Master Batting Tips

On The Hitting Corner, Cal Ripken Sr. states that becoming a successful hitter in baseball requires a number of skills, including strength, coordination, rhythm, patience and quickness. While physical tools have a significant impact on how well you hit, no one masters batting without practice and a well-refined approach. If you have determination and a willingness to heed a few important hitting tips, you will notice an immediate improvement in your swings.

  1. Hit Up the Middle

    • If you go up to the plate looking to pull the ball, you become susceptible to the pitch away. Rather than trying to pull everything for power, focus on hitting the ball back up the middle. This strategy encourages a very important batting skill: hitting the ball where it is pitched. Hitters who use all fields instead of simply pulling everything are much tougher to pitch to.

    Practice Bunting

    • Part of learning to become a better hitter involves mastering the bunting skill. Not only is it a useful tactic that you should be able to do at will, it also hones hand-eye coordination -- which is perhaps the most important skill for any hitter. Practice bunting regularly.

    Hit Off a Tee

    • Tony Gwynn, owner of eight batting titles and a .338 career batting average, highly recommends spending significant time hitting Wiffle balls off a batting tee to perfect your swing. Gwynn notes that when hit correctly, a Wiffle ball knuckles through the air cleanly without any rotation. Hitting it incorrectly creates spin, causing the ball to fly erratically. Fine-tune your swing until you can hit a Wiffle ball successfully with every stroke.

    Stay Inside the Ball

    • Staying inside the ball means keeping the bat close to your body as long as possible. At the point of contact, your hands should explode toward the ball; this generates extra bat speed and results in an overall increase in power. You will hit the ball harder and farther with this approach, and you also will have an easier time hitting to all fields.

    Focus on the Ball

    • Perhaps the simplest tip of all is at times the easiest to forget: See the ball and hit it. Make eye contact with the ball in the pitcher's hand and watch it as it leaves the pitcher's hand and all the way until it hits your bat, lowering your head to the point of contact. Once you are standing at the plate waiting for the pitch, seeing the ball must be your only focus. Other thoughts just serve as distractions.