Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult tasks in sports. Pitchers stand on a mound more than 60 feet from home plate and use fastballs, curves, change-ups, sliders, sinkers and knuckleballs to retire batters. A fastball may be thrown up and in near the batter's chin at 95 mph, and a curve ball low and away thrown at 80 mph may follow. To hit well, a batter must have an idea of what the pitcher will do and have a plan to hit the ball hard.
Preparation
Since pitchers can throw a variety of pitches, you must be prepared to hit all of them. Batting practice gives you a chance to see what it takes to hit fastballs, curves, sliders and other pitches before you step in the batter's box in a game. Your hitting coach can throw those pitches to you to help you prepare. Seeing those pitches ahead of time will help you to become a more confident hitter.
Batting Stance
When you step in the batter's box, you have to be comfortable. If you are right-handed, spread your feet slightly more than shoulder-width. Place your weight primarily on your back leg. That's because you will bring your weight forward as the pitch comes in; if you have your weight on your back leg before the pitch, you swing will be "loaded" to hit the ball hard. If you are not coming forward when the ball is coming in, you will hit the ball with just your arms and not your entire body.
Line Drive Hitting
Hitters may dream of bashing the ball out of the park for home runs, but the best hitters try to hit the ball on a line. Line-drive hitters get more hits and are more productive. Power is largely the function of having excellent bat-head speed at impact. This comes from having a balanced and a strong follow-through. Keep your swing level and concentrate on making contact. Most home run hitters develop their power when they know they can make consistent contact. An uppercut swing will almost always result in strikeouts and long flyball outs.
Situational Hitting
It's not always about base hits and home runs. In many cases, you will be asked to move the runner along so your team can score the tying or go-ahead run. For example, your team may have a runner on second with fewer than two outs. You will be asked to "give yourself up" and move the runner to third by hitting a ground ball to the right side of the infield. This takes fast hands and bat control. With a runner on third and fewer than two outs, you will be asked to get the runner home by hitting a fly ball. This takes concentration and the ability to hit the bottom portion of the ball to drive it up in the air and into the outfield.
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