Is that an issue....my vote is yes. Not to be too Zen here but if you are trying to become better acquainted with a baseball and how it moves, you kind of need a baseball. Hitting lessons aren't only about how the kid is moving his body it's how he moves the bat to the ball. You can't mimic the fall and spin of a baseball as it moves towards you. So my guess would be while those drills are fine for keep your head in, don't step out, move your hips this way....they will fall short on actual contact with the baseball.