GRIP THE BAT FOR SPEED

The most common thing I hear as a hitting instructor is:

“I want to hit the ball harder, but when I swing harder I am inconsistent.”

We need to start with the basics: Proper set-up with the hands and lower half, eyes staying on the ball and replacing the ball on and through contact, and having a proper grip on the bat to allow for maximum flexibility and extension throughout the swing.

Today, let’s talk about the proper way to grip the bat…

I see so many hitters that think they have to grip the bat tight in the palms of their hands to hit the ball hard. When you ask them why they feel like a tight grip back in the palms of their hands hits the ball harder, they proceed to tell me that they feel the strength of their body when they swing the bat that way. The only problem with this is that, as a hitter, you do not want to feel tense muscles in the chest, shoulders, and arms when swinging the bat. This will slow your bat down. We want to free up the hands when hitting to react quickly and fire to the inside of the ball.

• The first thing a coach or parent should do when teaching a player or child to grip a bat is to have them hold it out in the fingers to allow the second row of knuckles to align themselves. This allows for loose muscles in the wrists and forearms that will fire much quicker than tense muscles. I like the example of holding a bird. If you hold a bird in your hands, you would hold it tight enough to not allow it to fly away but gentle enough to not hurt it.
• When holding the bat properly out in the fingers, a hitter allows themselves to stay inside the baseball and take a linear path to the ball which is quicker and more accurate. This allows for better control of the bat barrel throughout the swing because the hitter will not have to use the chest or front side of the body to pull the bat around to contact.
• Lastly, you can do bottom and top hand drills to enforce how this grip allows for better flexion in the wrists and helps to allow the hitter to fire straight to the ball. These drills would require the hitter to practice swinging with just the top hand or bottom hand on the bat by itself. Choke up all the way, hold the bat in the fingers, and swing. This will allow the hitter to feel how each hand works independently toward making contact with the ball.

At first, holding the bat like this may be difficult for some younger players. It also may be difficult to explain to a younger hitter why this would give them more power. This grip may also be slightly uncomfortable and cause a player’s fingers to ache or hurt at first. This, like anything, takes a little time to get used to but will be well worth it in the end when they begin to hit the ball with greater ease and consistency.

Any questions, email me anytime at TrainDK@sbcglobal.net

As always, I look forward to your emails!

Eric Blakeley

GRIPPING THE BAT FOR SPEED" (proper technique for power and consistency)