The ability to hit a softball does not come naturally. Players must practice to attain the hand-eye coordination necessary to make contact. They must develop the arm, leg and back strength necessary to produce adequate bat speed. A simple and repeatable swing and the proper grip is necessary to make consistent contact.
Historical Significance
The best hitters in baseball have studied hitting mechanics to achieve greater bat control. Hall of Famers, including Ty Cobb, Ted Williams and Tony Gwynn, agree that bat control is the key ingredient to hitting success. Batters attain control by using a proper grip.
Hand and Arm Tension
Tension is the greatest inhibitor to a fluid swing and is generally attributed to an incorrect grip. A relaxed grip increases reaction time, allowing the batter to wait longer before beginning his swing.
Fingers
A relaxed and effective grip will keep the softball bat's handle out of the palm and out towards the middle knuckle of the fingers. This grip provides better control and helps generate greater bat speed. More-experienced softball players can experiment with moving the grip closer to the pad of one or both hands.
Aligning the Knuckles
Softball batters use distinct techniques to align the knuckles on the bat. The most commonly recommended approach is lining up the "door knocker," or first knuckle from the palm, on both hands. This helps keep the bat out of the palm and enables a proper swing at varying pitch heights. Other knuckle alignments are the "big knuckle," in which the knuckles nearest to the palm are lined up, and the box grip, which lines up the bat along the finger section of each hand between the palm knuckle and first knuckle. Many players use a combination of these grips, finding a grip that is comfortable and doesn't allow the softball bat to slide into the palm.
Choking Up
Moving the bottom hand off the knob of the softball bat is called choking up. This grip technique sacrifices power for increased bat control and is especially effective for fighting off two-strike pitches. Young players can choke up when face a pitcher throwing faster than they are accustomed to.
Bat Grip Accessories
Batters use number of accessories that they apply to the softball bat knob to create more leverage. Many players will use grip modifiers, such as the Grip n Rip or Knob Cuffer, to provide a comfortable means of getting their bottom hands as far down the bat as possible. For many batters, this entails resting the pinkie finger -- and sometimes the ring finger -- under the knob.
Member Comments