How To Hit A Softball With Power

Any softball player fantasizes about walking up to the bat and scoring a home run as the crowd explodes in utter joy!

But, don’t worry, this article is not specified to teach you how to hit a home run.

If you do not want to go that far and are still a beginner, a single or a double is enough.

No matter how many points you want to score, you should hit the softball hard.

So, you want to put extra force into your softball swing, don’t you?

Continue reading if you want to enhance your softball game as a beginner, student, or coach.

Hitting A Softball With Power

The act of hitting in softball is one of the most significant aspects of the game.

You may increase your power output by changing the speed at which the ball leaves the bat and by placing the ball on the ground or in the air.

This is irrespective of what kind of bat or ball you are using or what level of play you are at.

Let’s take a look at some fundamental softball strategies for developing power.

1. Gripping

As a batter, the first thing you do when you get into the field grasps the bat. It is important to note that how you grip the bat impacts how forceful your hit will be.

What matters while gripping the bat is how you apply pressure to the bat. 

Once you hold the bat, you should concentrate on imparting pressure on the bat with your fingers rather than your palms.

The bat should not be held too loosely in your fingers or too tightly in your palm.

Put the upper hand against the lower hand with the middle knuckles aligned properly. 

Keep a relaxed grip so that your wrists maintain some flexibility.

2. Bat On Shoulder And Elbow Position

Putting the bat on the shoulder in a comfortable posture, with the elbows low and close to the body, is another fantastic tip to remember.

It will be much more difficult to swing if you keep your elbows high while swinging since you would be straining against gravity.

3. Stance

While stance is just ornamental as we do not hit from it, it does ensure that you have a decent foundation.

Your posture should be comfortable, well-balanced, and natural.

At all times, you must maintain a steady stance. You should concentrate on your knees and hips to do this.

Begin with a parallel or square stance, in which your toes are evenly spaced from home plate; both feet are parallel to the batter’s box border and in alignment with the pitcher. You should be capable of hitting any pitch with this setup.

4. Initiating Swing

Initiating the swing involves your stride and then your bat contact with the ball.

Stride: You must concentrate on your stride as the pitcher prepares to throw the ball. The stride generates momentum, which prepares you for impact.

You may accomplish this by cocking your hips and turning in your front shoulder.

When your hips and shoulders rotate, your hands move.

You may then shift your weight back to the inner of your back foot. You’re in a hitting position and ready to make contact at this moment.

Making Contact: The inner core, hips, and legs provide the force for contact. When rotated properly, the ball makes direct contact with the bat, and the force is natural.

Concentrate on striking through the ball after making contact. Maintain the bat pointing in the same direction as the ball.

Proper practice is required for a solid swing that generates power.

5. Completing Swing

The swing does not finish when the bat makes contact with the ball; players must complete the whole swing with increasing momentum to improve their power.

6. Good Exit Velocity

The velocity of the ball after it reaches the bat is known as exit velocity.

If the ball is not impeded by the soil, grass, or defense, the greater the velocity, the farther it will go.

Greater bat speed results in a higher exit velocity in which your swing is involved.

So for hitting the ball with the power, your exit velocity should be higher, which is only possible if all the things already mentioned are correct (stride, contact).

7. Launch Angle

We typically imply more than just striking hard when we speak about power. 

This involves a ‘launch angle’. The vertical angle at which the ball departs a player’s bat after being hit is the launch angle.

Low launch angle values imply low hits, while larger numbers indicate that the ball is sent high.

It is common sense to understand that hitting with power would require you to make the launch angle with higher numbers.

The best launch angle for slicing into the air to smash a home run is 25 degrees to 30-degree range.

Strength Training For Hitting With Power

Increasing power requires not just a better hitting technique but also increased strength and size.

To become a great hitter, you must devote a significant amount of time to weightlifting and the batting technique.

You will need to do some workouts or training for hitting with the power. Some of these are:

1. Hip Thrust

Hip thrusts and variations are among the best workouts because they activate the glutes more than any other exercise.

This exercise is beneficial since the glutes are the main muscles involved in a great softball swing.

The glutes play an important role in not just batting power but also sprinting, leaping, and throwing speed.

Any softball player should strive to have very powerful glutes.

2. Medicine Ball Rotational Throw

Players should execute a number of actions in the gym that resemble what they do on the field to improve power in softball.

Softball hitting power is improved by rotational medicine ball tosses because they generate resistance in the same manner that the softball swing does.

They concentrate on complete body balance and coordination during the power transmission from the ground to the bat or ball via the core.

3. Weighted Crunches

By focusing on areas in your core such as your abdominal muscles, back, and obliques, weighted crunches increase the action and provide a strong core workout.

A forceful swing requires a strong core. If you can move energy from your legs, core, hips, and pelvis into your swing quicker, you can smash the ball harder.

4. Romanian Deadlift

The joint angles in the legs that we witness in running, leaping, pitching, and hitting are similar in Romanian deadlifts.

We hinge at the hips in a Romanian deadlift, which works the hamstrings and glutes. 

We’re actively building the muscles involved for the quick hip rotation and hip travel seen in the softball swing by focusing on the hamstrings and glutes.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hitting A Softball with Power

Conclusion

Everybody generally understands that only practice can enable you to attain the level of force in hitting that you want.

Make certain that you implement all of the ideas mentioned above that may be implemented on the field during your practice rounds, even the slightest thing, to get accustomed to following them on the field during a major competition.

Apart from following the method, it is important to remember to take care of your strength and muscles to obtain that energy and power in your body.

With any luck, all of the tactics and information discussed above will assist you in gradually increasing your hitting strength over time.

Also, you can read How to Choose a Softball Bat & How To Hit A Home Run In Softball.