HITTING TRAINING

Proper Hitting Techniques

Fastpitch softball is a variation of the game of softball in which the pitchers throw the ball underhand at speeds that can top 75 mph. On a regulation softball diamond, the pitcher's mound is 43 feet from home plate. In baseball, that distance is 60 feet. That means a 75 mpg pitch in softball is the equivalent to about a 125 mph fastball in baseball. At those speeds, it is imperative for batters to have outstanding hand/eye coordination and hand/bat speed.

Becoming a Better Hitter – It’s All in the Attitude!

A hitter tries to make solid contact with a ball thrown at different rates of speed, with movement from different arm angles, with only two-fifths of a second to decide if the pitch is a strike or a ball, and whether to swing or not. The challenge as a girls softball coach is to have players with a positive mindset in the batter’s box that think “Hit, hit, hit,” but holds up on her swing if the pitch is out of the strike zone or (with less than two strikes) the location of the pitch is out of her high productivity zone. This approach affords a hitteran opportunity to hit the ball solidly. We’re going to talk about the prerequisites for a good mental approach, dealing with fear, and the important use of positive self-talk.