Last months we discussed overcoming fear at the plate. The article was designed to introduce a way to show young players that they can trust their instincts and reflexes to help them from getting hit by pitches. This month, in our Drill of the Month column, we want to address one of the symptoms of being scared when batting: "bailing out" or "stepping in the bucket."

When we talk about bailing out we are referring to a batter who steps more toward the third or first base coach than the pitcher. This is not always a symptom of fear. Many people tend to step in that direction naturally when they hit or throw. Some professional athletes do it and have been very successful. Watch Brett Favre throw a football sometime and see how often he doesn't step toward his intended receiver. A number of baseball players have been very successful despite stepping in the bucket throughout their careers. Please remember that these are extremely talented pros. Ninety-nine percent of the population does not possess that kind of natural ability and cannot be nearly as successful as they could be if they were more fundamentally sound in their approach.

We also have found that some younger players feel more comfortable bailing out, because it helps them get their hips opened up more easily and allows them to generate a little more bat speed through the hitting zone. These players may really hit balls down middle of the plate and on the inside half very hard. But, they also might pull some inside pitches foul and completely miss some pitches on the outside half. No matter what, it always is better to stride toward the pitcher and keep to the front shoulder in as long as possible. Short toss from the front is a drill that addresses this concept.

For short toss from the front all that is needed is a bucket of any type of balls, a protective screen, a chair or another bucket for the tosser to sit on and a Jugs instant screen (www.ripkenbaseball.com or www.amazon.com/ripken), a batting cage or an open field. The protective screen should be set up about 10 feet in front of home plate, with the tosser seated behind it. The tosser should sit off-center, but still behind the screen so that all he or she has to do is reach out slightly to be able to toss the balls without them hitting the screen.

This drill is designed to help players learn to develop the muscle memory necessary to keep the front shoulder in as long as possible and to stride toward the pitcher. If the player opens up too quickly and does not keep the shoulder in long enough the result will be a lot of weak, pulled ground balls to the middle infielders. This is what often happens to players who bail out when a ball is thrown on the outside part of the plate. Because the balls are tossed slowly and to a specific part of the plate, the hitter really can feel what it means to "pull off" the ball and will better understand what he needs to do to correct the problem. By doing the drill properly over and over again in this setting the player should develop the muscle memory necessary to make the movement second nature in game situations.

The points of emphasis for this drill are as follows:

1) Keeping the front shoulder in and striding toward the pitcher.

2) Using "the big part of the field." By having the batter concentrate on hitting line drives toward the area extending from left-center field to right-center field when the balls are tossed on the outside half of the plate, he is more likely to stride correctly and to keep the shoulder in longer.

3) Letting the natural swing take over. Balls on the outside half do not always have to be hit to the opposite field - as long as the approach is good. Some players, such as Cal and Joe Carter, can extend out far enough to pull that pitch and hook it around the left-field foul pole for a home run. Others, such as Pudge Rodriguez, will hammer that pitch down the right-field line. The key is the approach. If the front shoulder stays in and the batter hits a line drive to left field that is acceptable. It's when the hitter starts "rolling over" too soon and hitting weak ground balls to short that we need to be concerned. Conversely, weak fly balls to the opposite side also can indicate a problem with the stride and front shoulder. Often times if you tell a hitter that he has to hit the outside pitch the opposite way and he tries to do that, he might end up being really late on the pitch and hitting a rocket into one of the dugouts.

The batter takes his usual stance at home plate, with the tosser seated behind the protective screen 10 to 12 feet directly in front of the plate. It is the tosser's job to throw the ball underhand to the outside part of home. The tosser should try to toss the ball in as much of a straight line as possible. It is easy for the tosser to extend the arm out so far that the ball almost sweeps across home plate. We prefer that the ball be tossed in as straight a line as possible to the outside portion of the plate.The tosses should be slow and controlled with as little arc as possible. It is important for the tosser to remind the hitter to hit the ball to the "big part of the field." If a player is struggling to accomplish this, ask the batter to hit it right off the screen. The hitter should focus on striding toward the pitcher and keep the front shoulder in long enough to hit line drives toward the area between right- and left-center fields. This is not a fast-paced drill. Give the hitter plenty of time to re-load and set up after each pitch. Let each hitter take at least 10 swings. It's okay to keep feeding balls to the batter until he is tired.

Remember that at Ripken Baseball we like to "celebrate the individual." Observe first before making any corrections. Let the hitter's natural swing and success determine what you say. Don't force the batter to hit the ball the opposite way. If a right-hander is peppering left field with one line drive after another that is okay as long as the approach is fundamentally sound.

Whether hitting in a cage or on an open field, this drill can easily be turned into a fun contest. In a cage you can set up a scoring system where points are awarded based on where the ball is hit. Balls hit off the sides or top of the cage do not receive points. The batter is given one point for a ground ball off the protective screen, three points for a line drive off the protective screen and five points for a line drive that flies all the way to the back part of the cage without first hitting the top or the side.

On the field a screen or net can be set up at second base and cones can be placed in left- and right-center field. A line drive off the screen in front of the pitcher is awarded one point, a line drive to the screen at second base gets three points, and a line drive over the screen at second that lands in between the cones is awarded five points. Try to be sensitive to a player's natural swing and develop individual point systems for players who consistently hit line drives to left or right field if the approach is good.