How To Hit A Softball Video

Utilizing proper techniques will help develop a more fluid and solid softball swing. Learn some techniques for batting in this softball video.

Take Action

Feet shoulder width apart
Weight on inside of feet
Bend knees
Maintain balance
Load your weight

About this Author

Renee Luers-Gillispie is in her seventh year at the helm of the UCF softball program in 2007-08. Gillispie started the program in 2002 and has already led the team to an appearance in the NCAA Regional Tournament. Prior to UCF, Gillispie spent four years building the Texas Tech program. She led the Red Raiders to a No. 17 national ranking in 1998 and a No. 24 ranking the following season. In addition to her successful career at Texas Tech, Gillispie rebuilt softball programs at Bradley University and Joliet Junior College. In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Gillispie has served as an international speaker for the Italian Softball and Baseball Federation Coaches Convention and also traveled to Athens, Greece as a guest coach for the Greek National Team in 2001.While she directs her own softball camps and clinics, she has also worked as an instructor with the Griffey International Gold Medal Camp and Higher Ground Camps and Clinics under British National Coach Bobby Simpson.

RENEE LUERS-GILLISPIE: In this segment today, we are going to be talking about hitting fundamentals. We have Bree with us today who is going to show us the basics to hitting. We are going to start with the lower body. We want the feet shoulder-width apart. The weight of your body is sliding on the inside balls of your feet. You got to bend your knees so you got a nice flexed position and a little bit sitting so you are in a nice, relaxed hitting position. Good. We want to make sure that this is a balanced position, a very athletic position. Now, we are going to work on the hands. We want to make sure that on the grip that we lay it down in the pads of our hand. And once she grips it, she wants to make sure that her knocky knuckles are together lined up. This gives the most momentum for the barrel of bat to come through the ball. She is going to get a good snap when she holds the bat this way. Okay, she is going to relax the bat on her shoulder. She has got good position. She has got an A forming on her arms. That is the position you want. Good balanced position and now she is ready to swing. Now, when you start the swing, we are going to talk about three things. The first thing is your load, your stride and your swing. So Bree is going to show us her load. Her load is when you are going to load the weight towards your back foot. Nice, relaxed, nice, easy glide, putting the weight on the back foot. Then on her stride, she is going to stride out, and what you are going to see on the stride is a separation from her stride to her hands. Both are moving at the same time. Okay, again, relax. Load, stride. You see the separation of the hands and the feet? And then swing. She is going to come through. Good. Hands inside the ball, nice, smooth swing. Again, balanced position, inside the balls of your feet, nice relaxed on her hands. She is going to go with her load, stride and swing. Good, Bree. Again, you'll notice she's got both eyes on the ball. Her head stays still between her body, and she has got a nice, relaxed, fluid swing. Her load, stride and swing. Good. Now, we are going to work on inside-outside. On an outside pitch, we are going to be working deeper into her body. As you can see, she is setting herself out for an outside pitch. Same thing, same fundaments, keeping the hands inside the ball, she is now working on a pitch on the outside corner of the plate. Stride and swing. Good. Let us go one more. Load, stride and swing. Good. Two eyes on it. And on the inside, we are going to move it towards the front part of her plate. So now, she has going to have to get her hands out a little bit quicker on the ball, again, keeping her hands inside the pitch with her load, stride and swing. As you can tell, everything on her swing stays the same. Wherever the pitch is, everything is nice and fluid. Load, stride and swing. And that is your basics of hitting.

How to Hit a Softball Video

Take Action

About this Author

Member Comments