How to Hit a Fastball
Hitting a fastball is one of the hardest thing to do in sports. A small round object is traveling 90-100 mph straight at you in the batter's box. But with the proper preparation, you can hit a fastball. Here are some tips on how to do it.
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Instructions
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Keep your eye on the ball. This is the most important advice when swinging at any pitch in baseball. As you swing, watch the ball hit the bat. By keeping your eye on the ball, you will give yourself a great shot at making contact.
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Move back in the batter's box. Since the ball is traveling at an excessive speed, back up in the batter's box as much as possible. This will give you an additional split second to recognize the pitch, determine if it is a strike and take a good swing at it.
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Recognize the spin on the ball. A fastball looks different from a curve ball. Most fastballs are four-seamers, meaning that the four seams of the fastball are tumbling toward you in a repetitive manner. If you can pick up the fastball spin on the baseball from the pitcher's hand, you'll have a better chance of hitting it.
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Understand the count. Most pitchers will throw a fastball to get ahead in the count. With three balls and two strikes, they may throw a fastball as they need to get you out. Conversely, if the pitcher is ahead no balls and two strikes, you will more likely see an off-speed pitch. There are no rules to what a pitcher will throw, but understanding the pitching count and what pitches the pitcher has in his arsenal will give you a probability of what he will throw next. If you guess correctly, you have a good chance of hitting the ball very hard.
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Tips & Warnings
Practice hitting as much as possible. Go to a batting cage, take live batting practice, do anything and everything you can do to swing the bat and make contact with the ball. This will improve your hand-eye coordination, which is one of the best ways to hit any pitch, not just a fastball.
