Introduction of baseball batting In baseball, batting is the act of facing the opposing pitcher and trying to produce offense

for one's team. A batter or hitter is a person whose turn it is to face the pitcher. The three main goals of batters are to become a baserunner, drive runners home, or advance runners along the bases for others to drive home, but the techniques and strategies they use to do so vary. Success in batting Batting is often cited as one of the most difficult feats in sports as it works down to hitting a small round ball with a thin round bat. In fact, if a batter can get a hit in three out of ten at bats, giving him a batting average of .300, pronounced three-hundred, he or she is considered a good hitter. In Major League Baseball, no batter has hit over .400 in a season since Ted Williams in 1941, and no batter has ever hit over .367 in a lifetimeTy Cobb hit .3664. In modern times, the statistic On-base plus slugging (OPS) is seen as a more accurate measure of a player's ability as a batter; this stat combines the player's On base percentage, a percentage of their plate appearances where the batter gets on base (by a hit, hit by pitch or base on balls), with the player's slugging percentage, an average of total bases with at-bats. An OPS at or near 1.000 is considered to be the mark of an exceptional hitter. A sustained OPS at or above 1.000 over a career is a feat only a few hitters have ever been able to reach.

Batting and baserunning tactics

A batter squares to bunt, moving his hands up the barrel of the bat to increase his control and deaden the ball on impact. Several basic offensive tactics come into play with a runner on first base, including the fundamental choice of whether to attempt a steal of second base. The hit and run is sometimes employed with a skillful contact hitter: the runner takes off with the pitch drawing the shortstop or second baseman over to second base, creating a gap in the infield for the batter to poke the ball through. The sacrifice bunt calls for the batter to focus on making contact with the ball so that it rolls a short distance into the infield, allowing the runner to advance into scoring position even at the expense of the batter being thrown out at firsta batter who succeeds is credited with a sacrifice. (A batter, particularly one who is a fast runner, may also attempt to bunt for a hit.) A sacrifice bunt employed with a runner on third base, aimed at bringing that runner home, is known as a squeeze play. With a runner on third and fewer than two outs, a batter may instead concentrate on hitting a fly ball that, even if it is caught, will be deep enough to allow the runner to tag up and scorea successful batter in this case gets credit for a sacrifice fly. The manager will sometimes signal a batter who is ahead in the count (i.e., has more balls than strikes) to take, or not swing at, the next pitch.

- Batting Drills -

The Power Bat Drill The purpose of the Power Bat Drill for a baseball player is much the same as a boxer using a heavy bag to train with. Boxers learn how to develop power in their punch by trying to power through the heavy bag. Baseball players learn to develop power in their swing by hitting through a heavier object than a normal baseball. The result is the same for both athletes increased power through the point of contact!

What you will need:

A batting tee A plunger A flat soccer ball or basketball A hitting net (or wall) A bat

How the drill works:

Slide the plunger handle into the batting tee. Place the flat soccer ball or basketball onto the plunger cup top.

Execute your normal swing repeatedly.

The goal is for the hitter to strike the much heavier ball without having the bat decelerate at the impact point. This takes proper technique and explosion at the point of impact to achieve. What you will see is that with the first few swings, the barrel of the bat will "stutter" through the impact zone, meaning that it will decelerate at the point of impact for a fraction of a second before resuming its speed to the finishing position. Concentrate on the proper mechanics, not with launching the ball. Proper mechanics will accelerate the bat head sufficiently to power through the heavier ball. The flight path of the ball should be

level (around chest high) into the hitting net (or wall). Power is all about bat speed at impact, not the size of the player. This drill will increase the power at impact if it is used on a regular basis. Remember to always use a flat ball for this drill.

The Strike Zone Drill The purpose of this drill is to teach the hitter "strike zone recognition".

Teams get 3 outs per at bat.A coach pitches the ball from about 40 feet in front of the plate. The hitter sets up at the plate with a bat, strides at the proper time, follows the ball with his head into the catcher's glove, and calls "ball" or "strike" as the ball hits the glove.

The Colored Ball Drill The purpose of this drill is to improve reaction time and thinking at the plate.

Paint several baseballs with different bright colors, and place them in a bucket behind the mound. Have someone place one of the balls in the pitcher's glove without letting the batter see the color. The pitcher then calls out a color before pitching the ball. The batter can only swing if the ball matches the color the pitcher called out (and if the pitch is in the strike zone).
(coach Mike Cole)

The Pitch Behind Drill The purpose of this drill is to prevent timid hitters from backing out at the plate.

The timid little league batter always seems to assume that backing out will automatically prevent him from being hit by the pitch. He usually starts his getaway before he has any notion of where the pitch is really headed. I have had some success against this tendency by throwing behind the timid batter's back. After all, he will get plenty of these pitches at the little league level, and you don't want him backing into them and getting hurt.

Start out using spalding or tennis balls. At first, throw a lot of pitches behind him, then gradually decrease the frequency of these pitches as he starts to break the habit. Soon he will realize that he had better not back up until he sees where the ball is really going.

This will make him safer and more confident at the plate. And while he's watching the ball more closely, he's going to realize that he doesn't have to hide from the good pitches, but can stay put and hit them.

Wall Ball Hitting Drill This drill is actually a hitting game that allows players to build skills, learn to perform under pressure, identify strikes, and develop a line drive swing.

Teams of 2 or 3 players compete against other teams. The first team to score 11 runs wins. The drill can be used indoors or outdoors. The games requires a wall, curtain, or sections of fence. The rules are outlined before competition begins. The wall or fence should have a "top line" that represents the top of the scoring zone. Any ball that hits the wall, curtain, or fence above that line is an "out". To score, the batter must hit a line drive that hits the scoring zone without touching

the ground. The batter that hits a ground ball keeps the inning alive. He does not score, but he also does not make an out. Each player gets only one swing per bat. He is either going to hit a score, hit a ground ball or make an out. Any ball that is caught by the defense before it touches the wall or ground is an out. All pop ups, foul balls, and missed swings are counted as outs. Bats are not allowed to touch the ground. Batters must stay alert and jump in to bat as soon as the other batter swings. Each team gets 3 outs per at bat. Defensive players are allowed to "knock down" balls to prevent scoring. Any ball that hits the "scoring zone" without touching the ground is a score. The defense must learn to react quickly and catch the ball or knock it down.

This drill is best done in a tournament format. Reward the winning team in some way. This is a great drill for indoor hitting. Players get to take a lot of swings. The competition becomes fierce. It will build a competitive fire in your timid players, and teach players to be aggressive. Make sure to use foam or wiffle baseballs. Softball Batting Tips Follow a few softball batting tips to improve your game. Softball batting can be affected by a number of factors, such as grip, bat speed, stance, hip movement and swing. Even the kind of bat that is used (either aluminum or wood) affects the swing's outcome. Contrary to what many believe, good softball batting is not a natural talent. With proper technique and training, anyone with any decent ability can find success in softball batting. Find the Right Bat Choosing the right softball bat is an important first step. When it comes to softball batting tips, bigger is not always better. A big bat does not always equal more hits. According to softball batting coach Marc Dagenais of SoftballPerformance.com, a heavy bat causes the muscles to tense more, which makes them move slower during a swing. A lighter bat means better bat speed, so the softball travels farther. He also suggests swinging an even lighter bat on the on-deck circle, not a heavier bat, to loosen the muscles and create a faster swing. Softball batting coach Wendell Kim

suggests holding the softball bat at the base of the fingers, not the palms of the hands. The knuckles of both hands should be nearly aligned. While most softball teams still use aluminum bats, the use of wood softball bats has risen in popularity. According to the Phoenix Bat Co., using wood softball bats, even for softball batting practice, can help develop a proper batting technique. Aluminum bats don't give the batter much of a feel when the softball is hit. Batters using wood bats can feel the impact more easily, and the wood is a more natural extension of the arms. This helps batters develop a better sense for the sweet spot, as well as stronger wrists and a better eye. Batting Tips to Get That Arm in Shape At the plate, picking up the pitch is imperative. According to Dagenais, softball batting involves using "hard focus" and "soft focus." Instead of guessing the ball's release point, you should focus on the pitcher as a whole. Once the pitcher begins the pitching motion, narrow the focus to the arm and pick up the ball. By shifting from a soft, overall focus to a narrow, hard focus, a good batter can train the eyes to zero in on the ball better, making it easier to judge pitches. When contact is made, the speed of the bat slows down because the impact with the ball hurts. This happens in both baseball and softball, with both aluminum and wood bats. Dagenais suggests several batting tips and exercises to improve strength in the wrists and forearms that will give you more speed and power in your followthrough, giving you more hits. In the first exercise, called the "Hammer," batters hold the softball bat upright in one hand with the arm straight out. The batter then lowers the bat by bending the wrist in a hammering motion. This builds strength in the forearms and wrists. If the softball bat is too heavy at first, the batter should choke up a little on the handle and do 1020 repetitions at a time. The second batting tip is an exercise, called the "Windshield Wiper," is much like the first exercise; however, you move the softball bat left and right with one arm, like a windshield wiper. This strengthens the wrists and improves the torque on your swing. You can modify these two exercises by using both arms instead of one. Batting speed is important to develop because as speed declines, so does the number of quality at-bats. Hitting the softball with good speed and power will put the ball into play and increase chances of a hit or an error by a fielder. Hits off of aluminum bats are faster and harder, but with proper mechanics, wood softball bats can deliver similar results.

More Torque Equals More Hits Jack Mankin at BatSpeed.com has researched the mechanics of softball batting and believes successful batting employs rotational mechanics, in which the bat turns during a swing. This is different from linear mechanics, which encourages a straighter softball bat swing with more emphasis on weight transfer, power and follow-through. Mankin has documented the importance of torque for softball batting speed. As the lead arm brings the bat through the strike zone, the back hand pushes forward, causing the bat to rotate. The right amount of torque will actually increase the speed of the softball bat when contact is made. With enough torque and bat speed, the softball travels farther. The result: Some swings tend to have more "pop" than others. When even the best players have a softball batting slump, it is usually due to improper mechanics that change the effect of torque and bat speed. Mankin actually has scientific support to back up his theory. In 1991, Harvey Leff, chair of the physics department at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, studied Mankin's research and found that his study is scientifically sound. Like Dagenais, Mankin also believes in the importance of bat speed in softball batting. However, Mankin's batting tips specify that it is important to hit your maximum bat speed at the point of ball contact, or as close to it as possible. While some may argue it can come in the follow-through, Mankin says his research does not support this. The DeMarini School of Softball Batting The late Ray DeMarini, a softball batting legend who created a number of modern softball bats and instructional videos, had several softball batting tips for increasing one's speed:

Lead the swing with the hands so that the bat is the last thing to pass through the strike zone. Aim to hit the bottom half of the softball, which causes the softball to carry farther. Shift the body weight from the back foot to the front foot as contact is made with the softball to generate more power. The batter should aim to hit the softball slightly in front of the body, as this is where the swing generates the most bat speed. Dropping the pinky below the softball bat knob will give the batter more leverage and bat speed.

Use the "Ikey-Mikey" rule. Batters should start the swing with the chin on the front shoulder ("Ikey") and end it with the chin on the back shoulder ("Mikey"). This will keep the head down on the ball and the softball batting mechanics correct.

No matter who the batting coach is, or if aluminum or wood softball bats are used, most experts tend to agree that the right bat and a sound swing are the two most important batting tips to successful softball batting.

Conclusion There are many strategies that can improve the skills of batting. Mastering batting techniques, featuring the five vital elements, will strengthen the softball game. With proper technique and training, anyone with any decent ability can find success in softball batting.