Tee work and distance

[cmsoftballcpl]

So honest question , not looking for responses from internet hero’s...ok, I wanna hear from them to for entertainment purposes. Seriously though, I’ve been hitting off a tee for the first time recently and I’m concerned about the distance I’m getting. I have no trouble hitting live pitching out on fields 300’. But I’m trying to break in some new bats as well as come back from bicep surgery and an Achilles issue so the Tee seems to be the best way to get some swings in while I get back into shape.
Question is how much difference do people experience when hitting off a tee vs live pitching? I used to primarily just soft toss to my self and I feel like I used to get a lot more distance than I do off the tee.

 

[UncleMosk]

I average around 300 feet on a T. Compared to live pitching might add 10 to 20 feet on well hit balls. Unfortunately not consistent enough with live Pitching. I practically swing @ all pitches. The furthest T shot to date was a few weeks back with the Gold Nihilist. Map Ruler estimate was around 360 feet.

I started using the T about 3 years ago. Its helped improved my average and is a good tool to work out kinks.

Probably didnt really answer your question but recommend the T work.

 

[ShortYellowBus]

I benefited from tee work after my achilles surgery. And I would suggest that my biggest training aid was recording my swings and being able to fine tune any inconsistencies immediately.

Once I was happy with my swing, I switched to live-pitch bp.

 

[The BP Hero]

OP, how many swings have you put in off the tee? Tee work is all about your setup. Point of contact, foot work, swing plane, etc.

I can actually hit further off of a tee than I can live pitching, but that’s not a very common thing to see. I’m just weird like that lol

 

[Hiltz]

I hit 20-40' farther with live pitching.

If you hit farther off a tee, you have a consistency problem against pitching.

 

[clementeunknown]

Watch the whole thing but pay attention @ 3:20

 

[Hiltz]

Watch the whole thing but pay attention @ 3:20

He touched on something very important that so many people disregard; your swing shouldn't be different off a tee. And if your swing is the same and you're losing the benefit of 10ish mph pitch speed, your distance should be reduced.

Too many guys load up and drastically alter their swing mechanics trying to hit hard off a tee. If you're practicing with different mechanics than you use in your game swing, you're doing more harm than good.

 

[cmsoftballcpl]

OP, how many swings have you put in off the tee? Tee work is all about your setup. Point of contact, foot work, swing plane, etc.

I can actually hit further off of a tee than I can live pitching, but that’s not a very common thing to see. I’m just weird like that lol

I just started about a month ago for the first time. I also haven’t swung any of my gamer bats, just bats I took the wrapper off this spring. I know there is a lot that goes into it and I’m not terribly worried. Just trying to figure out if these new bats have the juice or if I’m better off sticking with my old tried and true.

 

[cmsoftballcpl]

I hit 20-40' farther with live pitching.

If you hit farther off a tee, you have a consistency problem against pitching.

This would seem to make sense based on what I’ve been seeing so far as far as distance wise.

 

[cmsoftballcpl]

The Tee work seems to be productive from a rehab aspect. My swing has really changed over the last few years due to injuries and this latest round has me concerned about my ability to continue to play effectively.

 

[Hiltz]

Don't let a bad round of tee swings discourage you. Like BPH said, hitting off a tee is all about setup. People tend to place the tee to far outside and too far forward when they first try it which leads to lunging and a disconnected swing. Keep moving the tee around until you find a spot where you're consistently making hard contact. I'd bet money it's closer to you than you think it should be.

 

[TWmccoy]

If I hit off a tee (I haven't in a long time), I use wood bats only. I can hit them over 300', but it takes a good swing.

When I hit off the tee I'm looking to consistently spin the ball rather than yoking out and bludgeoning everything.

I also agree it can be easy to subconsciously change your swing doing teework vs. live BP.

Teework for me is more about staying loose during the winter than developing mechanics. Obviously doing nothing but teework all the time isn't good for timing.

 

[thevipofdbz]

Live pitching maybe 10ft
Tee work greatly improves your game and teaches you how to control the ball spin wise and stuff. Best thing you can do for you swing IMO is use the tee.

Back in the day I could hit Hrs but when I tried the tee and could not do jack maybe 250ft MAX. Took me 2 weeks before I hit a HR off the tee. Once I learn more control over my swing I could hit HR most of the time of the tee. Best ever off the tee was 400ft with an ASA nexus, old 44 525 and a 20mph wind blowing out but the average was about 320-330.

Moral work with the tee and distance will come to about equal of live BP

Best way to test bats and different type of ball for comparison. I could hit just as far with cheap old est as i could with a synergy extended.

 

[dunkky]

this is my experience, many will say that Tee is to work on your mechanic. I think I am only gonna partially agree to this. TWmccoy is right, if you are a beginner and just start learning your swing, your tee swing will not be the same as your live swing.

I learned it hard way. Get your mechanic down with live swing first, then use a tee to polish it and work on your muscle memory.

 

[thevipofdbz]

If I hit off a tee (I haven't in a long time), I use wood bats only. I can hit them over 300', but it takes a good swing.

When I hit off the tee I'm looking to consistently spin the ball rather than yoking out and bludgeoning everything.

I also agree it can be easy to subconsciously change your swing doing teework vs. live BP.

Teework for me is more about staying loose during the winter than developing mechanics. Obviously doing nothing but teework all the time isn't good for timing.

I agree swinging a wood bat is a good reality check. I have hit one or 2 300ft of a tee with a old LS wood bat from the 70, it was narrow maybe 2in width.

It will help you see what you have to do to get distance. As any thing not hit right will not go any where.

 

[T Dot]

Don't let a bad round of tee swings discourage you. Like BPH said, hitting off a tee is all about setup. People tend to place the tee to far outside and too far forward when they first try it which leads to lunging and a disconnected swing. Keep moving the tee around until you find a spot where you're consistently making hard contact.

If I hit off a tee (I haven't in a long time), I use wood bats only. I can hit them over 300', but it takes a good swing.

When I hit off the tee I'm looking to consistently spin the ball rather than yoking out and bludgeoning everything.

I do both of these. I move the tee around so it works directly for my swing path and sweet spot (so I think). Once I figure out the spot, I try to recreate that a couple of times (10x). Tee work for me - I look to hit line drives with distance and very good solid contact (gap shots to be exact).

As someone said before (not sure if it was a video or an article), when in a game if you're early its down the line. If you're late, its kinda up the middle. If you are spot on - its a gap shot. More so, if you miss slightly - its a hard grounder. If you cut it slightly - it has a possiblity to go out.

I swing a 30oz (1 piece/balanced) for the first couple of swings (10x). Then I move to a practice bat (28oz/0.5end load) that is similar to my gamer. Once I think I have it down - I then take about 10 swings with my gamer (27oz/0.5end load). I don't over swing with my gamer, as I want to feel my body/mechanics. I take a bunch of cuts that are 'soft' and the ball flies if I have everything else correct. I look for the swings that make the ball move with very little forceful effort.

All of this has helped me translate it to good game swings. I notice right away in a game if I am ahead, or if my step is not inline with my swing/snap. I also am very aware of how my gamer bat works, and if I miss the sweetspot or simply miss the ball slightly.

If you get all of that... use your first AB to figure out where to stand to get those off the tee swings. I did that tonight. My first AB was a line drive shot down the line. He was throwing me short and I was reaching. Next AB, I let it go deeper and I drove it through the right side - but he was still throwing me shorter than were I place the tee. Last AB I moved up in the box - sent a bomb over the fence.

Hopefully all this makes sense.

Good luck!

 

[dunno]

But I’m trying to break in some new bats as well as come back from bicep surgery and an Achilles issue so the Tee seems to be the best way to get some swings in while I get back into shape.
Question is how much difference do people experience when hitting off a tee vs live pitching? I used to primarily just soft toss to my self and I feel like I used to get a lot more distance than I do off the tee.

I can hit some out of the park with live pitching but can't off a tee no matter what.
All my bats have been broken in very quickly and evenly with help from constant rotation, homemade ball on a stick in combination with tee work, BP and pickup games.
The thing I notice is that heavy T work has helped with endurance. When the guys are tired after hitting 2 or 3 buckets, I can easily do more without it seeming like work.

 

[bigcam406]

i started using a tee 3 years ago, i found it helped me cut the ball more with live pitching. distance wise, i find that its more with the tee than live pitching, but my swings with live pitching are more consistent.