31/08/2018
Hitter's Tip of the day for a Very slow or low ball softball pitcher
Opportunity:
The goal is to hit the ball before it drops and then what happens is you end up hitting the top of the ball into the ground, which usually is a ground out or even missing the ball. your goal is to hit line drives.
Solution:
-Move more to the front of the box, towards the pitcher.
-Focus your eyes on the height of the pitch in relation to the strike zone. Pitches below your waist look at the bottom third of the ball and get your hands level with that part of the ball, as that is your target part of the ball to hit.
-As you start your hands movement first get them with the same height of the target part of the ball to hit.
-Body weight you want to be balanced, not out on your front foot or this will cause you to hit the ball in the ground, or not too much on your back foot or this will you cause you to swing up and cause you to pop up or fly out.
-If it is a changeup or a very slow pitcher you want to keep your hands back until the very last minute then explode with great bat speed. Keep your upper body weight just back of the inside of your front knee, do not let your weight get past your front knee or you end up reaching and usually pop up or hit top of the ball. Side Note, my dad Coach Gean Buerer always gave his hitters a green light to bunt on a change up, he taught his hitters how to be very good and consistent bunters.
-As you bat travels through the hitting plain we want it level, not swinging down or not swing up but level to produce a line drive, providing you hit the line drive part of the ball. Also ideally your hands are as close to the same height as the end of barrel of your bat, using the sweet spot of your bat to drive the ball.
-You want to use your legs to power the ball with great bat speed by driving your back hip around to the opposite base, example right hand hitter back hip snaps all the way around to third base the same time the hands snap level, with knocking knuckles in line with each other. Your eyes staying down on the contact point not watch the ball fly off the bat, eyes on contact point.
-The follow through, you want your back arm forearm to come up to your neck after you hit the ball. This applies a very slight lift to the ball over then infield or outfields head depending how solid you hit the sweet part of the ball with the sweet part of the bat.
-In summary front of the box, low hands, balanced weight, horizontal bat through the zone, with bat speed and snap of the hip, with follow through to the neck.
Happy Hitting,
Coach Rick Buerer
