Bat control help with overlap or stack grip

[Bagz]

Well from my experience a balanced bat is your best option for an overlap grip if you want some more control and more whip. It will feel a tad el with an overlap. If you try to use a .5el or 1oz el with an overlap it will feel like swinging an axe with no control unless you are very strong with wrists and hands. Bp reps and a strength program of hands and wrist will help with more consistency in the end.

 

[shopofpop]

Try this www.WhipStrip.com

 

[TWmccoy]

I've held the bat the same way for 40+ years. Never heard of the overlap grip for softball until I joined this forum in 2018. I use a pinky/first finger interlock golfing but baseball grip for softball/baseball. So I was curious and tried a few versions of it while hitting off the tee and during live pitch. First off like what other guys say, it would take a long time to get used to it. At my age I'm not going to waste my time with it. If you were new to softball and never really played baseball I think you could learn it faster. I'm lucky and have a pretty good natural swing and can hit HR's with not much extra effort. I didn't want to lose any bat control for more "power". Our fences are only 310. A 325 ft HR counts the same as a 330 ft HR. Me lifting weights 3 days a week helps more for power than a different grip in my opinion.

Weight lifting definitely makes a difference in how far you can hit a ball consistently. I notice it most on mis hits. If I'm strong and mis hit a ball,it'll still get out. Years ago (before I started lifting) I'd mis hit balls and they'd have nothing on them.

Same goes for the overlap grip. You can sometimes mis hit a ball fairly badly and still get good distance. With a conventional grip you notice that mis hits get punished way more in terms of distance loss.

2 finger overlap is pretty much what I've settled on for a grip. It combines the whip of overlap with some of the control of a conventional grip. If I'm free swinging and trying to hit HRs I'll still go full overlap though.

 

[Redsfan]

Same goes for the overlap grip. You can sometimes mis hit a ball fairly badly and still get good distance. With a conventional grip you notice that mis hits get punished way more in terms of distance loss.

I agree with this with the old aluminum bats but with these new bats even miss hits are going 300+.

 

[TWmccoy]

I agree with this with the old aluminum bats but with these new bats even miss hits are going 300+.

I know, it sucks. I see guys with horrible swings hitting balls out. Its all the bat. It really doesn't take much skill to hit a ball 350' anymore. I've played long enough (20 years) that I got to see what things were like in the metal bat era. I miss those days.

 

[jhitman]

I would highly recommend NOT using any sort of interlock grip. Your hands are going to move (twist) a little when you swing a softball bat. With an interlock grip you're jamming your fingers together. It'll result in some chafing, jamming, and pain.

I see absolutely zero benefit to an interlock grip in softball.

Also, Mechanix gloves chafe your hands worse than other gloves because they're not real leather. I've had really bad experiences with them. Always go for real leather batting gloves. Even leather work gloves will be fine.

I got the grip (interlock) from Todd Graham of the swingmechanics site back in the day. That's the grip he used and since I was getting some marks from it I switched to a full overlap. As far as the gloves I totally disagree with you. I used to use regular batting gloves and not only did I rip them in a short period of time they didn't protect my hands as well. Since switching to the Mechanix gloves they not only last way longer but protect my hands better. To each his own, but they work for me.

 

[TWmccoy]

I got the grip (interlock) from Todd Graham of the swingmechanics site back in the day. That's the grip he used and since I was getting some marks from it I switched to a full overlap. As far as the gloves I totally disagree with you. I used to use regular batting gloves and not only did I rip them in a short period of time they didn't protect my hands as well. Since switching to the Mechanix gloves they not only last way longer but protect my hands better. To each his own, but they work for me.

For hardcore (200+ swing) BPs I'll generally use leather work gloves. They do a good job and don't tear up my hands. I don't really use regular batting gloves often. I agree they tear too quickly. For games I don't use gloves at all.

With the overlap grip I almost don't even need a glove on the right hand. It isn't doing a ton and doesn't get chafed.

 

[FLEET]

I agree with this with the old aluminum bats but with these new bats even miss hits are going 300+.

some dudes have that pure r-tard strength, but if you gave them a bag of legos they wouldn't know what to do with them.

 

[dunkky]

how do you prevent from dropping your hand while unloading. This has been my problem constantly...

 

[Matth]

how do you prevent from dropping your hand while unloading. This has been my problem constantly...

Get your hands up higher. Pull your arms up so that your front shoulder is touching your chin. Maybe even angle your back elbow up more. All of this should help you drive in a straighter path towards the ball.

 

[jhitman]

For hardcore (200+ swing) BPs I'll generally use leather work gloves. They do a good job and don't tear up my hands. I don't really use regular batting gloves often. I agree they tear too quickly. For games I don't use gloves at all.

With the overlap grip I almost don't even need a glove on the right hand. It isn't doing a ton and doesn't get chafed.

I used to use regular batting gloves but because I hit a lot of BP and play a lot of games they wouldn't last very long. I get much more durability out of the Mechanix gloves. For about $20.00 a piece if I have 2 pairs it gets me through the year.

 

[dunkky]

Pull your arms up so that your front shoulder is touching your chin

brilliant, just tried it dry swing, it may work. so, if ball is low, you still attack the same way, right?

 

[Matth]

brilliant, just tried it dry swing, it may work. so, if ball is low, you still attack the same way, right?

You still attack the same way. Getting that shoulder up helps to remind you to attack the ball on a level plane. Getting your hands higher encourages you not to dip your backside. It also discourages you from swinging at high pitches which is good because you will not hit high pitches as hard or as far as pitches that are at belt level to knee level.

 

[JMASTERJ]

I've held the bat the same way for 40+ years. Never heard of the overlap grip for softball until I joined this forum in 2018. I use a pinky/first finger interlock golfing but baseball grip for softball/baseball. So I was curious and tried a few versions of it while hitting off the tee and during live pitch. First off like what other guys say, it would take a long time to get used to it. At my age I'm not going to waste my time with it. If you were new to softball and never really played baseball I think you could learn it faster. I'm lucky and have a pretty good natural swing and can hit HR's with not much extra effort. I didn't want to lose any bat control for more "power". Our fences are only 310. A 325 ft HR counts the same as a 330 ft HR. Me lifting weights 3 days a week helps more for power than a different grip in my opinion.

I am thinking the exact same thing... when my balls dont go out, every time its because of bad launch angle or mi**** on the handle of the bat... never because of "lack of power"... so I have stopped experimenting already, and I may even choke up a little considering I mi**** much more off the handle than the end of the bat... baseball bats were never this ridiculously long, tough adjustment... and I think I am already standing as far away as Frank Thomas used to.

 

[Redsfan]

I was hitting it off the handle too much during the first part of last year. I moved back from the plate and it worked wonders. I'm so far back that I have to step towards the plate to hit outside corner pitches. Now I have my power to all fields again instead of just LF/LC.

 

[JMASTERJ]

I was hitting it off the handle too much during the first part of last year. I moved back from the plate and it worked wonders. I'm so far back that I have to step towards the plate to hit outside corner pitches. Now I have my power to all fields again instead of just LF/LC.

Ya I am thinking about doing that but I feel like I am so far away already it makes me feel like I would hit every ball off the end of the bat and break it... I know thats irrational but no one likes hitting a ball off the very end of the bat, u know what that feels like.

I was also thinking of maybe just opening my hips up faster and early to pull away a little bit more early, so adds a little power and pulls the bat away a little... that seemed to work once last game and hit one out, but then the vert next AB, I hit it on the handle again and barely cleared the SS, so... ya, frustrating to get a consistent gauge. I guess just more experimentation is due.