It is not enough to simply know how to hit a baseball. You can’t be an effective hitter without also understanding the mechanics of hitting. If you want to be great at the game, you need to learn about proper form and technique when batting. Read on to find out how to hold a baseball bat.
How to Hold a Baseball Bat
The Handle
The surface of the bat that you hold with your hands is called the handle. This part of the bat is padded for comfort, and there are three different grips that can be used when handling it: an “open-handed” grip, a “full-circle” grip and a half-grip. The individual way in which you hold the bat will vary from player to player according to personal preference.
Your Bottom Hand’s Fingers
The bottom hand is the one that grasps the bat below your top hand. The fingers on this hand should be spread apart with each finger placed over a different part of the handle: the ring and middle fingers on either side of it and your index and pinkie fingers on its backside.
Keep Your Palm Away From the Barrel
Make sure to keep your palm turned away from the barrel of the bat. If your palm is facing it, it will reduce your hitting power since you are unable to get a good grip on it.
Your Top Hand’s Fingers
The fingers of your top hand should all be facing inward. They should not be spread apart because this weakens your grip, and instead, they should overlap each other as much as possible for maximum control.
Lightly Grip Before the Swing
At this point, you should lightly grip the bat so that it is comfortable to hold. This way, when a pitch comes your way, you’ll have a firm grasp on the handle and won’t have to worry about being caught off guard.
Launch Angle
Batting isn’t just about hitting the ball, it’s also about hitting it high enough to get out of the park. While this may take some practice to perfect, you should always focus on striking down into the barrel of your bat to create a launch angle that will send the ball flying over the outfield wall.
Make sure not to hit up, since this will send the ball straight into the ground and make it harder to catch up with a runner on base.
FAQ
How high should I hold my bat?
Your bat should be held with a 90-degree angle when you’re in your hitting stance. This means that the barrel of the bat should be pointed toward the sky and it will point up at a 45-degree angle as well. You can adjust this to however high or low you want, but the bat should never be held at a sideways angle.
Does gripping the bat differently change where you hit it?
Gripping the bat with different hands and fingers will not necessarily change where you hit the ball on your bat. You will, however, have more or less time to react if you use a certain grip, so you will want to experiment with different grips until you find the one that works best for you.
How tight should my grip be on a baseball bat?
When you grip the handle of your bat, it should not be tight. A loose grip will allow you to react more quickly when a fastball comes flying in across the plate.
Gripping too tightly can also cause you to miss or swing under pitches that are traveling in slow motion and that land in the strike zone.
I don’t swing often, is this bad?
Some batting coaches believe that it is important to practice swinging throughout the course of a game in order to maintain timing and muscle memory. If you are not taking at-bats during softball or baseball games, then it is recommended that you set up some sort of practice schedule so that you are always prepared to face the pitcher.
Conclusion
In order to have a firm, comfortable grip on your bat, keep your palms turned away from the barrel and spread apart or overlapping each other depending on personal preference.
If you follow these steps when gripping a baseball bat, you’ll be able to hit the ball hard every time it’s pitched your way. And once you get really good at hitting, you’ll be able to hold a baseball bat like a pro.
