Hitting tips for opposite field hitting.

Y

yohann_chadenat

New Member
I'm currently working a lot on my opposite field hitting.
In my league we play with 4 outfielders. For righties 95% of the time the centerfields mostly cover the pull side, leaving plenty of open space on the right field.
And usually the right fielder is the worse player on the opposite team.
Moreover our park has been built on an old soccer field, meaning shorter fence distance on right field (and being the lefty's paradise).

I'm looking for tips to increase my distance on this side.
Here is one swing from my latest training. If some of you can suggest improvements it would be nice:)

 
TWmccoy

TWmccoy

3DX Connoisseur
Back off the plate a little from where you usually stand. Also, move up in the box (toward the pitcher).

You want to catch the ball deep. Waiting on it is the biggest key to good/consistent oppo hitting.

Don't try to force the ball oppo. If the pitch is on the inner half of the plate take a natural swing and go middle or pull it.

Go to the cage or take live BP and just work on oppo hitting. Hopefully the BP pitcher has a net, because while you're learning you'll probably hit some accidental middle shots.
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
I want to preface this by saying: I'm not great at going oppo. I don't see a lot of pitches to do it with because pitchers know that if I start early they may end up eating it. So, I am not the authority on it.

Now, having said that. My good friend, who is amazing at it says, you should step off the plate a bit. Let the ball travel deep into your hitting arc and then look at the middle/inside of the ball and place the bat on it. It does make sense to me and when I see him do it.......It's nails.
 
ImminentDanger

ImminentDanger

Up and Over
I agree with both TW & Swing - move up and off the plate (just a bit)... I hit a lot to right field...
Being able to hit a good ball to right field is an important skill - it produces RBIs.

Moving forward in the box will allow a normal strike to be deep in your swing zone - while still keeping the ball belt high at the point of contact. YOU DO NOT want the ball down at your knees. Belt high still keeps the power in your swing for a line drive. At your knees usually makes you loop your swing and is more likely to create a pop up.

Timing is critical because you are not swinging in line with the pitch direction. As with all other bp, once you have the swing mechanics tuned in with Tee work, you really need live practice to get the timing right.

With my GPT (Green Pop Toss) launcher, I practice hitting left, center, right on separate rounds, positioning myself accordingly.

%%%
 
Last edited:
Y

yohann_chadenat

New Member
ImminentDanger said:
I agree with both TW & Swing - move up and off the plate (just a bit)... I hit a lot to right field...
Being able to hit a good ball to right field is an important skill - it produces RBIs.

Moving forward in the box will allow a normal strike to be deep in your swing zone - while still keeping the ball belt high at the point of contact. YOU DO NOT want the ball down at your knees. Belt high still keeps the power in your swing for a line drive. At your knees usually makes you loop your swing and is more likely to create a pop up.

Timing is critical because you are not swinging in line with the pitch direction. As with all other bp, once you have the swing mechanics tuned in with Tee work, you really need live practice to get the timing right.

With my GPT (Green Pop Toss) launcher, I practice hitting left, center, right on separate rounds, positioning myself accordingly.

%%%
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot! I've been practicing this weekend in near live conditions (with a Blue Flame Pitching Machine).
i like very much the off the plate and forward position. Gives me the feeling that i can control pretty much the hitting zone (e.g. pull or swing above the pitcher the inside pitches). As you said, getting the timing right is the most critical parameter. i currently pop up by going too early at the ball and hit it too high. The aim for me are really line drives in the big gap between 1st and 2nd base and i realize the timing window is not huge at all.

But it's a skill worth practicing. I really notice that a lot defense strategies sacrifice opposite field hitting compared to pull & center (at least in the league i'm playing in)
 
ImminentDanger

ImminentDanger

Up and Over
Glad that it's coming around for you... Practice, practice, practice...
Keep your eye glued on the ball and keep the bat head up during your swing.
Think about the height (as it arcs) where you want to make contact for line drives.

Keep at it.

%%%
 
arther itis

arther itis

payin' to get paid
Be prepared in the batter's box as sometimes a pitcher might accidentally throw a mistake pitch that can be more easily hit to right center field or right field.

I've thrown bad pitches that shouldn't have been swung at normally but the pitch looked good to the batter and they swung away.
 
ImminentDanger

ImminentDanger

Up and Over
arther itis said:
If I see a right-handed batter shift their stance to where they're obviously going to try for right field, I pitch them inside every pitch.
Click to expand...
That's certainly a strategy to minimize right-field shots. It can cause a handle dribbler back to the pitcher. However, with the fact that many umps refuse to FORCE batters to STAY IN THE BOX, it is nearly impossible to pitch an inside-strike when the batter is way off the plate.

For those of us who really work on going to right field (while still in the box), an inside-strike does make it harder, but not impossible. You really have to wait for that pitch to get deep enough to go there. If it is a short inside-strike, just in the corner cutout of the plate, that will likely require a down-low swing to send that pitch to right field.

If I can predict it coming, I may step even farther forward to make contact higher in the arc.

If you are determined to hit there, you sometimes have to be satisfied just blooping it over the 1B's head into shallow RF. Bases loaded, it usually produces at least one RBI.

%%%
 
Y

yohann_chadenat

New Member
Yesterday pretty bad live BP session. The downside of training a lot with the pop toss is that i tend to get too early on pitches.
In general timing has always been a challenge and always prevented me to get any consistency.

Do you guys have some tips to get the timing right??
 
Y

yohann_chadenat

New Member
arther itis said:
If I see a right-handed batter shift their stance to where they're obviously going to try for right field, I pitch them inside every pitch.
Click to expand...
It can be a dangerous proposition. Personally i try to divide in 2 spots. Middle and away aims for the gap between 1st and 2nd base and inside pitch is for above the pitcher. I do not even try to pull, i just cannot do it.
But when i'm pitched inside, that's also when i tend to go too early at the ball... resulting in a swing a face-height of the pitcher :s
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
arther itis said:
If I see a right-handed batter shift their stance to where they're obviously going to try for right field, I pitch them inside every pitch.
Click to expand...

I see a tricky pitcher like that and I need a bomb........I'll get in the box way off the plate. Listen to the catcher shout, "Way off!!!!", watch the pitcher come in on me, sneak in and launch it 375' over the right center field fence.
 
ImminentDanger

ImminentDanger

Up and Over
yohann_chadenat said:
Do you guys have some tips to get the timing right??
Click to expand...
I don't know if this will help you - but I never watch the ball actually launch off the poptoss - I look out in the field until the ball is launched. Then I lock onto it just as it starts down the arc. Because the poptoss is only throwing about 25 feet, the full arc is not the same as a pitch. So I have mine set to what I think the LAST 12' of a regular pitch would look like. That way, when I lock onto the ball, I'm expecting it to be similar to locking onto a game-type pitch.

I've never used a routine for timing - like counting from pitch release, or a big leg kick, etc., which is intended to time the swing to the pitch. I try to lock into the ball (keeping my eye glued to it) expecting that my swing will meet the ball if I'm looking intently at it. That's hand-eye coordination - not timing from some prior point.

I hope there's something there that's helpful...

This is my poptoss thread.

%%%
 
OG_WhenPigsFly

OG_WhenPigsFly

All Pigs Run
ImminentDanger said:
I agree with both TW & Swing - move up and off the plate (just a bit)... I hit a lot to right field...
Being able to hit a good ball to right field is an important skill - it produces RBIs.

Moving forward in the box will allow a normal strike to be deep in your swing zone - while still keeping the ball belt high at the point of contact. YOU DO NOT want the ball down at your knees. Belt high still keeps the power in your swing for a line drive. At your knees usually makes you loop your swing and is more likely to create a pop up.

Timing is critical because you are not swinging in line with the pitch direction. As with all other bp, once you have the swing mechanics tuned in with Tee work, you really need live practice to get the timing right.

With my GPT (Green Pop Toss) launcher, I practice hitting left, center, right on separate rounds, positioning myself accordingly.

%%%
Click to expand...

I never really thought about moving up in the box to hit backside and would always just stand in the same spot and go with the pitch. After reading this a couple weeks back I’ve tried moving up in the box in 3 games now, unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to bust out the pop toss and practicing it but hot damn, I’ve gotten some good results in game with it. My hits to the right side of the field have been much harder, before I could never really get a hard one down the first base line but yesterday I hit a stinger a few feet off the ground about a foot left of 1st base and have hit a handful of very hard line drives to right center. Can’t wait to really hone it in as the weeks pass, time to put some pop toss work in.
 
arther itis

arther itis

payin' to get paid
swingnmiss said:
I see a tricky pitcher like that and I need a bomb........I'll get in the box way off the plate. Listen to the catcher shout, "Way off!!!!", watch the pitcher come in on me, sneak in and launch it 375' over the right center field fence.
Click to expand...
:D most likely I'd end up pitching you up and in. There's a guy around here who can hit similarly to you. I found he's got a hole in his swing. He likes to golf low pitches & I've seen him hit bombs. So I just pitch him up and in.
 
D

defos

Well-Known Member
I'm a low pitch, opposite field hitter, which most everyone I regularly hit against should know, but even the pitchers I've played against for 20 years haven't figured out that I don't like and can't hit pitches up and in.
 
swingnmiss

swingnmiss

#1 IN YOUR HEARTS
arther itis said:
:D most likely I'd end up pitching you up and in. There's a guy around here who can hit similarly to you. I found he's got a hole in his swing. He likes to golf low pitches & I've seen him hit bombs. So I just pitch him up and in.
Click to expand...

Lefty's love that low and in. Just dumb enough to make work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top