Contact Point Trainer Inside, middle, away: where do you meet the ball?
Every pitch location has its own contact point. Inside pitches are met out front and pulled. Middle pitches are met even with the front foot. Away pitches are met deeper and driven the other way. See a location, pick the contact point, and beat the clock.
- 2 minutes
- Righty or lefty
- Free · no sign-up
Contact Point Trainer
Pick the contact point for each pitch before the clock runs out.
Why contact point matters
Most mishits aren’t swing problems. They’re contact-point problems. A hitter who meets an inside pitch too deep gets jammed. A hitter who meets an away pitch out front rolls over into a ground ball. The fix is knowing where each location gets hit.
- Inside: out front of the front foot, pulled.
- Middle: even with the front foot, up the middle.
- Away: deeper, even with the back half of the plate, driven the other way.
Take it to the tee
Move the tee with the location: inside and a ball’s length in front of the front foot, middle and even with the front foot, away and even with your belly button.
Training guide
What it trains
Where to make contact for inside, middle and outside pitches, and where each one goes.
Who it’s for
Hitters who pull everything foul, get jammed, or can’t drive the outside pitch.
How to get better
- Inside pitches are hit farther out front. Outside pitches are hit deeper.
- Move the tee to each spot and hit 10 balls from each.
- Use the whole field: pull the inside pitch, drive the outside pitch the other way.
- Check your contact point on video, not just by feel.
Read more on the Backspin Blog
- Fernando Tatis Jr. Contact Point & Power Lesson
- How to Hit Opposite Field: Barrel Behind the Hands
- Tee Work vs Front Toss: What Research Shows
- How to Hit Line Drives: Stop Popping Up
Next step: run the free Hitter Combine to find your #1 priority, or train this skill start to finish in the Swing Structure course.
Questions
Where should you make contact on an inside pitch?
Out in front of the front foot. Inside pitches get to the hitter first, so the barrel has to meet them earlier and they go to the pull side.
Where should you make contact on an outside pitch?
Deeper, about even with the back half of the plate. Letting the outside pitch travel lets the hitter drive it the other way instead of rolling over.
How do you practice contact points?
With a tee. Set it inside and out front, middle and even with the front foot, and away and deeper. Move the depth with the location every round.