Hitting is an important baseball talent. Watching a hitting DVD and hitting drills can help. So can some basic pointers.A ball the size of a peach comes ripping across the strike zone at 90 miles an hour. Wave your hand in front of your face as fast as you can. See anything? Now imagine the ball curving away or suddenly breaking away. Major league hitters start their swing before the pitcher lets the ball go. At ninety miles an hour the ball takes .5 seconds to travel the distance from the mound to the plate. It takes about .4 seconds to get the bat across the plate. The batter has a tenth of a second to evaluate the pitch and swing. A batter can't think in the traditional way that people think when talking to each other. A hitter responds, eyes, breath, brain and body so in sync that the brain is quiet and instinct takes over. Instinct is not aan innate trait. It is how the body responds automatically after it has been trained. There are different components that go into developing hitting skills. Several of the elements; bat selection, positioning at the plate, stance and grip, occur prior to the ball being thrown and the swing begins.
Choosing a bat is one of the first important elements of being a good hitter. Often a bat is selected that is too long or too heavy because of the bigger is better attitude. A bat should be a length and weight the slugger can handle. To figure this out hold a bat out to the side and parallel to the ground. What happens after holding it for half a minute? If the tip falls or the bat shakes, try less heavy, smaller bat. The next vital skill to develop is position at the plate. If the batter stands too close to the plate the pitcher will be dusting them with inside pitches. If they stand too far away they will be swinging and missing the outside zone.
Perhaps the most important part of a batting stance is balance. Without proper balance it is impossible to shift weight and power into the swing. A batter should be so stable they could take a shove and not fall away from the plate. Weight should be on the balls of the feet and toes should be turned slightly in. The feet are best set parallel to the mound. Toes facing towards or away from the mound helps the pitcher select the difficult placement. If the palyer at the plate has an open stance, the pitcher will know outside pitches will be more difficult for the batter to hit.
The grip of the bat is another element that can greatly impact the batters success. Various styles are used to hold the wood. The standard grip has the knuckles in a row. This translates to the fastest swing. Bat speed is what matters to a batter. The faster the wood collides with the speeding ball, the the more energy transfers to the ball and sends it sailing. Bigger wood doesn't mean longer hits. The quickness the standard grip allows should make it the only grip used. In the major leagues, some batters use a modified grip or choke grip which translates to more of an uppercut. Some players like seeing more height on the ball, but flying out gets a statistical bump up.
Several important skills come into play before the batter even raises the bat and can dramatically change a batters averages. Fundamentals are the first step to developing good instincts. Without time to think, a batter has to start with good form.
Choosing a bat is one of the first important elements of being a good hitter. Often a bat is selected that is too long or too heavy because of the bigger is better attitude. A bat should be a length and weight the slugger can handle. To figure this out hold a bat out to the side and parallel to the ground. What happens after holding it for half a minute? If the tip falls or the bat shakes, try less heavy, smaller bat. The next vital skill to develop is position at the plate. If the batter stands too close to the plate the pitcher will be dusting them with inside pitches. If they stand too far away they will be swinging and missing the outside zone.
Perhaps the most important part of a batting stance is balance. Without proper balance it is impossible to shift weight and power into the swing. A batter should be so stable they could take a shove and not fall away from the plate. Weight should be on the balls of the feet and toes should be turned slightly in. The feet are best set parallel to the mound. Toes facing towards or away from the mound helps the pitcher select the difficult placement. If the palyer at the plate has an open stance, the pitcher will know outside pitches will be more difficult for the batter to hit.
The grip of the bat is another element that can greatly impact the batters success. Various styles are used to hold the wood. The standard grip has the knuckles in a row. This translates to the fastest swing. Bat speed is what matters to a batter. The faster the wood collides with the speeding ball, the the more energy transfers to the ball and sends it sailing. Bigger wood doesn't mean longer hits. The quickness the standard grip allows should make it the only grip used. In the major leagues, some batters use a modified grip or choke grip which translates to more of an uppercut. Some players like seeing more height on the ball, but flying out gets a statistical bump up.
Several important skills come into play before the batter even raises the bat and can dramatically change a batters averages. Fundamentals are the first step to developing good instincts. Without time to think, a batter has to start with good form.
About the Author:
Connor R. Sullivan ordered copies of a hitting DVD to help some of the junior the kids on his baseball team. He ordered DVDs focusing on hitting drills to help with some problem that they have had lately.
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