How to Hit With a Wooden Bat
Although a person may have played baseball for many years, it is likely that most of that time he played using an aluminum bat. As players get older, they begin to gravitate toward using wooden bats. In fact, Major League Baseball players must use wooden bats, as aluminum bats are not permitted. Hitting with a wooden bat is similar to hitting with an aluminum bat; however, there are some differences in the approach to hitting.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Put on the batting gloves. Although players who use aluminum bats often do not wear batting gloves, batting gloves are necessary for players hitting with wooden bats. A wooden bat leaves a player's hands exposed to potential blisters and splinters.
-
2
Raise the left elbow slightly higher than it normally would be raised when trying to hit with a wooden bat. This helps the player generate more power because it makes his swing slightly turn upward. This helps the batter to get the ball up in the air when he connects with a pitch.
-
-
3
Extend the arms when hitting the pitch. To get full extension, stand back from home plate so that when the swing occurs, the sweet spot of the bat goes directly across home plate. When using a wooden bat, it is more important to hit the ball directly, because baseballs coming off wooden bats do not pop off as much as balls that come off aluminum bats.
-
4
Keep the swing level. By keeping the bat straight, a player is more likely to be able to drive the ball. Although some of the great hitters in Major League Baseball appear to have a circular swing, it only appears this way. Because great hitters have great bat speed, it is not noticeable that they hit the ball straight on and then move their follow-through into a circular motion because they do it so quickly.
-
5
Follow through. Make sure that the swing does not stop as soon as it hits the ball. To make the ball shoot off the bat, the bat must follow through. This means that the hitter allows his arms to move across his body and end up behind the opposite shoulder from the shoulder when he started his swing.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Some players will get out of hitting slumps by slightly changing their hand positioning on the bat.
Try to move off the plate so that the swing does not strike the ball toward the bottom of the bat. A wooden bat is more likely to break when this occurs.
