For more information and drills to improve barrel control, see Barrel Control – Hitting to All Fields.

Barrel control refers to controlling the swing path to produce the type of hit you want. This includes the launch angle of the baseball when it comes off the bat.

Launch angle is closely related to attack angle. Attack angle is the direction the bat is traveling as it makes contact with the baseball. Launch angle is the vertical direction the baseball travels after being hit by the bat. Here is a good video discussing attack and launch angles.

Attack Angle

The average MLB attack angle is said to be 8 to 12 degrees. However, there is no single attack angle that works for all pitches and locations. Different pitches will cross the plate at different angles (usually -4 to -16 degrees). If you want to get on plane with the pitch, then you need an attack angle of +4 to +16 degrees. Consequently, it is important to be able to adjust your attack angle.

— ATTACK ANGLE RECOGNITION DRILL — – You need a bat sensor like Blast Motion, Diamond Kinetics, etc. that measures attack angle. Hit the ball using a tee or front toss. Pick an attack angle, try to match it with your swing, and check the reading on the sensor. You can also take a swing, guess the attack angle, and check the sensor.

Do this swinging at baseballs balls in the lower, middle, and upper part of the strike zone. If you can get within one or two degrees of the sensor reading, then you are doing great. The goal here is to understand how to move your body and adjust your swing to produce a given attack angle.

Launch Angle

Attack angle is fundamental because of its role in producing launch angle. However, launch angle is the most important metric. Click here for the MLB discussion of launch angle. Below are general guidelines about the types of hits produced by different launch angles.

• Ground ball: Lower than 10 degrees
• Line drive: 10-25 degrees
• Fly ball: 25-50 degrees
• Pop up: Higher than 50 degrees

The launch angle “sweet spot” is defined as 8 to 32 degrees according to the MLB. This range of launch angles is more likely to produce line drive hits or fly balls that go for extra-base hits and home runs. Your goal at the plate should be a little more narrow. Your goal should be a 10 to 20 degree launch angle to hit line drives (unless the game situation dictates otherwise).

— LAUNCH ANGLE LADDER DRILL —

This drill develops bat path/launch angle awareness and adjustability. The recommended targets are 0, 10, 20, and 30 degrees. You can do the drill using a tee or front toss. Swing at balls low, middle, and high in the strike zone.

Setting up the Launch Angle Ladder: If you have access to technology like Rapsodo, Trackman, etc., then it will give you the launch angle for each swing. Otherwise, you will have to set up targets in the tunnel. The best way to measure angles in the tunnel is to use a laser level. (You should be able to find a good laser level for $20 to $30.) Generally, measure the angle from the middle of the strike zone. Mark different parts of the tunnel and pitching screen as targets. For example, the pitching screen at waist height is going to be around 0 degrees. The top back corner of the tunnel might be 20 degrees. If you use foam or whiffle balls and a tee, you can hit into a wall maybe 15 to 20 feet away and tape attack angle targets on the wall.

Note that controlling your launch angle off a tee is fundamental. Once you develop that skill you can focus more on launch angles with moving baseballs. But continue using the tee to stay sharp.

If you are hitting off a tee, make sure you are not pulling your head off the ball to see where you hit it. If necessary, have someone watch and tell you the angle of the batted ball or where it hit if you are using targets.

Bonus – Fix Rolling Your Wrists

A flaw that can undermine a good swing plane is rolling the wrists through contact. Rolling the wrists causes the bat to pop up. So, even if you are basically on plane with the ball, when the wrists roll, it often produces ground balls, mishits, or misses. The Half Turn drill can help you feel swinging through the ball without rolling your wrists. Take three Half Turn swings and then a full swing to blend the top-hand up/bottom-hand down into your normal swing. Repeat as necessary to teach your body how to move.

— HALF TURN DRILL (3/4 SWING) —  – This drill reinforces top-hand up/bottom-hand down (to avoid rolling your wrists) and extension through contact.