Battleship Pitching Grid

Goal

Surgical command training.

Equipment needed

• Net or wall
• Tape
• Mound

Setup

Tape a 5×5 grid (each square ~6 inches) on a net or wall, sized like a strike zone. Label rows A-E and columns 1-5.

Instructions

1. 1Coach calls a coordinate. 'A3'. 'D5'. Random.
2. 2Pitcher has one pitch to hit it.
3. 3Track hits, near-misses (adjacent squares), and full misses.
4. 420 random calls.

Coaching cues

• Specific intent
• Throw the spot, not the area

Common mistakes

• Aiming for the general grid instead of the called coordinate.

Why it works

Most command drills use 'corner' as the smallest unit. A 5×5 grid trains 25 specific spots — way more granular. Forces the pitcher to stop aiming for 'down and away' and start aiming for one square inch.

Variations

• Add a clock — must throw within 8 seconds of the call.

Make it a game

Hits + half-credit near-misses out of 20.

Progression

Smaller grid (4-inch squares).

Regression

3×3 grid for younger.