HITTING Bad Advice Skills & Instructions BASIC ADVANCED BASICS The Bat Grip Stance Load & Stride Swing Special Situations Bunting Illustrated Step by Step   ADVANCED Stance versus Swing Bat Angle  Bat Selection  Aluminum or wood Bat Size Bat Sizes and Age Getting Ready HITTING APPROACH  KNOW YOURSELF How do you step in the box? KNOW YOUR OPPONENT STRATEGY KNOW THE SITUATION BE A TOUGH OUT GRIP LOOSEN UP PICK IT UP LIKE AN AX KEEP LOOSE STANCE  DIG IN WEIGHT AND HANDS LOCATION IN THE BOX DEPTH Proper Hitting Goals On-Deck Preparation Stance versus Swing Bat Angle COIL STRIDE COMMON PROBLEM Keep the Front Toe Closed During the Stride Perfecting the Stride Hitting Off Your Front Leg "Squishing the Bug" Flat-Snap Hitting Finishing the Swing Seeing the Ball Plate Coverage and Forward Extension  Poor Timing Correcting a Weak Swing Lunging and Over Striding Lunging forward during stride Over Striding Staying Closed Before the Swing  Stepping Out on the Pitch The Level Swing Bunting The K Factor (The Strike factor) Trouble Shooting Your Hitting Free Download Video's Coaches   PITCHING CATCHER OUTFIELD  INFIELD  SHORTSTOP  CATCHING  GROUNDBALLS

THE  GRIP  LOOSEN UP Tension is your worst enemy when it comes to a fluid swing. Tension throughout the body is often the direct result of gripping the bat incorrectly. A player with a relaxed grip on the bat will be able to react faster and wait longer on a pitch than a player with a death grip on the bat. You want to be relaxed in the box; this starts when you pick up the bat.   PICK IT UP LIKE AN AX Many players will hold the bat back in their hands. Doing this causes a couples of problems. A decrease in flexibility.  A tendency to tighten your grip.  When you hold the bat in the palm of your hands and tighten your grip, your entire body can tighten up. The end result is a negative effect on your swing. The proper way to hold the bat is out on the fingers. Pick the bat up like an ax. Once you get the bat in your hands, keep it in your fingers. Your middle knuckles will naturally line up when you pick up the bat this way. Some players leave their knuckles in this alignment and some will close their knuckles slightly. Make sure you don't close the knuckles too far; you could lose the ability to use your wrists during your swing. Closing your knuckles also may increase the likelihood that bat will end up in the palm of your hands and not in your fingers.   KEEP LOOSE Once you are in your stance, make sure you don't tighten up your grip. If this is difficult, you may want to do something to help yourself to keep your grip loose. For instance, you can lay the bat back slightly but keep it out in your fingers. To do this, you have to have a loose grip on the bat. You can also move your fingers on and off the bat. Whatever mechanism you use to keep your hands relaxed, make sure it is comfortable and does not disrupt your concentration on the pitcher. If you're worried about throwing the bat or loosing your grip, don't. Once you start your swing, your hands will naturally tighten up on the bat and you will be in control. The bat actually rests across the middle of the fingers, not in the palm of the hand. Hold the bat like you would hold a live bird in your hands.  Don't worry, the hands will automatically tighten around the bat as you swing                   Click the button above to go back to the web page or web site you were at before coming to this page You are visitor to visit this page! Since May 9, 2002                     Vote for This Site!                      The term "Little League" and the Little League logo are trademarks of Little League Baseball, Inc., Williamsport, Pa., extended only to local chartered leagues for purposes of  identification and --publicity Copyright © 2000 Brookside Little League, Inc. All rights reserved Do you like what you see, got a gripe, would you like to see something added to this site? Conatct us at jontanderson@juno.com   Thank you ,  for visiting  Brookside's Little League Web Site by Jon Anderson jontanderson@juno.com