too many ground balls to 3rd.

[dunkky]

I am trying to pull the inside ball and more often than not, i am hitting hard grounders to 3rd. i wanna hit line drives, but have not been successful. what would be the common typical root cause of this? i know it's hard to tell without seeing the actual swing, but if any of you went thru kinda similar experience. i am swing it with a full overlap grip. thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Jusrah99]

That overlap grip may be making you lose control of the bat.

 

[jkwoody22]

The weight of the bat, inside pitch, swinging to early, arms not extended, all could be factors, how are the middle to outside pitches, pulling those or going with the ball, I went up in weight with full overlap this winter and had to go back to 27’s with it, more comfortable and controllable, since the overlap is new and you have been doing a lot of tee work vs live it takes time, you really probably need more bp with live pitches, grab a cheap bat and go to a batting cage just to work on timing, arm angle. For me i Have long arms and I use overlap with a drop pinkie, so that moves the bat out farther, I won’t hit inside pitches unless I have too and I tend to hit them way out in front after my wrist has started to roll and it creates a ground ball to third, if I try to wait and get more barrel, I end up pulling my hands in and hit a weak ball to left side, so I try to stay away, otherwise if they keep pitching me that way I go to a standard almost choke up grip to compensate for more barrel

 

[Normy]

I have a hard time turning on an inside pitch unless I've specifically been practicing for that. Lately I've been working on backside line drives so it's making the transition tough when an inside pitch presents itself. Like these guys have mentioned, you may have to adjust your grip and I've even been thinking about using a lighter bat with less end load when trying to rip it down the 3rd base line.

 

[TWmccoy]

That overlap grip may be making you lose control of the bat.

This. I'm telling you, the overlap grip has a learning curve and some growing pains. You're probably swinging a hair early and rolling the ball over. That or you aren't opening your hips enough or getting your hands inside the ball properly. Hitting inside pitches with authority can take a little while to get good at, especially if you aren't used to doing it. You have to commit early to an inside pitch and catch the ball well in front to pull it hard.

Next time you BP, spend some of that time pulling balls hard and see what happens. Keep in mind that continual success with the overlap grip can take a year or more.

Generally if go up there trying to pull a line drive I'll use a 2 finger overlap rather than a full overlap. Adds some bat control while still keeping most of the snap.

 

[dunkky]

thanks a lot guys. i am going with an ounce lighter with two finger overlap next time. I hitting pretty well middle balls. I thought I wanna learn to pull the balls more so i can whip the hack out of it. just hard grounders with occasional hard liners. so far all my bombs(fence) have been either dead center or left cetner.

 

[4xtra]

thanks a lot guys. i am going with an ounce lighter with two finger overlap next time. I hitting pretty well middle balls. I thought I wanna learn to pull the balls more so i can whip the hack out of it. just hard grounders with occasional hard liners. so far all my bombs(fence) have been either dead center or left cetner.

a closed stance is better in regards to getting your timing right.
Like TWMcoy said, you may be opening your hips too soon and a closed stance will slow this down.
Personally I use a closed stance and it has helped my timing because prior to this I used an open stance and I was hitting shots down 3rd like crazy or was hitting the left field foul pole.

 

[bigwignj]

Try dropping your back shoulder when you swing. Youll be hitting pop flies to third in no time.

 

[hitless45]

^^^LOL

 

[jbo911]

thanks a lot guys. i am going with an ounce lighter with two finger overlap next time. I hitting pretty well middle balls. I thought I wanna learn to pull the balls more so i can whip the hack out of it. just hard grounders with occasional hard liners. so far all my bombs(fence) have been either dead center or left cetner.

I tend to cut under that pitch for weak flies if it's low and inside. I try to avoid having to hit that pitch entirely.

 

[WarHorse]

How do you hit ground balls in curling? wtf sports page forum is this?

 

[Dogue]

If you're used to hitting oppo I bet part of the problem you're having is timing. You're used to hitting the ball early in your swing, but to pull the inside your catching it later, your swing arch is catching the top of the ball. That's my guess...don't ask me how to fix it, I only diagnose swing problems I don't fix them.

 

[hitless45]

Closer to the plate = pull

Farther away (off) plate = push/oppo

 

[dunkky]

i think my problem is that i am opening my front leg too much toward 3rd. i should do just normal opening and catch the ball early and attack it. we'll see how that works out.

 

[RECKLESSxRUBEN]

i would suggest just waiting a bit longer and trying to go hard thru the 5-6 hole and once you have that down just work on going more towards the line. thats just me. when i have trouble pulling the ball i go 3-4 hole for a few weeks then start making my way back to the other side

 

[swingnmiss]

Well...........I would think that you're probably on your front foot a little early trying to pull it. When I front foot, I end up hitting a lot of ground balls too. I would try to keep off my front foot too soon and also look at the part of the ball you want to hit. Try to imagine a line 1/4" below the middle of the ball and rip the bat into that spot.

 

[oppotaco13]

Are you trying to cut the ball? If so, stop.

 

[ShortYellowBus]

Aim for the pitcher. It’ll take a few tries to hit him, but you won’t be grounding out to third anymore.

Nope. Don’t do that.

I always try to work on my swing to hit the ball higher and out in front instead of waiting to let the ball drop. Everyone has said this already.

When the ball comes closer to the plate, my bat does less work and I have to adjust to whatever movement the pitcher puts on the ball. Even if the pitch is inside, I can swing with my hands out in front and the bat lag will place the ball where I want it to go.

I’m 6’3, so it works for me, but that might not work for you.

I believe if you have an average talent pitcher, take a few pitches and wait for the pitch that you like.

Knowing the strike zone relative to your stance means you can identify a good pitch a few seconds earlier and strike decisively.

I’d rather not drop a shoulder or open myself up if that’s not something I’ve practiced with. Just make sure when you’re pulling, extend those arms and do not let go of the bat until it’s crossed your body.

My swing goes up, not down. When I’m done swinging, the bats in the air.

 

[WiLD53]

if i ever offer any advice on hitting... don't take it...

 

[Normy]

if i ever offer any advice on hitting... don't take it...

Keep your pitching advice coming though...my slider is getting nasty!

 

[dunkky]

i am not attacking inside balls intentionally anymore. i thought i would do it so i can pull the hack out of it. but, really no need. i found myself actually hitting balls instead of strikes. thanks for the suggestion guys. catching the ball in front will help out a lot.

 

[2TransAms]

The weight of the bat, inside pitch, swinging to early, arms not extended, all could be factors, how are the middle to outside pitches, pulling those or going with the ball, I went up in weight with full overlap this winter and had to go back to 27’s with it, more comfortable and controllable, since the overlap is new and you have been doing a lot of tee work vs live it takes time, you really probably need more bp with live pitches, grab a cheap bat and go to a batting cage just to work on timing, arm angle. For me i Have long arms and I use overlap with a drop pinkie, so that moves the bat out farther, I won’t hit inside pitches unless I have too and I tend to hit them way out in front after my wrist has started to roll and it creates a ground ball to third, if I try to wait and get more barrel, I end up pulling my hands in and hit a weak ball to left side, so I try to stay away, otherwise if they keep pitching me that way I go to a standard almost choke up grip to compensate for more barrel

That was a longass sentence, but all correct.

It's really about pitch recognition. If you don't recognize an inside pitch early and commit to it (if you want to swing), you can end up playing catch-up and leaning back or swinging with your arms in too close. Instead of a proactive attack, it's a reactive defense, if that makes sense.

 

[jkwoody22]

Trying to type when drinking should be a no no for me, its always those damn inside balls that break back and hit the back corner of the mat that get me