Connection Ball Hitting Drills for a Short, Compact, Powerful Swing!
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Connection Ball Hitting Drills for a Short, Compact, Powerful Swing! (Baseball Hitting Drills)

Connection Ball Hitting Drills for a Short, Compact, Powerful Swing! (Baseball Hitting Drills)

If you’ve spent any time in the baseball world, you’ve probably seen connection balls. They’re one of the most popular training tools out there – and for good reason. But here’s the thing: most people don’t know how to use them properly.

That’s why I brought in Josh Cathcart – aka The Baseball Doctor – from Hardball Academy in Pearland, Texas (just south of Houston). Josh is a master of connection ball drills, and in this post, he’s breaking down his favorite ways to use this simple but powerful tool.

The goal? A short, compact, powerful swing that stays connected from start to finish.

Watch the full video above, then use this post as your reference guide.

What Are Connection Balls?

Connection balls are inflatable balls that fit between your arms, chest, or hands to help hitters (and pitchers) feel proper connection throughout their swing.

The Key Feature – Adjustable Size:

One thing that surprises a lot of people is that connection balls come deflated. You inflate them to the size you need.

Player Size

Recommended Inflation

Youth (8-10 yrs)

Less air – smaller ball

Middle School

Medium inflation

High School+

Full inflation

Why this matters: If you give a full-size ball to an 8-year-old, their arms will be hanging way out and they won’t be able to move properly. Deflate it so it fits their frame.

Pro Tip: When you order connection balls, they come in a very small package (not inflated). Don’t panic – just blow them up to the right size for your player!

What Is a Connected Swing?

Before we dive into the drills, let’s define what “connection” actually means in hitting.

The Definition:

Connection is when the upper half connects to the lower half after hip and shoulder separation.

The Connected Position:

  • Back elbow connects to the back hip
  • Barrel connects to the rear shoulder
  • Hands, hip, and knee are “stacked” or connected together
  • A “box” is maintained through the turn

The Goal:

Stay connected through the entire turn, then release to extension.

When you’re connected, your body works as one unit. There’s no “arm swing” – everything moves together.

Common Disconnection Problems

Here are the most common disconnection issues Josh sees:

Problem

What It Looks Like

Where Connection Ball Helps

Front arm pinned

Arm gets stuck against chest → roll over

Creates space between chest and front arm

Hands move wrong direction

Hands start out and away from body

Keeps hands in proper position

Hands drop down

Barrel gets too steep (under the ball)

Prevents downward hand movement

Hands go up

Barrel gets too steep (over the ball)

Prevents upward hand movement

Barrel dump

Elbows touch → barrel drops behind

Keeps proper elbow spacing

Connection Ball Drill #1: Front Arm (Head Down Drill)

This is Josh’s personal favorite – and you won’t see this one taught many other places.

What It Fixes:

  • Hitters who pull their head up and out of the swing
  • Hitters who don’t stay down on the ball through contact

The Setup:

  • Place the connection ball in the front arm (between chest and front bicep/forearm)
  • Create the “box” with your front arm
  • Get into your launch position

The Execution:

  • Start from launch (great for younger players and warm-ups)
  • Maintain the box
  • Turn through the swing
  • Keep your head down – eyes directly to the tee/ball
  • Release the ball on the other side of contact

Key Cues:

  • “Head down – chin on the right shoulder”
  • “Back shoulder in line with the tee”
  • “Maintain the box through the turn”

Pro Comparison:

Think of Nolan Arenado. He’s the prime example of a guy who keeps his head down on the ball through the swing for a long time. That’s what this drill teaches.

⚠️ WARNING: Avoid This Mistake

Don’t let the back elbow suck in and touch the front forearm.

What happens if you do:

  • The barrel dumps (gets behind you)
  • Creates “back drag” (bad bat path)
  • You’ll lose all your power

The Fix:

  • Keep that back elbow off the ball
  • Stay connected in the turn
  • Let the barrel work under naturally

Connection Ball Drill #2: Back Shoulder (Rear Arm Position)

This drill helps you feel the proper position of your knob direction and rear arm in the launch position.

What It Fixes:

  • Hitters who lose the angle in their rear arm
  • Hitters who get the elbow tucked too far under
  • Hitters who have trouble creating bat lag

The Setup:

  • Place the connection ball on the back side (between rear arm and body)
  • Get into your launch position

The Execution:

  • Work through the turn
  • Everything stays connected
  • Feel the proper angle in the rear arm
  • Hold that angle → creates bat lag

Key Cues:

  • “Hold the angle in the rear arm”
  • “Get into a proper lag position”
  • “Don’t tuck the elbow underneath”

What to Look For:

  • Good: Connection ball stays in place, bat works from a proper lag position
  • Bad: Ball falls out early, elbow tucks, bat drags through the zone

Connection Ball Drill #3: Hands (Connected All the Way Through)

This drill focuses on staying connected through the entire swing – from load all the way to extension.

What It Fixes:

  • Hitters who break connection during the swing
  • Hitters who don’t stay connected to extension
  • Poor extension position

The Setup:

  • Place the connection ball in the middle (between the hands/arms)
  • Roll back to get hands in a loaded position
  • Load the scap (shoulder blade)

The Execution:

  • Start in launch position
  • Swing through slowly at first
  • Stop at full extension
  • Check your position – palm up, good extension

Key Cues:

  • “Load the scap”
  • “Stay connected through the whole swing”
  • “Palm up at extension”

What to Look For:

  • Good: Ball stays in place through contact, extension position is clean
  • Bad: Ball falls out early, hands break away from body

Drill #4: What NOT to Do – The “Shoulder Shelf”

Josh also shared a drill he does not recommend – especially for younger hitters.

The Problem Setup:

Some coaches place the connection ball up on the shoulder shelf (above the shoulder).

Why Josh Avoids This:

  • Sets the hands way out away from the body
  • Creates too much space
  • Not a natural hitting position

The Better Alternative:

  • Keep the ball down more in a natural position
  • Bring it in closer to the body
  • Save the higher position only for older, more advanced hitters (if at all)

Bottom line: For most hitters, especially younger ones, keep the connection ball in a natural, down position – not up on the shoulder.

Quick Summary – The 3 Connection Ball Drills

Drill #1 – Front Arm (Head Down Drill)

  • Ball Placement: Between chest and front arm
  • What It Fixes: Pulling head out, losing connection
  • Key Cue: “Head down, chin on shoulder”

Drill #2 – Back Shoulder (Rear Arm Position)

  • Ball Placement: Between rear arm and body
  • What It Fixes: Poor rear arm angle, no bat lag
  • Key Cue: “Hold the angle, proper lag”

Drill #3 – Hands (Connected All the Way Through)

  • Ball Placement: Between hands/arms
  • What It Fixes: Losing connection through swing
  • Key Cue: “Load the scap, stay connected”

Pro Tip: Start with Drill #1 for most hitters. It’s Josh’s favorite and addresses the most common issue – pulling the head out of the swing.

Bonus: Pro Players Use This Tool

Connection balls aren’t just for youth players. Josh mentioned that he recently got orders from the Boston Red Sox for connection balls.

Guys from pro ball all the way down to youth baseball are using this tool. If you can identify the issues your players are having and use a tool like this to help them progress, that’s something you want in your toolbox.

Where to Get Connection Balls

  • Available here
  • Under $20 – affordable for any coach or parent
  • Come deflated – you inflate to the right size for your player

Sizing Reminder:

  • Youth players = less air (smaller ball)
  • Older players = more air (bigger ball)

Thanks for reading! If these connection ball drills helped you, drop a comment below or share this with a coach who needs to fix their hitters’ swings.

See you in the next one.

– Coach Madden

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