Hitting the ball in slow-pitch softball is relatively easy. Pitchers are not trying to strike out batters and as the ball moves toward the strike zone, hitters' eyes grow wide as they anticipate a long hit. But intelligent pitchers and clever defenses cause problems for hitters, who must take notice of the positioning of the defense or they are likely to hit the ball hard -- but right at a fielder.
Step 1
Stand in the back of the batter's box. You want to take a shuffle step before starting your swing, and standing in the rear of the batter's box will give you a chance to get your momentum moving forward as the pitch comes in. Slide your front foot forward as the pitcher releases the ball and then slide your back foot. Take one more step with your front foot and then make contact. You will have maximum power when you make contact if your timing is good.
Step 2
Assess the defense before you step in the box. If you are a right-handed pull hitter, the defense will likely be shading your toward left field and the second baseman will play close to the middle of the field. Take advantage of the defense's positioning to drive the ball to the part of the field where you see openings. This means if you can direct the ball to right-center field, you will have an excellent chance to get an extra base hit. You don't have to pull everything.
Step 3
Drive the ball in the direction that it's pitched. A dead pull left-handed hitter will try to hit every pitch over the right field fence. When the pitch is low and outside, that pitch will likely end up as a ground ball to the second baseman. But if you try to hit that ball to left field, you may end up with a line drive and get a base hit out of hit. Good hitters don't fight the pitch's location. When you go with the pitch, you have a much better chance to succeed.
Step 4
Aim for the top half of the ball when you are waiting for it to descend into the strike zone. Having the patience to wait for the ball will give you a much better chance of hitting a line drive. Help yourself even more by trying to hit just a fraction of an inch above the center of the ball and use a level swing. This will allow you to hit hard line drives and keep you from hitting fly-ball outs.
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