Resting on the balls of your feet will make your movements quicker and your stance more reactive.
It’s important to adopt a steady, grounded stance to keep from compromising your balance. Don’t stick out your butt or let your upper body lean too far.
Your weight should be positioned very slightly over your rear foot to prepare you to step into your swing later on.
Sports research has found that athletes move much faster and more smoothly when they are relaxed.
Don’t grip too high on the handle of the bat; this can blunt your swing. There should be very little space between the pinky finger of your bottom hand and the bottom knob. Always think of gripping the bat with the fingers, not the whole hand.
If it isn’t comfortable to hold the bat with the tops of your knuckles aligned, try turning your hands inward until your middle knuckles point in the same direction. This is known as a “box grip. ”
The angle at which you hold the bat should be around or just over 45 degrees. It’s easier to enter into the swing quickly if there’s already some muscular tension on the bat. Your swing will be much more sluggish if you’re trying to move the bat from a dead stop.
If any part of your body deviates from your linear stance, you will sacrifice speed, power and control.
Be careful not to throw off your balance as you step. The step should be quick, short and leave you in a position with a solid base to hit the ball.
The swing should begin with the hips, with the shoulders following closely behind. A lot of injuries occur when players try to “muscle” the ball with a wrenching motion of the shoulders. Try to stay upright as you rotate so you don’t come off your axis.
Don’t tilt your head too much when dropping your chin. If your eyes are not level, it may throw off your perspective and compromise your ability to zero in on the ball. [11] X Research source During batting practice, pay close attention to the path that the ball takes to get better at tracking it as it moves toward you.
The shaft of the bat should stay in tight during the first part of the swing. As a rule, the further the tip of the bat is from the body, the less leverage you have. [13] X Research source
Following through makes the most of the momentum of rotation, stopping the forward movement of the ball and sending it back with as much power as possible. Some players prefer to keep both hands on the bat as they follow through, while others release their top hand and let the bat continue swinging like a backhand. Try out both methods, but do whatever feels most comfortable to you. [15] X Research source
