High school
Hitting
All positions
Intermediate
Troy Snitker Tower Drill – Sinker & Upshoot Zone Coverage
Houston Astros hitting coach Troy Snitker uses a dual-machine (or tower) setup alternating low sinkers and high four-seam fastballs to force hitters to adjust swing plane across the full vertical zone.
- Skill:
- swing plane, pitch recognition, zone coverage
- Equipment:
- Bat / tee
- Duration:
- About 8 min
- Setting:
- Indoor
- Players:
- Solo
Coaching notes
Machine feeds alternate a sinking pitch near the bottom of the zone and an elevated four-seam. Hitters must lift the low pitch and stay above the high pitch, expanding one-zone swingers.
Objectives
Train vertical plane adjustability; help one-zone hitters cover both the top and bottom of the strike zone; build feel for swing-plane changes in game-like pitch sequences.
Coaching cues
Alternate sinker up top / four-seam down under; work the plane to the top of the zone then down to the bottom; feel the adjustment rather than forcing the same swing.
Common errors
Staying in one plane; swinging under the high pitch or chopping the low pitch; over-adjusting and losing balance.
Steps
- 1. Setup Tower — Position machines or feeds for low sinker and high four-seam.
- 2. Alternate Feeds — Hit alternating low and high pitches focusing on plane adjustment.
- 3. Progression — Increase speed or randomize sequence once the feel is established.
