How to Grip a Baseball Bat

Hitting begins with your hands, or more specifically your fingers. When you pick-up a baseball bat there are several key parts in mastering the how to of gripping a bat in order to be a successful hitter. It's essential that you feel comfortable and relaxed with the bat in your hands— and it begins with your fingers.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baseball bat
• Batting gloves
• Pine Tar
• Baseball
• Baseball helmet
• Cleats

1. Pick-up the bat and hold it - it should be in your fingers, the strongest part of your hand, and not your palms.
   
   Test: Place two fingers directly in the middle of your palm and close your hand. Now pull your fingers out. You will notice they come out with relative ease. However, place those same two fingers on the four fingers of your opposite hand and pull. It is much harder for your fingers to break free.
   

2. Line up your “door-knocking knuckles.” This may feel uncomfortable at first, however with practice it will become second nature. This allows your wrists to roll properly after making contact with the baseball.

3. Keep your fingers should be very loose and relaxed. The umpire should be able to take the bat out of your hands as you prepare for the pitcher to deliver the baseball. Watch major leaguers and you will see them wiggling their fingers while in their stance. Your fingers will naturally tighten around the bat’s handle as your proceed to swing. Remember: a tight muscle is a slow muscle. Do not choke the bat. This added tension will produce a slow bat, which means little or no power

Tips & Warnings

• If you're tense while awaiting the pitch and holding the bat in a death grip, open and close your fingers on the bat. This will relax your arm muscles.
• You may want to use batting gloves for increased comfort.
• Practice enough to develop calluses from swinging - they'll prevent sore hands.
• If you use a wooden bat, use pine tar on the bat handle - it will give you a better grip.

Who Can Help:

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on 4/13/2007 The grip depends on the size of the individual players' hands. Bring the bat back on your shoulder, and then get in your stance with the hands in the launch position that is most comfortable for you. The knuckles will almost be lined up. Coaches differ on which knuckles to line up anyway. So I lineup my door knocking knuckles or all four rows of knuckles. Old-timers, relax, physics will take over and the knuckles will line up naturally as the hands enter the hitting zone. The grip will tighten naturally throughout the swing. Too much emphasis is put on lining up the knuckles while in the stance and worrying about when to tighten the grip. This causes tension in the grip, which causes tension in the arms. This slows the hands into the hitting zone. A loose, relaxed grip with the bat in the fingers (never back in the palms) combined with a relaxed, balanced, comfortable stance gives the batter the best chance of hitting the ball frequently and with authority. The follow through of the swing will occur naturally because the swing is fluid and relaxed.

on 1/13/2006 Everyone is taught to grip the bat with the knocking knuckles aligned. Many people do not take this advise because the grip is uncomfortable at your stance. However, this grip is important because this grip is actually more natural at the point of contact. Beginning with this grip assures a constant grip throughout the swing. Hitting a slider is hard enough without having to change your grip during the swing. An added benefit is this grip promotes a full follow through.

on 11/22/2005 I like to have a loose grip while I am starting the swing, and tighten my grip in mid swing. As I tighten my grip, it whips the bat around for greater bat speed.

on 11/22/2005 The best way to hit, is the easiest swing possible. Don't think about cutting the ball in half like a sword or squashing the bug or any of that nonsense. This is how to hit: Load (bring your hands back into a ready position), keep your hands inside, about 6 inches away from your chest. Now there are different types of swings, one to pull the ball (inside or right down the middle), one to hit it up the middle (inside or right down the middle) and one to hit it to the opposite field (outside pitch). For an inside pitch, you want to get your hands extended as quick as possible, just before contact, you want to snap on the ball. To hit it up the middle, you want the same kind of swing, but wait a little while longer. For an outside pitch that you want to take the opposite way, you have to wait on the ball much more than you would for an inside pitch. You want to time it so that your bat is at an angle (pointing the opposite way) and slap a base hit into right field (for righties) or left field (for lefties).

on 11/22/2005 I think the key to the bat grip is that there is no one way cookie cutter method. Certainly it is a good idea to be sure and establish the fundamentals of a good swing...following through the ball. Work on the best techniques for hitting and allow for players to adjust to where they are comfortable. Remember, it is not one size fits all.