Comments on How to Grip a Baseball Bat

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.

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.

A good way to swing through the ball is to imagine a sword in your hand and wanting to cut the ball in half.

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).

Remember, when gripping the bat, you also want to line up your "knocking" knuckles, the middle knuckles.

Always remember your hands and arms must be loose (tense-free) throughout the entire swing.