking at the pitching rubber, start my swing and then bring my eyes to the ball on the tee. This helps with the timing and also forces me to find and then concentrate on the ball. It doesn't replace live pitching but it does make timing issues much better. |
| Sept. 9, 2015 surf88 Men's 65 1000 posts | I use a G-Tee and have used them all with our batting cage at Worlds in 11'. All the rest broke from misguided bats hitting the tees.My tee easily fits in my bag and is collapsible. I practice at different heights and on a field, I try to hit ropes versus long high fly balls. I believe the repetitious motion in the body movement strengthens the rotation muscles and tissues. I believe I am getting equal distance from a tee and from natural pitching. When using a tee, I am doing a similar method of preparing for a pitch. I look upward to the elevation of a pitch and look downward to the ball on the tee as I begin my swing and rotation. This has been a great thread. Thanks to all who have participated in it. Ed Andrews |
| Sept. 9, 2015 Turbo 34 Men's 50 47 posts | I would think a pitched ball would travel further because of increased trampoline effect off a composite bat. I throw a lot up and hit them pretty good but nothing like a pitched ball. |
