What do you think is the most important thing that you can do when you are playing softball? This is easy. You have to hit the ball. People who have never played softball or even baseball before may think that playing the sport is fairly easy but before you can hit the ball, you are required to have the proper skills in order to play.
You can already expect that if you are not good, you will not be part of any team or if you do become part of the team, your chances of playing is not always good. It is evident that being able to hit the softball is a vital requirement for you to become a softball player.
Position
In order to hit the softball, you need to have the proper stance for it. If you would stand there like you have no idea what you are going to do, chances are, you will not be able to hit the ball. The proper positioning requires you to do the following:
- Make sure to place your feet wide apart.
- Bend your knees a bit because this will allow you to become more flexible.
- You would also need to relax your shoulders a bit because this will allow you to move faster.
Holding the Bat
Now that you already have the proper positioning, you need to know how you can hold the bat properly. One of the biggest mistakes that people make when holding the bat is they put the pressure on their palms and not their fingers.
- The bottom hand will depend on whether the player is right handed or left handed. If you are right handed, your left hand would be the one that is placed at the bottom portion of your bat. This will be in charge of controlling your bat. The top hand should be placed above the bottom hand. They should be able to form a straight line and should not overlap with each other.
- It is important that knuckles will not show when holding the bat. When you become too tense, you will not be able to swing the bat as fast as you want.
- You would need to ensure that your wrists will still be flexible even while you are gripping the bat.
The hand position that you are going to do is also very important. You need to place your hand about 4 inches or the distance that you are most comfortable in, in front of your shoulders. Do not raise your elbows because this will make you appear tense. You should also stop all types of tension from being evident on your shoulders.
Making the Swing
Now that you are already aware of how you should look before you hit the ball, you should now focus on how you can swing your bat.
- Remember that in making a swing, the swing should start from the legs and hips so that it will be stronger than ever.
- You should rotate your hips so that you can be effective in swinging the bat.
- Your eyes and your head should be focused towards the direction of the pitcher so that you will know when you should hit the ball.
- The arms should remain bent so that you will be able to hit the ball not only with speed but with power.
- Remember that you should wait for the ball to come in contact with your bat otherwise, you would fail in swinging.
The Contact of the Ball with the Bat
The thing about the bat that you are going to use is that it has a sweet spot. This is the place wherein you can effectively hit the ball with speed and power. If you would not let the ball come in contact with the sweet spot, you will have a weak hit and you will not be able to make any home runs. Remember that in order to keep control of the bat, you should know what to anticipate the moment that the ball hits the bat.
- This time, your arms would need to extend so that the sweet spot will come in contact with the ball.
- You can expect that you will feel the hit and depending on your bat, you may experience some vibrations.
- The most important thing to do is to make sure that your body is properly balanced in order to take the effect of the hit.
What To Do After A Hit
It does not mean that just because you have hit the softball, you have already done your part. You still need to make sure that you will work on your follow through. Remember that you should use your arms for this and not your bat so that you can finish your swing appropriately.
You have to remember that in order to achieve all of the things that are mentioned above with no issues, you need to practice beforehand. It may take some time before you are able to do things but you know that you can do the mechanics of hitting the softball well.
