Hitting Tactics

Hitting a baseball is considered to be one of the hardest things to do in all of sports. Major league players have a little over a quarter of a second to decide whether to swing the bat or not. Hitting is something that takes plenty of practice in order to do it well. A great MLB hitter gets a hit 3/10 of the time. That means they fail 70% of the time. This shows just how hard hitting is.

There is multiple steps and ways to hit a baseball but most players follow similar movements with their own twist to what feels most comfortable for them.

In order to hit a baseball (well) you must start out with a wide stance for more balance in the batter's box. Your hands should be over your back knee and the knob (bottom) of your bat should be angled at the catcher.

When the pitcher starts his wind up you load and then stride, controllably, to gain momentum at the baseball. Then you bring your bat threw the zone and turn your hips to gain power. Most people think that you generate power with how fast you swing the bat and how much arm strength you have. Even though this is slightly true, you generate the most power through your legs and hips.

Baseball also has many other offensive tactics like bunting. Bunting is a very important skill set to know because it can win or lose games. Bunting is used to move the runner over and sacrifice an out for yourself. According to my book Splitters, Squeezes, and Steals "The idea of the bunt is to 'catch' the ball with one's bat" (Gentile 96). When they say "catch" the ball they mean to let the ball absorb into the bat and not push the bat at the ball. A good bunting stance consists of having your hips turned slightly, your knees bent a little bit, and your bat on a flat plane to the ground. With your eyes staring at the barrel this allows you to move your knees up and down to get a high or low pitch.

Another tactic is the hit and run. The goal of the hit and run is to get the guy on first to third base on a hit. My book explains that, "During the hit and run, the baserunner or baserunners are in motion before the ball is hit, while the batter attempts to make contact with the pitch" (Gentile 103). So basically the runner on first steals while the batter tries to make contact. Preferably the hitter wants to hit the ball to the right side to allow the guy stealing to get to third.

Overall hitting is something the needs a lot of practice in order to be good at it. There's really no such thing as a perfect hitter because everyone messes up at one point or another but its how you overcome your mess up that determines if your a good hitter or not.

Q: Have you ever tried hitting a baseball before and was it hard or easy?
Citation: Gentile, Derek. Splitters, Squeezes, and Steals: The inside Story of Baseball's Greatest Techniques, Strategies, and Plays. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.