By
eHow Sports & Fitness Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You’ll Need:
- Softball Cleats
- Softball Bats - Bottle And Semibottle
- Softball Batting Gloves
- Softball Fielding Gloves
- Softball Batting Helmets
- Plastic Softballs
- Breakaway Bases
- Softball Donuts
- Softball Equipment Bags
- Softball Glove Conditioner Cream
- Softballs
Step1
Start with a comfortable stance. Balance your weight on the balls of your feet. Keep your knees slightly flexed, with a slight bend at the waist.
Step2
Hold the bat with your front elbow down and relaxed, and your back elbow at a 45-degree angle, pointed at the ground.
Step3
Grasp the bat at a 45- to 90-degree angle with the middle knuckles of one hand aligned with the middle knuckles of the other hand.
Step4
Keep your hands at the top of the strike zone, and near your back armpit. Make sure the bat is between the catcher and your back shoulder.
Step5
Keep your head straight, with your eyes focused on the pitcher at the release point of the ball (the side of the pitcher's leg, for example).
Step6
Shift the weight onto your back foot as the pitcher goes into the windup.
Step7
Take a stride forward with the front foot on the release of the pitch, being careful not to bring any weight forward on the stride. This is called a soft step.
Step8
Start to pivot the back foot so that your back heel is facing the catcher, and transfer your weight forward to the middle of your body.
Step9
Launch your hands last, with the knob of the bat going toward the pitcher's feet.
Step10
Be careful not to drop the barrel of the bat below your hands at the start of the swing.
Step11
Hit the ball and drive it, following through with your hands swinging to the opposite shoulder.
How to Hit a Softball
Comments
Treads04 said
on 3/11/2008 At some point when you swing your bat, your elbow will drop. I see a lot of batters drop their elbow before they swing the bat. Even though their elbow is up when they are in the stance. As soon as they start to swing they drop the elbow and then swing.
Anonymous said
on 7/3/2006 Teach the little ones to find the ball. Have them hold out a bat over the plate with their right hand, as if they are in mid-swing. Keep it in that position. Toss the ball and tell them to just 'touch' the ball with the bat (raising or lowering the bat to meet the ball). This teaches their eyes and brain to track the ball as it approaches, and it also tells you, the coach, if their bat is the correct weight. They should be able to hold the bat in that position for at least a dozen tosses without fatigue. After a dozen tosses, put them back into batting stance and see how close they now come to making contact.
Anonymous said
on 6/30/2006 Put weights on your bat, and hit about 10 balls. You can do this about 5 times a week, and you will see an improvement in the speed of the ball.
Anonymous said
on 1/27/2006 If you have ever heard anyone telling you to swing level, they are not giving you good advice. What they mean is: don't uppercut. A good fast pitch swing for a low strike begins with the bat at a forty-five degree angle off the back shoulder, the barrel takes a slight downward slope path to meet the ball (which is contact), then full extension with the arms, then follow through keeping your eyes on the contact point. Don't turn your head to follow your swing.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Before you step up to the plate, take deep breaths and open and close your hands on the bat a few times. This will help you relax before you step into the batters box. In the batter box, hold the bat very loosely, with your pinky finger off the end of the bat. Stay focused on the pitch as soon as it leaves the pitcher's hand. Remember always to keep a loose grip on the bat and your bat speed will improve tremendously.