Stuck in a batting slump? Tired of hitting dribblers back to the pitcher or missing everything you swing at? Try the Single-Arm Soft Toss, a hitting drill that Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins uses to stay sharp.
Trainers use the Single-Arm Soft Toss to help hitters make better contact by fixing their path to the ball. When hitters take the correct path to the ball, they stay back and swing the bat  through the strike zone as the ball arrives. When they’re in a slump, however, they often raise their front elbow or compensate with their top hand, changing the bat’s path and giving it less time in the zone.
To correct the problem, the Single-Arm Soft Toss isolates the front hand. Holding the bat only in his front hand, Rollins takes 30 to 40 swings from a kneeling position while a coach softly tosses balls to him. The kneeling position keeps Rollins from leaning forward, allowing him to concentrate on guiding the bat through in a chopping motion that results in more line drive hits.
After Rollins works through the drill from both sides of the plate, he repeats it standing up to get a better feel for how the swing translates to a game situation.
Whether you’re breaking out of a slump or just staying sharp for the next game, the Single-Arm Soft Toss is a great drill to add to your skill training. Watch more of Rollins’ hitting drills and find other baseball training videos on STACK TV.