jhitman
Well-Known Member
I was always so worried about losing distance with the conventional grip. Thing is, lately I'm not. If anything I'm hitting the ball further with a conventional grip than I do with the overlap.
I clubbed a couple balls about 415' last week with the conventional grip. Many more in the 380' range. I obviously can do that distance using the overlap grip, but not nearly as consistently. The culprit is lack of backspin.
I feel like the top hand is actually providing some distance. The whip is coming later. Lots of times with the overlap grip I felt like I was releasing the top hand too early and not getting enough push.
IDK, the conventional grip just feels so much cleaner. I don't feel like I'm guessing as much, and I've been mis hitting the ball so much less. Way less casting/lunging as well. I'm hitting the ball deeper in the zone, and I'm not seeing any more of those hooking, sidespin shots.
I think it is much cleaner as you have more fingers on the bat to give you more control. I tried doing what you are doing a few years ago and felt I lost a little distance but had better control. But if you are getting as much distance with it and better control I would stick with it. Also, since it's relatively new you might want to give it a little time to see if it stays consistent. I get excited about tweaks all the time then a month later it's not working the same way.