Help hitting the ball on the barrel, not the handle

[yak2by2]

This is my first season playing slowpitch.

I'm hitting the ball off the handle / skinny end of the bat, not on the barrel / sweet spot. I watched a YouTube video that said the solution for this was to swing earlier, because it was a timing issue. When I swing earlier, I do hit off the barrel and typically crush the ball, but I always pull the ball foul.

How do I do this earlier swing and make the same strong contact fair? Or is there other advice on how to hit off the barrel when you keep hitting off the handle?

Thanks, I appreciate any advice.

 

[Tied to the whipping post]

This is my first season playing slowpitch.

I'm hitting the ball off the handle / skinny end of the bat, not on the barrel / sweet spot. I watched a YouTube video that said the solution for this was to swing earlier, because it was a timing issue. When I swing earlier, I do hit off the barrel and typically crush the ball, but I always pull the ball foul.

How do I do this earlier swing and make the same strong contact fair? Or is there other advice on how to hit off the barrel when you keep hitting off the handle?

Thanks, I appreciate any advice.

check your stance in relation to the plate as you currently stand, if possible do this with a mirror facing back toward you as if it were the pitcher, then hold the bat out front of you as if you are swinging at a pitch, look in the mirror and see if the barrel or the handle is over the plate, if barrel you are standing what would/should be proper distance from the plate for you, if handle is over the plate, simply stand further from the plate so that the barrel is predominately over the plate, again for your swing. Try this next batting practice and then purposely try to hit to RCF and LCF, this will help tremendously with your timing. other tweaks that you can make, but too close to the plate is not good in slow pitch softball for most hitters

 

[TWmccoy]

Sounds like you need BP, and a lot of it. You need to practice hitting the ball more to CF and stop trying to pull everything.

It sounds like right now you're standing too close to the plate, and its jamming you up. Swinging earlier will help, but if you're standing too close to the plate you'll just (as mentioned) pull the ball foul.

Some tee work might actually help you understand the physics of a softball swing, and where the ball must be when you hit it.

 

[rmp0012002]

Sounds like you could be casting your hands. I’m going through the same thing where your hands get out from your body and you end up hitting balls more often off the handle.

 

[yak2by2]

Thanks everyone. I made these adjustments during a BP session and hit consistent line drives off the barrel of the bat. Let's hope I can transfer that over to games, where I need to work on my pitch selection.

 

[catch21]

Sounds like you could be casting your hands. I’m going through the same thing where your hands get out from your body and you end up hitting balls more often off the handle.

this is the correct answer most likely. cannot say for sure without seeing your swing.

if this is the case then more BP wont help. it will just further enforce the already bad muscle memory.

do the fence drill. best hitting drill there is IMO.
teaches proper swing technique.

 

[Goater]

I had the problem of hitting off the handle, as ongoing, for a while and now it is quite diminished. I discovered a problem with my swing that I believe contributed to the problem. I was starting my swing before my stride was complete and my front foot landed. I suspect that on outside corner pitches, I was changing my stride, mid swing, towards the plate and that would have changed the path of the swing.

 

[Sailorjoe6308]

I had this same issue for quite awhile. My proximity to the plate was my issue. I was standing with my feet dead center of the box. My natural swing pushes the ball to RCF/RF. Moving back from the plate roughly 6 inches and back in the box roughly a foot I started barreling the ball up a lot more consistently and hitting the ball harder into the 3-4 hole. I'd start by moving away from the plate and going from there.

 

[stang7222]

@catch21 nails it with the fence drill. Also, focus on sending the ball back up the middle and make sure you watch it all of the way to the bat. 20 years of slowpitch later and every single AB I step into the box telling myself: "relax, think middle, see the ball hit the bat."