7 Tips to Hitting a Baseball

By John M Rivers

The hardest thing to do in sports is making contact with a baseball. Your using a round bat and trying to hit a round ball squarely. To most this is very difficult and very frustrating, but when you finally get that hang of it there is no better feeling. In order to become a successful baseball hitter it takes the right fundamentals backed up with patience and hours of practice. Here are seven tips that will make you or your player a better hitter.

1. Stance- having the right batting stance is very important. You need to be in a comfortable position where you can reach the outside part of the plate and at the same time making sure you do not jam yourself on inside pitches. Make sure your stance starts behind the plate in the batters box followed by having your feet at least shoulder width apart, and knees slightly bent.

2. Hands- having your hands in the proper position is very difficult. A lot of beginners want to have there hands down by their rib cage. All this does is throw off timing and produce a lot of late swings, which results in strikeouts and lazy hits. Having the right grip helps out a lot. You do not want to choke the handle because it just makes you tense. Make sure batters grip the bat with their fingers and knuckles lined up with each other.

3. Balance- having a balanced stance and swing is vital to making good contact. Start with the majority of your weight in the back of your stance and gradually swing and move your weight to the front. Be careful not to "lunge" at a ball, which only produces and weak and lazy swing. Focus on your lower body when swinging because that's where all the power is generated.

4. Eye Contact- making sure you keep your head and eyes on the ball during a swing is crucial. When you pull your head out you wont see the ball hitting the bat, which results in swing and misses and foul balls.

5. Proper Bat- Once you have the four tips above established picking the proper bat would help you out. You do not want a bat that you can't handle or control when swinging. Try out the different weights and lengths during a batting practice and chose the bat that you feel you have the most control over. Controlling your bat generates proper bat speed and contact when facing live pitching.

6. Follow Through- extend the bat towards the pitcher and naturally finish with the barrel swung all the way around you. Finishing your swing generates better contact and power, which ultimately produces more hits.

7. Practice- Your not going to get anywhere in hitting if you don't practice, and critique your swing. Take at least a hundred swings a day either in a cage, using a tee, or soft tossing with a partner.

If you follow these tips you will become a better hitter and eventually more confidant when you approach the batters box.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_M_Rivers