Softball stands in contrast to baseball in that the softball game typically involves pitches which are slower in speed and make a high arch into the air. So rather than focusing on quick and powerful swinging, the softball game requires a more nuanced approach to swinging.
Swinging during a softball game rather requires an appropriate speed together with a powerful impact upon contact. Following are some excellent tips and tricks to help you achieve the perfect swing technique for a softball game:
Holding The Bat Right
A very important of wielding the right swing for a softball hit is to ensure that you are holding the bat right. Typically, this requires the player to hold the handle grip with left hand and the bat closer to the barrel with the right hand.
The right hand grips in a rather looser way compared to the firm grasp of the left hand. You can adjust the position of your grip along the length of the bat depending on how you want to hit.
Your Grip Closer to The Barrel
If you are looking for an exceptionally better control of the bat, it is a good way to choke up the bat and station your grip closer to the barrel.
This will give you far superior control of the bat’s swing. However, at the same time, this also means a shorter bat and less momentum, so you will have to consider these trade-offs.
Your Body
If explosive power upon contact is what you are aiming for, it is a good idea to rotate your body slightly back before bringing it to the front. This will give you some additional momentum with which to hit the ball farther.
Your Front foot
Your front foot plays an important role during a softball swing. Front foot essentially provides you a pivot on which to base the momentum of your swing.
So during a softball swing, plant your front foot solidly and let the rest of the body create a loose but unified momentum channeled into the barrel of your bat.
Hit the ball with a slight uppercut of the bat
If you are looking for some extra distance for your hit, it is an effective technique to hit the ball with a slight uppercut of the bat. This angled shot helps carry the ball farther on the field.
Hit the ball just outside the plate
When swinging your bat during a softball game, you should aim to hit the ball just outside the plate. This means that you should time your swing so that the bat comes into contact with the ball a few inches outside the plate.
This lets you make the most of your hit and throw the ball as far as possible. In contrast, if you are late in bringing your bat to contact, you will not be able to hit as far.
Your Head
When hitting a softball, your head should remain level and ideally still even during the swinging. This is critically important because you have to keep an eye on the softball as the pitcher tosses it.
In order to estimate the position and timing of the ball perfectly, the head must be still and the eyes locked on the ball all the way until it makes an impact with your bat.
The Position of The Arms
The position of the arms is very significant in ensuring the right swing. The arms should remain bent all the way until the last moment when the bat makes contact with the ball and the back arm is then extended fully to channel power into the hit.
Until the impact, however, the arms should not extend. If you extend your arm before the impact, this will trim away the impact of your hit.
Warm-up
Walking over to the plate and swinging without any prior warm-up swings must be absolutely avoided. Even before you have started heading for the plate, you should start swinging in order to warm-up and gear your body muscles into action.
As a result, once you finally begin to actually swing on the field, you will be in a ready mood for some hard hitting.
Your Stance
Your stance should be positioned with respect to the plate. This means that you should find the ideal spot on the plate where you can swing your bat with perfect ease and power.
A basic consideration in deciding this is to make sure that you are positioned so that inside pitches, pitches down the middle and outside pitches are easily within your hitting reach.
A slight upward position of the bat
A slight upward position of the bat can be very helpful to you during a softball swing. Such a position is especially useful if you are aiming to toss the ball high in the air and into the distance.
However, if the ball you hit rises too much in the air but does not cover enough distance, this means that you are moving your bat a little too much upward.
Hit The Ball with the Sweet Spot of the Barrel
During a softball swing, your aim should be to hit the ball with the sweet spot of the barrel. Such a hit is essential in order to channel the most of your swinging momentum into the ball upon contact.
If you have a tendency to miss the sweet spot, practice repeatedly until you are able to hit the ball precisely with the right spot.
Practice swinging as much as possible
Practice swinging as much as possible. Swinging involves many different activities. You have to hold the bat right, swing it with the right body rotation, position your feet right and all the while, ensure that your hand-to-eye coordination is precise.
You also have to maintain a keen eye on the incoming softball. Excellence in all these aspects of the game require diligent practice. If you practice regularly, you will soon be able to reach a stage where you will be able to perform all of these activities in perfect synchrony.
A heavy bat hits farther while a light bat is not as keen a hitter. But a heavy bat is also slower compared to a light bat. You should find a bat which is a good balance between weight and speed. Ideally, you should use the heaviest bat that you can wield with speed.
You may want to swing a few bats before finalizing one. In some cases, you may want to undergo a few practice sessions with a bat before deciding if it’s good for your softball game.
