Slopitch's Opinions
for what it's worth (or not)...
Created October 16, 1997
Updated February 15, 2000
This page is where I post my opinions and views based on experiences I've had and things that have or haven't worked for me regarding the game of softball. If/when I post something that isn't from me, the guilty party shall be noted.
About me:
I'm 5'11" and about 230 lbs. I'm 35 (soon to be 36) years old and I love softball, weightlifting, backpacking, hiking, football, basketball, etc., basically anything physical. I'm especially fanatical about softball. After my first son was born, I didn't have enough time to pursue all my hobbies and interests, so I decided I'd focus on becoming a better softball player - primarily a better and more powerful hitter. I try to hit around 200 balls a week, plus swing a chute and weight train. I also hit off a tee frequently and am always trying to find a better bat or a video that will help me improve my game. I have a friend in his late forties named Rodney who is the most consistent hitter I've seen around here and we try to hit for 2-3 hours once a week, weather and schedules permitting. I just want to mention Rodney here, because I'll be using him as an example later as I add sections regarding hitting.
Hitting - Experimentation & Observation
Hitting for Power
A lot of people criticize others for talking too much about homeruns and power instead of base hitting. And some people who have power are cocky and arrogant and like to make themselves feel superior to everyone else. I think we should all be open-minded about EVERY aspect of the game and work to improve our abilities in each. After all, it's ONLY A GAME. I view power as a way to gage progress. To me power isn't just putting the ball over the fence; it's about screaming line drives and grounders that give the defense little or no time to react, resulting in more base hits. That said, if you don't have a bat speed meter to check your after-contact speed or a radar gun to check the ball's speed when you hit it, the obvious way to judge how hard the ball was hit is how far it carried. If you can improve to hit the ball 300 feet or so, you WILL hit smoking balls for base hits and improve your batting average and power simultaneously. Just don't get caught in the trap of trying to hit every ball out because it ain't gonna happen and your mechanics can suffer along with your average.
Using Good Equipment
The subject line pretty much says it all. Two of the best ways to have more fun playing the game are to improve your skills and performance, and using good equipment (mainly bats in this case) is going to help your performance significantly (in conjunction with improved skill), while practice is primarily responsible for improving your skill. Yeah, you can hit ok with a $20 bat, and it's good to have one for cold weather, but there's no comparison in performance between a cheap bat and a good one. You really do "get what you pay for". A good bat is going to run probably $130-$150 for a single wall, while a top-of-the-line bat like the DeMarini Ultimate Distance (better know as the "Double Wall" or "DDW") will run $270-$300. I'm certainly not suggesting to go out and spend $300 for a bat, but I am suggesting that if you find yourself playing more and more softball, and you don't own a "high-tech" bat like a DeMarini, Louisville Slugger TPS, Worth SuperCell, Easton Redline, Steele's, Grover, etc., that you consider buying one. Some of the reasons for this are that you can choose a bat that feels the most comfortable to you, it is a way of pulling your own weight with the team, and it shows consideration to those who regularly let the team use their bats. I have 5 bats right now that I take to every game, and I let the team use them all. Some of the guys I know always use other people's bats and wouldn't buy their own if you gave them $200. Because of the wear and tear on my equipment, and the fact that it comes out of my wallet and no one else's, I may limit what I share when the season rolls around again.
The Right Attitude
My attitude is really very simple: I want to hit the ball so hard that the seams explode and I wrap the barrel of the bat around the ball. I don't really care if it's a fly ball, line drive, or grounder, although I prefer not to hit grounders because the probability of making an out increases. I want the ball to have so much velocity that fielders can't catch it and if they do, it hurts so bad they don't want to catch another one. In addition, if the ball has a lot of velocity & happens to be a fly ball, it's got a good chance of burning the outfielders for extra bases or going out of the park. There's nothing more annoying to me than seeing a weak fly ball hit right to an outfielder. At least a weak grounder gives you the opportunity to try to beat the throw or get a bad throw.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Tee it up
Tees are great for working on mechanics and taking BP when
there's nobody to pitch to you. You can move the ball in,
out, up, down, short, and deep to practice hitting different
types of pitches and to determine where your power zone is.
Since the ball isn't moving, you can totally concentrate on
your swing and how to hit the ball to get different spins and
placing it where you want. If you hit the tee, you know that
you're not watching the ball & it will help you concentrate on keeping your eyes on the ball, which means more & better hits
for you in games. If the ball isn't high enough for you, put
your tee on a milk crate or 5-gallon bucket. If you're really
tall, you may have to use something even taller. I hit off a
tee almost every week (100-200 balls usually) and it has helped
significantly. It also creates muscle memory so that your best
swing becomes a habit instead of something you have to think
about & this will improve your game & also minimize getting in
slumps. Tees also make it easy to check your bat speed if you
have a bat speed meter.
Pitch Selection and the Power Zone
This subject probably gets more people frustrated (including me) than any other part of the game. There's nothing quite as frustrating as popping up, dribbling a weak grounder, or whiffing because you swang at a bad pitch with less than 2 strikes instead of waiting for a good one. Each person has his (or her) own "power zone", "hitting zone", or whatever you want to call it where he will hit the ball with the most authority (most bat speed, greatest leverage, best technique, etc.). My friend Rodney likes the ball a little low and inside, while I prefer it a little high and not quite as far inside. Spend a LOT of time taking batting practice and find out where your zone is. Don't swing at the junk pitches. Learn to be patient and wait on a good pitch, learn how to recognize the pitch early so you'll be ready to whack it, and learn how to adjust your position in the batter's box according to where the pitcher pitches (deep, short, outside, inside) in order to increase the probability of getting a good pitch. Also be ready to adjust to compensate for the umpire's strike zone.
Differences in People
Everyone is different & what works for one person will not necessarily work for another. We are different heights & weights, have different numbers and percentages of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers, have different tendon origins and insertions, etc. Rodney, whom I mentioned at the top of this page, and I have similarities in our swings in that we are looking for the pitch we know we can hit the farthest, we both use overlap grips (although they aren't exactly the same), we are both right-handed, our follow-throughs are similar, we both usually hit about the same number of balls out in BP, and we both like to hit, hit, and then hit some more. But that is pretty much where the similarities end. I lift weights & Rodney doesn't. I swing a parachute & Rodney doesn't. I hit off a tee regularly & Rodney doesn't. I play one game a week usually & Rodney may play several games & then play in a tournament on the weekend. I tend to get a lot of height on the balls I hit out & Rodney's hrs tend to have a flatter arc. I like slightly high pitches from the middle of the plate to the inside edge & Rodney likes his pitches low and inside. Rodney can take an inside pitch that is almost in the batter's box and hit it down the left field line, where I tend to take the same pitch and hit it about 50 feet foul. So what's my point you ask? We are all different, so spend a lot of time practicing & finding out what works best for you.
The Myths
Guys under 6 feet tall can't hit the ball 350 ft.
BALONEY. I've seen this opinion posted on the DeMarini Bat Chat and it's a blanket statement that simply is not true. I regularly hit balls 350 feet in BP with the occasional shot around 375. Sunday October 12, 1997, I hit the longest shot I ever have, using my DeMarini Ultimate Distance. The guys I was taking BP with guestimated it at about 400 feet based on what we know is the 350-foot mark on the hill behind this particular softball field. Halfway up the hill is 350 feet and this ball landed on the top of the hill, just a few feet from the recreation center parking lot.It created about a 6" flat spot/dent on my bat, however. I say this because if I can hit balls 350'+, anyone can. I'm no great hitter or player, but I've worked my butt off over the last few years to become a more powerful and explosive hitter, and all the hard work has added 60-80 feet to my long shots. Generally speaking, the ball has to go 310'-315' to make it over a 300' fence, so hitting a ball 350' isn't that much farther and is an attainable goal for anyone willing to put in the work.
Guys under 6 feet tall can only hit long shots with a Double Wall
Ridiculous, arrogant statement that is totally baseless. It is true that the double wall has helped a lot of people put the ball over the fence that haven't done it previously, but in my experience, I hit the ball just as far with my single wall bats. The double wall does help me hit long shots more frequently, and I can miss a ball & still get a cheap homer with it. However, anyone who can put a softball over a 300' fence with or without a double wall has to have a good swing. I've seen a lot of guys only hitting slap base hits with the double wall because that's the kind of swing they have, and if the double wall rumors were true, these same guys would be going yard, but they aren't. I'm all for base hits because that is what wins games, not homers (generally speaking in our leagues), and guys should use the bats with which they are most comfortable (I digress...).
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