How to Hit a Sidearm or Submarine Pitcher: Recognition, Approach, and Drills for Every Level
Last updated: March 13, 2026
The first time I faced a true submarine pitcher in a high school summer league, I went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a weak grounder to second. The kid threw 78 mph, which should have been batting practice for any decent hitter, but every pitch looked like it was coming out of the ground. I never picked up a single ball cleanly. After the game, my coach pulled me aside and said something I’ve never forgotten: “You weren’t beat by his stuff. You were beat by your eyes.” Hitting against a sidearm or submarine pitcher is one of the most underrated skills in baseball, and most hitters never learn to do it properly because they only see this delivery a handful of times per season.
This guide breaks down everything I’ve learned about hitting low-slot pitchers across two decades of playing, coaching, and breaking down film. Whether you’re a Little Leaguer who just got embarrassed by a 9-year-old throwing from his shoelaces, a high school hitter facing a college recruit with a 3/4-down arm slot, or a college guy preparing for an MLB-style sidearm reliever in summer ball, the principles are identical. You need to retrain your eyes, adjust your stance, recalibrate your timing, and commit to a totally different swing plan. Let’s get into it.
What Counts as a Sidearm or Submarine Pitcher
Before we talk about how to hit them, you need to understand what makes these guys different. Pitchers are categorized by arm slot, which is measured in degrees relative to horizontal at release. A traditional over-the-top pitcher throws from roughly 12 o’clock, with a vertical release angle of 75 to 90 degrees. Three-quarter pitchers, which is the most common slot in modern baseball, release between 45 and 75 degrees. Once you drop below 45 degrees, you’re in true sidearm territory. Anything below 20 degrees is generally classified as submarine. According to Statcast data from the 2025 MLB season, only about 4.2 percent of pitches thrown across the league came from arm slots below 30 degrees, which is exactly why hitters are so unprepared when they encounter one.
The physical effect of a lower release point is dramatic. Fastballs from a true submariner often clock 8 to 12 mph slower than the same pitcher could throw from over the top, but the perceived velocity feels closer to even because of the unusual visual angle. The ball appears to rise from a low launch point, which messes with the hitter’s depth perception. Right-handed sidearmers get extreme run on their fastballs, often 15 to 22 inches of horizontal movement, compared to 8 to 12 inches for a typical over-the-top right-hander. Their breaking balls sweep across the plate rather than diving, which makes traditional pitch recognition cues unreliable.
Why Sidearm and Submarine Pitchers Are So Hard to Hit
The advantage for the low-slot pitcher is built into the geometry of your stance. When you set up in the box, your eyes are roughly 5 to 6 feet off the ground. The typical over-the-top release point is around 6 to 6.5 feet, which means the ball travels in a slightly downward plane through your eye level. Your brain has been trained since you first picked up a bat to track pitches in that range. A submariner releases the ball from 1.5 to 3 feet off the ground, depending on how deep they bend. That ball is now coming up at you from below your eye line, and every visual instinct you’ve developed since tee ball is suddenly working against you.
There’s also a same-side platoon problem. Right-handed sidearmers absolutely devastate right-handed hitters because the ball appears to start behind the hitter’s back hip before sweeping across the plate. MLB data from 2023 through 2025 shows right-handed hitters batted just .218 with a .274 on-base percentage against right-handed sidearm relievers, compared to .254 and .319 against right-handed over-the-top throwers. Left-handed hitters get a much friendlier look against same-handed lefty sidearmers, but they’re equally vulnerable when facing a same-arm-side low-slot guy. The angle is the problem, not the velocity.
Equipment You Need to Train for Low-Slot Pitching
You can’t train this skill with the same equipment you use for traditional batting practice. Here’s what I keep in my training kit specifically for sidearm and submarine prep work, broken down by what each piece accomplishes.
| Equipment | Purpose | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Adjustable pitching machine (Hack Attack, Junior Hack Attack) | Allows release point manipulation from 1 to 6 feet off the ground | $1,500 to $3,800 |
| Low-release short toss bucket | Coach throws from knees at 25 to 30 feet to simulate angle | Free with any baseball bucket |
| Tennis ball or whiffle ball trainer | Safe close-range work without flinch risk | $10 to $25 per bucket |
| Strike zone PVC frame | Visual reference for tracking high pitches that look low | $40 to $80 to build |
| Pitch tracking app (Rapsodo, Driveline TRAQ, HitTrax) | Confirms actual pitch location vs. perceived location | $200 to $3,000 depending on system |
| HitTrax or Blast Motion sensor | Tracks contact quality and bat path adjustments | $150 to $1,500 |
| Weighted training bat (16 to 28 oz overload) | Reinforces shorter, quicker swing for tough angles | $50 to $130 |
| Slot-cap visor or eyeline trainer | Forces consistent head position during tracking | $25 to $60 |
If you’re working on a budget, the most important purchase is a coach or partner willing to throw from one knee at 25 to 30 feet. A bucket of whiffle balls and a flat surface gives you 80 percent of the visual training benefit of any pitching machine. The expensive equipment matters most when you’re trying to dial in specific velocities and break patterns, which becomes more important at the high school varsity level and above.
Step One: Adjust Your Stance and Eye Level
The first thing I change against a sidearm or submarine guy is my stance height. I drop my hands lower in my stance, from my standard set position at about chest height down to roughly nipple height. This isn’t because I plan to swing differently; it’s because I want my eyes naturally tracking lower and the bat ready to move along a flatter plane. I also bend a touch deeper in my knees, lowering my eye level by 2 to 4 inches. That single adjustment lets me see the release point more cleanly because I’m closer to the visual plane of the pitch.
If you normally stand at the back of the box, move up. I take my front foot up against the front line of the batter’s box against any low-slot pitcher. This does two things. First, it gets me closer to the release point, which reduces the amount of arc the pitch can travel and limits how much late break I have to read. Second, it lets me catch breaking balls before they finish breaking, which is enormous against sweepers and sliders that run laterally across the zone. Pat Venditte, the switch-pitcher submariner, talked about this in a 2022 interview, saying he hated hitters who crowded the plate up at the front line because it cut his sweeper short.
The third stance adjustment is opening up slightly. I rotate my front foot toward the pitcher by about 10 to 15 degrees more than I would against a traditional pitcher. This gives my eyes a more direct line to the release point, especially against a same-side sidearmer. Opening up too much will cost you plate coverage, so don’t overdo it. The goal is just to give your dominant eye a cleaner read on the ball coming out of the hand.
Step Two: Train Your Eyes to Find the Release Window
This is the part nobody coaches well. Your release window is the small zone in space where the ball appears in the pitcher’s hand at the moment of release. Against an over-the-top guy, that window is high and slightly to your gloveside. Against a sidearm or submarine guy, the window is at or below your hip level on the pitcher’s throwing-arm side. If you keep looking high because that’s what you’ve trained for, you’ll never see the ball until it’s already 15 feet into its flight, and by then it’s too late.
Before the at-bat, I watch the pitcher’s warmup throws and his first batter from the on-deck circle. I’m not just looking at his stuff; I’m finding his release point. I pick a physical landmark, usually the edge of the dugout, an outfield fence post, or the L-screen, that lines up roughly with where his hand comes through. When I step in, I let my eyes start at that landmark before he starts his delivery, then I follow the hand from there. This sounds simple, but it’s the single biggest difference between hitters who can square up low-slot pitchers and hitters who can’t. For more on tracking technique, check out my full breakdown of baseball pitch recognition training.
Step Three: Recalibrate Your Pitch Plane Expectations
A submarine fastball climbs through the zone. It rises into your eye level rather than dropping. A submarine breaking ball doesn’t break down like a traditional curveball; it sweeps laterally or breaks up to down at a shallower angle than you’re used to. Your brain’s prediction engine, which has spent your whole baseball life calculating where the ball will end up based on traditional planes, is going to be wrong on every single pitch unless you consciously retrain it.
Here’s the practical version. A submarine fastball thrown at the bottom of the zone often climbs into the middle by the time it reaches the plate. So if it looks like a strike at the knees, it’s probably going to be at the belt. If it looks like a ball at the dirt, it’s probably going to be a strike at the bottom of the zone. The slider that looks like it’s heading at your back hip will often catch the inside corner. The slider that looks like it’s heading down the middle is going to be ten inches outside by the time it crosses the plate. You are going to feel uncomfortable, and you should expect to feel uncomfortable. That discomfort is the cost of the adjustment.
Step Four: Shorten Your Swing and Stay Through the Ball
Big, loopy swings get exposed against low-slot pitchers because the ball plane is so different from what you’re used to. I shorten up. My hands stay tight to my body during the load, I cut down on stride length by 2 to 4 inches, and I focus on a direct path from my launch position to the contact zone. The goal is to give myself a longer decision window and a swing that can adjust to a plane I don’t fully trust yet.
Staying through the ball matters more than usual because the rising plane of a submarine fastball wants to pull your swing under it. If your bat path is flat or slightly downward, you’ll undercut and hit weak pop-ups. I focus on getting my barrel slightly above the projected contact point, then driving through with a level-to-slightly-upward path that matches the ball’s rising plane. This is the opposite of what I do against a sinker or downhill fastball, where I want a more aggressive uphill path. For low-slot guys, level is usually right. Check out my guide on hitting line drives for the mechanics of staying through contact.
Step Five: Plan Your Approach by Count and Pitch Type
You can’t just go up there and try to hit. You need a plan that’s specific to this pitcher and the count you’re in. Here’s the framework I use. Early in the count, I sit fastball middle in to middle away. Submarine fastballs are easier to track when they’re in the middle of the zone vertically, because that’s where the rising plane evens out and the ball looks more like a traditional pitch. I don’t try to pull anything that’s away. I try to drive it back up the middle or to the same side I’m hitting from.
With two strikes, I shift my approach completely. I choke up half an inch, widen my stance another two inches, and focus on putting the ball in play to the opposite field. The same-side breaking ball is the put-away pitch for most sidearmers, and the only way to handle it is to recognize the spin early and slap it the other way. Power is not the goal with two strikes. Contact and survival are the goal. If you can stay alive long enough to force a third or fourth pitch, you give the pitcher more chances to miss with something hittable. My approach mirrors what I outlined in my two-strike hitting guide.
Common Mistakes Hitters Make Against Low-Slot Pitching
I’ve coached hundreds of hitters through their first real exposure to sidearm and submarine pitching, and the same handful of mistakes show up over and over. Here’s the most comprehensive list I can build, with the fix for each one.
| Mistake | Why It Happens | How to Fix It |
|---|---|---|
| Eyes start too high in the stance | Trained habit from facing over-the-top pitchers | Pick a low landmark before each pitch and start your eyes there |
| Swinging at the rising fastball at the letters | The pitch looked low coming out of the hand | Trust the plane; if it climbs out of the hand, it ends up high |
| Stepping in the bucket on same-side sidearmers | Ball appears to be coming at your back hip | Closed front toe with intentional drive toward the pitcher |
| Trying to pull every fastball | Same-side hitters feel like they need to muscle the inside pitch | Sit middle-away and let outside pitches go to the opposite field |
| Standing deep in the box | Believing more time helps you read the pitch | Move up; less time in flight equals less time to break and run |
| Swinging at the slider that starts in | Looks like it will hit you | Recognize the spin and let the same-side slider sweep into a strike or ball |
| Big leg kick or aggressive stride | Standard timing mechanism | Toe tap or no-stride approach to maintain head stability |
| Tense grip and locked-out elbows | Anxiety about the unusual angle | Loosen the top hand and let the bat flow naturally |
| Watching the release on every pitch with no plan | Reacting instead of attacking | Decide before the pitch what zone you’re hunting |
| Giving up after two early strikeouts | Frustration and inexperience compound | Reset between at-bats and remember the angle, not the pitcher, beat you the first time |
Drills That Actually Work for Low-Slot Hitting
Now we get into the practical training. These are the drills I use with my own hitters, ordered from beginner to advanced. You can do most of them with basic equipment, and they all share one thing in common: they force your eyes to track from a low release point.
Drill 1: Knee Front Toss
The simplest and most effective drill in the entire training plan. A coach or partner sits or kneels on one knee about 25 to 30 feet in front of the plate behind an L-screen. They throw underhand or sidearm at game speed adjusted for distance, which usually feels like 65 to 75 mph perceived velocity from that range. The hitter focuses entirely on tracking the ball from the release point through contact. Don’t worry about results. Just track and swing under control. I do 30 to 50 reps per session, three times per week, in the two weeks leading up to facing a known low-slot pitcher.
Drill 2: High Tee, Low Plane
Set a tee at letter height in the middle of the plate. Place a second tee at the back outside corner with no ball on it. From a stance that’s slightly lower and more open than your usual setup, swing through the ball with a level path that finishes pointing toward the open second tee. This trains the level-to-slightly-upward swing path you need for the rising fastball plane. Five sets of 10 swings.
Drill 3: Soft Toss From a Low Angle
A partner kneels or sits on a bucket 6 to 8 feet to the front-side of the hitter and slightly behind, tossing balls underhand toward the contact zone. The ball arrives on a rising plane similar to a submarine fastball. The hitter works on staying through the ball with a direct swing. This is great for adjusting timing and getting reps without needing a full setup. I like 4 sets of 15 swings, focusing on driving line drives back at the partner’s general direction.
Drill 4: Pitching Machine Release Drop
This requires a machine that can be adjusted for release point, like the Hack Attack or any 3-wheel programmable machine. Drop the release height to 2.5 to 3 feet, set the speed about 8 to 10 mph below what your competition throws, and feed 20 to 30 pitches per round. Mix in fastballs at the belt and sliders that start inside. Rotate three rounds with a 2 minute break between sets. This is the closest thing to live submarine pitching you can manufacture in the cage.
Drill 5: Vision Track Without Swinging
Sometimes the best drill is just tracking without swinging. From the box, watch 20 to 30 pitches from a low-angle thrower or machine. Call the location out loud before the ball crosses the plate. “Ball, low.” “Strike, middle.” “Ball, away.” This trains your brain to make location decisions on the new plane without the pressure of swinging. By the time you actually swing, your eyes are calibrated. Combine this with the techniques in my vision training drills guide.
Drill 6: Same-Side Slider Recognition
For righties facing right-handed sidearmers, the same-side slider is the toughest pitch in baseball to lay off when it starts inside. The drill is simple: have a coach throw or feed 20 sliders that start in, half breaking back over the plate for strikes, half running off the plate as balls. The hitter doesn’t swing. They just call ball or strike at the release. Then run the drill again with swings only on the strikes. Three rounds per session.
Advanced Tips for College and Pro-Level Hitters
Once you’ve handled the basic mechanics, there are deeper layers that separate the hitters who consistently barrel low-slot pitchers from the ones who just survive them. These are the things I started picking up in my third or fourth season of college baseball, and they’re worth knowing even if you’re not there yet.
The first advanced tip is reading the front shoulder. Sidearm and submarine pitchers can’t really hide their pitches with deception because their delivery is already so unusual, but the front shoulder telegraphs a lot. A higher, more closed front shoulder usually means a fastball away from same-side hitters. A flatter, slightly opened front shoulder often means a breaking ball coming back to the same side. This isn’t a 100 percent tell, but it’s right often enough that pro hitters and good college hitters consciously check the shoulder during the load.
Second, watch for the grip flash. Many sidearmers don’t bother hiding the ball in their glove because their windup is so different from a normal pitcher’s. If you can see a four-seam grip versus a slider grip during their setup, you’ve got the pitch type before they’ve even started their delivery. This is more common at the high school and lower college levels, but I’ve seen it happen even with pro relievers. Look for it.
Third, use the dugout. Most teams have a hitting coach or veteran teammate charting pitch sequences. Against a sidearmer, the pattern almost always becomes obvious within the first two innings: fastball away, slider in, fastball up, change down. Once you know the sequence, you can sit on the second-pitch breaking ball with extreme conviction. According to a 2024 Driveline Baseball study, hitters who knew the pitch type they were about to face hit it at a wOBA of .487, compared to .302 when they didn’t know. Trust your dugout.
Fourth, manipulate the count. Low-slot pitchers, especially relievers, are usually working with one breaking ball and one fastball. If you can get them deep into counts, they have to throw one of two pitches and you can sit on either with high accuracy. Take a strike early. Spoil pitches with two strikes. Force them to throw their less-trusted pitch in a 3-2 count and ambush it.
Mental Game: Staying Calm Against an Uncomfortable Angle
The mental side of facing a sidearm or submarine pitcher is half the battle. The angle feels weird. The ball does things you’re not used to. Your teammates in the dugout are visibly uncomfortable. Maybe the pitcher has just punched out the three guys ahead of you and you’re walking up to the plate trying to convince yourself you’re not next. I’ve been there. Every hitter has been there. The mental approach matters more in this matchup than maybe any other in baseball.
I take an extra-deep breath before stepping in. I tell myself out loud, sometimes audibly, that the angle is just an angle. The ball is the same ball. The strike zone is the same strike zone. The pitcher has just been given a gift by the visual difference, but the physics of hitting haven’t changed. Then I commit to my plan, swing with conviction, and accept whatever happens. If I strike out, I learn something. If I make weak contact, I learn something. If I square one up, I bank the confidence for the next at-bat.
One thing I had to learn the hard way is that you can’t try to be perfect against this style of pitcher. Especially the first at-bat. Your eyes are recalibrating, your timing is off, and your brain is running a million predictions that have never been tested before. Treat the first at-bat as a scouting mission. Take pitches. Foul some off. Make the pitcher show you what he has. The second and third at-bats are when you actually attack. I cover this kind of progressive adjustment more deeply in my baseball mental game guide.
How to Read the Pitcher’s Repertoire Before Your At-Bat
If you have time before your at-bat, gathering intel is the single highest-leverage thing you can do. Most hitters use the on-deck circle as a place to take warm-up swings and stretch. I use it as a film room. I’m watching every single pitch the guy throws, noting velocity if there’s a radar gun, mapping his sequence to each batter, and looking for tendencies. Does he throw a first-pitch fastball every time? Does he go to his breaking ball when he’s behind in the count? Does he double up on any pitch? Does he have a tell?
Here’s a quick reference for typical sidearm and submarine pitcher repertoires by handedness. This won’t apply to every pitcher, but it’s the baseline I expect when I haven’t faced someone before.
| Pitcher Type | Fastball Movement | Primary Breaking Ball | Most Common Put-Away Pitch | Best Approach for Same-Side Hitter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right-handed sidearm (3/4-down) | Heavy arm-side run, 15 to 22 inches | Sweeping slider | Slider away on 1-2 or 2-2 | Look fastball middle in; spoil sliders away |
| Right-handed submarine | Rising plane, sinker action | Frisbee slider, low curve | Slider off the plate or curve in the dirt | Track release at hip; sit middle of zone |
| Left-handed sidearm | Heavy run away from RHH, in to LHH | Tight slider, occasional changeup | Backdoor slider to RHH, in to LHH | RHH: extend to fastball away; LHH: open stance, look for slider |
| Left-handed submarine (rare) | Sweeping rising plane to RHH | Sweeping curve | Curve down and away | Track release low and patient with curve |
| 3/4-down arm slot (between sidearm and 3/4) | Moderate run, slight sink | Tighter slider, decent change | Slider or change depending on count | Treat like a 3/4 pitcher but expect more horizontal break |
Level-Specific Adjustments by Age and Experience
Hitting a sidearm or submarine pitcher looks different at every age. The principles stay the same, but how aggressively you can apply them changes based on what you’re physically capable of. Here’s how I’d coach this skill at each level.
Little League (Ages 7 to 12)
At this level, kids face submarine pitchers occasionally because some kids just throw that way naturally. The pitches are slower, but the angle still messes hitters up. Focus on one thing only: track the ball from release to plate. Don’t overcoach the mechanical adjustments. Just teach them to see the release point and trust their eyes. Knee front toss is gold at this age. Even 50 swings against a low-angle thrower in practice prepares them for almost any submariner they’ll face. Whiffle balls or tennis balls help take the fear out of it.
Travel Ball and Middle School (Ages 11 to 14)
Now we start introducing stance adjustments. Move up in the box. Slightly open the front foot. Drop the hands a touch. Don’t worry about advanced pitch recognition yet, but start the conversation about plane. A submarine fastball that looks low is going to be a strike. Practice tracking with the goal of calling location accurately. Mix in pitching machine work where you can adjust release height if your team has the equipment.
High School (Ages 14 to 18)
Full mechanical adjustments come into play here. Choke up with two strikes. Sit middle in to middle away in fastball counts. Recognize same-side sliders by spin. Start building a mental file of every low-slot pitcher in your league. Use video if you have access to it. Watch the pitcher’s release from the on-deck circle. Have a plan for every count. This is also the level where some kids start panicking against the angle, so the mental game becomes a real conversation. Build confidence through reps, not pressure.
College and Pro
At this level, you should know what every sidearm and submarine pitcher in your conference throws before you ever step into the box. Use scouting reports, Synergy or TruMedia video access, and your hitting coach’s database. Know the pitcher’s sequencing tendencies, the percentage of fastballs in 0-0, 1-0, and 1-1 counts, and his put-away pitch with two strikes. Have an attack plan and execute it. The mechanical adjustments are second nature by now; this is all chess at the upper levels.
Examples From MLB Hitters Who Crush Low-Slot Pitching
I love studying the hitters who have figured this out at the highest level because the patterns are remarkably consistent. Mookie Betts has historically hit right-handed sidearm relievers at a .288 average with a .376 OBP from 2021 to 2025, which is elite. He does it by crowding the plate up in the box, keeping his eyes on the release window, and slapping the same-side slider the other way rather than trying to pull it. Aaron Judge, despite his size, shortens his stride and chokes up half an inch against submariners, accepting a small loss in power for a much higher contact rate.
Juan Soto’s plate discipline is famously elite, but what makes him truly special against low-slot pitching is that he doesn’t change his plan when he faces it. He sits on a specific pitch in a specific zone and refuses to swing at anything else. From 2023 through 2025, Soto walked at a 21.3 percent rate against sidearm and submarine relievers, compared to 16.8 percent overall. His ability to let the same-side breaking ball go by is the model every hitter should study. For more on his approach, check out my breakdown in plate discipline in baseball.
On the other side of the equation, hitters who struggle against this style usually share traits. They have big leg kicks and aggressive strides that get them out on their front foot too early. They have long swings with hitches in the load. They lack patience with two strikes and chase the same-side breaking ball off the plate. If any of those sound like you, the fix is in the mechanics, not the matchup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often will I actually face a sidearm or submarine pitcher?
It depends on your level. In Little League and travel ball, maybe once every 5 to 10 games. In high school, a few times per season. In college and pro ball, you’ll see a low-slot reliever in roughly 10 to 15 percent of plate appearances, depending on the league. The frequency doesn’t matter as much as the impact. When you do face one, the at-bat tends to be high-leverage, like a late-inning reliever in a tight game. That’s why training for it matters even if you don’t see it often.
Should left-handed hitters be worried about righty sidearmers?
Less than righty hitters are. Right-handed sidearm fastballs run away from left-handed hitters, which is actually a favorable look in most cases. Lefties hit roughly 30 to 40 points higher against right-handed sidearmers than righties do. The dangerous matchup for a lefty is a left-handed sidearmer, which is much rarer but creates the same uncomfortable same-side angle.
Is a submarine pitcher harder to hit than a sidearmer?
For most hitters, yes, just because submariners are more rare and the visual angle is even more extreme. The principles are identical, though. If you’ve trained for sidearm pitching, you can adapt to submarine pitching with one or two at-bats. The reverse is also true. Build your training around the lowest release point you can find and you’ll handle everything above that.
Can I use my normal batting practice to prepare for a low-slot pitcher?
No. Standard batting practice trains your eyes for the over-the-top plane. If your only prep is regular BP, you’re going to walk into the box completely cold against a sidearmer. You need at least 15 to 20 minutes of dedicated low-angle work in the days leading up to facing one. Knee front toss is the easiest and cheapest way to get it.
What’s the single most important adjustment to make?
Track the release point. Everything else flows from that. If your eyes are in the wrong place when the ball comes out, no amount of mechanical adjustment will save you. Pick a low landmark, start your eyes there, and follow the hand from release to contact. If you only remember one thing from this entire guide, remember that.
Should I bunt against a sidearm or submarine pitcher?
It’s situational. The rising plane of a submarine fastball is actually pretty bunt-friendly because the ball climbs into a flatter zone. If you’re a contact-first hitter or you have two strikes and bunt rules allow it, a push bunt or drag bunt up the first base line can be effective. Submarine pitchers tend to be poor fielders out of their unusual setup. Read the defense first, though. If they’re playing in for the bunt, swing away.
How long does it take to get comfortable hitting low-slot pitching?
With dedicated training, most hitters see meaningful improvement after 2 to 3 weeks of consistent reps. Knee front toss three times per week, vision tracking drills, and at least one full bullpen or machine session against a low-angle thrower will get you to a place where the angle no longer scares you. True mastery, where you actively look forward to facing this style, takes a full season or two of game reps.
What if my team doesn’t have a pitching machine with adjustable release height?
Knee front toss covers 80 percent of the training need with zero technology. Have a coach or parent kneel behind an L-screen at 25 to 30 feet and throw underhand or sidearm at game speed. It feels almost identical to facing a real submariner. Do it three times a week for two weeks before you have a game against a known low-slot guy.
Final Thoughts on Hitting Low-Slot Pitching
Every hitter has at least one weakness in their game. For most hitters at most levels, low-slot pitching is one of them, and it stays a weakness because it’s so rarely trained against. The hitters who put in the work to handle sidearm and submarine deliveries gain an enormous edge in the moments that matter most, because late-inning relievers and matchup specialists are usually the guys throwing from these angles. Win that at-bat and you win games.
If you take nothing else from this guide, take this: it’s an eye problem, not a stuff problem. Train your eyes to find the release window, retrain your brain to trust the unusual plane, and accept the discomfort during the adjustment period. Within a few weeks of dedicated work, you’ll go from dreading the submariner who comes out of the pen to looking forward to the chance to ambush him. Now grab a bucket of balls, find someone to throw from one knee, and get to work.
