Live tee work teaches kids to track the ball as if someone is throwing it, even though the tee is stationary. This is the bridge between tee work and soft toss.
Equipment needed: A T-ball tee, 20 baseballs, a net or fence behind the tee, a bat.
Setup: Place the tee at home plate. You stand behind the tee with the bucket of balls. A net is 30 feet behind home plate to catch balls.
How to run it:
- Load the first ball on the tee.
- The hitter addresses the plate and gets ready.
- You call out “Hit,” and they swing. Your voice is the trigger, just like a pitch.
- After the swing, you immediately place the next ball on the tee while they reset.
- Do 10 reps at a normal pace. Rest. Do 10 more.
- Total: 20 reps in about 20 minutes with the pace of real batting.
What to look for: A consistent approach every rep. Feet set, hands ready, same breath, same swing. Rhythm matters. Kids who are loose will make more contact than kids who think too hard.
Variation: For older kids (10), tee the ball slightly forward (toward the pitcher’s mound) so they practice hitting the ball in front of the plate. For kids struggling with contact, tee the ball higher so their hands don’t have to drop.