Slow-Pitch Softball Hitting Tips

Slow-Pitch Softball Hitting Tips
Photo Credit waiting on base image by Sandra Henderson from Fotolia.com

Slow-pitch softball is a game of big hits and big rallies. Sluggers who belt long home runs are the most feared hitters in the game, but you don't have to be powerfully built to be an effective slow-pitch hitter. By using all your momentum, knowing the pitcher, and being able to place your hit, you can be a dominating slow-pitch hitter.

The Batter's Box

Take your stance deep in the batter's box. In slow-pitch softball, the pitcher is not trying to throw the ball across home plate between the batter's knees and armpits. Instead, he is trying to drop the ball, with an arc, on a mat behind home plate (if there is no catcher). If the ball hits the mat, it is a strike; if it doesn't, it's a ball. Starting deep in the box allows the batter to use a shuffle step to attack the incoming pitch. By moving his front foot up, followed by a hop with the back foot, and another step with the front foot, the player can get all his weight behind the ball and drive it with power. Bigger, stronger hitters will be able to get excellent distance, but a hitter who can time the ball and hit it as he comes forward can also drive it with great power.

Location

The best slow-pitch hitters will not try to pull the ball every time they bat. Instead, good hitters will go with the pitch when they make contact. If a right-handed hitter sees an outside pitch, he should drive it to right field. If the pitch is over the middle, he should hit it between left-center and right-center. If the ball is over the inner portion of the plate, he should try to pull it to left field. Good softball hitters can still hit the outside pitch to the opposite field for great distance --- and know that trying to pull the ball when it is outside often results in a ground-ball out.

Situational Hitting

Players may fall in love with the idea of hitting a long home run, but they should always be aware of the situation in the game. For example, if a hitter comes up in the last inning, with the game tied and a runner on second base, he doesn't need a home run to win the game. Instead, a line-drive single will most likely get the runner across the plate. In that case, the hitter should look for a gap to hit a line drive, and should not try to hit the home run.

References

Article reviewed by Will McCahill Last updated on: May 14, 2010

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